Growing Pains And Relief.

I road raced motorcycles for over a decade. My first race bike was over 10 years old when I purchased it. The bike, known as mean Joe Green, had tons of improvements done to it. It was extremely fast to me and very capable. I really concentrated on body position my first year. This is to say how and where the rider moves his body in relationship to the bike, its the center most critical part of safe racing. I loved that bike, I steadily grew faster and faster on it. towards the end of my first season racing, the front end would sometimes get unsettled, but I figured that was the nature of pushing man and machine.

Early in the second season of racing, I approached turn 4, at the end of a long straight. The number 3 braking marker came into view, I came up off the tank, out of the bubble and slid sideways in the seat while extending my knee out, creating aerodynamic drag to assist in braking, my eyes shot to the number 1 marker, signaling turn in, my hand blipped the throttle while I pulled in the clutch slightly with 2 fingers, my brake two fingers progressively pulling the brake lever in harder. I gently notched the shift pedal down from 6th gear, blip the throttle, 5th and a blip to 4th and once more to 3rd gear. The motor screamed at 14,000 rpm. Id done this sequence over and over until it was automatic for me. This time however, the rear wheel chattered and bucked, the clip ons (handle bars) began to oscillate back and forth, violently shaking the front end. Fighting panic off, I upshifted to fourth, with no time to pull the clutch, and progressively added throttle. As I entered the turn, having corrected most of the odd behavior, I leaned the bike harder and harder, my knee puck grinding into the pavement at somewhere north of 95 mph. While the bike wobbled through the apex of the turn and I added throttle enough to shift the balance of weight to the rear tire, I again fought off the confusion and panic. I got the bike through the rest of the lap and brought it in to the pits.

I immediately sought out my suspension tuner. I was scared, frustrated and perplexed. How could my race bike that had served me so well turn on me so quickly? Where was my error? Most of the problems are caused by rider input, so I was positive that I was doing something wrong, if not, what was wrong with the bike?

My suspension tuner looked over the bike, checked my lap times for the season, looked at it thoughtfully and said. "I can sell you some more upgrades that wont help or I can tell you the real issue." He waited for me to say something for a bit and then said "You need to sell the bike." He knew what I didnt, that I had outgrown the bike. I was pushing the front end faster and harder that it was capable of responding to. There were no magic modifications left to do, the forks and geometry of the bike that were so conducive to learning how to race were not capable of sustaining any higher forces. I was asking, no, demanding more of it than was possible. He went on to tell me that if I fought it, Id loose. Loosing that battle means crashing.

I ended up selling the bike to an entry level racer and bought a newer race bike with a front end grafted from a liter bike onto it. It served me well and my lap times kept getting quicker until that cycle was repeated once again.

The reason I mention this is because it mirrors my experiences of late in this industry. I too was served very well by my first company here. The qualities that made it a great experience to learn and grow as a driver were and are key to building a successful career as much as the performance of the driver. But just like that first bike, as I got more efficient and grew, I was demanding more than they could give me. And just like the conversation with my tuner, I had to step away from fighting it and being rebellious, instead looking at what I can change and applying myself there. Some of my peers were telling me to stop fighting it, of course at times, I can make a mule seem cooperative, but eventually I listened to the advice.

So it brings me to where Im at today. I made a decision some time ago to switch to a company that I felt more aligned to my goals and objectives for the immediate future. I took a lot of time to make the decision and then act on it. For me, change is not comfortable, and I tend to overthink and over analyze every possible aspect of it before making a change. From inception to completion of the change took me 8 months to do so. Continued on next post.

Continued...

I made the switch to the company based upon many factors, upfront compensation ranked highly, amount of milage that I could get as well. Equipment was a key factor as well. Additionally, the ability to have a dedicated DM , that is experienced and is in alignment with how I want to run was very high on my priorities as well as still maintaining flexibility.

The size of a company doesnt tell you anything except the size of a company. In other words, If I could have found these qualities at my previous company, in the division and terminal that I want to be at, I would have stayed there. As I have said many times before, I maximized my earnings potential, attempted to resolve issues and used problem solving as much as anyone can. The size of the company wasnt a factor in my decision process, rather it was making sure it wasnt a lateral move and trying to find a company that demonstrated the qualities I was looking for. I dont believe that switching companies is a cure-all for issues, and frankly, for someone who doesnt like making changes, its a last line of action, not a first one.

So, Im currently on my first load for Hummer Trucking. Im in a 2024 Kenworth T680 next gen, well equipped. Heated and cooled leather seat, operable windows in the sleeper, LED lighting, governed at 70 on the pedal and cruise. Beautiful truck. Came with a CB in it, though I have one already. Currently at 60 cpm , 4 cpm quarterly bonus, easily attainable. 3200 to 3600 miles a week. 12 days out, 2 at home, paid holidays. Ancillary pay ranges from 175 a day to 225 depending on items. Fairly standard 401k. Medical, dental and vision plan is affordable and well provided. Theres some nice perks including a preventative and minor medical plan that is free to all drivers.

Orientation was fast paced and I had two loads dispatched on me before I was even finished with it. All of it was very logical and laid out well. Theres a lot of new systems to go over in terms of messaging and working my ELD, but its similar concepts, just different details. Im already fluid with the tablet (Isaacs) but havent began customizing it yet. The road test, that I had built up to a mountain sized mound of overthinking, turned out to be very relaxing. After being out of a truck from almost two weeks, it was refreshing to be driving again. I got to pick the testers brain, hes been driving for 36 years. We had a great time, great conversations. I took a loaded trailer around some various roads and brought it back to the shop, parked it. I also got to hook up to a refer as we do a mix of refer and dry. We ended up unhooking though, as another driver needed it and it was the only empty there.

Its tough to put in to words, and its my first day, but the philosophy and general airs of the company are very much inline with what Im seeking. Its far less formal, but very much performance driven. Its all about getting the loads done and or handed off to another driver, safely and on to the next. There is an over riding theme that its expected that the driver is competent and experienced upon coming in. All in All, Im very happy with the change and relieved to be experiencing new things every minute of the day. How well I fit will be determined over time. I feel comfortable in my abilities and resources though.

Congrats Davy,

Glad to finally read about your new home. You seem to have thought out everything that you needed to very carefully before making the move. That is something a lot of drivers do not do.

I hope that everything goes the way you are planning for and keep us in the loop. I look forward to your future posts.

Congratulations on your move! I hope you are happier, you definitely seem to have thought this out. It definitely wasn't a spur of the moment decision based off a few bad days.

I'm a bit jealous of the heated and cooled seats lol

Well, well. Hummer seems like a great choice for you. You are starting out with a compensation package that sounds as good or better than what I have after 27 months at my employer.

I’m a little concerned about your governed speed of 70. Do you think you can handle all that speed? Might be a little scary at first, so just ease into it. Lol.

Good luck and safe travels with Hummer. And don’t forget to honk and wave when you pass me.

I'm very happy to hear of your new gig, especially after following your journey from the beginning.

I too know what it's like to, after exhausting all possibilities of attaining my long-term goals within my then-current company, ultimately arrive at the conclusion and realization that they could never tic all the boxes on my wish list.

Rather than adopt the "Boxer"-like mentality of" I will work harder.", I improved my position by bouncing elsewhere. Work smarter.

I applaud you for taking this approach as well. Obviously, there's a "new car smell" with any new company, so some things may come up that turn out to be a little less than you expected. But all in all this change sounds like it was for the good.

I wish you well in this new gig, Davy.

Davy, I believe "HON" is one of Hummer's big customers. They are an office furniture company. I haul a lot of aluminum to HON in Muscatine, IA.

Hey Davy congrats and good luck on your new journey. Sometimes change is necessary and I'm glad to hear that you are advancing in your career. Good luck and safe travels!

Hey Davy congrats and good luck on your new journey. Sometimes change is necessary and I'm glad to hear that you are advancing in your career. Good luck and safe travels!

Good to hear from you. Hope all is well with you and your still putting down miles.

I've heard a lot of great things about Hummer. Regional and Dedicated Midwest haven't had any openings in over a year. You must be in a prime location. The OTR position is quoted at 2500-2900 miles a week here in Minnesota.