First Otr Solo Trip....for An Old Ass Lady.

About me. Been driving local for fifteen years. I drive doubles , belly dump. I haul rocks and sugar beets. Love to drive. My boss asked me to do her a favor and run a reefer to Dallas Tx From here in Oregon. Ok. No problem. I'm a truck driver right? I'm experienced right? Haha.... let me tell you... first, no one died and I didn't hit anything. That's the only good thing out of this trip. ( one more thing later I forgot about). I left to load my frozen onion rings last Monday morning. Get to the warehouse. I have to do an off set back at least a mile down an alley! I DON'T BACK DOUBLES! I have not backed a trailer in fifteen years! Well...I did it! A few pull ups. Very slow.... dock guys getting impatient...didn't care. I got loaded and got paperwork and left the yard. Engine light comes on! Called shop and was routed to nearest freightliner for repair. A sensor was out that detected oil pressure... had to wait until Tuesday afternoon for part to come in. 24 Hours later I'm back on the road. The broker was lucky enough to get my appointment changed, but I lost my return load. So...I'm off! Feeling good and making time... then hit the biggest freaken snow storm of the year. I'm driving on an ice skating rink. I'm going maybe twenty miles an hour...can I make my appointment? Panic! I drove to the conditions and decided no load was worth an accident and somehow I made it on time. I also smoked an entire pack of cigarettes that day...ugh. so now I'm in Dallas empty and need to get home. Broker find me a load to Portland. Yay! I find the place and get there. Remember I don't back very good? This place I need to do an impossible Jack knife back to the dock between two trucks. NO WAY. PERIOD. I am not going to hit someone's truck. I know I can't do this. So what's a girl to do? I offer the nice truck driver next to me lots of money to back my truck in for me, that's what! Lol he was so nice. He was a former trainer and was happy to help me. Also he refused my money! Thank God for kind people! He also told me it was better to ask for help than risk thousand of dollars in damages. Ok...so I'm loaded and ready to go home. Wait for it.... the freeway I needed got closed for that ice. This was not a small storm. So I was re-routed north through Ok, Ks, Ne, then west through Wyoming, Id, to Or. Alright. A few more miles...but on my way. Did you all hear of the feet of snow in Wyoming? I didn't. But I found it! Elk mountain on ice. Nice.... finally drove out of that crap. Got to Portland and unloaded. Easy backing there thank god. Then load for Boise. From there I could dead head home. Drive out to the nursery in Canby. Lost it. Had to back down a tree lined drive for at least a half mile. Tree branches scraping both sides of my trailer all the way.... then the loader broke. They had to hand load my trailer...yep. 6 Hours sitting there. FINALLY got done. So happy to head north to I84 west and get home. Somehow I missed that exit. Now I'm in Washington! My Hell. Got turned around...found the right road for home and hit it hard. Scale is open at cascade locks. No biggie. I'm light loaded. Got the red light to park and bring in paperwork. So I go to park and am met as I set my brakes to be informed I'm chosen for a level 3 DOT inspection. They don't let me touch my log book. I must just hand it over along with all my permits and drivers license and medical card. He told me to wait an he would be back in ten minutes. I watched a couple of very upset truck drivers receive tickets. Twenty minutes later.... I'm sweating bullets. How am I going to pay the million dollar fine I'm about to receive? Finally the suit guy returns. He tells me they thoroughly inspected my log book. NO VIOLATIONS! I can't believe it. He tells me nice job and have a good day. I'm so relieved I had to call my boss and tell her. She tells me I will get a bonus for that. Finally unload yesterday and home last night. So....what did I learn? Backing a trailer is somewhat an important skill to have. There are nice people left out there. I have a whole new respect for you all. And most importantly, I'm a local doubles driver who don't know ****. Stay safe everyone....

GreAt story! Good for you!