Letting Go A Piece Of Myself

I feel a little roughed up today.  I got to thinking about something that happened last week.  With my birthday coming up that meant it was time to renew my driver's license.  After a lot of thought I gave up my Class A (trucking) license.  After Carroll Fulmer essentially blackballed me from the trucking industry, I knew I would never drive a semi again.  So it didn't make much sense to carry the endorsement on my license.  Here's why.

If I were to get a ticket of any sort, I can't take the classes to get the points off my license.  And due to the way insurance companies will jack up your rates for any points, I thought it was best to give up my Class A.  Especially if I'm not going to use it. 

If you go to some of the first of my blogs on this site you will see they are about trucking school and trucking in general.  It has been a part of me since 2008.  It like, "how do I not be a truck driver?"  Some of my best songs for my band are about truck driving.  In fact, I think my best song is, in part, about truck driving.  It's such a part of me, and I feel like I've just killed it off.

Despite all the crap that I went through with Covenant, I liked the job.  I had a few great runs, and a great co-driver in Eric.  It was all the paperwork, and things that got screwed up at the front office that I didn't like with them.

Going to Carroll Fulmer was the worst mistake I could have made.  It was one lie after another, and they sent me to some of the shittyist places I've ever been.  There's no way they should have sent me to some of those places.  And all the crap they put on my DAC report just killed any chance I could get on with another company.  In the end it just wasn't worth what any trucking company was paying.  There's a reason they always need truckers. 

So like a lot of things in life, the world isn't split into perfect and awful things (or jobs in this case.)  There was a lot I liked about it.  And there was a lot I didn't like about it.  But regardless it was a piece of me.  And that I will miss.

And for memory's sake, here's a picture of my last truck with Covenant:

And here is a picture of my favorite truck, Trouble.  She was the first one I got after training.

Carcass

When I worked for Covenant Transport out of Chattanooga, TN., there was one thing that really bothered me.  They had a policy that stated that drivers had to bring back a tire carcass to a terminal if they had a tire replaced on the road.  If the driver didn't do that, they would then charge the driver $300 for a new tire.

Even I had this happen to me.  I actually had two tires die on me while driving out on the road.  I had to bring those tires to a terminal, and get a receipt for two dead tires.  Actually, they had me drive empty from Atlanta to Chattanooga to drop off those two tire carcasses. 

Why they have this policy in place I have no idea.  I burned up $100 in diesel just to drop off dead tires.  When tires are repaired at a T.A. or Petro, they take digital pictures of the tires and send them to the breakdown department at Covenant.  That way, breakdown can make sure the repairs are necessary, and okay them at that moment.  So why would I need to bring in the tire carcasses?

It got me to thinking... (Note: While driving I have a bunch of time to think.  A dangerous habit, I know.)  What if I hit a deer?  Would I need to bring in a deer carcass?

(In all fairness, I wasn't going to show a real deer carcass.  That would just be awful.)

This would lead to all sorts of odd questions.

1.  How much of the carcass would I need to bring in?
2.  Would a head be okay, or would I need to bring the whole thing in?
3.  Is it okay if I field dress (gut) it before I bring it in?
4.  Can I come in soon?  The buzzards keep following me down the interstate.
5.  It's summer.  This thing is really starting to smell.
6.  It's winter.  This thing is frozen to the back of the truck.
7.  Actually, where would I put it?  I have a tire rack on the back of the semi, but should I just strap the deer to the hood?
8.  If I hit the deer in one state, am I allowed to cross state lines with a dead deer?
9.  When I go through the agricultural stations, will they let me pass or will I need a permit to carry dead deer on my hood?
10.  Say, what are you all going to do with that carcass once you have it? 

Again, I spend way too much time thinking.  But then again, with Covenant Transport you never know.

Adrian Gets a Ticket, Gets a Bonus Out Of It

The Scene:  My Co-driver had just driven through Illinois and Iowa, and was just entering the Flying J in Nebraska.  It was five in the morning, and I was feeling good so I took over.  I had only driven five miles when I hit the weigh station in Lincoln, Nebraska.  As I put the truck on the scales the light stayed red for just a few seconds too long.  That's when I knew something bad was about to happen.

"Driver, pull your truck to the side, come inside.  Bring your logs, licences, and paperwork," said the disembodied voice.  Just great, a D.O.T. inspection.

As I walked in, the D.O.T. Officer told me my right front headlight was out.  My co-driver had been driving all night and didn't notice.  I had only been driving for a few minutes, and didn't notice either.  What made me mad is that, this must have just happened.  The truck had a complete preventative maintenance inspection performed on her only one week before. 

I handed the officer all my paperwork and licences, and gave him all my information.  He told me he had to give me a "Fix-it Ticket" for the headlight.  What that is for those who don't know, is that, I get the part repaired that needs repaired, and have a Law Enforcement Officer sign off on the repair.  I don't pay a fine, I don't have to go to jail, or do community service.  I just have to get it fixed and signed off.  Hence the term fix-it ticket.

The officer then tells me that my paperwork inspection is all clear, and that I passed that no problem.  He then gives me the fix-it ticket and the clear inspection paperwork.  He then very nicely informs me that I can have a D.O.T. Officer at the North Platte, Nebraska scale house sign off on the paperwork. 

I then head to the T.A. to grab a new headlight.  I then had to fight Cassie the Cascadia to give up that blasted headlight.  It took me asking a mechanic how to get that stupid thing out, and even then I had to resort to breaking out my channel-locks to remove it.  But I got the new light bulb in, and got it working.

It was then, and only then that I called our company's citations department.  I told them what happened, and that I had already got the bulb repaired, and I would put the expense down on my expense sheet.  Needless to say, the citation department was happy with all my efforts.

And then!  It was then that I let my dispatcher know what had happened, and that I repaired the bulb, let citations know what happened, and would have the D.O.T. Officer in North Platte sign off on the repair. 

I also let him know what had happened the day before.  I basically sweet-talked the Sears Distribution Center in Illinois give us a load early.  There was a paperwork snafu, and we were told to get a load at 18:00 that day instead of the next day.  So I talked them into loading the trailer early, and I managed to get it out that night.  Then something happened that had never happened before.  I was given a complement by a dispatcher.  He told me, "Thanks for all the effort out there."

I then made my way to the North Platte, Nebraska scale house.  The D.O.T. officer was less than nice to me, but did sign off on my paperwork.  I then faxed it to the citations department along with the clean inspection report.

And then, something happened that had never happened before (yet again.)  I got a message across the Qualcomm (our truck computer) that I had gotten a bonus for a clean inspection, and it would appear on my next paycheck.  My co-driver had to tell me that the amount for a clean inspection was $75.00.  I had to ask him, "So I just made $75.00 for a blown light bulb?"  Sometimes this is one weird company. 

Now, I will mail in the signed off fix-it ticket to the Nebraska D.O.T.  I will chalk this up to one of my weirdest days of work in a very long time.