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.

What Does The Future Hold For Me?

As I am getting my stuff ready for the road, I wonder what the future holds for me?  Hopefully, it won't be a false start like it was with Con-Way.  If it is at least I am only 66 miles from home.

I always liked driving my truck out West.  The interstates are very straight when going East to West and back.  When going from North to South it seems like there are so many branches of interstates it can get kind of complicated in deciding which route to take. 

Since I will be driving solo I will also have to keep an eye on my fuel usage.  As a solo driver you will tend to idle the truck a bit more than team drivers will.  However, I tend to do the things that help to conserve fuel such as not running the truck when I don't have to, and not over-revving the engine when shifting.

During my travels I never really liked going through Kansas.  Actually, I've only been through there twice.  But that was enough.  It's like going back in time to a really angry 1950's.  The billboards are really backwards, as in, they take going back in time to a new level.  I felt the need to do a little modifying to them.

I also worry about the upcoming winter.  I know the South doesn't get too much snow, but even this past Winter in Chattanooga there was snow.  In fact, I was snowed in for about a week.

With a new company also comes new places to fuel up.  That also means new places that I would have to eat.  It can be nerve racking worrying if you have enough hours to make it to a truckstop.  Or, if I will be able to park at a truckstop with any decent food.

I may have to stick with Bologna sandwiches.



The thing about truck driving that a lot of people aren't aware of is that, they can do 90% of what I can do.  It's the other 10% that is completely fear inducing, and is kind of tricky.  But 100% of the time, you have to be paying attention.

The thing I've never figured out is all the people who keep asking for rides.  If any company that I worked for found out that I gave a stranger a ride in their semi truck, I would be fired on the spot.  I had these two very strange weirdos in Texas give me a completely bull crap story about their car breaking down.  And get this.  It supposedly broke down 130 miles away.  Yeah.  It may not be rule number one, but a top ten rule is no hitchers.

I hope I get lots of runs across Interstate 40.  I always like watching all the cows.  The neat thing is the number and types of cows.

You also tend to see other things on the road that aren't so pretty.

The one thing I always know to be on the watch for is BMW drivers.  They are the most arrogant, disrespectful assholes on the road.  They tend to drive their cars like you would play Super Mario Kart.

This will be the first time I will be a solo driver.  I have always been a team driver before, so I've always had someone to talk to.  It will be surprisingly quiet.  It may even be lonely.  I now know why a lot of truckers have pets.

But the one thing that I have learned is to not engage truck drivers in conversation.  They tend to be stupid, complain non-stop, and their attitude sucks.  Not to mention, they curse worse than sailors.

To avoid talking to other truckers I tend to keep myself busy.  I write postcards, play on the computer, play my Nintendo 3DS, write blogs, and other things.

I will keep posting, and keep taking pictures of the road.  Hopefully, this is the start of a very good adventure.

Adrian Gets Back On The Horse

Well, I've finally cooled off from being so angry.  I was not hired by Con-Way.  The way they went about it was cold.  Really cold.  Basically after four days of being in orientation, I talked to a woman who said I had four misdemeanors that I did not report.  I have no clue what she was talking about since I don't have four misdemeanors.  She then proceeded to call me a liar, and told me to get of of the hotel.  When I had arrived at the hotel, sixteen people were invited to orientation.  When I left, there were four remaining.

I was a bit angry.  Yeah, pretty angry.

I kept my cool, packed my bags, and got out of the hotel.  I came straight home, and kind of moped for four days.  On my way home I saw something that I took as a sign.

I saw three semi trucks of the same kind for a company called Carroll Fulmer Trucking.  They were all driving one behind each other.  I figured well, they must be a Florida company, or a company that drives into Florida.  So on Tuesday I gave them a call.

I put my application in, and then I gave them a call.  The good news was that they are a Florida company, drive in Florida, and hire Florida drivers.  Fast forward two days, and they said I was cleared, and I was signed up for orientation on Monday.  The other good news for me was that they drive really nice trucks, not some of the junky trucks I have seen other driver's behind the wheel of.

So on Monday, I will attend orientation for Carrol Fulmer Trucking in Groveland, Fl.  Luckily, it is only 66 miles from the house.  So when I return for home time, I will be able to park the truck in the terminal, and I won't have far to travel to return home. 

After the crap that went down with Con-Way I don't want to say that I am hired with Carrol Fulmer.  I do have to do the usual, 1.  Paperwork, 2.  Physical, 3.  Drug Test, 4.  Road Test, 5.  Backing Test,  6.  More paperwork, 7.  Learning how their system(s) work, and how to fill out their forms correctly.  If I do get hired, I will hit the road immediately.  Since the terminal is so close to the house, I am taking everything with me so I can load up the truck right then.

They mostly move freight in the Southeast, but I can be sent anywhere in the lower 48 states.  I've actually never run too much freight in the Southeast.  I've mostly run out West and back.  But for year round trucking, the South should be a nice place to run.

As I get internet connections I will keep everyone updated on my happenings.  I will make sure to take pictures of what I see.  I never know what I will run into.