New adventures at every turn

Picked up a load that went all the way to, get this, Metropolis Illinois. Now, when I first heard the town name, my thoughts wen directly to Superman. When I finally got to the town, I was greeted this way.

So I found out that the town of Metropolis, Illinois is the hometown of Superman. What you are seeing here is the large statue of Superman standing in the middle of the business district.

The nice part about it was that I literally had the entire town for myself. Small town in the early morning, there were only a couple of people wandering around and no cars at all. So I was able to wander up and down the streets and take pictures at good angles without having to worry about getting hit by a car or anything.

Days like this prove that for every bad day that I go through, there are really good surprises waiting for me down the line. I mean who knew I would wake up and find a huge statue of Superman and an entire town dedicated to the history and mythos of Superman.


Now the rest of my weekend will be spent sitting around in Matthews, Missouri at a Flying J. Which has not been boring at all. I am currently sitting in the drivers lounge with about 25 truckers. We have been watching A&E all day starting with Shipping Wars, which is about 5 or 6 competing owner/operators bidding on and then delivering loads and the (mis)adventures that are associated with it. Now we are watching Storage Wars, which is the group of people that are running around Storage Unit auctions trying to make a buck. The level of snark and commentary from the crowd is amazing and hilarious.

SO.. I will leave this post with a picture of the statue of  Noel Neill, who was the actress who played lois Lane.

Pathways

I took the time to come home and reconnect with the people that I care about. I also learned a lesson in how certain areas are not as busy as others when it comes to the expedite business. A semi hard lesson learned as I have been sitting in the Tampa area fro 48 hours and not one call. I appreciate the rest and relaxation, but I need to work too. :)

While driving home last week, I went through a series of thunderstorms that had me driving very defensively for a bit. I stopped at a gas station in South Carolina to fill up my tank before committing myself for the long haul. The sun was setting and I saw the water droplets reflecting light from the setting sun and it struck me about how small things affect me as very unusual moments in my life.

Taking the time to reconnect to those who are important to you may not seem the biggest of deals to most people, especially if you are home every day after a 8 hour shift at work. If you are a long time reader of my words, you will know that I am anything but standard in the way I go about doing things. My life is a series of trades and jobs that allow me to see the world in a different light than most of those who are around me. Even on day to day things, I feel that I am outcast simply because I see things differently that most do. Be that on an emotional level or a mixture or emotion and logic. I never claim to be right or wrong. I leave those decisions to others who feel the need to keep a score. I just like to try and point out that there is always another choice, always another view, always another path that can be taken. All you need to do is pick a direction and go.

Home

After realizing that I had been on the road for about 2 weeks, i decided it was a good time to take advantage of my situation and head home for a few days.

Once more trucking adventures occur, I will be posting again.

Breakdowns and tribulations

The better part of yesterday was spent in a nice cold room waiting for a repair to be done. The Qualcomm system was having rebooting and transmission issues that was making my job very difficult to do quickly as it is supposed to. So, going to the repair shop was the key point of my day, they fact that the repair took 11 hours to fix was kinda unacceptable.

This was what the back of my van looked like. Each one of those black boxes is a Qualcomm computer being used to figure out what is going on. Now, I come from a technical background so I would ask my questions as to what has been done, what will be done and how long it should take. When I ask them these questions, it is due to the fact that their answers will make sense to me and I can take that information and make some form of executive decision as to how my day is going to be.

After the first six hours there and I was getting looks of desperation from the technicians that were working on the issue, I kinda saw the writing on the wall that stated I would be a guest there for a long while. So that being said, I went and took myself out of service for the rest of the day.



The issue was finally resolved at 8pm. Turns out that the satellite/cellular/WiFi receiver unit had a crack in the housing that was letting water seep in and that caused a short circuit in the unit. That was the WHOLE problem. What screwed them up for the entire day was one "brand new" cable that they had replaced from their own stock. The cable was the connection between the receiver that was replaced and the Qualcomm unit. After speaking to the Tech, he stated that in the 5 years that he has been doing this type of work, he has NEVER seen a brand new, sealed cable be defective out of the package before. So all the troubleshooting that was being done was communication issues caused by the bad cable.

So in the end of the long day spent at the repair facility, there were two issues. The first issue was the receiver, which was replaced. The second issue was the cable, which was thrown out. The original cable that was being used was never replaced and is still in good working order. The fact of the matter is that there were 2 separate techs working on the truck, the first tech was the one that screwed up. The second tech was covering for the second shift Qualcomm tech and he told me that if he was there when the truck came in, I may have only been sitting around for about 2 hours and been on my way.

At the end of the day, I was able to finally crash of at family's house. Once I got into bed, I don't think I was conscious for more than 30 seconds after head hitting pillow. Got up roughly 9 hours later, showered and shaved and made sure that I was back in service and on duty. Now, the waiting game again.

I actually do enjoy this job. Driving with a purpose is kinda fun and being in a cargo van is a lot less stressful than an 18 wheeler. Not saying that I wouldn't hop back into that Captain's chair if I had the chance. I just think that getting there will be another up hill battle to overcome the trails and tribulations I went through while at Roehl. Til that day, I will put miles under my ass one day at a time and enjoy myself as much as I can.

Hangin in the Carolinas

Jobs are picking up. Was able to complete a total of 3. The last two were riding back and forth from North Carolina to South Carolina. I ended up back in Charlotte today and now waiting for the malfunctioning Qualcomm unit to be repaired.
I am enjoying this job a lot, I just gotta watch out where my time on the road is spent. I just pulled a 26 hour shift without realizing it. While at the repair facility I was able to grab a power nap for a couple hours, now I feel a lot better. Still need to sleep properly, but I will get there soon.

Start of a new week...

Almost done with my first delivery. I had the opportunity to spend the weekend at my wife's grandparents house. Got to catch up with my sister in law and grandparents.  Just being back in Charlotte was tough, I had forgotten a lot about what I had gone through to be where I am today. I enjoyed being reminded.
Soon this delivery will be done and I will start the new week with being busy busy. Here's to hoping.

Living the dream

The funny thing about living a dream is trying to believe it when it happens.

I finally got a load opportunity yesterday, the timing of it was quite curious. I spent the morning sleeping in and getting laundry done while watching a couple of TV episodes that I had brought with me. Once that was done, I packed up everything, cleaned up my sleeping area and moved everything back out to the truck, "Just in case". Figuring that spending some time in the truck waiting would be beneficial. Turns out, getting into the truck was not in the plan. Once outside the passenger door, the phone rings and its a load opportunity. Scrambling to answer the call, it was disconnected. Luckily there are two safeguards in place. One is that one an opportunity is sent, there is a tem minute window in which to replay to it. Second, there is a phone number to call in to listen for any available opportunities that are available.

Once accepted, the ten minute window must expire before finding out if the load was awarded. So I ran back inside and said my quick goodbyes and ran back to the truck. My on board computer is called a C-Link and it's made by Qualcomm. The C-link bursts to life with all of the load information and I start to work in trying to remember what to fill out on my Bill of Lading. Once thats done, I pop the address into the GPS and take off. One of the many key points that a driver is graded on is arriving within the time frame given for pickup and delivery. Since I am in an expedite branch of FedEx, these are live orders that came in and MAYBE were places 5 minutes before I was given the info. The expectation is that once a customer calls, you are there to get the load, whatever it is, and then head out and deliver it.

Once I was all packed up and cleared to leave, that was when the realization hit me that the dropoff was in North Carolina and that it didn't need to be there until 7:30am on Monday. So with a bit of executive privilege, phone calls were made to verify that the delivery was indeed on Monday. This was done because the actual delivery was not confirmed on the original order. After calling a couple of times with 3 hours between calls, it was pretty obvious that Monday was the correct time. So I started calling family in Charlotte, NC to see if I could hang out there for the weekend instead of wasting money I don't really have yet at a truck stop or a motel.

So here I sit now in Charlotte, NC at my wife's grandparents house visiting family. Then it struck me that I have been wanting to come visit Charlotte for quite awhile. Driving to the house, memories and emotion struck me with an almost physical force as I went past familiar places and crossed familiar streets. Charlotte was my first true home after leaving Massachusetts. This was where my second attempt of life began. I grew up here in more ways that I can count. Some days were good, some were bad, but all were important. Breaking out of old habits and shedding off shadows of my past layer by layer. Perhaps one could say I was reborn or that I finally opened my eyes a little wider to see what was going on.  Breaking out of the shell I built around myself growing up and conforming to the ideals of the world around me instead of finding my own path as I do now. This place is dear to me. Only coming back here, as I have now, shows me how much I have missed this place.

Living the dream.

I have heard this term countless of times in the last few months as a sarcastic response from a Co-Worker anytime he was asked by a person on the phone, "How's things?"
I never really took much stock in it after the first few times I heard it. The depth of the term is subtle and can be as simple or as complex as one wants it to be.

What does the term mean for me though?

I find that it means that one follows their heart, grabs opportunity to see where the path leads. To not worry about consequence of the day to day, and enjoy the moment.

I drove 12 hours straight through mountainous countryside from Pittsburgh, PA to Charlotte, NC. It was the most enjoyable trip I have ever had in my entire life. Towards the end, I was a little punch drunk, I will admit. The energy and challenge of the trip was nothing I have ever experienced. There was no stress, there was no second guessing. All I had to do was drive and it was all good.

Life will be a bit inconvenient at times, but that's ok. I know I have people looking out for me everywhere I go. I know that I won't have the availablility of sleeping in a bed every night and that my truck will be my home. That's ok too and I accept that. To me, this is living a dream. Having the ability and freedom to actually go see the people I talk to and build friendships with. That in itself, blows my mind.

For ahile there, I thought my ability to travel was dead. The last few car trips I were on, I couldn't stay awake long enough to make it out of one state. I nicked 4 states yesterday. I think I got this.

*Tap tap* Is this thing on?

Well I spent my first night at a truck stop.

To be fair, the mattress that is in the back of the van is quite comfortable. The problem, as it turns out, that keeping the van idling for power and a/c is not economical at all. I went from a half tank to a quarter tank in 6 hours. Aside from that, I slept well.

So it was another day of sitting around. I called my dispatch a couple of times to make sure that I was actually active in the system. Come to find out, it was just a slow day of sales. No sales, no trucking, makes a sad Obie. So when 6pm rolled around, I figured that I would not waste any more fuel and swapped my port of call from Canton Ohio to Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Oh look, a bed I can borrow and shower I can use. The real threat of being stuck without a load for the weekend is a big one, so I might as well position myself in an area that I am comfortable and not waste fuel.

Its kind of depressing that I don't have anything to do yet but after talking to a few drivers, that actually happens but the month usually balances out and you will long for a day that you can just take a break. Which is something I am looking forward to.

So I am hanging at a friends house in PA and I am tired as hell. So I will just get some sleep while I can and hope I get some load offers tomorrow.

First night

Spent my first night at the truck stop last night. I think spending a night in a motel would be cheaper. I use a cpap for sleeping,  as such I have to idle the truck to keep from killing the battery.  I went from a half tank to a quarter tank of fuel in 7 hours of idling. This probably wouldn't be too bad were I getting load opportunity calls, but I haven't yet.
I spent most of my day at the qualcomm installer location getting a problem fixed. So by the time I was able to login as available, it was Well after 5pm. So, we will see how today goes. 

Orientation complete

Just finished up orientation, waiting on a check and repair on my Qualcomm unit, then I will be able to login for the first time and get my first load. I am kinda anxious to finally get started and see how this goes. The support from FedEx is simply amazing here. When they say they will answer any questions I have, they really pulled through.

Aside from waiting, I will have to figure out logging in and being available. Being in a cargo van I don't have to worry about hours of service logging or violations. I only have to log if I have placards on the van and there are certain amounts that can be transported without placards. I also have to organize my van a bit more so it looks presentable. Once I have a home trip, I can drop off a few bags and swap out to a ruck sack or something. So many little questions, but I am certain to find the answers as I go along.

Just for giggles, here I am in my new FedEx apparel.

Almost there

Today was the last full day of orientation

Got together all my permits and registrations for my vehicle and organized my paperwork that I will be working with. I think I may have over did it a bit. I was told that it might be a good idea to swipe anything free for the truck. The two major things that I would need are Bill of Ladings and TripPak envelope to send in the paperwork for each delivery. So, I think I have WAY more than I actually need, but I won't be wanting for these items for a LONG while.

Tomorrow will be a half day of orientation, getting the Qualcomm link setup and *fixed*. Once that is done, I login and wait for my first load opportunity. I am kinda of excited and anxious, all the while I sit here thinking about it, my levels of mixed emotions rise and fall. I am tired and I should go to bed. I have an early day in the morning.

All the while I sit here, my thoughts wander and wonder what is in store for me. Everyone has high hopes for me, including myself. The need and desire to do well is strong.So tomorrow will show what will happen through all this planning and hoping.

Orientation day 1 done..

I got up early today to head out to training, which turned out to be a good thing. The drive was 2 hours long and pretty straight forward. Once I got there, the 45 minutes to an hour i could have spent sleeping or slacking was actually spent filling out a ton of paperwork.

The day went by with getting pictures taken for badges and going over all the basics for the job. There was a lot to cover and get organized.

I would write more, but I am exhausted..

Will talk more about it tomorrow i suppose..  *yawn*

A day of rest

Sleep is such a wonderful sensation. Sometimes the act of sleeping is enough to make someone forget what is going on. Such is the way for me when I sleep. The difficult part is waking up suddenly to a sound, real or imagined, and having it jar me to wakefulness. That has happened the last couple of nights because I am taking a prescription every 8 hours. The alarm that is set goes off in the 3am time frame, which at its best, is a confusing time by its own right. Looking around and wondering where I am and what's going on is quite scary until I can realize where I am,

Today is a day of rest before going the last 2 hours to my training site. After sitting down and talking with my new "Boss", the job is actually looking better and better. There is still that hanging apprehension that I feel known as that "Other Shoe". Whether it exists and whether it will fall, I believe, is totally up to me and how *I* play this game. For it is a game now, one that has high stakes. If I don't play it right or well, I risk the well being of myself and my family, however if I am able to understand this game and bring it into a realm that I feel I can control and manipulate properly so i have the advantage, the possibility of making some good money is there.

For now, I will not think on it. Today is a day of rest and unwinding my brain. I had a few Guinness last night when I came in, which helped me relax a bit and absorb the ideas and happenings of the last few days. Today I will meet some new people that I will joke and laugh with. From there, who knows...

On the way to training..

After a nice trip from Florida to Virginia, I was able to get a good night's sleep. Once I got up to start my day, I signed my contractor contract and got my keys for the van and headed out to Pittsburgh to visit with a friend for the rest of the weekend.
The drive was a total of 9 hours long due to a couple of immediate bathroom rest stops that could not wait. I know, tmi but that's reality. When I got there, finding the driveway turned out to be a challenge.  No street lights and Google maps wasn't that accurate for the driveway opening but after driving up and down the street a couple times, I was able to find it.
Now, I am glad I have Sunday to myself because after 2 beers I'm quite slathered. Not sure when I turned into a cheap date. Well, either way, I have 24 plus hours to sober up. This will be a nice break.

On the road.

So I am back on the road traveling to my vehicle of transport today. I left Florida at,12:30am and arrive at my rendezvous point in Columbia, SC at the state farmers market at 8:00am. We beat my pickup here by 90 minutes.
I still have a lot of stress and pent up energy about this move. I am pretty sure it's all unresolved stress from my first attempt at driving. Everyone I talk to states that I will do fine and I do believe them in that assessment. Shaking off this stress is rough so far but everything that needed to fall into place to make this job happen, slipped into place like a cog wheel. I think the hardest part is separating myself from a permanent structure that I can call home. The last place I was calling home had been dismantled and shipped back to Orlando to be packed in boxes. I know I have several ports of call that I am welcome to show up at but having a place and a space that I can claim as "home" is lost to me at the moment. I feel like I did 10 years ago when I left Massachusetts and struck out with what I could carry in my car.
I know I can shake this and do what needs doing. It's just going to take time.

Lead up

Today I am officially leaving the west coast of Florida. The last if my belongings will be packed in the car and I will be heading to DeBary to unload. Then Friday at midnight, I will start my next and newest adventure.
I wonder how ready I am to attempt this again. One thing that is certain is that anything I come back to a second time, I usually do much better at. I am comforted by this fact.

One more day

I am almost finished with my current job.

Though, the option to be done today was there, working one more day allows an 8 hour paycheck to be sent to me while I am out on the job for a "just in case" back up.

I found and reserved a motel room in Ohio so I don't have to sleep in my van while on orientation and it has a shower which is always beneficial. Every day my nerves gets a little bit more jangled. Every day, a new step is being taken.

*shudder*