The Eagle has landed
Sept 8 2018
Okay not really but after this week it sure feels like it. What a crazy short week it has been, started out in Thursday Morning at Home, drove to Louisville to meet my new trainer, and down the road we went, I am up to about 7 1/2 hours of driving, (each week it goes up, so by week 5 the students are at 11 hours of driving) We got to know each other, seems like we are going to be a good fit. Our first night landed us just West of St. Louis in a small truck stop (see pics on FB) seemed like we had to walk a mile to get from the back lot down a hill, down 3 flights of steps to the building. We got up after our 10 our break, and boogied on down the road for a couple miles. We finished Friday Night in Amarillo Texas. It really is an amazing job to think I can be in my own bed Thursday morning then by Friday night be half way across the country in Texas. We woke up showered and got on down the road really pushing for our final in Phoenix Arizona for a Monday morning delivery. Why so early you may ask? Well in Trucking you are only allowed to drive for 11 hours a day BUT have 14 hours to do it in, and only can work 70 hours in a 8 day period unless you get recaps (I'm not gonna get into that now, maybe in another blog down the road) So you have to have a 34 hour reset, that means for 34 straight hours your truck CAN NOT MOVE, so we are up the road from our drop off at the Flying J to get a full 70 hours Monday morning, we are hoping to continue west to Calexico California to get a load returning us to Louisville Friday Eve, then will be home until Monday afternoon. So here we sit and thought would give me a proper time to do a proper update.
You know as I traveled across this great country of ours the last few days, I am reminded of several things. First off in Genesis In the Beginning GOD Created the heavens and Earth and all things with it. Today I got to see and experience many of God's AWESOME Creation. I didn't get a ton of pictures because A) Camera won't do it justice, and B) I was driving for most of it. You look at something as simple a tree, while plain and simple in it's presence, seems random placement, that one tree is PERFECT in it's design, it is a living breathing thing, it creates life, sure it's made of wood, but it provides life for so many things, it is in the exact square inch GOD wanted it to be. Look at Mountains again from a distance simple looking design, Rocks rise and fall with the earth. WHO PUT THEM THERE? Who designed them to rise to 10,000 ft and fall as far in just a short distance? GOD DID In his perfect wisdom and design. Mountains are living breathing things, they provide life and shelter for various animals and in some parts of THIS country and some parts of OTHER company the Mountains provide shelter. They stop high winds from devastating towns near by, they sustain life for animals. They are not there by accident they are not there because some big bang, they are there because GOD SPOKE and it was so.
You encounter a lot of different things as a truck driver, you experience happiness knowing YOU are helping move goods and product across country, so that when AMERICA wakes up their stuff is there waiting for them. You experience ANGER, towards driver's in passenger cars (4 wheelers as we call them) weaving in and out of traffic, slowly merging, not signaling before they change lanes, but they figure BIG TRUCK BIG BRAKES BIG STOP, WRONG. I think they need to have a section in drivers training just dedicated to behavior on the road around big vehicles. Your average truck fully loaded can way as much as 40 Tons or 80,000 pounds or for the heavy and special haulers WAY OVER THAT, they can be anywhere from 30' long to well over 80' (for heavy haulers) they can be any where from 9'-14' wide depending on the truck. These things are as big as buildings they are slow but powerful. Next time you encounter a semi, LEAVE ROOM, if there looks like there is ALOT of room between my truck and the vehicle in front of me, oh sure you can slip your 4 wheeler between us, but you are taking your life into your own hands, I was leaving room in case the vehicle in front of me had to brake hard or swerve that pocket I had was plenty of room for me to react safely, but now I don't have that room, because you where to impatient and had to cut in front of me..GOOGLE Car Vs Semi Truck accidents and tell me if you want to be in one of those photos. Trust me YOU DON'T.
You experience loneliness, many many hours AWAY from family and friends (for example my daughter is celebrating her birthday tonight and having a sleep over, her birthday isn't until the 11th, as much as I wanted to be there I couldn't, I had to miss it because I am moving product across the country, for security reasons I am not going to tell you what I am hauling but, it is product that needed to get from Louisville to Phoenix Arizona. Driver's avg 70 hours of work a week, driving close to 3,000 miles a week, to get product, while the world sleeps we are moving. People would be Flabbergasted if they knew how many trucks are on the road and yet the HUGE Driver shortage we have. It's not an easy life style being away from your family for days on end, sleeping in your truck at different states. We sleep for few hours get up and have to move this large vehicle approx. 700 miles a day, go to bed in a SMALL apartment get up and do it again. We run the Gament of thoughts and emotions, you miss your family and friends, you miss your own bed, the creature comforts of home, I don't have TV avail 24/7, I spend MANY HOURS ALONE (well when I am off my trainer's truck) I can walk up to a half a mile from my truck to a building to go to the bathroom (yes some freaks pee in the parking lot, but I am a little more civilized then that)
You experience Excitement when you get your load delivered on time then wait for dispatch to tell you where to head next, are you heading back the exact same roads you just traveled or do you go somewhere you have never been. In my First 2 weeks of training I have traveled through, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia,Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania , Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Currently in Arizona and may actually make it to California as well. So in about 2 weeks I have travelled through 14 states. Is there money to be made out here YES, can you make an AWESOME Living out here? YES, people who say there is no money in trucking are living way beyond there means and probably should see a financial counselor and eliminate some of their debt. This summer I am going to be able to take my family on an amazing vacation to Walt Disney World we are going to stay at a nice resort and have fun, all of this paid for by TRUCK DRIVING.
Being out west a second thing comes to mind and that is the poem written
In the summer of 1893, poet Katharine Lee Bates, from the top of Pikes Peak, she described what she was seeing. The treck was long and difficult with out a car, but when she got to the PEAK and looked out this is what she saw.
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain
America, America, God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea
O beautiful for Pilgrim feet, whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat, across the wilderness
America, America, God mend thine every flaw
Confirm thy soul in self control, Thy liberty in law
O beautiful for heroes proved, in liberating strife
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life
America, America, May God they gold refine
Till all success be nobleness, and every gain divine
O beautiful for patriot dream, that sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears
America, America, God shed His grace on thee
Okay not really but after this week it sure feels like it. What a crazy short week it has been, started out in Thursday Morning at Home, drove to Louisville to meet my new trainer, and down the road we went, I am up to about 7 1/2 hours of driving, (each week it goes up, so by week 5 the students are at 11 hours of driving) We got to know each other, seems like we are going to be a good fit. Our first night landed us just West of St. Louis in a small truck stop (see pics on FB) seemed like we had to walk a mile to get from the back lot down a hill, down 3 flights of steps to the building. We got up after our 10 our break, and boogied on down the road for a couple miles. We finished Friday Night in Amarillo Texas. It really is an amazing job to think I can be in my own bed Thursday morning then by Friday night be half way across the country in Texas. We woke up showered and got on down the road really pushing for our final in Phoenix Arizona for a Monday morning delivery. Why so early you may ask? Well in Trucking you are only allowed to drive for 11 hours a day BUT have 14 hours to do it in, and only can work 70 hours in a 8 day period unless you get recaps (I'm not gonna get into that now, maybe in another blog down the road) So you have to have a 34 hour reset, that means for 34 straight hours your truck CAN NOT MOVE, so we are up the road from our drop off at the Flying J to get a full 70 hours Monday morning, we are hoping to continue west to Calexico California to get a load returning us to Louisville Friday Eve, then will be home until Monday afternoon. So here we sit and thought would give me a proper time to do a proper update.
You know as I traveled across this great country of ours the last few days, I am reminded of several things. First off in Genesis In the Beginning GOD Created the heavens and Earth and all things with it. Today I got to see and experience many of God's AWESOME Creation. I didn't get a ton of pictures because A) Camera won't do it justice, and B) I was driving for most of it. You look at something as simple a tree, while plain and simple in it's presence, seems random placement, that one tree is PERFECT in it's design, it is a living breathing thing, it creates life, sure it's made of wood, but it provides life for so many things, it is in the exact square inch GOD wanted it to be. Look at Mountains again from a distance simple looking design, Rocks rise and fall with the earth. WHO PUT THEM THERE? Who designed them to rise to 10,000 ft and fall as far in just a short distance? GOD DID In his perfect wisdom and design. Mountains are living breathing things, they provide life and shelter for various animals and in some parts of THIS country and some parts of OTHER company the Mountains provide shelter. They stop high winds from devastating towns near by, they sustain life for animals. They are not there by accident they are not there because some big bang, they are there because GOD SPOKE and it was so.
You encounter a lot of different things as a truck driver, you experience happiness knowing YOU are helping move goods and product across country, so that when AMERICA wakes up their stuff is there waiting for them. You experience ANGER, towards driver's in passenger cars (4 wheelers as we call them) weaving in and out of traffic, slowly merging, not signaling before they change lanes, but they figure BIG TRUCK BIG BRAKES BIG STOP, WRONG. I think they need to have a section in drivers training just dedicated to behavior on the road around big vehicles. Your average truck fully loaded can way as much as 40 Tons or 80,000 pounds or for the heavy and special haulers WAY OVER THAT, they can be anywhere from 30' long to well over 80' (for heavy haulers) they can be any where from 9'-14' wide depending on the truck. These things are as big as buildings they are slow but powerful. Next time you encounter a semi, LEAVE ROOM, if there looks like there is ALOT of room between my truck and the vehicle in front of me, oh sure you can slip your 4 wheeler between us, but you are taking your life into your own hands, I was leaving room in case the vehicle in front of me had to brake hard or swerve that pocket I had was plenty of room for me to react safely, but now I don't have that room, because you where to impatient and had to cut in front of me..GOOGLE Car Vs Semi Truck accidents and tell me if you want to be in one of those photos. Trust me YOU DON'T.
You experience loneliness, many many hours AWAY from family and friends (for example my daughter is celebrating her birthday tonight and having a sleep over, her birthday isn't until the 11th, as much as I wanted to be there I couldn't, I had to miss it because I am moving product across the country, for security reasons I am not going to tell you what I am hauling but, it is product that needed to get from Louisville to Phoenix Arizona. Driver's avg 70 hours of work a week, driving close to 3,000 miles a week, to get product, while the world sleeps we are moving. People would be Flabbergasted if they knew how many trucks are on the road and yet the HUGE Driver shortage we have. It's not an easy life style being away from your family for days on end, sleeping in your truck at different states. We sleep for few hours get up and have to move this large vehicle approx. 700 miles a day, go to bed in a SMALL apartment get up and do it again. We run the Gament of thoughts and emotions, you miss your family and friends, you miss your own bed, the creature comforts of home, I don't have TV avail 24/7, I spend MANY HOURS ALONE (well when I am off my trainer's truck) I can walk up to a half a mile from my truck to a building to go to the bathroom (yes some freaks pee in the parking lot, but I am a little more civilized then that)
You experience Excitement when you get your load delivered on time then wait for dispatch to tell you where to head next, are you heading back the exact same roads you just traveled or do you go somewhere you have never been. In my First 2 weeks of training I have traveled through, Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, New York, New Jersey, West Virginia,Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania , Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Currently in Arizona and may actually make it to California as well. So in about 2 weeks I have travelled through 14 states. Is there money to be made out here YES, can you make an AWESOME Living out here? YES, people who say there is no money in trucking are living way beyond there means and probably should see a financial counselor and eliminate some of their debt. This summer I am going to be able to take my family on an amazing vacation to Walt Disney World we are going to stay at a nice resort and have fun, all of this paid for by TRUCK DRIVING.
Being out west a second thing comes to mind and that is the poem written
In the summer of 1893, poet Katharine Lee Bates, from the top of Pikes Peak, she described what she was seeing. The treck was long and difficult with out a car, but when she got to the PEAK and looked out this is what she saw.
O beautiful for spacious skies, for amber waves of grain
For purple mountain majesties, above the fruited plain
America, America, God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea
O beautiful for Pilgrim feet, whose stern impassioned stress
A thoroughfare for freedom beat, across the wilderness
America, America, God mend thine every flaw
Confirm thy soul in self control, Thy liberty in law
O beautiful for heroes proved, in liberating strife
Who more than self their country loved, and mercy more than life
America, America, May God they gold refine
Till all success be nobleness, and every gain divine
O beautiful for patriot dream, that sees beyond the years
Thine alabaster cities gleam, undimmed by human tears
America, America, God shed His grace on thee
And crown thy good with brotherhood, from sea to shining sea
Really is an AMAZING Country, to see land that people years before WALKED, to settle the west, to understand the true beauty that IS AMERICA. I encourage everyone to get out and DRIVE to the West, Follow Route 66 or the same path ( or close to it) of Louis and Clark when they went west. Sunrises that would take your breath away, seeing THE MAJESTY that GOD Created, the hills, the valleys, the clouds, the rain, the sunshine, the stars, the moon. ALLLLLL Created BECAUSE GOD Designed it to be so.
I can't even describe the beauty of this world.
I kind of chuckle because my teachers always said " I would never be able to make a living staring out the window) Ah well nobody is perfect. Time to get some shut eye, hope everyone has a beautiful weekend, get out side LOOK UP, look around at EVERY thing God Created.
Be Safe
Be Happy
Love Each Other
Smile
Smell the roses
Appreciate the simple things in life
and leave some space for that 18 wheeler hauling your goods
Thank You for traveling
firemedic2816
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