Happily Ever After were the last words on my mind last night after a beautiful Wedding Ceremony, great reception with family and friends from both the East and West Coast and to my wonderful friend, partner and now husband, Wayne. Life is now at its best for me. During the Wedding Reception I was asked several times “when are you going back on the road?” I would smile look at my watch and reply, in about 20 minutes, as I know we are loaded and need to head off to Reno.

The weather is not looking good so Wayne is talking about heading south to go around it. The draw back would be an extra 500 plus miles added to our trip. I can’t say for certain but I think I would rather plow through our first winter storm with lots of caution and a slow steady speed. That very well could change once I’m in the ice and snow with a strong wind blowing the truck all over the road.

1 Comments

• At December 7, 2005, Penny wrote:

  For those who could not make it the Wedding was Beautiful and I am very Happy for Cindy & Wayne!! Look forward to seeing some pictures!!

Photos from the Alcan, mostly in British Columbia. Pink Mountain was more of a campground than a town. We parked in the parking lot of the general store with a restaurant across the street.
Originally uploaded by Adventures In Trucking

Our load changed. We’re not going to Portland for that team load to Wisconsin. Now, we are taking some stuff from UCLA to Texas A&M for Adidas. Stay there a few days, pick it up and take it back to LA.

Then it looks like we will be dead heading to Minnesota from Vegas. We have to be there on a certain date and fuel in the truck one way is cheaper than round trip tickets for both of us and Willie or finding someplace to board Willie.

If we took our car, the gas is cheaper, but it’s a round trip and possibly a motel on the way there or back. We might be able to drive straight through but our car is a bit small to be sleeping in while the other is driving, plus luggage and Willie. We should be able to get a load out of Minnesota or worse case, in Chicago.

While we wait, I’ve been moving the pictures we had on the old Adventures in Trucking to Flickr! Being on Flickr!.com I won’t ever have to move or label them again.

I need to figure out how to sort the Photo list so the newest is on top. Until then – We now have British Columbia, from the first part of our trip to Alaska two years ago and the New Truck pictures, back when it was new a last year.

I actually did have something planned to send, but I couldn’t find what I was looking for and I couldn’t find an e-card I liked. Being on the road is too much of an excuse, but in reality, I’m such a slug and have no excuses for not even sending a e-card for Valentine’s Day, I hope this makes up for it, if only a little bit. Love you and miss you, baby.

1 Comments

• At February 15, 2008, Cindy wrote:

  I love it and you too!!! Come home soon, Cindy

I need to double-up on my classes as Math and English were not completed while I attended classes in Minnesota about 15 years ago. I took one Business Math class and received an A, however the Math classes I was familiar with are looking very different. Testing out didn’t look like an option, at least for me. English classes also need to be completed and I may have to enroll in them after the Math classes are done but for know I am self-teaching myself with the internet, study guides, and books from the Library.

Practice CLEP Tests

The class I am taking starting tonight is called “Human Lifespan Development”. The class description sounds very interesting; This course presents students with empirical research findings and theoretical frameworks to foster an understanding of the various stages and dimensions of human development across the lifespan. Emphasis is placed on biological, cognitive, emotional, and social development in a time frame extending from prenatal development through the elder years and on toward eventual end of life and bereavement processes.

I finished my second class with an A- and now am attending my third class. Wayne and Willie are home for a brief visit. I wanted to take Willie to the dog park yesterday but he was so bad the last time that we need to work on training first. He loves to run and teases the other dogs into chasing him. He will not answer to “come” when it’s time to leave. He also wants the toys but only if some other dog has them. He will run along side of them and bump them jump at there face and try to take it away. Our last visit we were in the small dog area and there were two pitbulls in with all the other dogs. They seemed fine with running and playing until one of them had the toy and Willie wanted it. Willie was not going to take “no” for an option. So after a short scuffle and Willie letting out a cry for help some lady picked him up and handed him to us and we left. Why Willie thought he was a match for a pitbull was pretty stupid on his part especially when the other pitbull came and it was two against one. Willie weights in wet at 10.2 lbs. So we work on the commands and cut down at the doggie park for now.

Last night Wayne helped me with my school work until he almost lost his voice. I am taking a Health Course on the side to finish my degree faster. Well, I need to get ready for work and I wish you all a wonderful “Thanksgiving”.

1 Comments

• At November 23, 2007, Penny wrote:

  Good job Sis!!! Your efforts and time will soon pay off!!

Well it has been a week at home and we are rested up for our next journey. I am going to Minnesota to take care of some business and visit with family this week. Wayne will be loading mid-week then heading for Florida. I will worry about him as he will have to drive the long trip on his own but I guess before I came aboard he did it on his own all the time. The shipper needs Wayne to do the return trip so he will be staying in Florida for 4 days and then reload. The shipper will furnish parking for the truck and a hotel room for us. I will meet up with Wayne back in Florida for the drive back to Las Vegas.

I hear it is cold and snowy in Minnesota so I plan on packing lots of warm clothes where Wayne will be out in the sunshine of Florida. When I join him I hope we can visit Epcot Center. I haven’t been there in years and I hear a lot has changed. It has been so nice to stay south this winter as driving the truck through snow and ice is not fun and putting the chains on in cold cold weather is worst (so I hear).

I made one more trip, this was my last one, I promise. As I was talking to my boss, we were discussing what I was going to do after trucking and he mentions when am I going to give up the heroin? This is my last time, really, I swear I won’t do this any more. I can quit any time I want to!

Anyone that knows anything about addictions knows the love – hate relationship involved in any addiction. The definition of addiction is that it’s progressive, meaning it gets worse and worse. If it’s interfering with your life and you’re entire life’s goal is centered on getting another fix of a drug, cookie or a NASCAR race, it could be an addiction.

Trucking definitely qualifies. It’s progressive, takes over your life, the people stuck in this addiction realize it’s killing them and they need to do something else, but they can’t. Your entire life is centered around the truck, every dime you make goes back into the truck one way or another. You might think you’re making a good living at first, but all of a sudden, you’re 67 years old, you’re still driving and broke, especially now. There are more than a few examples of drivers that have to drive because they have no other way to make money and they didn’t save money for their future, it all went into the truck, because the truck makes the money and it has to be kept running no matter what.

I’m not saying every driver is like that. There are drivers that have been successful, have saved money and may be driving because they enjoy it. There are people that can take a few drinks without bingeing and passing out too. Those with the curse, know they have it and can’t do much about it and may not want to do anything about it.

I’m not quitting cold turkey, I’ve already made arrangements to go into the office and play Safety Manager once a week (it’s a small company), if things pick up and it actually becomes busy, we’ll renegotiate. But for now, it’s some pocket change so I can keep my Big Mac addiction alive and well.

The boss was saying that I’m going to miss the truck. He still has his truck but misses driving it. I’ll miss my truck like a ex-junkie misses his kit, but it’s something I need to do, so I can go on with the rest of my life. We’ll get an RV if I really have to out on the road someday.

Many drivers leave their wives at home and those women that put up with the addiction  lifestyle are truly strong and dedicated (there’s help for families called Al-anon). It’s not the best way to have a real relationship, let alone a marriage. Trying to have a life outside of your addiction is near impossible because the addiction takes over and wants every second of your time. You can’t schedule an appointment and do the things you need to take care of your life, because you never know when you’re going to be out getting high and will have to cancel or reschedule the appointment (again).

Even when you’re taking a break and are around others who aren’t as obsessed about your addiction as your are, you’re always thinking of the next fix. The next time you go out you finally feel relaxed, back on the road, yeah baby! This is where it’s at. Just like smoker’s hanging out in the doorways, truckers hang out at truckstops where we can be with others that share the pains of our addiction.

Ask a smoker or if you are a smoker, think about the way you feel when it’s been awhile since your last fix. When it finally happens, it’s a big aaaahhhh moment, the anticipation was killing you, but now you’re finally relaxed even though nicotine causes your heart to race and your blood pressure to rise. You’re brain is happy and the rest of your body follows orders and cooperates. After the initial “rush” starts to wear off, you’re kicking yourself. Why did you do this again? You hate it so much and it makes absolutely no sense whatsoever to keep doing this over and over and yet you do it again and again. You hate it, but there are still some good times inbetween the bad times where you can just relax and enjoy it.

Quitting any addiction takes a lot of work and support from family members. Some drivers may need an intervention because they don’t know when to quit, but their family members don’t know how to go about getting their loved ones back into their lives.

Great idea for a new reality show. It’s a cross between Dog the Bounty Hunter and Trick My Truck. When a driver pulls into a truck stop, Dog and his crew grab him, cuff him and drag him to the intervention center that looks like a Chrome Shop. Or not.

I could be full of hot air, but tell me you don’t see some of the addiction signs in the trucking lifestyle! Addictions don’t have to be bad, but they can turn bad if not treated. They didn’t call it White Line Fever for nothing.

I like this definition from medterms.com

Definition of Addiction
Addiction: A chronic relapsing condition characterized by compulsive drug-seeking and abuse and by long-lasting chemical changes in the brain. Addiction is the same irrespective of whether the drug is alcohol, amphetamines, cocaine, heroin, marijuana, or nicotine. Every addictive substance induces pleasant states or relieves distress. Continued use of the addictive substance induces adaptive changes in the brain that lead to tolerance, physical dependence, uncontrollable craving and, all too often, relapse. Dependence is at such a point that stopping is very difficult and causes severe physical and mental reactions from withdrawal. The risk of addiction is in part inherited. Genetic factors, for example, account for about 40% of the risk of alcoholism. The genetic factors predisposing to addiction are not yet fully understood.

I forgot about genetics. How many truck drivers do you know, who’s fathers were truck drivers? This one is pretty good too. It’s too long, click on the link.

The Medical Definition of Addiction

It’s funny and yet it’s not. I know too many drivers that are too old to be out on the road and would rather be fishing, but they can’t. I’m just trying not to become one of them. More about my withdrawals later.

1 Comments

• At July 2, 2009, Jeffro wrote:

  You're absolutely right on the money. A lot of my friends father's were truckers. Most don't know how to make a living away from a truck. I tried it - ten years with the USPS. Not the job for me - so back in a truck. One of my buddies quit driving and did some mechanic work. He told me he spent all his days looking out the window watching the trucks go by.

  But, I'd have to say that a large portion of us have learned some sort of balance - we don't necessarily live and breathe trucking and actually try to have a life away. I earn less money, but I spend less on the road, too. I'm home a lot. Too much lately.

  You've always struck me as a pretty balanced personality. You'll always have trucking as a backup, but if you can get your mad 'puter skilz going, it will only be a wistful backwards glance once in a while.

The day I completed and passed my A+ tests I updated all my online resumes. Careerbuilder, Monster etc… That same day I get a call from a recruiter from one of the IT staffing companies in town, checking to see if I’m available for a contract (temporary) computer support job. I won’t find out if I even have a chance to interview till next week, but it was kind of cool to get called like that.

A real corporate type interview; You know when the last time I had to do that was? A long, long, long time ago. This will be the test, if I can get an interview, a job and still do 12 credits (4 classes) in my voluminous spare time.  It’s not like I’m done dealing with the truck either, I still have to do something with it. Now that the camshaft is fixed, I need to get the generator fixed. It will be nice when I’m out to have the microwave working again. Put it in the shop next week while family is in town and I’m not going anywhere anyway.

I’m now studying for my Network+ certification. I already paid for the test (at the 50% school discount), took the class the previous semester and trying to study and take it before the next semester starts on 6/08. Plus the recruiter said it would help if I had it. I feel like I’m cramming, but I’m not. I already went through the book and class once so this is just a review. Except I waited long enough that now the test has been updated. Networking is going back to my roots. I was into networking before there was an Internet. At least before it became popular. The concepts, terminology and even some of the equipment are the same (but updated), it’s like one big refresher course.

Since this might be (if I even get it) my first job interview for a tech position in a long time, I’m not holding my breath. If I don’t get it, it will be good practice and I still have enough school to keep me busy this summer.

I’m going to study in the mornings then go into the office for a half day or two to see how the freight biz is going. When we brought the truck back to the office, the parking lot had a lot of trucks in it. But most everyone likes to be home on the weekends so it wasn’t that unusual.

I know my “empire” is supposed to be supporting me by now, but I like the studying and I want to work. That may change once I get there, but for now that’s what I want and it seems to be working out that way. The empire will always be there and will be something to fall back on if I need it.

3 Comments

• At June 1, 2009, Paul wrote:

  Congratulations Wayne!

  May the offer letters be with you.

• At June 19, 2009, Bertholemeuw wrote:

  Congratulation ... cheer up.

• At June 30, 2009, Nicole wrote:

  Congratulations, and good luck on your tests!

Okay, so this is really the state of MY trucking. I still have a truck and now I’m leased to the previous company doing pad wrap freight in Las Vegas. The deal I have with the owner is, I can do what I want. I can go in the office and help dispatch look for loads, go out on sales calls, or I might straighten out the safety office. If I go in a few days a week, keep going to school, my boss ( the owner ) even signed up for a few classes when I did, so we’re going to school together kind of, it’s still online, but by fall, I may need to actually go to class.

It’s still a fluid decision and could change at any moment, but right now, I’m only doing loads out and back. A couple a month, I can make the truck payment. It’s really not good to lose the truck and have it taken back by the bank, especially since it only has another year to go to be paid off. If I can keep up the payments with a couple of trips a month, fine, if not, then it’s back to the original plan. If freight starts picking up, I’ll find someone to drive it and work in the office. That’s a plan and it depends on what happens that will determine how things progress.

1 Comments

• At May 13, 2009, Laurie wrote:

  It sounds like you have a great career in computers and web stuff... that is great!!!

  Since you are (sorta) trying to get out of your truck... how would you like a husband/wife team to drive your truck for you?

  I don't know anything about that situation... but I (we - my husband and I) would be interested to find out how that might work. Let me know....

  Laurie (and Leroy) Lay

  P.S. I have been following you since when Cindy was on the truck with you.

I really haven’t been home any longer than usual yet. I’ve been cleaning out the truck. Volvos have a lot of storage inside and after three years I didn’t realize how much stuff had accumulated. Even if I happen to drive some more short trips, I’m only going to pack what I need for one trip. I want the truck ready to sell and be able to clean it out in a few minutes.

I can go into the Bohemian office and basically do what I want, dispatch, find my own loads, whatever. I’ve been talking to the owner and since I left on good terms and things have changed in the office I can go back like nothing happened.

Besides cleaning out the truck, I’ve signed up for four classes this summer and I can register for Fall classes later this week. After this summer I’ll have 27 credits out of the 61 for an AAS, plus all of the certifications I can test for. If a computer job comes up fine, if not I’ll have plenty of practice trying to get one. Bohemian has their server that runs Windows Server on site in the office so I can get some actual experience with that instead of the Linux servers my websites are on while at the same time expanding my website empire to make more money that way too.

As far as plans go, it depends what happens. We have plans that will cover most everything that we can foresee coming up. I’m not stressing over the truck or anything else right now because we’ve been planning for this day for a couple of years. It may have come a little early, but we’re flexible and see it as a good thing.

I need to get into a daily routine so I don’t just sit around the house, because after a while I may be sitting arouuund the house.  I’ve run out of excuses not to exercise, eat healthy and be active. I haven’t seen much TV in the last few years and that’s probably a good thing.

As far as Clark Transfer goes, the couple of posts on Adventures in Trucking about Driving for Clark Transfer show up on the same search page and are actually seeing traffic. They’re really not worth my time, but mess with my last paycheck and things might change. I don’t even need to show them on my resume, I can keep Bohemian on and stretch through those few months and no one will even know or care.