I’ve been home for more than a week. Dropped the truck in the locked yard and forgot about it. I have an air leak that needs worked on and a few pads to fold still. I had a possible load for Thursday, so we went and got the truck on Wed to get the air leak fixed and the annual inspection done. We get to the yard and damn! No one burned the truck down! I guess I have to keep trucking. I go to a nearby truck stop with a shop for the air leak and the inspection and wait. I’m the next truck, but the truck in front of me is waiting for parts. Why they shut the shop down to wait for parts I don’t know. Finally I get in and they can’t fix the air leak I have to go to Volvo.
Since I waited, I had the trailer inspected and it passed, took the truck to the dealer and came back home. Turned down a team load to Manhatten. It paid really well, but I’m didn’t really feel like doing 2800 miles in two and a half days. The truth is I really don’t feel like driving around the block, let alone to NYC. I’m really getting sick of trucking. Especially now that we have a plan and I’ve actually started studying for a couple of computer certifications. After these two classes I’ll be able to test for the A+ and Network+ certifications. Won’t get me a job because everyone still wants experience on top of the certifications, but at least it’s a start, even an entry level computer tech job somewhere would help pay the bills so I can stay home and keep going to school. At least that’s the plan.
Until the plan is further along, I’ll keep driving. The driving part of trucking is still pretty great. I can deal with traffic and construction backups. Driving is only a small part of trucking, it’s all the other crap that I’m getting tired of. The lack of work, the waiting and the general bs at shippers and receivers, having to go where trucks shouldn’t be allowed to go in the first place and just the normal everyday crap.
I did the Blog Talk Radio show with Allen yesterday and it went pretty well. Was expecting a few idiots to call in and call me whatever because I didn’t agree on striking, but it didn’t happen. Here’s the link to go listen to the show. Blog Talk Radio or use the widget thing here –
Hello Wayne, enjoyed your Trucking article. I am an old hand at trucking and must say that I have to agree with you on feeling tired of issues in the day to day stuff, air leaks etc. I’ve spent 21 yrs trucking and all it takes is a 22 yr old dispatcher or broker to tell me what to do and teach me how to truck. They are the boss I’m the rookie who knows nothing and my biggest concern is where I going to take a piss soon after my morning drinks! I had a young lady who the company hired to dispatch us for a while she was a ex-con and know experience in the business but I had to do what she said.She was my new BOSS!.Sorry state. It seems the longer your in this the worse it gets for you because your many bosses are getting younger each year and I’m just getting to be an older strong back! I see alot of companies hiring ex-cons and junkies to boss around truckers all the time.
Thanks Larry, The ex-cons and drug addicts are in the office because they can’t get behind the wheel. My dispatcher is about the same age but at least he had driven for a long time so I don’t have that problem yet.
I don’t have a qualcomm, so I’m always getting calls from brokers that don’t know me asking where I’m at. I’ve had brokers that try and tell me how easy some place is to get to or ask me why I’m going a particular route, they don’t get the answer they expected and they don’t ask me those questions anymore.