It really was my intention to post every night or at least every other night. Or maybe at least every couple of nights. At least more than once every 10 days! Google's gmail to blogger interface went down and it's hard to write on my iPhone in the blogger app. Especially when it doesn't work in landscape mode. Really?
I'm sitting in the driver's lounge of the Springfield, OH terminal typing on my laptop. I've been here since Friday around noon. We came here under a load for a 34 hour reset with the load scheduled for delivery in New Jersey Tuesday morning. We "lost" the load as they gave it to another driver who needed to get home in New York. We weren't planning to leave here until later in the day today anyway, but now we sit until they get us a load out of here. At least we're at a terminal with all the amenities and not sitting at a truck stop in the middle of BFE.
These last 12 days have been intense, fun, full, frustrating, and wonderful. The first couple days were the hardest because everything was new. Every move took so much concentration. It's getting easier now. I don't tense up as much when it's time to exit the highway and maneuver thru town. Coupling and un-coupling a trailer isn't so foreign. Backing is slowly coming together for me and I'm shifting pretty smoothly. I've driven a standard transmission most of my life. My dad made it a point that I learn to drive on a standard. Shifting a tractor is very different. Especially down shifting. I'm not having to think so hard every time I have to do something with the truck. I still have to be alert, but it's coming more naturally. I need to get a load headed through some mountains. Although I'm glad I haven't had one before now. My trainer says I shifted better from the start than any of his other students but I feel much better about hitting the mountains now.
This is being such an amazing journey and I'm almost done with what I can only call a re-birthing process. Quitting my job without a plan was like the orgasm, letting loose the seeds of freedom (did I really just write that?). Realizing I really wanted to drive a truck and becoming determined to find a way was like the fertilization. Getting into school, conquering the financial hurdle and the medical barrier was like implantation. School, the search for the right company, orientation, passing the DOT physical and physical standards test, these are all part of the developement. This last stage, the 120 hours in the truck with the trainer learning how to really drive a truck is the birthing process. Once I complete the upgrade then I will be reborn. And John and I will pick back up our journey together. This has been the hardest part, being without him for 12 days now. We saw each other briefly last Friday but brief it was.
I have 57 more hours to do then I get to upgrade. It's basically a road test, written test, simulator tests and, assuming I pass, then I go to 2nd seat status, teaming with John. After 2 months teaming with him I'll achieve 1st seat status and finally be earning real $$. We'll still be teaming, I'll just be earning full pay. Can't wait to get back on the road!
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