I can't believe it
Those loonies at Roehl actually passed me out of training and gave me a truck! They intrusted ME with an $80,000 piece of equipment loaded with millions worth of cargo to drive all over the US in... they're crazy...
About my truck... Freightliner Century with 495,000 miles. Its in fairly good shape, but EVERYTHING rattles. Roehl usually trades in their trucks at around 500,000 mi, so I doubt I'll even keep the truck for a year... maybe not even 6 mo....Of course, the truck is red with gray interior (like all Roehl trucks). The bed is really soft and there's no serious ragging out of the interior. However, the springs under the passenger side seat are broken so the seat is welded into place... in other words, when Michelle goes out with me this summer, she better bring an ass cushion if she doesn't want a cracked tail bone! my seat, on the other hand, rides very smoothly... very bouncy, though, typical for a big rig. (the air ride seats undulate to oppose the truck, thus sometimes the truck feels like a bucking bull and the steering wheel is everywhere... driving in NJ and PA is definitely a challenge, that truck can be EVERYWHERE on those beat up roads!)
So about the last few days:
I got home from training on Thursday before last. When last monday rolled around, I got a call from the training supervisor telling me what I already knew,... I needed one more day of training. So they rented me a car and had me drive to Gary, IN to go out with a local driver in Chicago for one day then test. Tuesday I drove up,.. all the way into Chicago, had some good deep dish pizza and finally found my hotel in Hammond, IN... a really posh place, too! (The Amerihost... internet access... a jacuzzi, and a heated indoor pool). Wednesday I drove a big-rig around Chicago (very nerve racking, but exciting in a way.) Thursday I tested, and actually passed the test. I bumped one curb and i really worried that he'd fail me, but he didn't. Ya don't have to drive perfectly, just safely.
Friday I waited around all day for a load headed toward Nashville to take me home. It finally arrived in Gary at 4:00 pm, and I picked it up and headed out, straight into a blizzard! Lake effect squalls aren't that common in Gary because its on the wrong side of the lake, but Friday the wind was just right and the first hour of the trip was at 25 mph and I couln't even see the front tip of the truck! Lukily it cleared up after I got a little ways down the road. I got home around midnight friday night and I slept hard saturday morning. Michelle was a real sport, waiting up for me to get home then having to be at work at 8:00 am the next morning. Rest of the weekend has been shopping, watching Shanghai noon (while drunk... alcohol makes Jacky Chan far more tolerable), and resting. My load delivers Monday in Covington, TN, so I'll be hitting the road in the morning bright and early (well, dark and early. And yes, its terrifying.. knowing that i have to find the place (slim fast factory, I'm carrying them cans) deliver, back up to the dock,and do everything BY MYSELF! really scary... rule of thumb, don't hit anything!
About my truck... Freightliner Century with 495,000 miles. Its in fairly good shape, but EVERYTHING rattles. Roehl usually trades in their trucks at around 500,000 mi, so I doubt I'll even keep the truck for a year... maybe not even 6 mo....Of course, the truck is red with gray interior (like all Roehl trucks). The bed is really soft and there's no serious ragging out of the interior. However, the springs under the passenger side seat are broken so the seat is welded into place... in other words, when Michelle goes out with me this summer, she better bring an ass cushion if she doesn't want a cracked tail bone! my seat, on the other hand, rides very smoothly... very bouncy, though, typical for a big rig. (the air ride seats undulate to oppose the truck, thus sometimes the truck feels like a bucking bull and the steering wheel is everywhere... driving in NJ and PA is definitely a challenge, that truck can be EVERYWHERE on those beat up roads!)
So about the last few days:
I got home from training on Thursday before last. When last monday rolled around, I got a call from the training supervisor telling me what I already knew,... I needed one more day of training. So they rented me a car and had me drive to Gary, IN to go out with a local driver in Chicago for one day then test. Tuesday I drove up,.. all the way into Chicago, had some good deep dish pizza and finally found my hotel in Hammond, IN... a really posh place, too! (The Amerihost... internet access... a jacuzzi, and a heated indoor pool). Wednesday I drove a big-rig around Chicago (very nerve racking, but exciting in a way.) Thursday I tested, and actually passed the test. I bumped one curb and i really worried that he'd fail me, but he didn't. Ya don't have to drive perfectly, just safely.
Friday I waited around all day for a load headed toward Nashville to take me home. It finally arrived in Gary at 4:00 pm, and I picked it up and headed out, straight into a blizzard! Lake effect squalls aren't that common in Gary because its on the wrong side of the lake, but Friday the wind was just right and the first hour of the trip was at 25 mph and I couln't even see the front tip of the truck! Lukily it cleared up after I got a little ways down the road. I got home around midnight friday night and I slept hard saturday morning. Michelle was a real sport, waiting up for me to get home then having to be at work at 8:00 am the next morning. Rest of the weekend has been shopping, watching Shanghai noon (while drunk... alcohol makes Jacky Chan far more tolerable), and resting. My load delivers Monday in Covington, TN, so I'll be hitting the road in the morning bright and early (well, dark and early. And yes, its terrifying.. knowing that i have to find the place (slim fast factory, I'm carrying them cans) deliver, back up to the dock,and do everything BY MYSELF! really scary... rule of thumb, don't hit anything!