So to speak. We got the house cleaned out and everything put in storage. So we are in effect homeless at this point. We had a mobile home, but now we truly have a mobile home, it just has 18 wheels. We are really going to miss that house because we had completely remodeled it. And it was on about 4.5 acres of land with a pond out front. But what is the point of shelling out close to $2000 a month for a mortgage, utilities, home insurance, etc. Just didn't make sense. It is kinda liberating to be free of all of that and be nomadic. I never thought I would really enjoy life on the road enough to get rid of everything, but it completely suits us. And it is REALLY nice to be able to watch that extra money pile up in the bank each month. :) A lot of drivers stay out on the road 5-6 weeks and then go home and take a week off. Not having a home, we won't do that. We plan on taking a day or two off every 3 weeks or so where ever we happen to be. No real place that we want to spend a whole week at. Like family for instance. 2-3 days visiting family is a good number. You can visit, catch up on things and do stuff, but after 2-3 days, you end up vegging out on the couch, not talking, just watching TV. My Mammaw always said that fish and company both stink after 3 days. That is a good rule to live by. So when we get tired, we will take a day or two to do something we wouldn't normally get to do. We can take a 3 day 2 night cruise, see the Grand Canyon, go skiing in the winter, maybe scuba diving in Florida. Who knows? We can do anything we want!
We came back out on the road yesterday. We picked up a load in Arlington,TX at 1700 that had to be in Harrisonville,MO by 0600. Dropped that and drove 125 miles back to Joplin where our next load is. Grabbed lunch, which by the way took FOREVER at the Petro and that is unusual, got a shower, washed out the trailer and headed to pick up here in Joplin at 1600. We get here and there is another Prime driver here. They mixed our appointments up. Mine was 1600 and his was 1700 hrs. But they had him at 1600 and me at 1700. Which is fine with me. We are going to the same place in Irwindale,CA for 0500 and 0600 appointments on Monday morning. It is about 1600 miles and he is a solo and we are a team. Let him load first because he is going to have to haul ass to get there and probably do a little creative logging. We aren't planning on leaving out until in the morning. Probably head back to the Petro for the night and I will get up early in the morning and start driving. Then we can get there Sunday afternoon and have a nice Father's Day meal somewhere. I don't know what they were thinking giving a solo that run.
Anyway, that is what's going on here and we are so happy to be back to work. After packing the house and moving everything by ourselves, we were ready for a break! I have bruises everywhere and half of them I don't know how they got there. Driving is easy and it doesn't hurt!
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2 comments:
My husband and I are starting our new career in trucking tomorrow. After 25 years with the same company he and I decided that it was time for a change. While we did not sell the house, our adult daughter and her family are going to move in to it along with my mom who has lived with us for years. You and J appear to be doing just what we want to do: work hard and then take time off at the destination where you are close to. How do you find secure places to leave the truck?
Also any advice you have for a women on the truck I would appreciate. We love reading about your journey.
New Horizons, has he been driving for a company that long and you are going to join him or are you both brand new to trucking? Before we started driving I had this image in my mind just from hearing things I guess, that women were treated badly. I can honestly say that I haven't encountered any negativity from the men in this business. Not to say that it isn't there, but I really think the ones that don't want us in this industry are few and far between. Most men are very polite and helpful. Then will even hold the door for me. But I think that comes more from their upbringing and being taught to be polite. haha With you guys teaming, I don't see any problems at all. Here are a few things that I do that makes me feel safer, and that J insists on, for my safety. If he is sleeping, and it is dark and I have to stop to go to the restroom, I wake him up just to let him know I am stopping. He doesn't usually get up, unless he has to go also, but he knows I am out of the truck for a few. We have little hand held 2-way radios that you can get pretty much anywhere. I take one with me and he turns his on. If something happens, I can just holler at him. Think about it. A 2-way radio is instant communication. I have a cell phone, but what if I didn't have time to call him or punch 911? And if I did dial 911, it is a cell phone. They will not know my exact location. They will just have a general area. So the radios are important. They are also good to have when at a truck stop and if he is fueling and I go inside, I can ask him what he wants from Wendy's or something. Or just mess with him when he is in the bathroom by asking him what he is wearing or something. (I just find that funny when he is on the toilet and his radio goes off and everyone hears. haha) I also carry a pocket knife in my hand sometimes. I think you just have to follow your gut. If you feel uncomfortable anywhere, wake your husband up and have him go with you. J doesn't like being woke up from a dead sleep, but he would rather do that than something happen to me. And again, I only wake him up to go with me if I don't feel safe or someone is hanging around the rest area outside at night. But I think the radios are a really good tool. You can also use them when you are helping each other back into docks or at a truck stop. They are more useful that trying to read hand signals in a side mirror because if he is motioning left, in the mirror it looks like he is motioning right, because it is reversed, and it can get frustrating. The radios are a tremendous help in more ways than one.
Showering. We shower every other day. Some loads are tight and it is impossible to shower every day. But face it, you are sitting driving all day, now working out in 100 degree weather. You don't work up a sweat doing this job. :) When we switch shifts, at a truck stop or rest area, I have a little fanny pack thing that I have some stuff in. I go into the restroom, wash my face, brush my teeth, comb my hair and I am ready. Baby wipes are a great thing to keep in the truck to wipe off with. Before we started driving I work makeup every day. Now, I pretty much don't wear any. About the only time I wear some is if we go home and are going to go do something. Occasionally, like today, I will put some face powder on, and that is it.
My battery is about dead, so one more thing and then I will have to respond more later when I can get this charged.
When we take time off, Prime finds us a customer of theirs and they will have us drop the trailer there until we are ready to go back out. It will depend on the company you are going to be driving for. And as far as stopping where we want and doing things we want, that part is just starting for us! Since the house is packed up now, we can start doing those things so we are really looking forward to it. But first we have to hit it hard for about a month and then we can take a few days off.
I will write more later for you. I am excited for you guys. This is going to be a great chapter in your lives. Not every day will be an easy one, but there are many more good days than bad. Think of it as an adventure! :)
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