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RkyMtnHigh

My Walk of Shame?

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There is no shame in you realizing that it doesn't work for you. You tried something different, and it wasn't for you - absolutely no shame in that at all.

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My lesson learned through all those hours behind the wheel is the realization that my quality of life and happiness is about the people I have in my life. Its about relationships in every aspect of my day; its about how we can choose to make a positive impact in the lives of others.



So in essence, you're saying that you walked away from the experience richer than you ever expected. :)
Life is short! Break the rules! Forgive quickly! Kiss slowly! Love truly, Laugh uncontrollably. And never regret anything that made you smile.

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You did something that not a lot of people would even consider. You survived it. You learned a lot. Both about the job and about yourself. Congratulations.



Fixed it for ya. ;)

I agree with Joe. No shame about it. You went, you saw, you did, you decided it isn't for you. And now you have some great new stories to tell!


No, one of the problems in the industry is that a lot of guys think they're great drivers, mechanically inclined and incapable of getting lost.
They don't understand the hours, conditions, requirements, consequences, ect. The realities of the job (including peeing into gatorade bottles). They think it's just going to be a roadtrip.
Those are the drivers who only last a couple of months before quitting (because they can't do the job, not because of a better offer).

And RockyMtnHigh, about the recruiters wanting you to come back.
You know how to tell when a recruiter is lying??








Their lips are moving!:D:D:D
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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Driving a big rig is not just hopping in, starting the truck, and going from Point A to Point B. There is sooo much more to it. I didn't realize how stressful it would be. Weather conditions in one trip up I-75 that I made with GM bumpers was heavy rain in GA and TN, then thick fog in KY (couldn't see more than 10 feet in front of me), also a LOT of construction zones where the lanes are much smaller due to the cement baracades, then snow in OH, and blizzard and icy conditions when I got to my destination in MI.
I thought that night driving (10pm-5am) would be better/easier than driving in the day with traffic, however my experience was that the weather conditions were worse at night, visibility was worse, more construction zones to deal with, and more exhausted drivers on the road that shouldn't be driving.
Its heavy when you are informed that if a car changes lanes or is on the on ramp to the interstate and they hit you, that YOU still get the ticket because YOU are "the professional driver" and should have known better and been able to prevent the incident. There is a lot of liability that comes with being a truck driver and I didn't feel that the very little pay was worth the tradeoffs.

As far as ladydyver's comment about me learning a lot through that part of my journey...yes, I did. I learned that I'm a lot tougher and stronger than I realized. It was an humbling experience as well.





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Driving a big rig is not just hopping in, starting the truck, and going from Point A to Point B.



I hope it didn't sound as if I thought it was that... I deal with alot of drivers and hear the stories of how difficult and tough the job is... I have always wanted to ride along to get the full feeling of it.

I've often sided with the driver more often than the customer - the drivers are an integral link in the supply chain!

I've also had some drivers who deserve a serious lashing.... one driver in particular loaded an excavator with the boom raised. The driver was warned that he was overheight and failed to listen. He then headed north on the I-5 in WA and took out an overpass! DOH 5 million dollars worth of damage and a VERY unhappy customer! :o

g
"Let's do something romantic this Saturday... how bout we bust out the restraints?"
Raddest Ho this side of Jersey #1 - MISS YOU
OMG, is she okay?

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Katee-

I remember talking to you at SDA about your job and how much you like it. I was surprised to hear that you were doing trucking because of your expertise and passion about working in the healthcare industry. Glad to hear that things are turning around for you! I'm so glad to hear that you GAINED from the trucking job, despite all of the hassle and unpleasantness that you experienced.
http://3ringnecklace.com/

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I have always wanted to ride along to get the full feeling of it.

Cash, hash, or gash. Nobody rides for free. :P


Isn't that: "cash, ass or grass [hash works too though]"?
Dialogue/commentary between Divot, Twardo & myself -

"from your first Oshkosh when the three of us were riding to or from one of

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Hi Rocky,
'Know what ya' mean, been there, done that, still got a couple of "Schneider" T-shirts in the closet!! Over the road, long haul, Big Glass, Flatbed!! 2001-2003. BTW what's yer' CB ch.19 Handle??

PS, No Shame to it, Truck Drivin' is a dirty, rotten, dangerous job!!

PPS, Ain't gonna' drag no chains in the next life like those Ghosts of Ebineizer Scrooge's story, I drug and chucked all mine when I was flatbeddin'!!
SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

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Hi Rocky,
'Know what ya' mean, been there, done that, still got a couple of "Schneider" T-shirts in the closet!! Over the road, long haul, Big Glass, Flatbed!! 2001-2003. BTW what's yer' CB ch.19 Handle??

PS, No Shame to it, Truck Drivin' is a dirty, rotten, dangerous job!!

PPS, Ain't gonna' drag no chains in the next life like those Ghosts of Ebineizer Scrooge's story, I drug and chucked all mine when I was flatbeddin'!!



With my first mentor, my handle was "Precious Cargo" then my second mentor/teammate ....well, she got WASTED one nite and my handle changed to "Yuppie Bitch":D

Oh yeah...I chained up on I70 on day 3 of my Mentor program and it sucked A$$$$ to have road slush splattered on my cheeks while I was chaining up because the "4wheelers" wouldnt move to the left lane.





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Hi Rocky,
Tire chains in the snow and "slush," YUCK!! The other side of the coin is flatbed loads that require chains instead of straps!! (eg, 40+ 000 lbs of steel bars!!) 'ya hook one end of the chain (one chain every 3 or so feet) on the side of the bed then "sling" the rest over the top of the load!!! Then rig the lever clamp and try to snap it in place with your "cheater bar!!" without it slapping you in the face and knocking some teeth out!! Good fun!! Still got my "cheater bar" might need it to close some flaps on a really tight reserve sometime!! (Just kidding!) I could go on....
Driving an orange "pumpkin" the other truckers used to call me "Mr Schneider" unless they were behind me going up-hill in the West Verginia mountains when I was lugging a 79,000 lb gross load in 3rd or 4th gear!!!! it got interesting sometimes!!
SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

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With my first mentor, my handle was "Precious Cargo" then my second mentor/teammate ....well, she got WASTED one nite and my handle changed to "Yuppie Bitch":D



ROTFLMAO!!!:D:D:D
Love it!:D
"There are only three things of value: younger women, faster airplanes, and bigger crocodiles" - Arthur Jones.

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How much did you make driving? They say one thing, I am just curious as to what a trucker, starting out really makes.



It depends. You can figure between 30-35 cents per mile in your first year. You can maybe expect 100k miles. Right now freight is really slow because of the economy.
So 30-35k the first year is reasonable.

That depends on the company, how they pay you during the training period, where and how hard you run, how much freight is available, that sort of stuff.

Hauling flatbed or refrigerated pays a bit more, but has more to do and take care of.
"There are NO situations which do not call for a French Maid outfit." Lucky McSwervy

"~ya don't GET old by being weak & stupid!" - Airtwardo

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Kudos to you for even having the tits to give it a try.
Now imagine doing it for 10yrs+;)

I'm no longer long haul, I acquired a nice regional route that only has me gone 2-3 nights out of the week, and it's a salaried job (started 44K) with full benefits.

My last long haul job was with Melton Truck Lines INC out of Tulsa, OK, pulling flatbed/dropdeck.
I was making .46 per mile, tarp, drop, layover, detention and etc, averaged 48-50K per yr.




Remember, if you have it, a trucker brought it to you.


ChileRelleno-Rodriguez Bro#414
Hellfish#511,MuffBro#3532,AnvilBro#9, D24868

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Hi Rocky,

Driving an orange "pumpkin" the other truckers used to call me "Mr Schneider" unless they were behind me going up-hill in the West Verginia mountains when I was lugging a 79,000 lb gross load in 3rd or 4th gear!!!! it got interesting sometimes!!


Mr. Schneider... LMAO :D
We call Schneider drivers alot of thing but seldom Mr.
For those that don't know, Schneider drivers get no respect from the other drivers, all they are is big orange rolling road blocks incapable of maintaining the average interstate speed limit.

For instance, take this little ditty into consideration as we insult the top three most reviled company drivers.

Out behind the truck stop, where nobody goes,
laid a JB Hunt driver without any clothes.
Along came a Schneider swinging a chain, down came the zipper and out it came.
Three months later it started to swell.
Three more months and it looked like hell.
Three more months and out it came.
A baldheaded Swift driver, in the hammer lane.


Orange construction barrels, those are Schneider eggs.

ChileRelleno-Rodriguez Bro#414
Hellfish#511,MuffBro#3532,AnvilBro#9, D24868

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Hi Chile,
Gotta' laugh! Schneider trucks had a speed control gorvenor set at as I recall, 62MPH!! Oh well, 'ya hit 62 and it beeps and if you do it enough you lose brownie points or something. Most of the time I was running 75K+lbs gross and even a new engine would pull that slow up hill!! Box drivers would fly by me sure!! They were haulin' "ass wipe!!" It didn't matter really because most of the time I was on roads with double nickle speedlimits for trucks!! 56 and a ticket!! Blue light specials are great at K-mart but not behind my vehicle!! Quit truckin and went back to the Rag Trade (Parachute mfg) now I have the best job!!!! I'm retired!! My card reads, "A. Bill Deli" Sport Parachute Bum retired; no phone, no address, leave message, gone fishin'!!!!!

BTW you were talkin about Schneider Box drivers. I was with Schneider Specialized haulin' Big Glass outa' Laurinburg NC. Two things about haulin' Big Glass, 'Ya gonna' break some and 'ya gonna' get cut!!
SCR-2034, SCS-680

III%,
Deli-out

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