Trucker Talk

We recently purchased a CB Radio, partly in response to coming up on the accident east of Ogden in my post, A Safety Reminder. We thought it best to have a way to communicate to other drivers of poor driving conditions, and vice versa. It has certainly been helpful in that regard, and we are very thankful to have it with us as we enter into more inclement weather.

But, I also feel like I'm learning a new language.

And, it seems that every driver talks like Larry the Cable Guy. Do truckers go to school to learn to speak in a way no one can understand?

As far as the language goes, it's not all pretty. I remember when I was a young girl and our family would go on driving vacations to the East Coast, Dad would bring along his CB. And he would often have to turn down the volume because of the foul words. But, as my brother Andy and I had a goal to see how many truckers would honk on their air horn when we passed, Dad often gave them a head's up so they could help our numbers. If I remember, we got up to something like 137 honks in a 10-day period.

One of the first times Ben and I had the CB all hooked up and finally got the right length of antennae, we were parked in a Petro truckstop parking lot in Amarillo, TX. This was the "conversation" we heard:

"F! F you you f'n f'er! Get the f out of here! I don't give an f what you think!"

Needless to say, I was not impressed.

We also heard another conversation going from a guy saying something about "chicken feed". As it is not uncommon for non-truckers to peruse truckstops looking to sell some drugs, I thought that "chicken feed" was in reference to that. But, then we found a website that decodes CB chatter, and I'm led to believe it was something police related. Who knows for sure?

Many drivers are quite helpful with information, some are air hogs that won't let anyone in on the conversation, a few are arrogant bullies and a handful are just plain disgusting. We were at a Flying J a week or so ago where I'm pretty sure I saw my first bona fide "lot lizard" (read: prostitute). Lady, nobody walks around a truckstop parking lot in knee high boots, a Britney Spears-inspired-too-short-plaid-skirt, hair and makeup all done up and expects us to think you're legitimately a driver. And then we hear the conversation on the CB that is unbelievably vulgar and offensive and disgusting. I presume it was in reference to the LL, or it was her instigating it.

Aside from the nastiness that can make your ears bleed, the CB has been a great purchase and investment for our time on the road.

A Safety Reminder

This past Saturday morning, we were trucking along through western Wyoming on our way from Irving, TX to Hermiston, OR. I was in the back sleeping as Ben took to the curves and hills between Ft. Bridger, WY and Ogden, UT. The roads were a little slick at times but nothing was too treacherous.

He took a ten-minute bathroom break in Evanston, which was a little odd, as he had just stopped 30 minutes earlier. Since we had time on the load, he decided it wasn't worth it to push on but instead take the break.

Boy, are we glad he did!

Just a few miles east of Ogden, through the windy 55mph curves of a canyon drive, we were stopped in traffic, five vehicles behind a state trooper. We came to find out that there was a multiple vehicle, multiple injury accident ahead, including a tanker truck that was leaking propane. It didn't look good, and we would be parked on the interstate waiting for quite a while.

Based on the trooper's disclosure of the timing of the accident and the amount of vehicles involved, we realized that Ben's 10-minute bathroom break likely is what saved us from being part of the collision train. Twenty-four total vehicles were involved, including four semis, and sadly, one fatality. Click here to read the article describing the unfortunate circumstances.

We decided, after waiting for 3+ hours, to take a detour through another canyon. It was tight and slow and not recommended for semis (because of the 8% grade up and down, for one thing), but we made it through. It reminded both of us of West Virginia, with how cramped everything was and how much of the road ran along a river, with nothing but inches between us and the concrete barriers, and then just inches between the barriers and the river below. The article tells the story of another incident involving a tractor-trailer who also took that detour. Thankfully we were through it long before that happened!



It has been a good reminder to us to be extra vigilant as winter has arrived fast and furious this year. You just never know when that blind spot ahead of you may be harboring a 24 vehicle pile-up! Fatalities are never easy to take either--and the fact that the young man who passed is just one year younger than the two of us, and likely hasn't been trucking all that long either. That hits close to home. It is an extra reminder of our own mortality, as well as the need to continue living life in an upright, moral and faithful way.

Life is precious. Treat it well, and drive safely out there!


Miles this week: 4500
Recent enjoyments: waking up to magical big-fat-wet snowflakes on Sunday morning, walking a mile to Mass at the Cathedral in Baker City, OR and watching the Steelers/Ravens Sunday Night Football game in the midst of a restart

Dedicated

I have three separate entries that all deal with dedication. The first: our new I-5 dedicated route. The second: our dedication to finishing our “debt snowball”. The third: dedication to fighting for a good cause. Because I plan to write at a decent length for all three, check back in a couple days for the second and third entries.

Our new I-5 dedicated route: a few months ago, one of our company's fleet managers contacted us to see if we would be interested in running the I-5 throughout Washington, Oregon and California, hauling mostly FedEx loads from the Los Angeles area to Portland and Seattle, and then hauling whatever freight (mostly huge rolls of paper for newsprint) back down south to Los Angeles. That way, it would be easier for dispatch to get us home to Oregon for our scheduled hometime. At the time, however, we were completely turned off to the idea; we enjoy traveling across the country, leaving the option open of visiting with many family members and friends that we have sprinkled throughout the nation. Add to that the idea of driving the same old stretch of highway day in and day out (and at only 55mph through California and Oregon, 60mph though Washington), we were not exactly interested.

Fast forward to the week after Christmas: this week, appropriately the last of the year, I suppose, was comprised of the reign of Murphy. We picked up our load just outside of Cincinnati, headed for Salt Lake City. We stopped by Ben's parent's house in western Indiana (they live right off of the interstate we were traveling on) to pick up a pair of running shoes we had accidentally left after their Christmas get-together. There is a large gravel parking lot near their house that we parked the rig in; however, because of the Christmas snowfall, there were several inches on the ground and while it was hard-packed and a dry snow, leading us to believe we would be fine to get out, you can guess what happened. An hour and a half after realizing we were stuck, we finally freed the truck and were back on our way west.

The rest of our route was uneventful until we reached Wyoming. There was a huge nasty winter storm setting in across Utah and Wyoming, with upwards of 14 inches of snow expected in some areas. To spare you all the details, here are the highlights: the snow was falling, the wind was blowing, and the temperature was falling. Our truck and trailer slid three times on the road (enough to send me into near hysteria—I was terribly upset at the images running through my mind of jack-knifing or turning over in the shoulder/median), so we stopped at the nearest truckstop to chain up our tractor and trailer tires. Three busted chains later, a slow pumping fuel pump and very little sleep, we called it a night. The next day we eventually delivered the load after more careful maneuvering of the winter roads. We were set up on a re-power (i.e. we finished up a load for another driver) and encountered more snow-covered roads while delivering. Our next load brought us from Salt Lake City to Portland, which involved more snow-covered roads, closed sections of the interstate, and more loads of stress.

This lead us to open up the discussion of driving the I-5 dedicated. There is only one section of road in northern California/southern Oregon that gets enough snow to require chains. And, from our experience driving this stretch, the temperatures are very mild, it doesn't snow that often, and when it does, the roads are cleared regularly. Knowing this sparked even more conversation about the possibility.

We also have many favorite places to stop along this 1200 mile stretch between the three states. Our friends AJ and Sarah (more about them in installment three of “Dedicated”) live in the Seattle area, two of the best truckstops in the country are in Portland and Canyonville, Oregon, many of our favorite spots to run outside are in California, and the landscape is very enjoyable to drive through: pine trees and mountain vistas from Redding, CA all the way to Seattle!

This route has very little surprises to it, which, coupled with the predictable dispatch, consistent miles and mild weather throughout, made it an easy decision to make. One phone call back to the I-5 dedicated fleet manager later, and we were set! We've only been on the route for a week so far, and I'm sure we're going to get tired of it eventually, but for right now, it just feels nice to know what's coming and to be in familiar territory all the time!

Chaining Up

On our way home to Bend for Thanksgiving, we had to do that dreaded thing that truckers dislike--chain up our tractor and trailer *sigh*.

We had just dropped our load at FedEx in Portland and were heading toward the pass for our three hour journey home to Bend. Unfortunately the recent snowfall had mucked up the roads enough that chains were required on all vehicles with a gross weight rating (GWR) of 10,000 pounds or more. Four-wheeler vehicles needed only to have traction tires, but without that they also needed to chain up. There was only but a few inches on the roads, but a few inches is enough to send you careening off the side of the mountain!

Thankfully, because the company we work for is just awesome and really takes care of both the drivers and the equipment, all of our chains worked perfectly! Last year, when we had to chain up our one time, even though we had 3 more chains than needed, half of them were broken or were so twisted we couldn't use them on either the tractor or the trailer! This time around, it was so easy! It took about an hour to put them on, and forty miles later we were finally able to safely remove them without fear of sliding off the road. It was a nice 30 degrees during the on-put, but had cooled down to 14 for take-off (extra bonus then that it only took 15 minutes!).

I suppose I can now say, "Bring on the snow!" Ben likes to drive in it more than I, but now that we've gone through chaining up a second time and everything is in working order, the ordeal it turned out to be a year ago just won't be the case this winter!

The passes that we have to look out for, that we drive the most frequently, are:

-Snoqualmie Pass on I-90 in Washington
-Siskiyou Summit on I-5 in southern Oregon/northern Californa
-Cabbage Hill on I-84 in Oregon
-Grapevine on I-5 north of Los Angeles, California

We do not drive these routes as often anymore, but they are high candidates for chaining up as their elevations are 7000+ feet:

-Continental Divide pass on I-90 in Butte, Montana
-Donner's Pass on I-80 just west of Reno, NV in California

Mother nature has been known to dump up to three feet of snow in a single storm on these passes. Three feet! You can make a lot of snowballs/men/angels with that!

Theory Confirmed

Our last post detailed our theory that warm weather climates=aggressive drivers? Just last week that theory was confirmed in a way that could have led to a motorist's death.

I was driving on I-10 east of San Bernardino in California, on the way to Phoenix. The interstate was three lanes wide, and I was in the far right lane. The construction vehicle in front of me was driving slower than I, so I checked my mirrors and turned on my turn signal to merge into the center lane. In that center lane, about 4-5 car lengths behind me, was a motorcyclist. Because I had clearance and my turn signal had signaled at least six times, I began the merge.

Apparently this was extremely offensive to the motorcyclist, because he immediately sped up alongside my trailer leaving me straddling the dotted line shared between the center and far right lane. Obviously I could not now complete the merge as this ticked off biker was just a foot or two away from me (by the way, his bike was a crotch-rocket, not a Harley...from a generalization of what we've seen on the road, bikers on Harleys are laid-back and do not try circus stunts at a speed of 60 miles per hour. Crotch-rockets, on the other hand, are high-strung young males that need serious attitude adjustments and lessons in highway safety).

He continued along my tractor until he got in front of me, and then proceeded to “stare me down” and flip me off. What came next? He dropped his speed from 60mph down to 25mph in about 3 seconds, all while continuing to stare backwards and flip me off! His bike was so close to my bumper that I could not even see his rear tire. Had their been debris in the road ahead of him or had he simply lost his balance, his life would either be over or it would consist of eating food from a straw. Thankfully, we had a light load and I could slow “quickly”.

I think there are a few kickers to this entire incident:

1. The far left lane? It was completely open. This guy just didn't want me to get in front of him.

2. Traffic was not thick, but it was heavy enough that had someone behind me not been paying attention (in either the far right or the center lane), we could have had a rear-ending frenzy of vehicles.

3. What point did it serve for this young man to perform this circus act? He sure didn't get to his destination any sooner, although I could have sent him to his final destination.

After this biker had enough of speeding up and then slowing down, speeding up then slowing down, speeding up then slowing down in front of us, he finally sped up for good and was out of sight. I merged back into the far right lane with my four-way flashers on until I could resume the highway speed. I was visibly shaken, upset, mad, and ready to cry. Ben was on the phone with the state police to report this act of indecency and to give the biker's license plate number. They did not seem to care, unfortunately (would they change their tune had an accident occurred?).

We've seen some crazy feats of driving by crazy people out on the road, but this one takes the cake. I am not even sure it can be topped! Thank God no one was hurt—our guardian angels are certainly looking out for us!

Present location: Salt Lake City, UT
Where we're headed next: Portland, OR
Fun loads as of late: Nintendo, T-Mobile cell phones (Andrew V., this one's for you!), and Amazon

We Have a Theory

The last week, we've spent some time in the warmer-climate states (Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, Texas, Tennessee), and have two incidents of significance to note on aggressive driving. This leads us to our theory that the warmer the climate, the more aggressive the drivers (especially when you add Florida and California to the mix). Of course, Chicago, New Jersey as a whole, and New York City have their fill of them too, but our experience with the rest of the country has been pretty mild with road raged drivers.

Incident #1
Ben was driving west of Baton Rouge, east of Lafayette, LA. The interstate was three lanes wide, and we were in the far right lane. Upon approaching an on-ramp (i.e. traffic entering the interstate), there was no room for us to merge into the middle lane to allow for the on-ramp traffic to enter the far right lane.

Mind you, it is not required by law that drivers in the far right lane do such a thing. It is courteous, yes, but not legally mandatory. Drivers on the on-ramp, after all, are required to yield to those already in transit on the interstate.

Anyway, a very shiny black BMW with a very fancy cycling road bike attached to the trunk was trying to get in from the on-ramp. We were driving faster than he but could not merge left, so we held our lane. He had to *gasp* slow down and make the merge in behind us. He then (obviously because of his speed, small vehicle size, and raging anger) merged into the center lane, sped up beside and then in front of us, and proceeded to merge back into the far right lane to be the vehicle directly in front of us. Can anyone guess what he did next? Yes--this mature piece of work SLAMMED on his brakes.

Now, I've never been known for my mathematical skill or knowledge of the laws of physics, but what do you think a tractor-trailer combination weighing up to 80,000 pounds could do to his less-than-5000 pound fancy foreign car?

Thankfully, we had a safe six second following distance (minimum) and avoided any such catastrophe.

Incident #2
We were on our way back to the interstate in the Memphis area after having a mid-route drop for our last load. We had several miles of three-lane traffic (i.e. with stop lights) to battle through before we got back to the outer loop of the city. We were less than 3/4 mile from the particular on-ramp we needed, and were in the middle lane of three. Traffic was moving extremely slowly, but because there were so many trucks/four-wheelers in front of us, we couldn't quite tell what was going on. What we did know, however, was that the far right lane was mostly empty, so the cars behind us would zip around to get in front. We then employed our tactic that we like to call "plugging the hole". We maneuvered around enough to see that some utility work was being done ahead and the workers had blocked off both the far right lane and the center lanes. Our "plug" was to take up both of those lanes so as to prevent more four-wheeler traffic from zipping by and slowing down the process for everyone else.

I moved right to block these lanes just before a "big bad pick-up truck" (BBPUT) with a small trailer of his own tried to get by me. He was ticked off so bad at my plug that he made sure he was seen in my driver's side mirror, where he proceeded to fist pump his extended middle finger three times through his windshield, and then two more times out his window. It didn't take a genius to see that he was flaming mad! I continued to hold both lanes until a kind four-wheeler driver (they do exist) let me in front of him to get in the far left lane just as I came upon the orange cones blocking off the two lanes I was plugging. BBPUT guy had to merge in a few vehicles after me.

Just after the utility work lanes opened back up, I got back into the far right lane as the on-ramp was following the next traffic light. BBPUT guy sped up to meet me window to window, screaming and hollering at me, wagging his cell phone in one hand and his cigarette in the other. I pulled up just enough to where he wasn't even with me anymore, and couldn't be (a vehicle was in front of him at the traffic light). Ben told me I should smile and wave. That dude was an angry bully and I was not going to give in to his loathing attitude of my action.

Using the tractor-trailer to "plug" may not be the kindest of actions to perform, but 90% of other drivers on the road non-verbally support and often follow this action. They don't like dealing with that BBPUT guy type who think they're so important they need to zip around everyone violating safe driving practices just to be the first in line.


What to learn from these two examples? Don't be that aggressive driver! It's not worth it!


Present location: Greencastle, PA
Where we're off to next: Las Vegas, NV
Miles this week: 6000ish (we just came off our home-time and they're running us hard!)
Friendly encounter: Dianne and baby Charlie came up from Front Royal for a lunch date--it was great to see them!

Tips for Driving

As you can probably imagine, Ben and I see quite a bit of good driving, bad driving and down-right crazy driving out on the road. Did you read in the last post about the person who passed us on the right shoulder only to then drive over four lanes of traffic to (barely) make it to the left exit? This, unfortunately, is not uncommon. It is also not uncommon for us to see four-wheelers (cars, pick-up trucks, SUV's, etc.) have complete disregard for truck drivers out there. Hence, this post is for anyone with a license and could use a few reminders for safe driving, as well as a few things to know in general about trucks if you do not drive one yourself:

1. Always use your turn signal.

2. When on the interstate, if you are not passing someone, drive in the right-hand lane.

3. Use your cruise-control feature (if available), especially on the interstate. When driving is your livelihood, it can be extremely frustrating to play “leap-frog” with others because they will not keep a steady speed. Please do not make us pass you 3 times or more. It gets old.

4. Never ever tailgate. Especially behind a semi. Keep enough distance between you and the semi that you can see the truck mirrors. If you cannot see our mirrors, we cannot see you.

5. After you pass a semi on the interstate, be sure to leave enough space cushion before you merge back into the lane the semi is traveling in. In some states, if you do not leave enough space, you will get a ticket if caught.

6. Be aware that the distance needed to stop a tractor-trailer is significantly longer than the distance needed to stop a car. For example, if you're driving on a state highway and a truck is behind you (with his/her own proper following distance) and your turn is coming up in ½ mile or so, put your turn signal on at the ½ mark. This gives the trucker ample time to slow down and adjust his speed without having to slam on the brakes.

7. It takes trucks a lot longer to get going from a dead stop than it does a four-wheeler. Our tractor-trailer can weigh up to 80,000 pounds. Honking your horn will not make us go faster.

8. Trucks need a LOT of space to make turns. Because of this, remember to “keep your distance”.

9. If you see poor driving by a trucker, call it in. I have done this for both truckers and four-wheelers because they posed a very real and dangerous threat to everyone in the nearby vicinity on the roadway. When we all cooperate for safety, everyone wins.

10. Be courteous to truckers and help them change lanes when they signal. This can be done by leaving enough space for the truck/trailer to merge into your lane, as well as flashing your high beams to let them know. Two feet of clearance is hardly detectable from the mirrors of the truck; let there be a few car-lengths of space.

11. Believe it or not, when it comes to merging, it is the vehicle already in transit on the interstate who has the right-of-way, not the merger. Do not expect the truck to get out of the way; it is much safer for the truck to hold his/her lane. Either speed up and get in front of the truck, or be patient and yield. Do not drive on the shoulder with the same speed.

12. Trucks turn over easily. They have a higher center of gravity and therefore need to take curves a lot slower than a four-wheeler.

13. It may be annoying, but be patient with them, and be weary of them. Trucks, by their very size, can hurt you a lot more than you can hurt them.

14. If there is a sudden and strong wind gust, be careful about passing trucks: that can easily push him/her into your lane without the driver being able to do anything about it.

15. In general, when passing, do not "lolly-gag"; we do not like being boxed in.

16. Honking does not do much good; it is not easy to hear what is going on behind the truck.

17. Most trucks are governed. If it looks like two trucks are duking it out with one trying to pass the other, it is because one is going just slightly faster than the other. Most times, the truck getting passed will slow down, but sometimes this show can go on for miles.

18. If a trucker ever looks like he doesn't know where he's going, especially if he's an over-the-road trucker, he probably doesn't. There are many places that truckers have never been and the learning curve is high. It may be annoying to be behind a trucker like this, but it is one of the more stressful parts of the job. Being courteous and patient can go along way for a short fuse.

19. Although it seems that most truckers are safe and courteous, there are some very unsafe truckers out there, and we see that a lot more from our perch up here than you would down in your four-wheeler. There are drivers who will drive distracted; they watch movies, knit, text, etc., all while driving. You name it, they probably have done it while driving. There are drivers who take drugs to stay awake, although this seems to be more of a thing of the past. There are drivers who will keep a false log. There are drivers who will pee in bottles. There are drivers who will drive an entire 11-hour shift without taking a break...basically, not all drivers are good drivers, so be vigilant around trucks.

20. Truckers are people too.


Do you have any other safe-driving tips for four-wheelers or suggestions for truckers? Safety is always our #1 priority and any feedback is welcome.


Present location: Tumwater, WA

Recent visits: brother-and-sister-in-law John & Melissa, our nephew Ben and nieces Maddie & Amelia

Miles so far this week: 3958


Have a great weekend! We are looking forward to returning to Bend next weekend for our hometime! It has been nearly 2.5 months since we've been to our apartment, and it will be a nice break.

God bless,
deb

Mother Nature's Fury

Greetings from the great state of Texas! We've been very busy with this new company so far, traveling from western Ohio to Chicago to Denver to Kansas City to Phoenix to Los Angeles to San Antonio. We were to head to Georgia next, but our starter is giving us problems again, so we're in the shop.

Traveling from Denver to Kansas City last Thursday evening was a sight to behold. We were driving behind a long-and-skinny thunderstorm cell, which stretched from Dodge City, KS all the way up to the twin-cities area of Minnesota. For over an hour, as we neared the storm, we saw nothing but lightning light up the sky, bouncing from cloud to cloud. Not more than a second was between each flash, and the view was from every direction in front of us. It was really quite beautiful! Here is some video footage (bear with us, it was black out, but you can see all the flashes):



A short hour later, we were driving through marble-sized hail, wind, and rain so thick and strong that we could not even see the front of our truck! We literally had to stop in the middle of the interstate because the white lines were not visible. Thankfully, no cars were in our near vicinity, and stopping gave us a clearer view of the road. We limped along through the storm, getting in front of it where it was dry, but the winds were too strong for our trailer so we had to shut down at a truck stop in Salina and wait for the storm to pass us by again before we could continue east.

I feel confident in saying that I would rather go through a snowstorm than to go through something like that again.

In Salina, we waited in line to pay for our fuel, standing next to one of those storm-chaser guys. He wasn't with "Storm Chasers" proper, but it was a similar group, heading into the storm, waiting to see what they could see. They had one of those turtle-shell type, low-profile, armored vehicles. After going through that storm myself, I think those people are crazy...

We are so thankful the Lord kept us safe!

In other news, my weekend driving highlights are:
1) driving 10 feet away from a small herd of elk near Flagstaff, AZ
2) watching a shooting star fall over Sedona, AZ
3) seeing a creepy honey-I-blew-up-the-baby sized cutout of a toddler playing with an equally large tractor, west of Phoenix on I-10. Apparently this is to advertise the nearby flea-market. It was so life-like I half-expected the baby to stand up. Definitely creepy.

We've logged over 4800 miles since last Monday night. That's a pretty good week! Here's hoping to break 5000+ this next week!

Have a great week everyone! And congrats to Pat and Jill for competing and completing the Eugene 1/2 and full marathon on Sunday! Way to GO! God bless you all!

Peace,
deb

A Few Pictures to Share

We had an enjoyable 2 weeks off between our old and new companies, and were able to spend some time with family (including attending Austin's First Communion)! Above are "the boys", Isaiah-Avery-Austin, piggy-backed on me-Ben-Andy. Below is our beautiful niece Izabel, "borrowing" my toothbrush and toothpaste.


Here is a lovely message found at the United Church of Christ in Akron, OH (no, I wasn't driving when I snapped this photo). Please heed this advice! :-)

Finally, what's under your bed? This is just a glimpse of what's under ours, with our monthly supplies of food and drink.


We're in the great mountain city of Denver, CO at the moment, with our truck just getting finished in the shop (we had a fuse keep blowing). We'll update you with where we go next! Have a blessed day!

Peace,
deb

Leaps and Bounds Beyond

It is as if we have moved from the ghetto of Los Angeles to Beverly Hills (not that we would ever live in California, but you get the point)!

The differences between our old company and our new company are nearly astronomical, and has completely cemented our commitment to and desire for working with them. It has also positively reinforced our decision to leave our old company. A few comparisons:

Old: the terminals were dirty, dusty, and shoddy at best with trailers for showering (use your imagination), one driver lounge with one tv, cheap laundry at $1 a load to wash and $1 to dry, a bad-attitude guard and the gruffest maintenance people in the shop (including the foremen who were always covered in a layer of grime, shower habits unknown), etc etc etc
New: we've only been to the one terminal in Springfield, OH, but it is incredible: granite countertops, leather couches and seats, a flatscreen tv in any direction you look (including the laundry room), the laundry is free of charge, the shower stalls are all ceramic tiled with those great big showerheads, there is a driver shop to purchase company-logo attire and accessories, the shop foremen wear khakis and polos (and appear to shower on a regular basis), etc etc etc

Old: had we stayed, our pay would have topped out at 40cpm, after 5 years
New: our pay is 48cpm and will be until we leave this company (after the debt is all gone!)

Old: we drove the "economy" version of a tractor: the cheapest, easiest-to-produce, no frills or bells and whistles (Freightliner Columbia)
New: we get the upgraded version: a Freightliner Cascadia with clean-idle certification, a bunk warmer that produces low emissions, and closets with doors (!)

Old: the shop is a ragpile mess of parts, workers, and messes scattered about
New: the shop is immaculate with a well-organized separation between parts and service (it's as nice as a truck dealer, or better!)

Old: an outdated type-writer kind of communication device to get information to and from dispatch
New: a touch-screen interface tool to communicate between us and dispatch, with other perks of a gps system and multi-media safety videos

Old: the terminal lots were gravel, with more potholes than level surfaces
New: the terminal lot is one smooth and level slab of concrete and no potholes

Old: orientation was very unimpressive and very unprofessional with a lot of fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants mentality (and took 5 days), and handouts were copies of copies of copies with nothing organized or looking crisp in appearance; orientation was not paid
New: orientation was extremely professional and well-executed (and took only 3 days), with handouts bound with covers! We were paid $58/day for attending orientation

Those are just a few of the perks to whet your appetite of a new glimpse into the industry. We can't wait to get a load and start driving out on the road again! There are a few cosmetic things that need to be addressed with the truck while it's still at the terminal, so right now we're hanging out with family in the meantime. We're looking forward to sharing our new adventures with you!

Have a beautiful spring Saturday today! God bless you!

peace,
deb

Sunny Sacramento

Can you believe that it's not quite spring yet but the high today in Sacramento was 78 degrees? We took advantage by utilizing our roller blades! The truck stop parking lot is huge and there weren't many trucks parked yet, and it felt great to get the blood pumping and our muscles used!





Driving near Lincoln, NE the other day brought a challenge: we blew a tire! Ben was in the back sleeping and all was going well with my driving and then, POP! I look in my side mirror to see smoke coming from the driver's side front axle of the trailer tires. I immediately put on my four-way flashers, slowed down, and pulled off to the side of the road. Ben woke up and checked out the damage:

Five hours and many phone calls later, we drove away with a brand new tire and were on our way!

When we were on our last home-time, we looked into getting an up-graded laptop to use while out on the road (our present one was a 2000 model!). After a Craigslist search, we found a place in town that refurbishes "older" computers and resells them for a relatively inexpensive price. We made a purchase on an HP 4-year old laptop and are so thrilled with it! It moves with great speed, plays dvds and has awesome picture quality. Adding to that, we adjusted our cell phone plan a bit to allow my BlackBerry to be used as a modem for internet service on the computer as well! That means I can now update the blog on a real computer using more than just my thumbs to type!

We have some other really great news*, but in Ben's introductory contribution to our blog (stay tuned, hopefully it will happen in the next week), he will be the one to share!

*Mom, if you're reading this, no, the other really great news is not that we're pregnant. We're still waiting.

In other other news, we have named our little coffee/tea french press: Pierre. Our whole brood of coffee/tea related items was joined by "Stan Jr.", a smaller green thermos, gifted to me by Becky and Michelle for my birthday. Having names for them all may seem strange, but it certainly helps both of us to know what the other is talking about in reference to them.

Speaking of my birthday, I had a great day! We originally planned on getting a group together to go on a ski trip up to Mt. Hoodoo, but time and money did not permit that little adventure. Rather, we had friends over for a dinner night on Friday and a brunch on Saturday! Thank you to Adam, Kathy, Eric, Justin, Pat, Carolyn, Matthew, Sharon, Michelle W, Michelle O, Becky, Eric, Ray, Breanna and Jill for helping me celebrate! And thanks for the chocolate! :-)

In other news, we are (still) in Sacramento, picking up a load early in the morning and heading to the Seattle area. Then we'll head out to the east side of Pittsburgh! We look forward to being in that "familiar" territory, even though we'll be in that region just next month for my comps. Speaking of, please keep my studying efforts in your prayers! This is just one of three last steps to completing my masters degree, but is by far the largest chunk...

Have a beautiful weekend, and Happy Spring! St. Joseph, pray for us!

Peace,
deb & Ben

Finally! A Welcome Law From the Fed!

I am pleased to report that US Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood announced a federal ban on texting while operating a commercial vehicle. This ban is effective immediately, and is enforceable by a fine of up to $2750.

Now, when will this law apply to "four-wheelers"?