I was driving home from the Sheyenne River Raceway in Lisbon, talking to my wife and having a good time when all of a sudden a deer appeared in front of my hood. Bang. The car looks dangerously close to being totaled with air bags out and the whole car a mess. No one got hurt but there were some hurt feelings as I overreacted and was yelling and cursing. So sue me, it was stressful.
I will get some pictures in here when I get them. I stole a nice one to show the safety director at Johnsrud but that is printed out and not in any format that I can use. I know, the world is a cruel, cruel place. Gotta get to work...more later...dedication:/
Friday, June 27, 2008
Friday, June 20, 2008
Just Another Day Punching The Clock
Watching the morning sun as it is becoming a presence here gave me a thought. I figured I would take a walk, then have some breakfast. After that, I would throw my stuff together and get over to Johnsrud and get my gear and my truck and then return here to gather my suitcase. Then, hopefully I will be headed to Fargo to get more of my stuff for the truck assembled and loaded up. The best battle plans never make it to the battle field...we shall see.
I got my A-OK from Ron yesterday and we had some fun driving in Cicero on Tuesday and then some St. Louis, narrow street action yesterday. It was a situation where we had gotten bad directions and I had a hunch. Ron would not let me act on my hunch. It turned out that he had wrote down the wrong street name and the two names sounded similar and I turned out to be right. We ended up on a dead end road and I had to back out then jack her around a narrow corner with parked cars and curbs to get back on track. No harm done and it did turn out OK. I have been lost and in a tight spot before and came out on top. Instinct will keep you out of trouble sometimes and other times it will bury you in up to your neck. Just depends on how well Murphy is feeling that day I guess.
I hope this day goes smoothly and I get on my way without too much trouble. This has been a long day coming. Dedication ;/
I got my A-OK from Ron yesterday and we had some fun driving in Cicero on Tuesday and then some St. Louis, narrow street action yesterday. It was a situation where we had gotten bad directions and I had a hunch. Ron would not let me act on my hunch. It turned out that he had wrote down the wrong street name and the two names sounded similar and I turned out to be right. We ended up on a dead end road and I had to back out then jack her around a narrow corner with parked cars and curbs to get back on track. No harm done and it did turn out OK. I have been lost and in a tight spot before and came out on top. Instinct will keep you out of trouble sometimes and other times it will bury you in up to your neck. Just depends on how well Murphy is feeling that day I guess.
I hope this day goes smoothly and I get on my way without too much trouble. This has been a long day coming. Dedication ;/
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Rollin' Along to St. Louis
I finally got my marching orders after 9 days in the Hotel Des Moines (California?). There was a delay on my trainer getting to my location because he had these pesky kidney stones aggravating his life and he had to get through it without busting an organ. I am glad we waited. First of all, the three guys I worked with rated with me very high on the scale of professionalism. They blew away any memories of trainers from Crete, Werner...anywhere as far as I am concerned. It is easy to get to that conclusion. First of all, I already know how to drive a truck. I also know that there are some basics to tanker operation and there are also some tricks of the trade that will make my frigging life easier. These guys are just gushing with that good stuff that makes my life easier.
Anyway, I worked yesterday and today with Ron Brown and he has already cleared me to get into my own truck. We deliver tomorrow at St louie and then we deadhead to Des Moines to pick up my truck...:]
That is the cool part, I get to get into my own truck and nearly one and a half months of adventure and application come to fruition and I get to get paid to get home more often. More later Dedication
Anyway, I worked yesterday and today with Ron Brown and he has already cleared me to get into my own truck. We deliver tomorrow at St louie and then we deadhead to Des Moines to pick up my truck...:]
That is the cool part, I get to get into my own truck and nearly one and a half months of adventure and application come to fruition and I get to get paid to get home more often. More later Dedication
Monday, June 16, 2008
Oh Yeah
I really don't feel that way after the weekend that seemed like, in spite of the fact that I was in a hotel room, I felt like I was really in a waiting room. Today I am to go out with a gentleman named Ron and I am to train with him until Thursday. I need to express the fact that I am at this point in good shape when it comes to running the equipment and could probably do well to get my truck now. They want to err on the side of caution and I guess that is their game and their training program. I will not be harmed in any way by the extra training.
I was invited to a drivers' house named Robert yesterday for some good food and conversation. The only bad thing was the fact that they had cats. I love cats and petting them and the like. I am also deathly allergic to cats so that I must wash my hands and get the clothing that I am wearing off of my body as soon as possible. The longer the exposure, the greater the chances of me having an asthmatic attack. I came through it well however and no animals were harmed in my experiments. The nifty thing was the wildlife that was in Roberts' yard. There was a family of foxes and several deer and raccoons. They put out water and food for them and then leave them alone. We were talking on the porch 25 yards from the deer and all they did was look our direction. Cool.
Tim Russert passed away this weekend. Frankly, I learned more about the man after he died than I ever knew while he was alive. I did not care for the meet the press show and was oblivious to the life of an obviously well loved man.
Yesterday, we finally got a protection order served on an unruly neighbor. It is the one that has a husband that is a convicted rapist. Well, she got on a high horse on the 2nd of June and decided to yell at me and flip me off. It was the last straw in a long string of bullshit from her and I decided to put a stop to it. We will see what happens next. Gotta go Dedication "/
I was invited to a drivers' house named Robert yesterday for some good food and conversation. The only bad thing was the fact that they had cats. I love cats and petting them and the like. I am also deathly allergic to cats so that I must wash my hands and get the clothing that I am wearing off of my body as soon as possible. The longer the exposure, the greater the chances of me having an asthmatic attack. I came through it well however and no animals were harmed in my experiments. The nifty thing was the wildlife that was in Roberts' yard. There was a family of foxes and several deer and raccoons. They put out water and food for them and then leave them alone. We were talking on the porch 25 yards from the deer and all they did was look our direction. Cool.
Tim Russert passed away this weekend. Frankly, I learned more about the man after he died than I ever knew while he was alive. I did not care for the meet the press show and was oblivious to the life of an obviously well loved man.
Yesterday, we finally got a protection order served on an unruly neighbor. It is the one that has a husband that is a convicted rapist. Well, she got on a high horse on the 2nd of June and decided to yell at me and flip me off. It was the last straw in a long string of bullshit from her and I decided to put a stop to it. We will see what happens next. Gotta go Dedication "/
Thursday, June 12, 2008
The Difference Between Purple and Pink
I am here in Des Moines, IA, having completed my happy little orientation phase and now I am approaching the actual driving and hooking up and handling paperwork phase. I have completed my driving test which was unusual in that it took place on the very first day. The second day was videos with some hands on as we pumped from one trailer to another using both air and the hydropak. Funny how I could have been in the driving industry for so long and not really pay any attention to how tankers work. Looks good so far. The funny thing about this company is that there really is not a "story" or spin. It is what it is. I have spoken to at least 20 of these drivers and I am here to tell you that I can't get one of these guys to say a darn thing bad about the company. Oh, wait, there was one guy that said that sometimes the freight was "inconsistent". Welcome to trucking sunshine...
The bittersweet component added to the fact that in my opinion, I have managed to stumble into the best company to work for to date, is that Des Moines is in the middle of fighting an oncoming disaster. Yesterday, I was meeting and getting information from the department heads, ordering my uniforms and getting a general understanding of how the operations side of the company works. Just about any television was showing the down town flooding and showed the coming band of miserable thunderstorms and the red boxes representing tornado watches and warnings. Yesterday in western Iowa, a tornado hit a Boy Scout camp north of Council Bluffs and 4 scouts between the ages of 13 and 18 were killed. That kind of tragedy rests heavy on me as I was a boy scout at one time and I remember fondly the campouts and all the activities. It was real life in the fact that I was involved and with my friends and yet for me, it was fantasy in that the real world was insulated from the recreation, the tent building and the pranks and hazing that is frequent among groups of men in the wilderness. I am thankful in that no one was killed on any of my campouts. My prayers are with the families of the victims.
I think that the experience with this company will be a positive one and that perhaps it will change the scope of this page. Hey, a guy can't rant and rave about all the annoying stuff in life every day. That would get old. Perhaps I can attack an occasional lot lizard to stay in shape. Who knows? Dedication
The bittersweet component added to the fact that in my opinion, I have managed to stumble into the best company to work for to date, is that Des Moines is in the middle of fighting an oncoming disaster. Yesterday, I was meeting and getting information from the department heads, ordering my uniforms and getting a general understanding of how the operations side of the company works. Just about any television was showing the down town flooding and showed the coming band of miserable thunderstorms and the red boxes representing tornado watches and warnings. Yesterday in western Iowa, a tornado hit a Boy Scout camp north of Council Bluffs and 4 scouts between the ages of 13 and 18 were killed. That kind of tragedy rests heavy on me as I was a boy scout at one time and I remember fondly the campouts and all the activities. It was real life in the fact that I was involved and with my friends and yet for me, it was fantasy in that the real world was insulated from the recreation, the tent building and the pranks and hazing that is frequent among groups of men in the wilderness. I am thankful in that no one was killed on any of my campouts. My prayers are with the families of the victims.
I think that the experience with this company will be a positive one and that perhaps it will change the scope of this page. Hey, a guy can't rant and rave about all the annoying stuff in life every day. That would get old. Perhaps I can attack an occasional lot lizard to stay in shape. Who knows? Dedication
Friday, June 6, 2008
Here In The Back Yard, Cutting Farts and Grillin' Meat
Friday, June 6, 2008
Swimmin in the Rain Here at the Homestead
Uh, let's see. I put in notice here at Jim Palmer around the 24Th of May. And they got me outta DA truck very shortly after that. Just recapping. Well, I managed to look at a few opportunities including going back to work at mighty, mighty, Bobcat. I have decided to head off to work for the tanker outfit that I was talking to before.The big thing is the home time and the pay. Not at all bad there I tell you. Anyway, I start here on the 9Th of June as that was the earliest that they could get me in. That's right, I got me a two week vacation out of that deal and I have been working my frigging ass off here at home catching up with the honey doos and making up for one full year of abused home time. The last section of my roof will get completed today if the rain lets up. It is flashed, papered, drip edged, starter stripped and waiting for shingles. 16 by 12 feet. Once it gets started, it will be just like Whitney Houston and a small rock...it will be done in less than an hour. Of course, a small Whitney rock would make the Hope Diamond look like a spider mite. That is another story however.I managed to buy a rather inexpensive RV and have managed to park it in the yard for later camping since the rain is being rather relentless. I chopped down a 57 year old ash tree that was unfortunate in that it had to sit in my yard at a 45 degree angle. I placed a restraining order against the lady down the street who is married to a convicted sex offender. Some people need to learn some manners. In fact, I placed the protection order in the same week that I am running for a third term as a city council member. Maybe this time they will just vote me the hell out and I can get on with my regular life. I do have some kind of excitement around here and being that it is a very small town, that is a bonus, I guess.I was talking to a good friend yesterday and since I have not been in the truck (I practically have forgotten how to shift)He let me know about the price of diesel lately. $4.90 per gallon. If the price of fuel goes up much more, I can see a reversion to day cabs and motel stays for truckers. I can also see the return of multiple plant locations, instead of relying on cheap transportation to distribute their products... it will be a limited benefit with the additional jobs and potential improvement in the truck driving vocation..., but, the price of oil could also make China imports prohibitive. Buy American, now more than ever. dedication:_)
Swimmin in the Rain Here at the Homestead
Uh, let's see. I put in notice here at Jim Palmer around the 24Th of May. And they got me outta DA truck very shortly after that. Just recapping. Well, I managed to look at a few opportunities including going back to work at mighty, mighty, Bobcat. I have decided to head off to work for the tanker outfit that I was talking to before.The big thing is the home time and the pay. Not at all bad there I tell you. Anyway, I start here on the 9Th of June as that was the earliest that they could get me in. That's right, I got me a two week vacation out of that deal and I have been working my frigging ass off here at home catching up with the honey doos and making up for one full year of abused home time. The last section of my roof will get completed today if the rain lets up. It is flashed, papered, drip edged, starter stripped and waiting for shingles. 16 by 12 feet. Once it gets started, it will be just like Whitney Houston and a small rock...it will be done in less than an hour. Of course, a small Whitney rock would make the Hope Diamond look like a spider mite. That is another story however.I managed to buy a rather inexpensive RV and have managed to park it in the yard for later camping since the rain is being rather relentless. I chopped down a 57 year old ash tree that was unfortunate in that it had to sit in my yard at a 45 degree angle. I placed a restraining order against the lady down the street who is married to a convicted sex offender. Some people need to learn some manners. In fact, I placed the protection order in the same week that I am running for a third term as a city council member. Maybe this time they will just vote me the hell out and I can get on with my regular life. I do have some kind of excitement around here and being that it is a very small town, that is a bonus, I guess.I was talking to a good friend yesterday and since I have not been in the truck (I practically have forgotten how to shift)He let me know about the price of diesel lately. $4.90 per gallon. If the price of fuel goes up much more, I can see a reversion to day cabs and motel stays for truckers. I can also see the return of multiple plant locations, instead of relying on cheap transportation to distribute their products... it will be a limited benefit with the additional jobs and potential improvement in the truck driving vocation..., but, the price of oil could also make China imports prohibitive. Buy American, now more than ever. dedication:_)
Thursday, May 22, 2008
Let The Games Begin and End
I did my first drop here in Montana this morning early from my 1300 appointment. After all there was a second drop in Washington and First, because I am always one friggin' motivated truck driver. And, that I knew that there were problems with the loading of this load and any delay by me would not help the problem at all so I gave them the best kick start that I could by being as early as possible. Also, I am running deadly close to the terminal. I put in notice Monday and I told Curtis that early or late was fine to get out of the truck as I was not on any tight schedule. I am going to fish, fuck (sorry, teatotaling dicklickers)and drink before I consider going back to work...It might happen all at once in the same hour but no doubt that will be another story. Hmmmmm, well, you have caught a fish...OK, I'll be right over honey...two good and vigorous minutes later...and that is the rest of the story. Whatever.
I think it is hilarious how these trucking outfits work. Hey, there have been many times where a driver gives his parting shot to the company on the way out. I get it. But I have done nothing or said nothing that would lead one to believe that I have any severe anger towards this company. I have my own reasons for leaving, which I am not going to discuss here. I also have my complaints about some of the things that this company does and has done. I feel that my situation would have been helped some if I had not worked with Bret. I feel that while he has done a stellar job lately, he has had quite a bit of growing up to do for most of my year here. Nuff said. While I may get fiery over the current shit, I could care less once it is over.
Don't get me wrong, I do learn the lessons of the past and that is part of why this decision to leave is an easy one. I have many contacts in this company and will continue to write about them as the subject comes up. I have also been contacted by friends that wanted me to write about their situation when there were circumstances that cast doubt. Integrity will not allow me to print pap here however and I have to have the things that I write confirmed. After all, this is a classy rag don't ya know.
I had a nice talk with Lonnie Wallace and he was nice enough to get me a room. I had been tipped off that I was being truck outed and I exnayed with my sheets and blankets and did not want to sleep with newspapers on the smoking benches. Might be good practice for when I go to Tex's house...he is about to be homeless unless he gets off his ass. I would like to thank the people that read this and give me nice complements on my email. It is nice to hear that what I did was good for you and of course...tell a friend that a weird guy is typing some real annoying shit and you just had to have a witness to the lack of humanity. What is he going to lampoon next? Mike's Hard Light Lemonade? Who the hell knows. I gotta go. No, I have gotta go and I am going to go and like it.
It is my anniversary and I have to say, the first anniversary that I really hit the gift on the friggin head. My wifey has been hinting for a few years now about wanting a ring commemorating the birth of her son Wes. Well, I naturally looked around when she mentioned it...but, those rings look like fucking shit. Sorry, but they do. I just happened to be in a JC Penney in Columbus, NE getting a watch for my Son for graduation and there it was...the ring of all ages and I friggin bought it. And she friggin liked it. And I will get a friggin *redacted* for it and I will shout out the open windows for all the inbred freaks and sex offender loser neighbors that live in my town to hear that I got a *redacted* for 40 percent off at JC Penney. And you fucking know that! I live in Elliott, North Dakota and there is a sex offender here but his licence is in another state. His name is Martin Wayne Vareberg and he lives three houses south of 205 Elliott St in Elliott, ND. I fucking hate rapists. Dedication;)
I think it is hilarious how these trucking outfits work. Hey, there have been many times where a driver gives his parting shot to the company on the way out. I get it. But I have done nothing or said nothing that would lead one to believe that I have any severe anger towards this company. I have my own reasons for leaving, which I am not going to discuss here. I also have my complaints about some of the things that this company does and has done. I feel that my situation would have been helped some if I had not worked with Bret. I feel that while he has done a stellar job lately, he has had quite a bit of growing up to do for most of my year here. Nuff said. While I may get fiery over the current shit, I could care less once it is over.
Don't get me wrong, I do learn the lessons of the past and that is part of why this decision to leave is an easy one. I have many contacts in this company and will continue to write about them as the subject comes up. I have also been contacted by friends that wanted me to write about their situation when there were circumstances that cast doubt. Integrity will not allow me to print pap here however and I have to have the things that I write confirmed. After all, this is a classy rag don't ya know.
I had a nice talk with Lonnie Wallace and he was nice enough to get me a room. I had been tipped off that I was being truck outed and I exnayed with my sheets and blankets and did not want to sleep with newspapers on the smoking benches. Might be good practice for when I go to Tex's house...he is about to be homeless unless he gets off his ass. I would like to thank the people that read this and give me nice complements on my email. It is nice to hear that what I did was good for you and of course...tell a friend that a weird guy is typing some real annoying shit and you just had to have a witness to the lack of humanity. What is he going to lampoon next? Mike's Hard Light Lemonade? Who the hell knows. I gotta go. No, I have gotta go and I am going to go and like it.
It is my anniversary and I have to say, the first anniversary that I really hit the gift on the friggin head. My wifey has been hinting for a few years now about wanting a ring commemorating the birth of her son Wes. Well, I naturally looked around when she mentioned it...but, those rings look like fucking shit. Sorry, but they do. I just happened to be in a JC Penney in Columbus, NE getting a watch for my Son for graduation and there it was...the ring of all ages and I friggin bought it. And she friggin liked it. And I will get a friggin *redacted* for it and I will shout out the open windows for all the inbred freaks and sex offender loser neighbors that live in my town to hear that I got a *redacted* for 40 percent off at JC Penney. And you fucking know that! I live in Elliott, North Dakota and there is a sex offender here but his licence is in another state. His name is Martin Wayne Vareberg and he lives three houses south of 205 Elliott St in Elliott, ND. I fucking hate rapists. Dedication;)
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