Trucking Across the U.S.
by Mary
Let's see, what can I tell you about using trucking as a vehicle for touring the country...it works pretty well (pun intended). As I mention in my first e-mail, Jim and I were working and working (and working some more) so we could be good, upstanding members of the American Herd. Eventually, we realized that there must be more to life than what we were experiencing and we kept hitting on the old phrase "what if we got hit by a bus tomorrow?". We moved to the Keys to become bums, just like 90 percent of the locals here, and tried to hatch a plan to see the country. Singing our way across was out of the question, so my brother suggested that we go the truck driving route. I have to admit that we had a big advantage in this option because my Grandfather drove for Mayflower Moving. My Dad met my mom and took off with my Grandfather and Dad eventually got out of the truck and went to work for the home office and set out starting up new agencies for others across the country. (Hence the dragging of his children from one end to the other.) He became VP then retired from it all, and two of my brothers and even myself went to work for the company on and off over the years.
SO....my brother was at a Mayflower agency when he suggested our plan and we went up to work for him in Indianapolis. Whew! In order to learn to drive, one has to obtain a "learner's permit" just like any 16-year old. We sat for written exams in three required parts; General Knowledge, Air Brakes and Combination (that is for the tractor (better known as the truck) and the trailer put together). We also took exams for Hazardous Materials and Jim took Doubles (for two or more trailers) and Tankers. Hey...we were ripe for learning something new in our old age (Me, 36....Jim, 51). We were lucky enough to have access to trucks at Mayflower and got some experience behind the wheel with "real" drivers riding along (a must!).
All the while, we were researching options for getting on the road. We learned a few important things. The first one being that you can't get a job with anyone by just finding a truck and taking your driving test and getting your CDL (commercial drivers license). Almost no one will hire you if you don't take an accredited driving course. The second thing is that you do not want to buy a truck to go sightseeing in. The basic newer truck that will let two people be comfortable starts at $70,000. So, we had to find an accredited school and then find a company that would GIVE us a truck to use.
The school is no problem. There is probably a school within driving distance of every populated area in the country. They want you, and want you badly. They will sign you up like a used car salesman and put you down as a check-mark on the quota sheet for the day. They take payment up front, sign you up for a government loan or work in conjunction with major freight companies that will pay for the course up front then contract with you for servitude till you pay off half your tuition through payroll deduction after you start driving. We didn't like any of the options since the cost of a course is between $2,700 and $5,000 per person. Ouch!
What are two bums without $10,000 in discretionary income to do? We found the answer in a company called Schneider National. They ran an ad looking for drivers they would train for free in return for a 6-month contract with the company. Plus they provide the truck. Woo-Hoo! ( I have heard rumors that they aren't doing this anymore, but don't know for sure.) We drove to a distant city and went to a mass-interview. Poor Jim had pulled his back (viciously) moving furniture and was on pain-killers and valium (and he's an aspirin-only kind of guy!) so he was pretty funny looking and had some fun during the one-on-one talk with the recruiter. Of course, he explained the circumstances so they didn't think he was on downers for recreation.
Anyway...they accepted both of us...as a couple...we had to make it very clear that we did everything together during the entire process. We took DOT physicals...a federal requirement for this federal license....and in two weeks we were off to Green Bay, WI. They paid for lodging (cheesy but clean motel) and lunches. We covered our other meals and home-expenses while we were gone. There is no pay for the two-week course so anyone on a tight budget must plan ahead for it. These folks have their own schools set up across the country....Wisconsin (home office), North Carolina, Dallas and Los Angeles. We spent 10 hours a day for 14 days submersed in truck driving and all the things that go along with it. This is where I have to say that LEARNING TO DRIVE A TRUCK IS NOT FOR WUSSIES! It is alot harder than it looks! All those drivers we see on the highway with 2-3 teeth and a CB-vocabulary must be smarter that we think! We started with a class of 215 people and after two weeks were down to 73. To be generic, you must learn all legal, technical and mechanical things pertaining to driving a truck, plus map-reading and permit laws for each state. Nightly homework was huge. You also have to grasp the physics side of it all. Half of driving is physics.
Otherwise, these behemoths would be flipping over or crashing at the bottom of mountains alot more often than they do now. Alot of people just can't absorb that amount of "stuff" and apply it at the same time. Also...alot of women have a tough time with it...they say it is the shifting of gears (that's tricky at first...we had 10; 5 lower and 5 high range) and the mechanical side (the final exam includes pointing out and naming every single working part of your truck and saying what could go wrong with it and pronouncing that part as being in good working order...this is called a pre-trip inspection...believe me, it is a good thing for the general public!).
Just a sidenote: We loved it! We worked like dogs and both did well and we got to drive our training truck across a skid-pad made up of pavement and Teflon...that taught us how to get our truck out of a skid and avoid a jack-knife on the road. Kind of a bonus for passing the class...and it was a wild ride!
After we "graduated", we went back to Indy and took the road test at the local Schneider center and took our certificate to the local MVD and got our licenses...Class "A" CDL. We went back to the center at Indy and got a crash course in the on-board satellite computer system, we were assigned a truck and given our first load. It went from Indy to Charlotte, NC. We were on our way!
Now, I will say it again....Truck Driving is not for Wussies!......we were almost nauseous loading our stuff into the truck and taking off. Remember, we are an insurance agent and a cruise-line finance guy by trade...suddenly operating a 40-ton, 70-foot tractor trailer by ourselves with nothing but the unknown ahead of us. Yikes! We just kept reminding ourselves of why we were doing it...also of the words of the instructors that would resonate a hundred times..."stay at it...it will get easier with time". They said that sometime in the 4th month everything would suddenly become easier and they were right. We spent the first three months hurried, lost and cussing. Then in the 4th month we discovered that we were not hurried, not lost (as often) and our language had cleaned up considerably!
Shortly after we hit the comfort zone, we had a pay dispute with the company. Freighthaulers get paid by the mile. If you aren't moving, you aren't getting paid. The company cut our pay by 2-cents a mile (it does add up with a team...we did up to 1,000 miles per day) so we told them that the cut created a breech of contract and we went to another company. That's were the fun began. We had a great truck (called a condo...you could stand up and walk from front to back)...put in a fridge, TV and had a closet and desk built in. We had tons of time to get our loads delivered and since we had a habit of "hauling ass", we had plenty of free-time. We would unload in places like Las Vegas and tell our dispatcher not to give us a new assignment for 24 hours after the load was due, so that we could play.
We did that all over the country. We would drop off our trailer at the delivery site and take to tractor out as our "car". The company never complained because we worked harder than any other team they had and never had a late delivery. We also never got a ticket, never had an accident (except my trailer door incident in Chicago, but that's a story in itself.) and had the best fuel mileage in the company. (Can you say bonus money?....sure, I like the way you say that!) The most important thing to say is that this is not for everyone. If you love a challenge and are up for living what you are learning, it is great! If you just want to hop in a vehicle and go....don't go THERE. We had some scary and dangerous times along with the good (again, whole other stories). But it worked for us. We were able to go because the industry had a 300% turnover...that means that for every new driver, three were lost. I believe that the same holds true today. We made gobs of money and lived on the road, coming home to the Keys for a week after 4 weeks out. We just stayed with Jim's brother while we were home and banked 80% of our income. Plus, each time we came home, we were on vacation for a week...it was great!
We stuck with it long enough for it to become easier and after a while we had it down to a science so that even 800 miles was an easy day...you have to find your own system and we did. On top of having a great time, we also hold a federal license that will get us a job if we ever get desperate for employment or want to go run the road again! It is worth the work....it really is, but you have to be willing to put some mental equity into it. I'll say it again...it's not for everyone. It is a complete change in lifestyle and you are not home often...single drivers often stay out for 10-14 days and come home only for 2-3. But if you want to see the country and see it good, it is the way to go and make a paycheck at the same time! I have to say that we had no idea what drivers go through from day to day trying to keep us all supplied in EVERYTHING we own and use. I will never again swear at a truck driver unless I know for sure he is a total idiot...and I am one of the few that knows enough to know the difference between a stupid truck driver and the stupid "4-wheeler" that just cut in front of him, endangering the truck driver's life and the lives of all the other drivers on the road around him. I can't tell you how often truck drivers get ticketed and blamed for accidents when we knew that it could not be their fault. Not to say that they are all perfect...there are some real idiots that should not be behind the wheel of 80,000 pounds of rolling weight. But most are really good, family oriented people trying to make an honest living and doing it very professionally. The entire population of drivers and the industry strive to be considered professional and courteous. OK...ENOUGH LECTURE!
I hope that my trucking-novel has given you some info and you've learned something new today!