Starting with LCT... and having "issues"

You know the saying... Nothing ever goes as you plan it... it is sooo true with this transition.

The flight went well. Arrived in Orlando, where the shuttle took about 1.5 hours to get us to the hotel. (we dropped off another lady at her house on the way.) Arrived at hotel about 8pm, checked in, went to sleep. The hotel is OK......?

Up early, breakfast, LCT shuttle van to terminal in OKAHUMPKA, FL.
(that's pronounced oka-hump-ka).... and smile when you say that. :)

The road tests went well, ... then we went to go see the Clinic Doc.

We had/have three "issues" going on: 1. doctor letter for Leroy regarding sleep apnea/CPAP machine, -- 2. missing boxes on Greyhound, and -- 3. verification of employment for two past jobs for Leroy.

Issue #1:
LCT sent us to a Clinic for the physical. We were seen by a Physician's Assistant.
I went thru with flying colors. Leroy had a little bit of high blood pressure, but they re-tested him and it turned out OK.

Then... they said they needed a letter (of release) from a doctor "releasing" Leroy to drive a semi tractor-trailer because of his sleep apnea and CPAP machine. (Leroy had already been cleared by another physician in Jan. 2007 and has a Medical Card, and has been driving for the past 9 months... but their (LCT) Clinic doctor had to see a letter.)

As it so happens, our regular physician (at Kaiser) had just left on a months vacation. (it figures.) So Leroy called the Neurologist (at Kaiser) that treated him about 5 years ago when he first got his machine. It was a long shot, but the Neurologist did issue a letter stating that he had treated Leroy with medication and a CPAP machine, and Leroy had no other complaints of sleepiness or anything, (but he didn't come right out and say that Leroy could drive). So we got that letter faxed to our hotel, and showed it to the Clinic doctor. Thank You Lord, they accepted that letter.

It was pretty nerve-racking, because if you don't pass the physical, you can't drive.... and each company sends you through "their" doctor/clinic.

All through this we were trying to go through orientation, while making calls on the breaks & lunch times, and dealing with the time difference between Florida & California, and trying to get ahold of ANYONE at Kaiser who we could ACTUALLY talk to... crazy.

AND.... our luggage got "lost" sort of...

Issue #2:
On Tuesday, I had called to find out what had happened to our boxes. Greyhound said they were in Orlando. The next day on Wednesday, we received two (of the four) boxes.... so we assumed that the other two would be sent to us the next day. (Boy, were we wrong.)

On Wednesday, we "graduated" from orientation and were "officially" hired!!! (on the condition that the verification of employment could be verified within 30 days).

We were assigned a truck and loaded it with what we had. Everyone else in our class were given assignments and sent out on the road.

We asked (and received) an additional night in the hotel to wait for our additional boxes.
This extra time was really a blessing. We got to spend extra time at the yard, get to know people, ask good questions, get shown around, and see a little better how things operate.

The bus from Orlando only arrives in this little town once a day at 1:20pm. When we checked in with Greyhound at 1:30pm and No Boxes, we thought they were still down in Orlando, and Greyhound just didn't have room on the bus for our big boxes. (People and their luggage come first.)

So we asked our dispatcher if we could go get the boxes in Orlando (about 45 mins away). At first he said NO. We said OK.
Then the HR department came over to the dispatcher and said that we need to be routed back to San Diego as fast as we can, so we can clear up the verification of employment issue.

Then.... the dispatcher (Ryan - who is very nice), says... OK - run down to Orlando, quick! & pick up your boxes, because I have a load of Flowers going to Riverside, CA. leaving tonight.... already pre-loaded for you. Woo-Hoo. (it is now 6pm on Thursday evening)

What craziness... we left to go to Orlando, without a map-(just very funky directions), in the dark, and trying to avoid the toll roads because we have no money.

We eventually get to the Greyhound terminal, and find out that our other two boxes NEVER even made it that far, AND they don't know where they are, AND they don't even know when they can expect them....
NEVER USE GREYHOUND PACKAGE EXPRESS.
IF YOU CAN, USE FED-EX GROUND!
I wish I had.

So we head back to the LCT terminal (called "the hump"), but we get LOST. (It's Night... with windy, curvy roads....)
After stopping several times to ask directions, we eventually find our way back. (Thank God we were in a bobtail) and get the load assigned to us. It was supposed to be delivered in Riverside, CA on Saturday (12/15) at 6pm, but we told them, there was NO way we could make that delivery time. The night dispatcher that gave it to us, said - just do our best. So we leave... it is now Friday at 1am.

We did pretty good. We got the our delivery on Sunday (12/16) at 11:30am. But Leroy lost one of the fuel caps along the way, (it did not have a chain & t-bar like it is suppose to). The company will replace it, but the only place to get one is at a Freightliner dealership (which are all closed on the weekends). bummer.

Right now we are waiting at the delivery point. The workers that are to unload us won't be here until 4pm.... so we wait.... and get caught up on all our paperwork, and banking, and blogging.

Issue #3: should be resolved as soon as we can get back to San Diego. We have to show a w-2 form or paycheck stubs, or get someone from those companies to call and verify the dates.

Even though there have been "issues", we can totally see God's hand it this. He has been with us through the whole thing. We are not upset or nervous. (Actually this has been a pretty good run.)

He has given us a Peace that passes all understanding. We know that God is in control and we are continually learning to trust Him more each day. Give God the Glory - Great Things He Has Done.... and continues to do.

Praise God, Amen.
Love you all, Laurie

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas!

Well.... not really.... In San Diego, CA, all you get is rain in the winter, and cooler evening temperatures .... but it IS raining and it is getting cooler .... so I guess (in a San Diego fashion) ....It Is Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas. :)

The last two days on the road, Leroy got EXTREMELY SICK..... Both ends, all over the truck... not a pretty sight. So I had the job of driving to deliver our last load, and cleaning up after a sick husband... I was sooo tired, and I have Never seen him this sick in all our 8 1/2 years of marriage...poor baby... Wow!

We (finally) got home on Thursday (11/29), and turned the truck & keys and everything into Sam Kholi Enterprises on Friday. Our final day.

We purchased airline tickets to Orlando, Florida on Friday (11/30), which our new company LCT says that they will reimburse us for on our first paycheck, Yeah!

We spent the next several days recuperating from the dreaded "sickness", which then went through my whole local family. Mom, Dad, Daughter... not good. (We're soooo sorry.) We (collectively) think it was some kind of intestinal flu..... Glad THAT is over with.

The next Friday (12/7), we shipped 4 LARGE boxes to Florida via Greyhound Package Express. Hopefully the boxes will be there by Tuesday. We have orientation Monday - Wednesday (12/10-12/12), and are suppose to be assigned a truck on Wednesday. The boxes are what we usually LOAD into our truck for our "living" stuff.

On the airplane, we are taking all our clothes, our laptop computer, Leroy's CPAP machine, and our bedding. Everything else we shipped.

We are all praying for a smooth transition. That everything goes well, and that we pass all our tests.

The first day we have to pass all the physicals (no prob, hopefully) and a Road & Safety Test. (should be no prob, but we are still praying).

Today, Saturday, (12/8)... our final day in San Diego, we are doing laundry and packing. (What else..?)
We'll have dinner at the Chicken Pie Shop, Yum, then go to bed early. We have to be at the airport at 4:30am, because our flight leaves at 6:20am. We'll arrive in Orlando at 5:00pm (their time) Sunday, and will catch an airport shuttle van to the hotel (about an hour away), then probably go directly to bed because we have to be in the lobby of the hotel by 6:30am Monday, for the LCT shuttle to take us to orientation.
Then the whirlwind of paperwork begins.....

It's exciting... and a little scary. But...being based soo far from home... it's kind of like "moving" to Florida, in a way... I have never been away from home, like that.

Pray for me... and Leroy.
If you would like to leave comments and prayers, we can pray for you too.

I also have a page on Facebook.com, if you would like to see more pictures....

Merry Christmas!!!
and a Happy, Healthy New Year!
God Bless You Everyone!

Thanksgiving already!

I can't believe how time flys. So much has happened.

The end of October we were assigned a "new" (to us) truck, a 2006 Kenworth T2000. (We later, found out it was a 2005.) We got all loaded into it and took it home... and then discovered that Laurie couldn't reach the pedals. ..... When I raised the seat high enough to see over the dashboard, I literally couldn't push the clutch pedal to the floor, so I couldn't drive the truck. They didn't have any other trucks available at that time, so Leroy drove the truck (solo) for the next two weeks, while they got another truck ready for us.... or so we thought.

When we got back, the only thing they had "done" was the brakes. It was a 2005 Freightliner Columbia... which we really like! It was an automatic, which helps Laurie's bad knees. There is a lot of room, and everything "fits". Yeah!

However, when we started driving it.... we started noticing "things".... lights didn't work, plug-ins didn't work, the engine was "hiccuping" or lugging or something while shifting.... and ALL the fluids were low. Our fuel card would not allow us to buy individual items (like oil, fluids-power steering, antifreeze, or anything) or we would have filled them up ourselves .... so when we discovered an AIR leak.... we had to take it into a TA for repairs in Parowan, UT.... on our SECOND NIGHT OUT. Ridiculous! We asked the repair guy to top off the fluids for us.
He also informed us of a differential leak (but they don't work on differentials).

They (our yard) had this truck for at least two weeks.... they should have at least topped-off the fluids!! Brother.

The truck was still "hiccuping" while shifting which makes it very hard for the other person to sleep. At first we thought it was the transmission.... then Leroy thought it might be a fuel filter problem. The next TA we saw, Leroy asked the mechanic to check it out. Sure enough... a REALLY bad fuel filter and the "O" rings were in the wrong place. So.... 30 minutes and $35 dollars later.... a smooth running truck. Yeah! Which brings me back to our Yard mechanics.... If you were going on a long trip in your car, wouldn't you check all the fluids, the fuel & air filters, and really everything........ I would. Why didn't they? The TA mechanic that changed the fuel filter told us that the Air filter was bad also, but we didn't have time for that. Later.

So we finished our drops in Topeka, KS and then in Columbus, OH....... On time.
Then we went down to Cincinnati, OH and picked up a load going to Sparks, NV.

Today, Thanksgiving Day, we are in Indiana.

We are sooo Thankful for so many things. Family & friends who love and support us. An Awesome God who is ever faithful and loves us without end, and who is continually teaching us and challenging us to be more like Him.
Thankful for a warm, dry truck in the Indiana rains....
AND FOR A NEW JOB!!!

A few weeks ago, we started calling different trucking companies, and finally one of them hired us!!! It is a company called LCT. Based in central Florida. As fast as we can, we are returning this truck to San Diego, CA and then renting a car and driving across country (with all of our "home" stuff required for living in our truck). Of course, after we gave our notice, this company wanted us to stay, but NO. We are moving on.

Again, God is sooo good. -- New job, and really decent weather, considering it is sooo late into the winter season. We haven't hit snow yet. Thank You, God..... but we know it is coming.... and that God will be with us even in that. Too.

Again, Thank You for ALL of your Love and Support. Your prayers are really felt deeply!!

With much love, Laurie
Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Laptop cracked & lost cell phone.... Yikes.

The middle of Sept. (on the road) we discovered that our laptop computer had a cracked screen (or so we thought that was all) and.... we thought it was under warranty. So.... No computer, no email, no getting our own directions when we can't get ahold of anyone, and No blogging - bummer. We had to wait about two weeks to get home and try to correct the problem.

Little did we know that the warranty does not cover "physical damage". ~~~Word of warning... examine the warranty yourself instead of listening to the salesman. ~~~
Anyway... it turned out that not only was the screen cracked, but the hard drive was damaged. ("No operating system found".) Not good. So Fry's is trying to retrieve any data from the hard drive (for $70), then....... we purchased our new laptop computer from Best Buy, who were very nice, and pointed out IN WRITING that a cracked screen and other "physical damage" IS COVERED.

Just after we got back on the road... I had just woken up, and was going into a restroom in the middle of No Where, AZ and accidentally (absently-mindedly) had my cell phone in my hand. I put it on the toilet paper dispenser, and promptly forgot it. After we are already in the truck, out the parking lot and about to get onto the freeway, I "all-of-a-sudden" realized what I had done. It only took about 5 mins to get turned around..... but when we got back to the restroom.... (shocker) it was gone. So we cancelled that phone, (but I was able to keep my same number. Yea! But I had to go about a week before we could get to a place that we could get phones. WE have new phones now.... wow. Nice!

The really cool photos of the largest Cross, and Jesus' last days are on the hard drive that crashed, and that they are trying to retrieve data from.... boy I hope they get my pictures.

Since the end of September we have gone from Los Angeles (Mira Loma) to Everett, WA hauling frozen Hot Pockets, then did a trailer exchange in Grainger, WA (just south of Yakima). Then headed just south over the border to Stanfield, OR to pick up bags of netting and took them to New Castle, WY. While we were deadheading up to Colony, WY we had to cross over into a little bit of South Dakota.... Just Beautiful!!!





The Black Hills of Dakota, Near Savoy, SD.

At Colony, WY... we picked up Cat Litter and took it to Portland, OR. The next day we picked up Large Rolls of Paper and took them to Phoenix, AZ.... then deadheaded just south of there to Tempe and picked up 55-gallon drums of Coating for Foam Roofing and took them to Brawley, CA. (just north of El Centro). Then we deadheaded all the way up to Los Angeles to take a load of Hangers to Denver, CO...... and that is where we got "stuck". We have been in Denver since Thursday, and it is now Saturday, with no good prospects of moving until Monday. We need to get back to San Diego to pick up our "new" truck and then get a load that has been contracted for us.... another load of Hangers in Los Angeles going to Dallas, TX, this time.

So now we are just waiting in Colorful Colorado....
God is sooo Good. At each place His gives us parking places, and people to talk to, and Peace.
Amen.

Las Vegas... and leaving Las Vegas

We drive (pretty much) straight through from Ft. Worth to Flagstaff, AZ, and stop for just a minute, then head to Kingman, AZ. We sleep there, then head to Las Vegas the next day. We think we are going to be really early for our 2pm delivery.... only this truck doesn't have any Jake Brakes. (Jake Brakes are special engine brakes that somehow use the power of the engine to slow it down.. amazing.) But without Jake Brakes, you are stuck just using your regular service brakes.

We run into some pretty severe hills between Kingman, AZ and Las Vegas, NV.... and we are having to use our service brakes quite a bit. We used lower gears, and applied "controlled braking" apply & release,.... only..... half way through the hills our tractor(truck) brakes started smoking. So we had to stop and let them cool off a bit (15 mins) and we start taking the hills even slower...... So we get there only 20 mins early..... but still on time!

We get unloaded (pretty much) right away, and we head to our pick up. Get loaded with Wood, heading for Lowe's distribution warehouse in Stockton, CA.....
All Right we are heading in the right direction.... toward Home!
(or so we thought...)

Still Leaks...

Well, the scilicone didn't work (sorry sweetie), and we hit another storm on the way out of Texas...

We waited in line at the new Wal-Mart to unload... it took a while.... and there were grasshoppers all around and up their walls too. Weird.

We see a "roach coach" and get something to eat. Yummy breakfast burritos.

After we unload, we went to the Flying J in Wichita Falls, and waited. Wendy at Schneider and Debbie at Sam Kholi Ent (SKE) couldn't find us a load out of there. So... we waited. We waited for a load, and we waited for a fax from Brook for signs to put on the doors. The name of the company and other information are required to be on the doors.... but the paper signs that WERE on the doors got blown off during the storm. So she faxed us new signs and we taped them onto the doors. (inside sheet protectors). he-he..... I almost typed... sheep protectors. :)


Finally, Wendy finds us a "beer" load for Miller beer out of Ft. Worth (about 50 miles east) heading for Las Vegas. Only it doesn't load until tomorrow at 4pm. But this gives us time to search every truck stop between Wichita Falls and Ft. Worth for Cargo Straps and Load Locks. (We were looking for a particular kind of Load Lock... but no such luck.)

So at the final place, we buy the Load Locks that are available. It's a good thing we did. THIS load needed them. Miller beer uses the Cargo Straps for a bulk head, and the Load Locks for stabilizer bars in the rear.
We got to Ft. Worth the night before and go to a truck stop about 3 exits away and sleep. We actually show up to Miller 3 hours early, and they take us!! Yeah.

As we are heading out of Texas... we run through another storm. (not quite as bad).... but we find out that the front windshield still leaks. Bummer.

Phoenix, AZ to Wichita Falls, TX

I have to admit... this is Way Better than what we have been doing! Thank you God!!!

We deadhead (means miles traveled while empty) up to Phoenix, AZ. It was a good thing we had an hour and a half to get there because the address on our paperwork was wrong, twice.

The first address said 417 W. Buckeye Road, then below that it said that the above address was wrong it should read 417 E. Buckeye Road.

We leave Casa Grande at 10am, and arrive at 417 E. Buckeye Road at 10:50am, only it is an empty lot! So we call the client and they tell us the correct address is 4417 W. Buckeye Road. Thank God we are only about 15-20 mins away. We arrive at the correct address at 11:20am. Still On Time.

Leroy checks in, and Laurie backs up to the dock!!! I actually did it all by myself. Yeah! I think my knees are gradually getting use to the clutch.

We get loaded, and are able to fax the papers we need to fax to Wendy at Schneider. Yeah! Last time, we faxed ONE page at the TA and it costs $3. Ouch! This time is was free, since we asked the shipper if we could use their machine! Yeah! Much better.

Thursday, 9/6/07
Leave shipper about 1:00pm.
We stop at the QT (a truck stop on I-10) in Phoenix to weigh our truck. It turns out to be a Medium weight, 57,900 GVW (Gross Vehicle Weight). We are carrying Wire Decking. (I have no idea what that is.) To a new Wal-Mart in Wichita Falls, TX.

From Phoenix, we head up to Flagstaff to catch the I-40 heading East.... All the way from Phoenix to Flagstaff, I (Laurie) am driving and having "tummy trouble", and all this time Leroy is sleeping. I am having to stop about every hour to "go". Finally when we get to Flagstaff -- a great truck stop at I-40 exit 198 "Little America" -- Laurie takes some Imodium AD and we decided to stay the rest of the night. Good choice, that way we are close to a bathroom, and we get a chance to look around this place. Wow! - With all the figurines, it makes me think of my Uncle Jeff. He collects Native American (Indian) statues and old cars models, and... boy does this place have a great selection. Lots of stuff, and a diner too.

Friday, 9/7/07
We get up and Bobtail (unhook the trailer and just use the tractor/truck) to a nearby Albertson's for some supplies. Come back, do a thorough Pre-Trip Inspection, eat breakfast/lunch then head out. about 12:30pm.

Laurie is driving and feeling much better. It is really nice to have all this time. One of us drives one day... the other drive the next day.

Laurie driving through Arizona.

5:00pm
We get stopped at the border check point going into New Mexico. We are told to stop and go into the Border office. We are told that we will need to buy a one-day permit in order to cross NM! We call Jim. He gives a credit card number to the lady behind the counter (who is very rude - but we are nice :) to pay for the permit. The cost of the Permit is based on weight - 57900 gvw. $57.25 (for permit) + $8.95 (fee) for using a credit card. Ouch! Our new company does not have a "permit" to carry heavy loads across New Mexico. They have applied for the permit about 2 months ago, but it hasn't come in the mail yet..... But No One told us. If we had known we could have gotten cash out at an ATM before hitting the border and have been prepared for all of this..... Oh Well. We know that each thing that comes our way each day is known by God, and filtered through Him, for our good.

After that I drive some more, and we stop in Casa Blanca, NM for dinner. After that, Leroy drives til a little past midnight. I try to sleep while he is driving, but can't. Leroy drives to Santa Rosa, NM where we stop for the night.

Saturday, 9/8/07
In the morning Leroy drives again.


Leroy driving through New Mexico.




We stop at a DQ in Tucumcari, NM. (Yum!) It is the last town in NM on the I-40 East, before crossing into Texas.

My mom, Irene, emailed me about these great Life-sized sculptures of Jesus' last days somewhere near Amarillo TX....which so happens we are going to be near. I think we should stop, especially since we have the time... might as well.
(More on those in the next blog.)

4:30pm local time
So we stop and see them. Wow!!! If you ever get a chance... go see them! It is really worth your time. Along with the sculptures is the Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere! You can see it from about 5 miles in each direction.

FYI... they are about 35 miles east of Amarillo, TX... I-40, exit 112.

This stop to see the sculptures was sooo God! It had been raining the day before, so everything was a little muddy, but the sun was shining when we were there, and it was beautiful!

After we see them ... we go to exit 96 to a Love's Truck Stop for the night. During the night it starts Raining, and Lightening, (but no thunder as far as I could tell)... so I slept kinda of on/off. It was sooo nice of God to give us that window of time to see the sculptures and get to a safe haven for the night. We serve an Awesome God!!

Unusual: at the Love's Truck Stop I notice hundreds of grasshoppers all over the ground! I asked the clerk inside about them, she said she didn't know but maybe the rain yesterday had brought them out. They were everywhere on the ground and up the walls of the outside of the building. very Weird.

Sunday, 9/9/07
We get up in the morning, Laurie drives. There are no church services at this truck stop, so we start driving south to Wichita Falls, TX. As we are going through this little town called Claude, TX... we spot a cafe called The Crazy Little Cafe. The building is bright yellow with silhouettes of people dancing on it. Cute! There are cars in front and a big parking lot for trucks on the side. We stop here for breakfast. Good food!

From Claude, TX to Wichita Falls is about 200 miles.... and it rained all the Way. So what normally takes about 4 hours to drive, took about 5 hours. But that's OK. Better safe than sorry.
We are now at a Love's Truck Stop in Wichita Falls, TX... about 5 miles from where we will drop the load first thing tomorrow morning.... and it is still Raining with Lightening!

Bad News... the front windshield leaks. Right in front of the driver, onto the dashboard. We discovered this while driving, and when it started raining. At first we put Leroy's t-shirts on the dashboard to catch the drips, but his shirts got soaked.... but it worked until we could get to the Love's. At the Love's, Leroy bought some clear silicone and climbed up on the hood in the rain, and put the silicone on the windshield. Bless His Heart!! -- (I hope it works. OK so far!)

Good night for now.
and God Bless. :)

Starting with Sam Kholi Enterprises

We took our drive tests with Jim, and passed!

Our first load was assigned to us by Jim, on Monday 9/3/07, Labor Day.
Actually, Sam Kholi Enterprises has recently contracted with Schneider National to do some of their "over flow" jobs. So this load is for Schneider.

We are taking a load of general department store stuff from City of Industry, CA (COI) to Casa Grande, AZ (south of Phoenix) to a brand new Target store, ...... and what is nice... we have a lot of time to get there (unlike when we worked for JIT).
We have to pick up the load by 8am on Tuesday, 9/4/07 in COI, and deliver it in Casa Grande at 9am on Thursday 9/6/07. No Problem!

Sam (Kholi) is buying several "new" trucks (2006 Kenworths - nice) and several new trailers (that will be stenciled with "Jesus Christ is Lord -- Not a Swear Word"), but they haven't arrived from Texas yet.... so we will be taking the "training" truck (that we took on the drive test) and an unmarked trailer. It's still OK.... A 2000 Freightliner is still better than anything we drove at TLC. And the A/C works. Yeah!!!

We got a ComData card for fueling, took the truck and trailer home to load all of our stuff into it, then headed up to COI the night before. We stayed at the TA (Travel Centers of America) in Ontario, CA (about 16 miles from where we need to be for the pickup). This was very good for logistics, but we didn't sleep very well.

So we get up on Tuesday, 9/4/7, and get to the pick up point early.... 7:30am for an 8am appointment time.

We get all loaded, and head back to the TA to get some sleep.

We also get Idle-Aire. See yellow tube going into the truck?

Side Note:
Idle-Aire is very cost effective. With Idle-Aire you get...
A/C, 110v outlets (x 4),
TV channels free - if you have a TV, or they will loan you a TV,
Pay-Per-View channels (optional extra),
ethernet connection to the Internet, and several other things.

Idle-Aire costs about $2/hour.
To idle the truck uses about 2 gallons per hour, and fuel costs about $3/gallon.
You do the Math.

Also... Jim said that Sam Kholi Enterprises (SKE) will reimburse us for the Idle-Aire. Yeah!

We sleep all day Tuesday, 9/4/07.

We get up and leave Ontario, CA at Midnight Wednesday, 9/5. Leroy is driving.
We arrive in Casa Grande, AZ on Wednesday, 9/5/07 at 9am, and try to get permission to deliver a day early, but they say No. They only have crews available on assigned days and times to unload the trucks.

So... we find a truck stop about 5 miles away and wait all day. We get showers, do laundry, rest, etc....

On our paperwork is says to be to the delivery point the night before, and we found out that there will be 4 other trucks needing to be unloaded beside us. So.. we decide to go to the construction site (the new Target) and sleep there. We arrive there about 8pm. We are hoping for a "first come-first served" unloading order....
By 7am, it is RAINING due to high humidity and heat. We get soaked checking in.

At 8am, the Target crew arrive and show us on our paperwork there are numbers as to who will be unloaded first... we are number 4.
They have two docks and start unloading the first two trucks right away.

Oh... I forgot to mention... on the way to this delivery we are assigned another load by the Schneider dispatcher, Wendy.
Pick up in Phoenix (about 45 mins away) at 11:30am on Thursday, 9/6/07.
Now there is a time pressure to get unloaded on time.

God Bless 'Em... they unloaded us pretty quick. We were all done by 10:00am.
Now we head up to Phoenix..... Laurie is driving now. :)

August 2007 and TLC-Total Logistics Cargo of San Diego

August was a blur....
I returned home after leaving Werner, and started driving with my wonderful husband, Leroy.
Leroy worked for a company called TLC (Total Logistics Cargo) out of San Diego, CA.... actually Otay Mesa... right on the border to Mexico.
I joined him there.

TLC hauls almost exclusively for a company called Steelcase. Steelcase has a huge warehouse in the City of Industry, CA (COI). That is in the Los Angeles area.
Steelcase makes office furniture. Metal desks, chairs, filing cabinets, almost anything to do with office furniture.
We would deadhead (bobtail) from San Diego, CA up to COI, pick up a loaded trailer and do deliveries throughout California, and several times up to Puyallup, Washington.
We took loads to San Fransisco, Livermore, UCLA, Ventura, Kaiser at Woodland Hills, all over....
The people at TLC are very nice...
the only problem is the equipment (the trucks) are very OLD, and not in very good condition. Several have bad oil leaks, one truck had a really bad air leak in the primary air line.... Like 100 lbs of pressure to 0 lbs in 10 seconds. When we did the pre-trip and discovered this leak... we refused to drive the truck! They found us another truck. Most trucks don't have A/C or the A/C hardly works.... which is bad when you are trying to sleep while the other person is driving, or trying to sleep during the HOT days.

On our last run for TLC, we were headed to Puyallup, WA. We drove as far as Dunnigan, CA. and stopped at the Pilot truck stop there. We arrived about 2 am. Neither one of us had had very good sleep in the last couple of nights, so we both took sleeping pills and went right to sleep. When we woke up at 8am, we discover that our truck has been hit!!
Actually, "hit and run".

Luckily... there was a witness who saw the whole thing and got the trucking company name... and even tried to warn the driver using the CB, that he was backing into our truck... but the driver just kept backing. It must not have been a violent hit.... since he was backing up slowly... we figured it just slowly "mushed" the front hood to the right, and that is why we didn't feel anything... (that and the sleeping pills) :)

Leroy and a couple of men nearby pushed the hood back into place (as much as possible) and secured it with a bungee cord. We also tried to bungee cord the light back in place... that didn't work too well. :)

We called our boss, then we called the CHP (who wouldn't come out and take a report because the truck stop is private property, and there were no bodily injuries), and the same was true with the local Sheriff. We did get all the info from the witness and passed it on to TLC for them to follow up.

Since our load was due the next day, another TLC driver (who also was headed to the same delivery point) came over to our location. He and Leroy shuttled the two trailers. First our trailer, then the other guys trailer. They drove team, straight up and straight back - twice - 14 hours each way. That was a LOT of driving in a short time period.

I stayed with the damaged truck. I had to wait until Monday to take it into the Freightliner dealer in Sacramento (about 35 miles south). Two problems.... one: with the headlights out, I could only drive it during the daylight.... two: there were Fleas in the truck!!! It is hard to lay down to sleep, knowing you are going to be bitten... ouch! Itch, Itch, scratch, scratch.

While Leroy was shuttling the trailers.... I took the damaged truck to the Freightliner dealer. I got an Estimate... but the owner decided to have us bring the truck back to San Diego where she could take the truck to someone she knows who can fix it cheaper. So I drove south (about 30 miles) to another truck stop and waited for Leroy.

After Leroy returned to me, I was able to get to a Wal-Mart and get some Flea spray. Yea! We sprayed everything! bedding, matresses, pillows...everything. It was bad!

The good news... the day that Leroy returned to me was our Wedding Anniversary. (8/28/99)We celebrated 8 years!! We were just happy to be together again! ( We will do dinner and a movie after we get back to San Diego.)

Thank God for Pre-Pass. That allowed us to bypass the scales/weight stations while we limped back to San Diego in a damaged truck. We just drove during the daylight, and returned as quickly as possible.

This was our last run with TLC.
We started on 9/4/07 with a company called Sam Kholi Enterprises....

Last Run with Werner

We did finally get the load.
Because the load was picked up at 9pm, my trainer drove it all the way back to Phoenix, AZ. We arrived at 7:30am and drop the trailer at the Werner terminal. She stayed up all night.
We finally got assigned a load going to Salt Lake City, UT.
I got to drive... for a short while. about 3 hours.
First we spent 2 hours (10am-12pm) looking for an empty trailer. Got one. I drove to the pick up point just north of the Werner terminal in Phoenix. Pick up appointment is 1pm.
I backed the trailer starting from the street, back through an opening in a fence, and back up to the loading dock. ** This is my first backing not in a Werner yard. I did igreat. Didn't hit anything, and only had to do a few pull ups to get it straight. (while the trainer was sleeping finally.)

While they were loading our truck, I realized that the trailer has a very bald tire on it. We checked the tires when we hooked it up, but the big bald spot must have been on the bottom.
So... now we have to go back to the terminal to get a new tire.... time slipping by.... and now we are under a load with a deadline. (2:00pm - 3:55pm for tire replacement.)
Finally have good tires and are on our way. I'm driving. Yea!

Next weird thing....
As we were headed north a few blocks from the terminal toward the 10 Interstate.... we had to stop for a RailRoad Crossing, lights and sounds of an oncoming train.
Only... there is NO TRAIN. We waited from 4:05pm til 5:40pm.
Werner has a VERY strict policy... NO U-TURNS ever!
We call the home office Safety division. They say Wait.
So... we wait.
The police come by, but couldn't get the Railroad arms working. So we wait for them to contact the Transit Authority for the Railroad.
Finally the Transit Authority for the City showed up and started directing each vehicle to turn around, and they blocked off the road for incoming traffic.
We got approval from the home office to follow the directive. We finally get turned around and go another way to the interstate. I drive from 5:40pm until about 9pm. I drive up to Flagstaff, AZ. At Flagstaff, my trainer decides that she should drive the rest of the way.

She starts driving at 9pm. I stay awake with her for a few hours, then try to sleep while the truck is in motion. (not so good, but I get some "cat naps" in). At 9:30am the next morning I wake up and we are at a rest stop about 169 miles from Salt Lake City. I suggest that I drive now, but she says she wants to take the load all the way. Her 14-hour clock will end at 11am. She goes over her 14-hour clock. We finally arrive in Salt Lake at 12:30pm at a Sapp's Brothers truck stop and get fuel. Again, I suggest that I can drive. Again, she says that she will drive to the Werner yard where we are to drop the trailer.
At 1:30pm, after the trailer is dropped, then she lets me drive, about 2 miles to a Wal-Mart parking lot (to get something to eat at a restaurant next door), then about 10 miles to my hotel. All together about 20 mins of driving.

I then spend 4 days in a hotel, and really get to missing my husband, Leroy.
It was then that I decide to quit Werner, take a bus home (18 hours), and start driving team with Leroy.

There were some issues with my trainer....like her not having any money-so I was buying her meals, and no cell phone-so she borrowed mine all the time, and not letting me drive, and telling me how to walk across the street, and being very sarcastic and negative--but I could have just asked for another, different trainer.... but the real reason I quit was because I missed my husband and didn't want to be away from him any longer. One month was too long.
So Home I went. Yea!

Getting assigned a truck and starting to drive

We were assigned a truck that was a POS, so my trainer asked to search the yard for another truck. We got a better truck, but the batteries were dead.

Two days in the shop to fix the batteries, and some other things, and to get the Pre-Passes and Toll passes sent overnight.

Load #1
7/18/07
Ontario, CA to Prescott, AZ (Sears)
My trainer drove for most of the time. But that was OK with me. I was a little nervous to start.
I eventually got to drive, and tried to back in (Sears in Prescott), but couldn't get it.... so my trainer back it in. It was a tight space, but I tried.

Load #2
7/19/07
Flagstaff, AZ to El Paso, Tx (Purina)
I got to back in the empty trailer, and pick up the loaded trailer at Purina. The trailer was too low, so we had to let out the air in the suspension to hook it up. OK. I drove on/off for about 5 hours.

Load #3
7/20/07
El Paso, TX to Phoenix, AZ (Werner-split)
I got to drive about 5 hours..... Yea!
Something is wrong.... My left shoulder is killing me, and there is a pinching sensation between my shoulder blades. Hope this goes away soon. I have asked for prayer, and will rest it.
My trainer has some home time coming up in a few days (7/26/07), so we are trying to make sure we get loads that will make that happen.
IT IS SOOOO HOT!!! I'm melting.... the A/C is only working about 1/2 way.
But in the Phoenix terminal.... to get the A/C fixed will take 4 Days!!! Not right now...

Load #4
7/21/07 - 7/22/07
Phoenix, AZ to El Paso, TX (Werner Ladders)
After Prayer....some rest, and taking some Ibuprofen... I didn't have any pain in my shoulder!!! Praise God!!
We got this load assigned to us at about 8pm.... It took 45 mins to find the right trailer in the Phoenix yard. I can only drive until 12-midnight because I am a student, so I drove from 9pm til 11:30pm. My trainer's 14-hour clock went from 7:30am - 9:30pm. So we had to stop for the night in New Mexico. We delivered the load in the am. I got to back in. !!
Straight line back. easy. Good.

7/23/07
They tried to give us a load to San Antonio, TX.... 550 miles in the opposite direction that we need to be going (to Utah).... we finally got taken off that load.

7/24/07
We waited all day for a load. It finally came through.
It should be available about 8:30pm. Guess where it is going...
El Paso, TX back to Phoenix, AZ.
I think we can drive this stretch in our sleep. :)
My trainer will take the night shift... 9pm - 9am.
I'll be driving the next load (hopefully)... to Salt Lake City, UT. 9am - 9pm.
This will be my first time sleeping while the truck is in motion...... we'll see how that goes....
God is Good!!

Days 4 - 8

Day 4 Wed. 7/11. (Day 1 of waiting)
Waiting for a trainer to be assigned to me. I already knew this would take a little while because I requested a Female/Non-smoker..... Female trainers are rare... Female/Non-smokers are even more rare...... That's OK. I will wait.


Day 5 Thurs. 7/12 (Day 2 of waiting)
Waiting for a trainer to be assigned to me.
Did laundry at the terminal.
I get approved for an EFS check to get an advance on my pay. $40. But $44 will be charged to my account when I get me first paycheck.
I walk down to the nearest truck stop to cash the check. They charge $3 to cash it (standard).

But at least I have $37 to live on for a few days.
At about 6pm, I get assigned a Roommate.
She is 3/4 the way through her 275 training hours. She has had 5 different trainers so far, and is waiting for a trainer to complete her final 70 hours.


Day 6 Fri. 7/13 (Day 3 of waiting)
Waiting for a trainer, and taking it easy.


Day 7 Sat. 7/14 (Day 4 of waiting)
A friend of the family, James, (who also happens to be my Truck Driving school instructor) is driving his motorcycle north from San Diego, CA to the hotel in San Bernardino, CA to have dinner with me. I like that... a friendly face, instead of just looking at the walls of the hotel room. He takes me to El Toritos. Yum! and gives me $40. He is such a wonderful friend.

Finally I get THE call!!! I get assigned a trainer. Yea!!
I am her first student, and she is my first trainer. (Hopefully, my only trainer.)
We meet and talk for a while and really hit it off.
I go to dinner with James, and she goes to dinner with a friend of hers.

We (me & the trainer) meet afterwards to do some shopping at Wal-Mart & Food 4 Less to get set up for when we need to leave... probably on Monday.

They assigned her (us) a truck, but she is going to try to get a different truck, hopefully a better truck. We'll see how it plays out Monday.


Day 8 Sunday 7/15.
The room I'm in develops a problem with the toilet, so we (me & roommate) get assigned to another room, but my roommate decides she wants a room with a refer & micro, so she asked to be moved again. My trainer offers to share her room with me.... so I move in with my trainer. I figure... I might as well get used to it, since we will be in close quarters in the truck very soon.
Hanging out and relaxing....
We also get to read some scripture. Psalms 23 & 100. Nice.
God is Good!

Day 3 - Day 2 of Orientation

Day 3
(Day 2 of Orientation)
5:30 am Breakfast in lobby of hotel
6:00 am Shuttle to Werner Terminal in Fontana, CA
6:30 am Class Starts
Go over homework, more paperwork, more videos, ... and finishing up the computer-based training videos.... some people didn't finish because we had a large class (18-20) and not enough computers to go around. They will finish theirs tomorrow morning.

Day 2 - Day 1 of Orientation

Day 2
(Day 1 of Orientation)
5:30 am Breakfast in Lobby of hotel
6:00 am shuttle to Werner Terminal in Fontana, CA.
6:30 am Start orientation class
Lots of paperwork... a DOT physical (Yes, they will do their own DOT physical. So you will be getting a new Medical Card... even if you already have one previously issued)... photo taken for company badge.... safety videos... going over company policies...
They provided lunch. (Yum, spaghetti)
More paperwork.... more videos.... assigned some homework regarding map reading, trip planning & getting to know your employee handbook.... then more computer-based training videos. (You do these at your own pace. Each video has a minimum time limit you must spend viewing it.)
7:15 pm catch suttle back to hotel
7:40 pm Arrive back at hotel..... Long Day... Lots of Info. Brain is tired.
Talk to Leroy, talk to Mom.
9:30 pm Try to do homework -- did some.... but am really tired, so...

11:00 pm I head for bed.

Getting Started with Werner

After some advice and phone calls for comparisons, I decided to start my trucking career with Werner Enterprises. I got to pick my start date Monday, (7/9/07), and they offered to bus me to the hotel (La Quinta Inn) location in San Bernardino, CA. the night before orientation started. But I opted to have my husband drive me north from San Diego, CA on Sunday, 7/8/07. That way I could be with my husband, Leroy, for a few extra minutes.
I will be gone for 6 to 8 weeks.

As it turned out... After I had told them I would get there on my own.... we found out that Leroy was assigned a run by his company, and would have to leave on Sunday morning. So, at 6am, Leroy drove me up to my brother, Jon's, apartment in Fullerton, (arriving at 8am), and a few hours later, Jon drove me the rest of the way to the hotel.

This way.... I got to have a nice drive up with Leroy,.... got to spend some quality time with my bro Jon, and since he knows the area... he knew exactly how to get me to the hotel. Jon stayed with me while I checked in, (they were going to have me share a room-no problem, but she was a smoker and I'm not... so they gave me my own room!! God is sooo good), then Jon helped me take my luggage up to my room, and get all squared away. Brothers are wonderful.

Now do a little blogging, then I'll get some sleep, and be in the lobby - ready for the shuttle to Werner by 6am.
Nighty-Night.

In The Beginning....

This adventure actually started almost a year ago, (Aug. '06).

AUGUST 2006
Leroy had done some construction work in the past, and more recently, some Telemarketing, and HATED both jobs. I had been in office work for some time. I liked the work, but wasn't going anywhere.... so we started looking in the newspaper for jobs.
Low and behold there was an ad to come and listen to a 2-hour seminar about Trucking. We went and got really excited. It was a career that we could be together, see the country and get paid for it. It sounded perfect. So we applied... but Leroy was turned down because of an incident in his background.
We spent some time in prayer, and decided to find a local Trucking School, and get our CDL licenses, then apply to trucking companies..... thus started our "long haul" adventure of getting into the Trucking industry. Little did we know what was to come.....

SEPTEMBER 2006
We were positive, we were excited! and we thought that we should be able to do this transition right away. So we sold one of our cars, our motorcycle, about 90% of our "stuff" (in three consecutive weeks of yard sales) and put our mobilehome up for sale. (After all, we won't need any of these things if we are going to be living out of a truck... right?)
Well... our mobile home wasn't selling because of a hole in the flooring. So we decided to move out of the mobilehome (9/23/06), and in with my parents (who are great, and supportive, and gracious), so we can repair/remodel the mobilehome and sell it to get tuition money for the Trucking school.
We were thinking.... a month, maybe 6 weeks, and we would be all set...... Trucking here we come.

OCTOBER 2006
At first we were going to pay someone else to do the work, but we didn't have enough money for that.... so Leroy volunteers to do the work. We buy the materials and start.
The end of Oct... Remodeling is taking forever! The sub-flooring needs to be torn out and replaced. (Things always take longer than you think.) My brother, Jon, comes and helps for a couple of weekends, but it is still taking time.
One good thing.... we found a really good church in Santee, CA.
Pathways Community Church. The people are great and the services are inspiring.

NOVEMBER 2006
We are painting the whole interior white, and sub-flooring that needs to be replaced - we are getting quite a workout. We go over every day and work. We don't have any other jobs at the moment, so my parents are supporting us.

DECEMBER 2006
The painting is finally finished (with a lot of help from family and friends), and Leroy & Jon finally gets the sub-flooring pulled out and reinstalled. Next comes installing new carpeting throughout, and new linoleum in the kitchen, bathroom, and third bedroom. Pheww.. what a pain.

JANUARY 2007
January 14th, 2007, IT IS DONE! We list it in the PennySaver, and on Craig's List for sale. Hopefully it will sell soon. We have borrowed money from my mom - both for the finishing of the remodeling and for tuition. (She took money out of her 401k account to help get us started. Thanks Mom.)
January 15th, 2007, We start trucking school with United Truck Driving School in San Diego, Ca. Love It!! It has been a long time coming, but worth it. We are excited!

FEBRUARY 2007
We are finishing up our two weeks of driving. It is totally amazing that they had us up-shifting and down-shifting on the second day. Leroy gets some instructors that are not that great, and they end up quiting half way through our driving training time. I get a pretty good instructor, but he leaves to further his own trucking business, again, right in the middle of our training time. Leroy finishes his training and finally gets his license on 2/27/07. I (however) am delayed. I miss the last couple of days of training because my left knee swelled up like a balloon, and the pain is enormous. The emergency doctor says it is just tendonitis because of excessive use, and to stay off it for 7-10 days. I get crutches, and stay off it, with not much improvement, except now my right knee hurts because of all the excess use to that knee.
On 2/23/07, I have hernia surgery (it was scheduled previously) and continue to let my knees heal.

MARCH 2007
My primary doctor has xrays taken of my knees to rule out arthuritis. (Yea, No Arthuritis.) But we discover that my kneecaps are 'out of alignment'. They are both tracking to the outside, but the good news... that can be fixed with physical therapy (Thank God, no surgery). The bad news.... physical therapy is backed up, and won't have an opening until May.... So I wait.

Leroy - with new CDL license in hand, starts applying for jobs everywhere, online, newspaper, school placement list. A lot of places initially say Yes, then run a background check, and say No. It is getting very discouraging, but on 3/29/07, Leroy gets a break.
A company is finally willing to take a chance on him. They know he is a recent graduate, with no experience, but they give him the keys to a truck.

Leroy's Trucking career Starts!!
The load of nursery plants is going from San Diego, CA to Phoenix, Arizona, and they need him to take it quick. (I get to go along as his navigator.) He picks up the loaded truck in San Diego, and drives to El Cajon to get a couple of tires put on (per the owner). (He stalls the truck on the big hill heading into Santee. He remains calm, and restarts it.) Then we head east.
The load needs to be in Phoenix, by 8am Friday. It is now 9pm on Thursday. This means driving through the night. Leroy drives straight through the night, we are given No directions. As we are approaching Phoenix around 5am, we get verbal directions from the owner of the company's wife. (The directions are not that clear.) We see the freeway name and take the exit mentioned, but it comes out at the wrong place. Leroy drives down this surface road a long way.... and we think we might have missed the next turn. So we try to find a BIG place to pull into to get directions. We stop at one place and get further directions from some people at a McDonalds. We just need to continue down this road a little further. We end up turning the wrong way at the next turn, and we need to find a BIG empty parking lot, again, and Leroy pulls in. The turn around is tricky because of all the light poles, but he gets it around. As we are leaving we are approached by a rent-a-cop security guard, who stops us, then very firmly asks us to leave, then holds us up to let other cars pass. Go figure....
We finally make it to the customer's destination. We miss the driveway (it looks very narrow) and make a right turn, ....only it looks like a dead end. I get panicked, but Leroy remains calm. We stop, he sees that there is a road that goes around the block, then we call the customer to make sure there is room - not only to get in, but also a way to get out. They assure us that there is.
Leroy pulls in - around a curved driveway, with cars and plants all around. (Going slow is he key.) There is another truck being unloaded ahead of us,... so we wait. We arrived at 7:30am (for an 8am appointment). Leroy tries to sleep, but it is hard with No A/C in Hot Phoenix, and the unloaders bumping around in the back...... we are finally unloaded and leave at around 12:30pm.
We find out we have a load to pick up in Tucson tomorrow (Sat. 3/31/07) at 9am, so we head that way. We stop in Eloy, AZ at the Flying J. (Our first truck stop!) It is nice.
Since Leroy is new, it takes a little bit of time for him to back into a parking spot. But we finally get in, get a bite to eat and get some sleep.
We arrive in Tucson, AZ at 8:45am for our 9am appointment. We are picking up 'Windows', that are coming back to San Diego, (actually National City), but the Windows are not done and ready yet. The loader says they are making them and loading them as they go. It will be an ALL DAY thing.
We are assigned a loading dock at 10am, and get into position. We try to unhook, but the kingpin won't release. With some help from the warehouse crew and a forklift, we finally get it unhooked. The supervisor suggests we "bobtail" over to a nearby mall and see a movie (so we do) and we stop at Target to pick up some things. The loader says to be back at 3pm.
We get back at 2:30pm, they are still Not Done Loading. So we go next door to Dennys and eat a late lunch.
At 4:30pm, they are putting the final ones on the truck. Leroy signs paperwork, and re-hooks up. We leave toward San Diego at 5:30pm.
With stops for fuel, and a late dinner, we finally arrive back at Base at 2am. The load is still in the truck, and Leroy offers to complete the delivery on Monday, to National City.
Good Experience, and only a few near misses.
It was fun, and scary.

Monday, 4/2/07
The delivery can be made anytime between 8am - 12noon. I go with him again. Leroy drives down to National City, gets it all lined up and backed in and...... he (we) forgot to open the rear doors before backing into position. So Leroy pulls out, opens the doors and re-backs in.
Rookie mistake.
We return the truck to base, and we are done.
Pay $315. Leroy is now a Professional Truck Driver!

APRIL 2007
We did more runs... I'll blog those soon.

MAY 2007
We did more runs... I'll blog those soon.
Laurie starts physical therapy.

JUNE 2007
We did more runs... I'll blog those soon. And Laurie finally gets her license, on her 45th Birthday!