KEEP ON TRUCKIN

     I always wanted to drive an 18 wheeler.  Eighteen wheels and a dozen roses, that kind of thing.   The thought of cruising down the Interstate, smoke trailing from two chrome stacks, a good country station on the radio and the CB crackling with the chatter of truckers speaking the language of the road, always appealed to me.  I had the opportunity to do just that recently.

     It began with attending truck driving school in order to obtain the Class A Commercial Drivers License required to legally drive an 18 wheeler.  Along with about 10 other students I spent about 2 months learning how to go through 10 gears, fill out a log book, hook up to a trailer, drive safely, back into a spot with inches on each side and how air brakes work.  The entire course was designed to help you pass the test for your license while also learning how to drive a tractor with a 54 foot trailer attached.  Fascinating stuff. 

     Nearing graduation most of us were approached by trucking companies recruiting us to drive for them.  I was not looking to make a career of trucking but it was the next step in shortening my bucket list.  Upon passing my physical, written exam, driving test and drug test, I was granted my license and I committed to Schneider.  Those all orange rigs you see tooling our highways are Schneider trucks.  They are one of the largest trucking companies with some 12,000 trucks.  What appealed to me is that they are famous for their driver training and their safety record.  I went through the famous Schneider training and was ready to hit the pavement.

     Before you can venture forth across the country you must “drive the coast” as they say.  That means since I was based in the Los Angeles office I would be driving up and down the Pacific coast as my final training, all with a veteran driver acting as my trainer. 

     My first trip was to pick up a load of Heinz steak sauce in LA and deliver to a warehouse in Oxnard.  Normally a short drive but in the LA area nothing is a short drive.  Maybe in miles, not in time.  I learned quickly I better strengthen my left leg for the rigors of riding the clutch in the endless stop and go traffic.  I had my first experience with backing a truck up to a loading dock with barely enough room for the mirrors to clear on each side and several grizzled veterans observing while giggling to themselves.  What would have been a one shot deal for them required several passes for me.  Returning to LA I managed to stall the truck on a steep hill during rush hour traffic.  Not a great start.

     The rest of the coastal training included a trip to the San Joaquin valley for Wal-Mart, a delivery of Yokohama tires to Fullerton and various other rather short trips.  None of them putting me on the open road I envisioned.  I waited patiently, trusting there was a reason for all of this.  One night, as we pulled into the yard, I was informed that I had to be there at 4 the next morning for a trip to Chicago.  More to come.