A beautiful night....we might see the stars!

3/28/11

Good morning from MM# 1, Hwy 25 E, Morristown, Tennessee!  It is a wet and cold day but with beautiful views of mountain streams and calm lakes.  We are on our way to John Deere in Greenville, TN, to pick up a load of lawn mowers and deliver to Home Depot in Romeoville, IL, by tomorrow at 8 AM.  I would so love to get a tour of the plant and interview a John Deere MAN but it is a loaded trailer ready for pickup, so time there is out of the question.

We spent the night in Middlesboro, KY, after dropping a load off at Wal-Mart.  Our load was early so we ended up spending the night after restocking our supplies.  It was a $100 day for me at Wally World between dry goods and clothing.  When packing for this adventure, they tell you to pack for 8 to 10 days for 6 to 8 weeks on the road.  Now tell me virtual truckers, do those numbers make sense to you?  Didn’t think so!  My backpack will be busting its seams by the time I get my own truck.

I met a young man while waiting in line at the local feed store.  He was buying pet food for his mother at the only place that sells that specific food for her little poodle (which he did not speak highly of).  He has the gentleness of country upbringing, a soft southern accent that complemented his polite manners and a smile that you could not resist and had to return.  And, he is only 17. While we waited our turn to pay the cashier, he talked about leaving this little town in the mountains in hopes of finding the perfect place of sunshine and obtainable unknown dreams. 

The first thought I had was the “grass is always greener” as I remembered myself at that age, walking away from my family, to find my own way….to those greener pastures.  I had to swim through muddy waters filled with despair and loneliness.  I had to crawl across deserts of lies and deceit begging for just a drop of love to sustain me.  It was not a pleasurable journey of growing up and growing smart as that greener pasture was not around the next bend, but right here, within me, the whole time!   We will all find our homes, in ourselves, when we stop looking at the other side of the fence.  I wish the boy good luck.

It doesn’t appear that I will be able to update the blog tonight as we decided to drop the load off tonight and I don’t have a paid internet account with the truck stop we will be staying at.  It is probably a good thing as Jeff is acting out again and to the point of letting me know I don’t have to stay in this truck.  He is giving me very little drive time and only the third of the backing experience that I had with my previous trainer in just one week.  After he had yet another heated discussion with dispatch, he decided that he was going back in the truck that I was driving when we arrived at a truck stop for a quick dinner.  AUGH!   

You know my dear truckers, Jeff has had some serious issues with previous students that he has shared with me and I am thinking they are pretty one sided.  He has been with this company for 10 years.  I am his 104^th student.  So, let’s divide 104 into 10 years.  That equals 10.5 students per year.

 The average student spends 8 weeks on the road to obtain the needed hours before they get their own truck.  Now let’s divide 53 by 8.  That equals 6.6 students per year and our dear Jeff is averaging 10.5.  The numbers speak for themselves.  I can only assume that this pattern has been going on for quite some time.  And then there is what I have witnessed on the road with other motorists and how he treats dispatch on the telephone.  You know, he would have lost his position years ago in a more professional setting!

Only 148 more hours to go, at an average of 5.5 hrs per day with a week off the end of the month, I am going to stop counting tonight as I might get depressed!  Another day, another dollar…..keep on trucking!

3/29/11

Good morning from MM# 116, Hwy 80, heading to back to the Home Depot that we dropped off at last night to pick up a new load to Jackson, MI, then to Lansing, MI.  It is a shag load with two stops so it will be an uneventful day.  We arrived late last night for the original drop and had to hit 2 truck stops and one rest stop in hopes of finding a place to park.  We did find a spot and I gladly hit the sack at 1 AM.  Jeff decided at 7 AM that it was time to hit the showers.  Gee thanks!

Since we did not have a load at the time, I enjoyed a sit down breakfast.  It has been two days since I took the luxury of being at a table with clean dishes, being served and no Jeff.  He did ask me my plans when I returned to the truck and I stated to sit here until he kicks me out.  He did ask that I be pleasant.  And I stated I was pleasant, just quiet!   I told myself that I will do what is asked of me in regards to driving as I am here to work, not be friends, as it was so obviously brought to my attention yesterday.  Then he returned to his drama with dispatch……..and I grabbed my Zune. 

BTY……thank you for letting me vent!  Since I am stuck in this rig 24/7 with no one to talk to, just someone to listen to, this journaling has been very helpful in keeping my sanity and not just walking away.  Many of you are probably wondering why I am putting up with this and not just finding a new trainer.  There are pros and cons on staying on this truck, cons are putting up with a grumpy old man but the pros, no night driving, an upcoming week on the beach in Florida, and enjoying the mindset at the moment of watching Jeff getting very frustrated because I am not playing into his game and being his dearest buddy as it suits him.

That being said, I am off to daydream and enjoy this trip on my terms.

We have delivered our first drop of two and the second Home Depot would not take our load early.  So we are sitting at two separate truck stops, Jeff is in the truck across the street while I enjoy my alone time at the Pilot so I can catch up on my internet. 

Let me tell you!  The Zune is a life saver when you desire no communication!  I told you earlier about grabbing my Zune and it pissed off Jeff as he did not have my full attention.  And on a further note, since he had no audience, he did not rant and rave about the company or other motorists!  It was a pleasant ride…….no human noise, no truck noise, just the music and the scenery.  I look forward to doing the same tomorrow!

This blog entry has gotten WAY too long!  Time to update you all and watch a show or two!

Can you imagine........a tractor pulling field equipment which is pulling a jeep which is pulling something else!

A fellow Werner driver....with a loving partner!

Loved how this picture turned out......had to share.

Gotta love this landscaping!

This is just a fraction of the thousands of John Deere lawn mowers waiting for spring sales all over the US!