A long, LONG day

First, I had the first go around with the driving examiner this morning before sunrise and it went well. Very well, in part due to the fact that the truck I was tested in was almost identical to the truck I drove for CFI. Plus Scott (different guy from Scott the classroom instructor) was mellow and gave some good pointers. We drove around Omaha for a while, after a detailed pre-trip, and finished up at the yard with a somewhat unusual 90 degree back. Charles left with him after that and also passed.

We had some more paperwork, and I had to sign some forms on my application I sent a few months back as they were out of date. Eventually, I was presented with a set of keys. Kenworth keys.

One of the reasons I left CFI / Con-Way Truckload was to get out of my Kenworth T-600 truck. It was dependable but had a small interior and I disliked the way the controls were laid out. The truck I did my driving test this morning in was a very similar truck, a year older and with a CAT engine instead of a Cummins, but otherwise the same. The truck that I was installed in as a company driver is basically its twin.

This isn't entirely bad, as I am very familiar with its plusses and minuses. It drives very close to what I am used to and I am comfortable in my driving control. On the other hand, this is a stripped-down truck compared to the Volvo's in the fleet -- no APU, no inverter, no refrigerator.

I was sent bobtail over to the hotel to pick up my stuff then I was assigned a preloaded refrigerated trailer across the river in Council Bluffs, Iowa heading for Carthage, Missouri with a preplan for a following load that picks up any time this weekend and is due in Arlington, Texas Monday morning at 0700.


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One of the things I like about Hill Bros is the emphasis they place on keeping as much of the fleet preplanned on loads. The two that I have, combined, aren't a huge number of miles over the weekend but it will give me time to get through the house and pick up things I need for the truck. After I deliver on Monday it will be time to turn and burn to pick up some good miles for the rest of the week.

So, after I acknowledge the load I make my way about 15 miles to the shipper, which in this case is the food giant ConAgra. After I check in (the security guard asked to see my license and medical card, a first) I was given the paperwork with the trailer number and headed out to hook up and prepare to leave. Unfortunately, my truck developed a suspension problem and I spent most of the afternoon and evening getting a partial fix to get me back across the river, then in to the local Kenworth shop where they fixed a few problems and pronounced the truck ready to roll.

When I left the hotel earlier I removed everything from my room but didn't check out, as I did have another day left for orientation (as far as the hotel was concerned). I stumbled back in around 10 PM after running hither and yon to get a good night's sleep and take the load down to Carthage tomorrow. Naturally, the halls are filled with squealing teeny-boppers on some sort of vaguely supervised field trip.