My life in the right lane

NEW WEBSITE!!!!!

2011-06-05T18:37:00.001-07:00

For all the latest updates make sure you check out www.truckerchris.com

Lot's of new photos, videos and trucking industry related info.

It's the end of the road...

2009-05-01T22:50:00.000-07:00

This will be my last post on my blog. As you guys can tell from the last year since I've been back on the road that they updates are getting further and further apart. I just don't have the time to type out a long blog and then add photos to it like I used to. In the last couple months I've started a Flickr account ( ) Where I've been posting all my photos instead of just the handful I post on this blog along with a description below each image. It's a lot faster and I like how I can share my photos a lot easier than getting people to try and come to my blog. So For everyone who still wants to keep updated on my travels and photos go on over to flickr and sign up. It's real quick, especially if you already have a Yahoo account. You can find my photo albums by click on this direct link (make sure you save it to your bookmarks!)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/truckerchris

To stay updated day by day add me on myspace at "http://www.myspace.com/kona911 . I update that several times a day as to where I am in the country and what I'm doing by cell phone.

If you have a facebook account, you can also add me there too...
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1608796864 but you have to be a member in order to see my photos.

If you have any questions you can email me @ truckerchris@gmail.com

Thanks for following me over the last 3 years but now it's time to roll on out...

Chris

April update...

2009-04-19T15:05:00.001-07:00

Sitting next to the railroad tracks in Yreka, CA

Not much new around here. Miles are down due to a bad economy but I'm still running around. The past 3 weeks I've been running Interstate 5 from Washington State to California and back. It's sort of like being on a dedicated run because I've been able to spend a few nights at home... Right now I'm in Portland, OR at the Jubitz truck stop. It's like the Iowa 80 of the west coast. I'm delivering in Seattle, WA at Safeway at 6am with a full load of rice krispy treats!

Heres another round of photos...

(click the photo below to go to the photo album)

Chris

Blog Update 4/12/09

Where have I been?

2009-02-28T17:17:00.001-08:00

Wyoming in the winter = fun

Well lets see... After my last update in early January my 5 year old point and shoot camera decided to die. It was a bit weird, but I didn't even think about not taking photos for almost a month. I just sort of forgot about photos. I sorta enjoyed being able to take a look around at everything going by instead of hunting for my camera and focusing on if the camera is setup right and so on... Well, I was home about two weeks ago and I purchased a new camera so I'm back. I splurged just a bit and bought a Canon G10. I had a G2 years ago and man, this G10 is awesome! I'm actually thinking of selling my Nikon D2X Digital SLR since this G10 can do everything that camera can and still fit in my pocket... Also when I was home I was lucky enough to get deathly sick. I haven't been sick in years so I guess it was my time but god sure punished me. I ended up taking a couple more days off at home before coming back out. I then ran from Sacramento (where I live) to LA and then back north to Sacramento, then back south to LA and then Back north to Portland. That was the first week and nothing to exciting to take photos of since I've traveled that route hundreds of times before. Once I got up to portland, I took a quick reset at a friends house and I picked up this load going to Louisville, KY. 2300 miles and I still have 350 to go tomorrow before I arrive at the customer.

These 2300 miles have thrown everything at me. From Clear skies to blizzards and tornado warnings. I've had a little bit of everything thrown at me. Anyways, I decided to switch up how I post photos. Usually I take a few of my favorites and post them up and leave a dozen or sometimes a lot more in my collection... I've changed that up and started a Picasa web photo album. I'll be posting all my photos (this time it's about 30) in a album and putting the link down below. This is the first time I've done this so give me some feedback. It's set to be public so you don't have to be a member to view them. You can also post comments but I'm not sure if you have to be a member or not (if you have a google account, just sign in and you're good). If you're not a memember, why not just sign up so you can post comments on a photo of your choice? I'd love to hear what everyone thinks...

Blog Update - 2/28/09

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Chris

New Years Resolutions...

2009-01-06T20:26:00.000-08:00

I guess I started my New Years Resolutions about 3 months ago but I'm going to keep on doing it. I quit eating fast food and drinking soda. For the past 5 years I've been eating fast food daily but it wasn't so hard on me as I kept moving and was always doing things on the weekends when I was working locally and going to school. I rode my mountain bike, dirt bike and did other outdoor hobbies that kept me happy with how I looked... Well, In the last year since I've gotten really serious about trucking and I'm not just out here to see the country, I'm out here to make as much money as I can, I haven't been exercising. I was lazy, parking in the front row, eating Supersized fast food 1-3 times a day. I just didn't care. Well, If I'm going to continue doing this job for the rest of my life, I don't want to be a fat ass. So I woke up one morning and quit it cold turkey. I've given in 3 times since then and had Taco Bell (my absolute favorite...oh man...lol) but I've gotten better and now drink unsweetend Ice tea (yuck, but oh well, it's better than soda) and eat a sit down meal daily. I've gotten used to it and I look forward to it. Sitting down and reading the latest truckers magazine or listening to other drivers tell their stories.

Another resolution? Perhaps I could post more...???

Freezing rain is fun.

Picking up a loaded trailer in Iowa bound for Sacramento.

Blowing snow in Iowa is not fun.

-34 in Minnesota. Bernie, I don't know how you do it. Click on Bernies blog to the right and check out the kind of weather he has to deal with on a regular basis...No thanks!

ICCCCCCCCCY in Wyoming.

It cleared up in Utah and I thought that just maybe I could make it home without playing in anymore snow..........

I was wrong. Nevada was getting hit hard.

If the road is open I will keep on trucking, even if they require chains. So I had to chain up. I drove on snow packed roads for the first 200 miles of Nevada but for about 50miles somewhere around the middle they wanted us to put them on??? The roads were still the same? I was confused but I wanted to make it home for the holidays so I went out and put them on.

Fast forward two weeks and I'm back out Truckin'. I picked up a load here in El Monte, CA this morning. Here I am sitting in the left lane, parked and with my hazards on. I was waiting for.........

The roach coach to leave the clothing factory. He was parked blocking the dock...

I luckily made it on my first try and let all the annoyed cars by me. I was surpised, I only got flipped off and honked at once while blocking the whole road trying to back up...

Right now I'm sitting in Eloy, AZ at the TA for the night and will heading to Texas tomorrow morning. See ya

Chris

P.S. How do you guys know that I was driving when I took those photos of myself without my seat belt on? I was actually parked for those... I always wear my seat belt.

Is it summer yet?????

2008-12-14T20:18:00.000-08:00

Today was amazing... Not amazing as in a nice summer drive through some beautiful part of the country. Instead it was an amazing day of fighting 40mph sidewinds, blowing snow, negative temps, and idiot drivers for over 600 miles... It's amazing how cold it is outside (-19) and people still drive around as if it was normal temps out. People still cut me off, people don't drive with their lights on, people still take their sweet ass time passing me and people still don't use their blinkers... HELLO!!!???? If it was nice and sunny out with dry roads I could stop pretty quick compared to now if you did something stupid in front of me... Now, I'm just going to plow into your family and jack knife for something that wasn't my fault. It amazes me how people can be so stupid... Anyways, heres some photos:

This was shot 10 minutes ago and it's still coming down... It's a blizzard now and my truck is shaking back and forth as if it was a earthquake...

This was taking about 30min ago... Now as I look out the window, the black asphalt is now covered completely by at least 3" of fresh snow.

This what it felt like for 600 miles today... My truck was leaning to the right from a easterly wind. Im used to the truck leaning from all my trips across nebraska, but today I actually twice thought I was going to roll. My super light load (11k) and really strong winds played games with me all day.

Check the flag...

Woohoo!!! Blowing snow whiteout!!! not.

Deep Concentration trying to avoid soccer moms heading to starbucks.

Now wouldn't you think to yourself that it's icy out, snowing, and the trucks must be driving 35mph for a reason? Not this guy, along with countless other dumbass's who decided to pass us and then end up in the ditch... hahahaha - Taken in Iowa two weeks ago.

I-70 eastbound over loveland pass in Vail, CO yesterday.

I-70 eastbound through the Colorado River Canyon which is one of my favorite insterstate sections in the whole country...

Who would of thought that two days ago is was driving through nice weather in Utah... Absolutely beautiful.

Welcome to my office.

Climbing loveland pass with the diff's locked and keeping the RPM's up so that I don't spin out.

I know, I know, I know, I'm a slacker with these updates...

2008-11-27T18:17:00.001-08:00

But I have a good excuse, I've never ran so hard over the past few months as I have here at Schneider. For the past month I've had 4000+ mile weeks which is damn good considering all the restrictions put on a trucker these days. I've been running so hard that it's slowly catching up with me but it's the busy season right before christmas and I want to make as much $$$ as I can... Freight slows down big time after Christmas so I'll be taking 2 days off for Xmas then I'll be home in January for a week or so of much needed time off. Until then, It's all about running hard. For example, 3 days ago I left Laredo texas and drove 1800 miles up here to Carlisle,PA. Tomorrow I'll be getting loaded with beauty products heading to Ohio then it's time to pick up a preloaded trailer bound for Mc Donough,GA (atlanta) then it's back down to Laredo Texas for the 4th time in 3 weeks. Another 4000 mile week coming right up! Bring it on!

Heavy snow and freezing rain last week in Michigan and Ohio turned my nice clean truck into a disaster then I picked up a load in this Powder like dusty yard in Louisana last Saturday and it made it even worse...

That's all dust... more like powder...

This is only a portion of the brand new cars and trucks at the Laredo, TX Border Control HQ

I dropped my truck off at 4 State Trucks, Home of the Chrome Shop Mafia and the TV Show on CMT Called "Trick my Truck" to get a custom stereo installed... Now I can cruise in style with the music turned way up and vibrating everything... I love it.

I should buy a house here cause I roll through there almost on a weekly basis. Dallas, TX.

Running north along the Oregon Coast near Newport, OR.

As soon as I turned east and away from the Beaches I hit some fog through the Tree's heading towards Salem, OR.

South of US93 towards Winnemucca, NV one afternoon with a load of Sugar from Boise, ID.

While it may not be much, this is the first snow I hit in my truck since purchasing it. October 31st - Montana.

More snow in Walcott, IA at Iowa 80. The Worlds Largest Truck Stop.

Try spending two hours searching for an empty trailer in one of the west coast's largest intermodal (rail) yard. I have promised myself and my dispatcher that I will NEVER NEVER NEVER go back to the Los Angeles rail yard. NEVER!!!!

Climbing Ashland grade coming into Medford, OR.

Eric and I hanging out in Missouri a couple weeks ago...

A Sunset in Nevada on US93

Jerod (He drives locally for Schneider out of the Fontana (LA) Terminal. I met up with him for the day and we went to the truck that I posted earlier...

Truck Show, Trains and views from the drivers seat

2008-10-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

I delivered my load of used cardboard box bales to a paper recycling plant out in the middle of nowhere in New Mexico earlier this week. When i was empty I drove out to the side road and parked next to the train tracks in hopes that I would see a train... Little did I know that every 5-10 minutes a train would be coming by... I was having a blast watching the trains pass me...

On my way to the paper plant...

Getting closer...

A BNSF Dash 9 heading east from the Ports on the west coast.

Chugging up the hill heading west with a load of empty containers.

Now this amazes me... 1 truck has a hard enough time pulling ONE of these 44,000lb containers. This train has 100 cars and 2 containers on each car... It's to crazy to think about how much weight these engines are pulling...wow.

In between trains this huge air force plane came zipping over the mountains and made a sharp turn and flew at low elevation through the canyon...

Say hello to me. Las Cruces, NM.

Hot air balloons in Albuquerque, NM

Heading west on I-70 through Colorado towards Denver.

4 out of 5 lanes blocked due to a couple of idiots crashing in the Phoenix, AZ tunnel last night...

I had a friend meet me here at the Fontana, CA terminal this morning and we drove over to Pomona to check out the truck show they had going on... Here's some of my favorites from this show.

Check out this sweet Kenworth W900

A REAL nice Peterbilt 379

This was my favorite truck from the show. The detail on this truck was spectacular.

I really love old retro classics like this nicely kept up Kenworth.

Last night I noticed my truck was casting a nice reflection on the trailer next to me... So I took some cool silhouette photos of me...

I like to sit down pretty low and lean my seat back to get comfortable so this is all you will see of me when you pass me...

Last monday I had to head over to the Chicago rail yard to pick up an emtpy... This is how they load and unload the trailers on the trains.

I like having trucking friends because sooner or later you are bound to run into them going the opposite way. I was heading through Missouri when my phone rang. It was eric and he wanted to know where I was... Well, I was going west and he was going east... So about 45 minutes later I meet him at the truck stop and we were able to hang out for an hour or so before we had to roll... He drives for Werner and has a pretty nice black Kenworth W900 company truck.

I've been busy

2008-10-12T15:38:00.000-07:00

Since signing on to SNI 4 months ago I have been running around this country like a chicken with it's head cut off. I have never run so hard as I have here at SNI and I'm loving it. I was so used to shutting down for the night and taking 12hrs or more off (10hrs is required) because I was never in a rush. Lately with the exception of a few days, I've been leaving as soon as my 10hrs is up and running full 11hrs a day with only stopping once to fuel. Theres many days I do 750 miles a day and if it wasn't for the regulations that say I can't drive more than 11 hours, I would keep going. I get in those moods while listening to a CD cranked all the way up, the windows down and a clear road in front of me. If I could choose to drive all night long all the time I would. I've seen most of this country now and it's real beautiful and everything, but nothing beats the wide open road at night, all alone in the middle of nowhere. No 4 wheelers cutting me off or hiding in my blind spot. No stopping in traffic and usually the weight stations are closed. I enjoy staring at the trucks going the opposite way littered in LED lights on the truck and trailer, or the team drivers cruising on down the road with their bunk light on and a TV. I love my job and I don't ever want to do anything else. This is my home, the open road.

Pulled off along I-17 North in Flagstaff, AZ a couple weeks ago after getting my truck washed at the famous Danny's Truck Spa in Phoenix, AZ.

My dash all lit up at night.

I picked up a 2900 mile load from Otay Mesa (San Diego, the drop point for all Northbound loads from Mexico to California) and while heading to New Jersey, I stopped in Indianapolis for the night to meet up with Pat. He's the whole reason I came to Schneider and the reason I bought my Peterbilt 386. He has the same truck except green and his is all done up in chrome and special touches like pinstriping and new vinyl decals.

Another day comes to a close...

Anyone that knows me well, knows that I really like Trains. Well, I was sent to American freight car in Roanoke, VA a couple days ago and it was awesome. It is Norfolk Southerns repair facility and factory where they build new rail cars. It was loud with bells, sirens, horns and the sound of tools going off. Huge cranes were lifting up new hopper cars and moving them around the factory. I was fascinated by everything around me. I really wish I could of walked around to check things out...

An upside down hopper car frame fresh out of the paint shop...

A rainy ride of a twisty road in West Virginia, I think...

While unloading the rail parts I had picked up the day before, I was in St. Joeseph, MO at Herzog while these two choppers flew over. They sounded damn cool...

The leaves are changing in New Hampshire a couple weeks ago...

The rain stopped and the sun came out for just long enough to blind me... haha

I've come around this turn on Donner Pass 100's of times in my pickup and a lot in a big rig... Just never as fast as this...

To keep you happy until I update again, go on over to Bernies blog @ http://ihasablog.blogspot.com/ . He's back on the road running for TransX. He lives in Canada and runs down to USA and back up north. His updates are HUGE and very funny... Check it out!

Chris

New Video...

2008-09-21T22:02:00.001-07:00

Well, I just installed a copy of Adobe Premiere CS3 on my laptop. I noticed earlier that my Video camera stopped working for some reason so I did some research and ordered a new Canon HD camera. Next time I go home I will pick it up and start making some videos for all of you... Until then, I got antsy and just wanted to make something, so I threw together this photo slideshow. Some of the photos you have seen, others you have not. Take a look and let me know!

Sitting in Slohio... get it.... SLOW + OHIO = SLOHIO... haha

2008-09-15T19:35:00.000-07:00

This is where I unloaded this afternoon... Another heavy paper load for Green Bay Packaging (located in Ohio, not Wisconsin)

This is called a Dock Lock. It locks the truck/trailer to the customers building. It's meant to keep a truck from pulling away with a forklift in it. It's damn annoying when they forget to unlock you and you try to leave...grrr

I was up in Green Bay... again. That was the 3rd time in two weeks for warranty work for my truck... I once again after a week of sweating it out I now have Air Conditioning!!!! I'm stoked. Anyways, I was driving around Green bay, I went to the Packers stadium (BORING!!!) Yeah, I'm not really into sports... but I came across the Wisconsin Railroad Museum and had to stop. It was great. It's nothing compared to the Sacramento Railroad museum but it still had a ton of locomotives and cars that you could go in. In Sac, you can go in a couple but for the most part you just look in the windows. Not so at this place, you could walk through them, on them and under them. It was great.

This SNI trailer on a rail car is what made me notice this place. Even if the museum wasn't good, all I really wanted to see was this. I was surprised after seeing this how big of a place this was.

Schneider donated this trailer... It's a bit weird how a donated trailer has better tires than then trailer I'm pulling around now...

Out back they had a tower that rose above the trees. In the distance I spotted the Packer stadium...

Theres my truck!

Check out how big the "BIG BOY" Steam locomotive is compared to the guy down below. This thing was HUGE! I bet it was just awesome to be inside while rolling down the rails. I've said it before, if I wasn't a steering wheel holder, I'd be sitting in a train...

I wonder what that knob does...

They also had a really nice HO layout...

It rained the whole weekend in Green Bay so there were a lot of mud puddles in the yard... This driver who's hooking up to a trailer didn't want to get the interior of his truck dirt so he put his feet in plastic bags... hahahahahahaha

See Ya
Chris

New photos

2008-09-07T15:03:00.001-07:00

I'm going to just get down to the good stuff right away this time...

Here I am blocking a busy road in Laurium, Michigan for over an hour while I was getting some Coors beer unloaded.

Texas has these damn Lovebugs flying around right now... My truck has been destroyed by these stupid bugs... They don't come off very easy either...

Last week I had a whole bunch of things installed on my truck including the CAT Messenger Computer on the dash (below the guages). It shows a variety of engine read outs including fuel mileage... I really like it.

Parked next to one of the original Schneider Trucks.

Sitting for the day at my friend Curtis's house in Albany, OR. In my opinion Gordon has the best looking company trucks in the country. When I drove for Gordon and I was on the Target fleet, I was at his house parked just like this every other day... I miss those days.

I don't EVER stop in rest area's. I don't like them and they don't have a place to eat and normally the restrooms are pretty nasty, not to mention the creeps that hang around them too. Well, theres this one rest area that we stopped at when my mom and I were traveling across the country in our RV about 12 years ago that I stop at each and every time I travel across I-70 eastbound in Utah. If you were following my blog when I drove for gordon, you will remember me posting photos of this place back then. Well, I was lucky enough to run through there a couple weeks ago and I had to stop. It's one of the most beautiful rest area's in the country. It overlooks a huge valley and you can walk right up to the hundred foot cliff and look over the ledge. I was there around sunset and it was awesome. Check these photos out.

Lake Shasta looks a bit low this year...

Need a Container Trailer? The Port of Long Beach has just a couple for you...

This reminds me of my Chip Truck hauling days... I wonder what was inside that Schneider trailer that is being dumped out???

Traveling along I-70 Eastbound in Utah.

Parked at Curtis's house in Albany, OR.

-Chris

I need some idea's...

2008-08-16T20:33:00.001-07:00

What would you like to see more of on my blog? I'm currently working on taking photos of my loads although sometimes the trailer is already loaded and sealed so I can't open the door to snap a shot and other times I'm not allowed to take a photo of it on a customers property. I think it would be interesting to take requests from you guys, the readers. Do you have any questions for me? Any photos you want more of? Anything? I'm in need of some new idea's because the same old photos of me going down the road is getting a bit old for me and probably you as well... So send me an email: truckerchris@gmail.com or leave a comment here.

The I-10 Corridor is awesome. I really enjoy driving in Texas, New Mexico and Arizona on 10. Usually besides the bigger cites theres hardly anyone out there except for trucks and it's not one big race. You can actually hang out in the right lane for awhile before having to pass somebody... I like that.

I haven't had a white knuckle ride like last night for a loooooong time. I was about 50 miles east of El Paso, TX last night and I could see a big storm in the distance lighting up the sky with lightning bolts. It looked to be a bit to the north of El Paso and I was hoping I could beat it since I'm running real light and didn't want to have to fight the wind. Well, I made it to El Paso just as soon as the sun was going down and I realized the storm was right in the middle of the interstate between Las Cruces, NM and El Paso, TX. The section is notorious for having strong winds during perfect weather and now I was going to head into it at night in a thunderstorm! Just as I had thought I hit it and I hit it HARD! The wind started first from a couple gusts that moved me around a little bit. Now understand this. I'm Driving in a 80 foot long sailboat. When a gust of wind hits me I have to fight it hard by steering into it. Then comes the rain and then more rain and then a monsoon. The Billboards along the road with the bright lights and the car going east with their lights on (DON'T DRIVE WITH YOUR HIGH BEAMS ON PEOPLE!!!!!!) made it near impossible to see with the windshield wipers that wouldn't keep up. Right now I'm hauling a load of Whirlpool fridges and I must not have very many of them as I'm really light. I haven't ever thought about pulling off the road because of a storm but this one I sure did. But what was I supposed to do? Pull over and get hit from a car or truck behind me? Pull over and get blown over because of the wind? I had no choice other than to keep going. Well, I eventually made it out and just as quick as it started it was behind me. Thank god. The lightning show in my rearview mirrors were awesome. I continued down the road, turned up the music and opened an ice cold soda. This is trucking, and I love it.

A smaller cloud opening up in Texas.

Running on two lane roads through the back country is one of my favorite things to do. I'm really into those abandoned buildings that scatter the roads from times when the road was the main route across the country. Now, the interstates have come along and wiped these places out. I like reading the graffiti, looking through what people have left and just wondering what it was like when these places were bustling with people. Here I am parked along US90 in Texas, real close to the Mexico Border.

A buzzard circling above me while on the side of the road. It was 110 outside, maybe he was waiting for me to pass out from the heat?

A border control lock on a gate in the middle of nowhere.

Along U90 and other United States/Mexico border roads theres a fire road that runs along side the road. It's usually perfectly smooth as the border patrol grades and smooths it out constantly. I found out it's so smooth because when they come and inspect it daily the are looking for footprints!

Trucks and Trains, my two favorite things.

It's time to go home...

2008-08-11T09:12:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I'm missing home right now and I couldn't be in a worse place. I'm in Mount Pocono, PA just about as far east as you can get from Sacramento... I think it's the fact that it's 49 degrees outside and I actually had to turn my bunk heater on for a little bit. It's August, what's up with this rainy and cold weather?

Anyways, I ended up taking a reset here at a motel in Mt. Pocono. The hotel was pretty run down but it turned out to be real nice staying there. I ended up meeting some people who are renting a room out for awhile at the motel and spent saturday night hanging out with them on the patio while consuming some adult beverages...haha. It was nice to get out of the truck and actually talk to some people. The hotel was built in the early 50's and the current owners are trying to fix it up but it's in a great location. Theres about 20 rooms and over 50 acres of nice green grass looking over above the trees. Their porch overlooked New Jersey in the distance. It was a nice night and it was warm, at about 75 degrees. When I woke up the next morning it was nasty and rainy but it was interesting sitting outside watching the clouds roll in and the lightning and thunder in the distance....

The Costco DC in Morris, IL gives you this transponder that goes off when they are done unloading you. It's exactly like what they give you when you go to a restruant back at home... Pretty cool.

A Tunnel on I-77 (I think)

This is exactly where I'm parked right now except now it's pouring down rain...

The Ameristar casino in Kansas City, MO... It's right around the corner from the SNI yard. It's HUGE inside and reminds me of Ceasars Palace in Las Vegas.

Backed up inside a building and getting loaded near Chicago, IL. I almost took my mirror off on the building... doh

Picking up an empty trailer at the Nissan Factory in Mississippi.

Another Nissan photo

Lookin' good in Kansas

Ever seen the Show on CMT called "Trick My truck"? This is where it used to be filmed at. The Home of the Chrome Shop Mafia but too bad they were closed... I was sad.

The "Mob Sled" displayed as their sign right across from the Joplin Petro in Joplin, MO exit 4 off of I-44

A Wrecked and a Burned down Schneider company trucks at the Dallas, TX Terminal.

Photo blow out!!!

2008-07-22T15:39:00.000-07:00

Well, for some reason over the last few months I haven't been taking any photos. That all seemed to change yesterday as I shot over 150 of them!!! So after editing them and picking the ones I liked best, I'm now going to post my fav's below... Let me know what you think!. By the way, I will take more interior shots in the future after I have the inside all done. It's cluttered right now because I don't have my fridge put in yet (It will go in next time I'm home) and I'm using an old coleman cooler that sits on the floor taking up valuable floorspace...

This is my dash. 12 Guages (more will be added in the future!) and 16 switches... You can never have too many!

Rockwood stuff is great...

The blue thing is the prepass (weigh station bypass) and ezpass (toll road transponder). Theres a clock/date/temp computer on top of the dash, XM radio below that, rockwood cell phone holder, and Garmin GPS...

The best part of all is my RCI 2950. I traded my Cobra 200 to a friend for this... I love it!

I had these hub/lug nut covers on the gordon truck...

100,000 miles in 1 month? I'm getting the miles that's for sure!!! haha

This is my bedroom. The upper bunk folds up halfway to create a shelf, theres my flat screen tv, I'm going to get a microwave for the top shelf and an inverter soon. Those are little storage holes around the roofline above the bunk... Can't figure out what to put up there yet... Under the TV theres 6 pull out trays and containers... Theres a HUGE empty spot under the bed where I'm going to be putting two 12" subwoofers in the future... I can't wait!

These are my sleeper controls. Theres a built in alarm clock that is worthless, APU Thermostat controls, a switch to turn my non existent fridge on and off and AC controls which are pretty much useless because of the APU... haha

My truckers!!!!

Coming down Cabbage in Oregon.

Still going down...

Yup, still going down.....

That's a walmart truck coming down the hill behind me...

That's a Coca Cola trucking heading east up the mountain... He must of been empty as he was hauling A$$!!!

Coming down Snoqualmie in Washington, east of Seattle.

Theres a real nice Ford GT150 heading down the hill next to me... That car costs more than my truck!

All those white dots are trucks winding their way up the mountain on I90 through Washington.

Chris

7/19/08

2008-07-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

Just a few clarifications for those of you who left comments. For those of you who don't leave any feedback, please do! I like reading your thoughts, good and bad.

1. I am LEASING my truck to Schneider, not leasing from Schneider. It's an open contract. I can take my truck and lease it on to another company any time I feel like it and same goes for schneider. They can terminate my lease whenever they please.

2. The reason why I chose Schneider was because of a friend of mine who is around my age and also has been contracted to SNI for the past few years. He's in the same financial situations that I am in and he's doing really good. I don't own a house, I don't have kids, I don't have a car payment and I live at home. My only expenses besides truck related bills are a cell phone bill, food costs, a small dirt bike payment and that's it. I have enough money saved up to make truck payments for quite sometime if something doesn't work out right.

3. I am using SNI as a stepping stone into the O/O side of trucking. I want to eventually in a couple years find a specialized carrier of some sort to run for and make more money. I realize that SNI doesn't pay the best compared too other carriers but their fuel surcharge works for me. The people I've dealt with so far have been nicer than anyone in the trucking industry that I've ever spoken too and it's great to have not one, but three awesome dispatchers. I don't ever really have to call them up, but when I do I'm greeted real nice and they ask how I'm doing and basically "What's up?". That is definently a change from others I've had in the past where I wanted to reach through the phone and strangle them.

4. I appreciate everyone's comments about my decision to become and O/O and lease to SNI, but if you want to be rude all I ask is that you email me instead of posting under anonymous and hiding behind the screen like those CB rambo's on the road. I do have family that reads this blog and would expect the comments to be clean. You don't need to agree with me with everything I say, but please don't swear. Thanks.

This was taken earlier today while running north on 491 around the New Mexico / Colorado border.

Another one from the same area

Yup, another one...

Heres one of those tiny Mercedes Hybrid? Car behind a fuel guzzling motorhome... Yup, he's blocking the fuel island...

Picture this... A young guy and girl around 18 or so are driving in this beat up 4 wheel drive. The doors are cut low like those jeep rock crawlers have them and they teens look a bit hickish. The girl is spitting her chew out the side of the truck every 10 seconds and she spits one time and it goes all over the trucks door. She looks down at it and then starts laughing and does it again. That's about as redneck
as you can get for Auburn, Washington!

Chris

I moved on...

2008-07-06T17:20:00.000-07:00

It's been almost a month since my last post and I've been up to a whole lot! For starters, I cleaned out my CFI truck 2 weeks ago in West Memphis, AR. CFI just didn't work out for me. I'm not going to bad mouth because I have spoken to quite a few current cfi drivers who are getting great miles and have no complaints but for me it wasn't so. I never hit it off with my driver manager and that was probably the biggest reason for me turning the truck in. I'm happy I drove for CFI and I don't regret it but it a shame it didn't work out.

Anyways, I have some HUUUUUUUUUUGE news. Many of you already know, but for those of you who don't....

I'm now driving for Schneider National. Yes, I am pulling an orange trailer behind me and I'm still running 48 states but theres a bit more to the story. I decided that after driving for GTI and CFI, that being told what to do and how to do and not having any control over anything was not for me. When you're a company driver, all you do is drive the truck and draw lines in your logbook. Usually you don't have any control of where you're going and how many miles you are getting weekly.

I made the jump that every single trucker has thought about and while many have done what I did, many have not. I am now an Owner Operator who is leasing my services (and truck) to Schneider National based out of Green Bay, WI. Schneider is the biggest Company in the United states with over 14,000 trucks and 40,000+ trailers. No matter where I am, whether it be a walmart Distribution center or a super small shipper, theres a bunch of orange Schneider trailers sitting there. That means they have one of the largest freight bases in all of trucking. More Customers = More Freight = Less sitting = Me being happy!!!

I purchased a 2007 Peterbilt 386 with 90,128 miles. Not a lot by truck standards as you can generally average 120,000+ miles each year. It's very clean and practically brand new inside. It's powered by a 475hp / 1650ft lbs tq Caterpillar engine mated to a Eaton 13spd transmission with 3.36 gears and 22.5LP tires. This truck SCREAMS!!! Although to run smart is to run slow. The faster I drive the more money I blow out my exhaust stack (wasted fuel). Anyways, there will be more talk later, but here's what everyone has been waiting for, the PHOTO'S!!!!!

This photo show's the color a lot better. It's called "Radiant Red" which is a Dark Red Metallic.

All the white lettering will be coming off and replaced with new different colored decals...

This is the best part of the whole truck. When you idle the engine for heating/AC/Power you waste a Gallon of fuel an hour. Since fuel prices are so high many people are specing their new trucks and adding these things to their older ones. It's an "APU" Auxiliary Power Unit which provides, heating, cooling and power at as little as 1/10th of a gallon an hour which is a savings of almost 50 bucks a night (10 hours). It runs off the trucks fuel tanks and coolant. It heats the coolant in the engine to make for nice starts of cold weather nights. It also has a thermostat controller in the sleeper that you can set the temp to your liking.

Sitting next to the river (photo below) off of US90 in Texas.

Coming into Moab, UT.

All alone heading into a Storm in New Mexico

Another late afternoon Summertime thunderstorm in the Mountains above Salt Lake City yesterday.

Time for bed, I have to get up at 2am to make my delivery in Auburn, WA by 7am. Since last saturday (8 days) I have ran 5196 miles... I'm really impressed with Schneider. They like to keep you running!!! I'm happy.

Chris

Update...

2008-06-10T18:42:00.001-07:00

Yeah, sorry about the lack of updates. I haven't taken ONE photo since last time I updated the blog, but that's all about to change.... in a couple weeks. BIG, BIG, BIIIIIG news coming in the next couple weeks and I'm really excited about what I have in the works. I'm not going to say anything until I know for sure, but in the mean time, check out this short trucking video.

Random photos from today...

2008-05-25T18:26:00.000-07:00

I left NY and headed empty to Connecticut this morning. It was a nice drive but man, people in the Northeast driver slow!!! I'm governed at 65mph which means I can't go any faster than 65 unless I'm coasting down a hill. I got stuck behind a pack of cars going 50-55 all day today. I spent more time passing than I did in the right lane...hmmm... Everyone must of been full from all the bbq's going on over this weekend and they were very tired for the drive home... I guess. My load is ready and is only going 450 miles west to Buffalo, NY so I'm in no hurry. It delivers tuesday morning at 7am, so I'm going to get up in the morning and start making my way west. At least I'm rolling over monday and will be getting a load on tuesday when everything opens back up... Anyways, here's the photos and a video!

***Click on the video and wait for it to load***

Usually all I hear all day long when I'm sitting in a truck stop or at a customer is engine noise or the normal sounds of a busy city or factory. I decided to park for the night backed into a deadend road with a greenbelt to my left. It was about 75 out today but I parked in the shade with the windows down and it was very nice. It was very nice to hear birds chirping, something we truckers don't get to hear very often... Click on the video to start playing

This is where I'm currently parked...

My Freightliner at gordon had a slide out desk which was nice to use as a computer stand. This Kenworth doesn't have anything like that, so this is how I use the computer. Welcome to my office!

Meet my trucks big red butt.

I'm still undecided if I like how my truck looks. Sometimes it's ugly and sometimes it's mean looking... It seems to look good from a small car view... Don't cut off trucks so this won't be in your rear view mirror!

I got some red load light covers for the lights on back of the cab. Now I can be like all the square nosed owner op's!

The price of Diesel fuel in Upstate New York!!!!!!

Entering Massachusetts this afternoon...

oops, a bit late on this one...

Have a good memorial day!
Chris

WOW, what a drive!!!

2008-05-23T18:54:00.000-07:00

Today was awesome. I started my morning in Verona, New York and headed west to the Budweiser factory in Baldwinsville,NY. I dropped my empty trailer and then Bobtailed (no trailer) to Albany, NY and then North on I-87 to Plattsburgh,NY where I'm currently shut down for the night. This is my first time this far east. Yesterday I went through Ohio, Pennsylvania, and then into NY. It was a first for all three. Now, I've been to New York City as a kid and that's all I remember from NY. I was under the impression that the second I entered NY, I would be in traffic traveling along the interstate all the way through NY. WRONG!!!! The turnpike (toll road) is in top notch shape with nice green grass and tall trees. It's an absolute blast to drive and I'm really enjoying my time up here. I'm parked at a little truck stop off I-87 and I'm in the very back of the lot, in a corner next to a forest. As soon as I step out of my truck I'm standing in green grass and the smell of the forest hits me. That's a lot different than a downtown truck stop in some big city that stinks of urine and idling trucks. I'm hoping to get a load out of here in the morning to keep me rolling over the holiday weekend. Where will I go from here? Check back next time...

***Remember to click on the photos to open them up full size!***

Got CFI?

Just north of Laredo, Texas at the Border checkpoint.

A real nice Maserati with mexico plates...

A bit later that day in Dallas, TX I spotted this Bentley driven by some rich old guy..lol

A Texas Sunset

Another trip through Saint Louis.

First time to Ohio in a big truck...

Same for Pennsylvania.

Yup, New York too...

That's Lake Erie in the distance.

In NY, on the turnpike, they run turnpike doubles. Double trailers in California consist of two 28ft trailers. Here in NY, they run two 48ft trailers. Now, that has to be heavy. Since they are so big they can't go on the city streets. Most major exits have turnouts where the drivers stop and break up the doubles so that another truck can pick up the second trailer and then they both travel to their destination.

Lots of people heading north to the mountains or Canada for the holiday weekend.

I love this kind of scenery.

A lake in the Adirondack Mountains...

Have a good weekend everyone!

Chris

Tour #2

2008-05-15T10:39:00.001-07:00

I arrived at home last Wednesday and left on monday morning. Hometime went great and it was nice to get on the bike after a couple of months being stuck in the truck. I rode 3 of the 4 days and put around 80 new miles on the bike. The snow has finally melted and my favorite place to ride opened up once again for the summer. I hung out with some friends as if I had never left and by sunday night it was time to come out on the road. I would never of thought, but on the second day of being home I started to miss the truck. For the last two months It's been go, go, go and then to come home and not have anything planned was really different. I started back into the old groove of the road and I'm happy.

I have about 20 new photos to post up, but there's a problem. I always take photos for a reason but some of them I don't remember why I pulled the camera out and snapped a shot. (Reminder to self, update the blog more often so this doesn't happen!)

I arrived here in Laredo, Texas after a nice 1800 mile run from Woodland, CA hauling HP Computer parts. I'll be leaving for Fort Worth, Texas in a couple hours. Anyways, here's the photos!

***REMINDER, CLICK ON THE PHOTOS TO MAKE THEM LARGER!***

In Otay Mesa, CA (San Diego) we pickup and drop trailers bound for mexico for the Mexican drivers to pickup and deliver in mexico and vice versa. Well, you are required to take out all the lights on the trailer so people don't steal them. The Workers take them out, but the driver have to put them back in. I won't go into that much detail about it, but it SUCKS!!!!

This was on a truck parked next to me in Kansas City, MO... hahahaha

This is at 6am on May 1st just south of Denver, CO.

This is only 3hrs later at 9am... Snow in May? WTF?????

The day before the snow and about 60 miles North of Denver, it was 75 outside and the day ended with this nice sunset. I'm thinking Denver must be a major Airline hub...

Pretty sure this is I-25 South one morning in New Mexico.

A couple of post ago, I put up a photo of the new Conway trailers with the blue stripes that swoop up towards the top of the front of the trailers... Well, I guess it has since changed and this is the NEW, NEW, NEW trailer logo layout.

A Heyl truck heading south into Denver with a storm brewing to the east. "

This makes me laugh... hahahahahahahahaha

Yesterday in Texas on 285.

Sunrise in New Mexico.

One of the many border checkpoints along any road or highway that borders or heads out of Mexico. This one is on I-8 east of San Diego.

I think this is Octillo Wells Sand Dunes east of San Diego on Interstate 8. There were some people riding dirt bikes and quads on the dunes... I was jealous.

A whole bunch of nothing...

This puppy came to visit me in San Diego... He belonged to the truck in front of me. I think he wanted to get out and just walk around as much as I wanted to do. He jumped back in his truck because once you see one warehouse district, you have seen them all...lol

It's about that time...

2008-04-28T18:41:00.000-07:00

I've been telling myself since day one that I was going to stay out on the road for my first "tour" for as long as I want. I wasn't going to put a time limit on being out here running around. If you asked me yesterday if I wanted to come home, I would of said "not yet". Well, I woke up this morning, delivered my load and drove over here to the Flying J truck stop in Kansas City, MO for a 34hr restart. After I pulled in and parked I popped open this computer and haven't closed it for the last 8hrs. I started looking at old youtube videos of all our trips to go riding and snowmobiling. Right then and there I said to myself "It's about that time, I'm coming home" and I put in my Hometime request.

CFI's policy on home time is 1 day for every 7 days out and a minimum of 10 days out before you can request to go home. Well, I've been out here for 6 weeks (5 weeks driving + 1 week Orientation) so I have six days off. They let you "bank" your days off, meaning I can go home for 3 days and save the other 3 days off for a time when I need them. My plan right now is to take 4 days off and save the rest for later. "

CFI hometime is guaranteed to get you home within 5 days of requesting it, no matter if you're loaded or empty. So I should be home this weekend. You better watch out, I can't wait to jump on my dirt bike and break in the new trails that were covered in snow 6 weeks ago!

This is where I delivered "Epoxy Resin Plastic Granules Pellets or Powder" in 44 separate 1000lb bulk bags. I picked it up at DOW Chemical in Freeport, TX. This wasn't the easiest back to do as you can see from the fence that people have driven over to try to get the trailer lined up to the dock...

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE PLEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEASE drop this truck in the driveway at home... Oh man, this truck is sick!!!

I found this photo of a CFI Drivers messageboard website. CFI used to sponsor a big rig racing team that did drags and the yearly pikes peak hill climb event. I don't think this red racer is governed at 65mph...

-Trucker Chris, Over n out.

Rollin', rollin', rollin'...

2008-04-23T19:00:00.001-07:00

Finally, I'm getting some descent miles! Yesterday and today were both 650+ mile days which is nice to get out and stretch my legs on the open road once again. I left McDonough,GA and headed west to Tuscaloosa,LA last night where I spent the night and watched the amazing lightning storm before heading off to bed. I woke up this morning and continued my trek to Dallas, where I dropped off my load of Craftsman sit down lawn mowers to the Sears distribution center and then headed 15 miles south to the CFI Terminal in Lancaster, TX.

I had just enough time to fuel up and fill out some much needed and very late paperwork (oops!) before being dispatched to "dead head" which means running empty to West Memphis, TN. That's over 450 miles EMPTY which is very out of the ordinary. Usually a company will dead head you 100 miles or less to get a load but today there were no loads available in the greater Dallas,TX area and a ton of loads available with no drivers in Memphis. I arrived here in West Memphis (CFI Terminal) and was dispatched to RELAY, which means to pick up a load which is already inroute. Which in this case the load is a Conway load (lots of different freight inside of a trailer going to a Conway terminal to be split up and put in different trucks bound for different parts of the country) heading to the Lancaster CFI Terminal. So tomorrow morning I "flip a U" and head back the way I came.

Here I am crossing the Mississippi heading westbound on I-20.

A nasty storm cloud which didn't produce more than one rain drop on my windshield in Alabama on I-20.

A HUGE windmill blade.

These are my favorite kind of stretches of road. I like it when you can't see the other side of the highway. It's usually blocked by trees on both sides of you which makes for a cool drive and lots to look at.

Self Portrait.

I also really enjoy elevate sections of interstate. There seems to be a lot of these here out east.

Anyone want a Helicopter?

Oh man, I was bored... lol

So I may just be a bit crazy...

I'm trying this out for the first time. It's a video of the lightning storm last night. Let me know how it works and if you would like more videos.

Broke down in Texas.

2008-04-14T10:38:00.000-07:00

I broke down while getting off the freeway in Brenham, TX on friday night. Everything was fine until I came to a complete stop and tried moving forward. My Truck stumbled on itself, a check engine light came on and the truck was blowing gobs of black smoke like a steam train. Luckily the customer was in my sights only about a 1/4 mile down the road. So I was unloaded and gave road service a call. Supposedly I blew a EGR (exhaust gas recirculation) valve. I guess it happens alot with these cummin's motors. On saturday morning I was towed by a little tiny tow truck (photos below) to Houston Peterbilt. They said they wouldn't be able to work on me until wednesday or thursday of next week. Roadservice then said to drive 30 more miles north to Cleveland,TX where I'm at right now. Performance Kenworth says that they will have me diagnosed and parts ordered today around noon. Hopefully I'll be able to get out of here tomorrow or wednesday. Things here at CFI are starting out really slow. I hope my miles improve in the coming weeks.

When I was waiting for the tow truck to arrive, I was looking forward to riding in a big peterbilt wrecker with my truck in tow. When this little truck showed you I said "You got to be %*%&%(#W)# kidding me" haha

A storm rolls in while loading misc. parts for the Peterbilt Factory in Texas.

Getting unloaded at the Peterbilt Factory in Denton, TX.

A nice wet welcome to Kansas City, MO.

Then came the hail and traffic jams...

Loading up a brand new trailer. Eventually the trucks will be white with those same blue stripes on the tractor.

This is why I want a GPS. I missed a turn in Paris, TX and ended up taking the business route through town. I hope trucks were allowed on this route...doh!

Pulling into the Inspection bay at the Company Headquarters in Joplin,MO. The LED sign welcomes each driver to the yard.

Compared to Gordon's headquarters even though CFI and GTI are pretty much the same size, CFI's HQ's are HUGE!

Another end to a nice day in the truck...

While waiting to get loaded some drivers like to grab a bite to eat nearby, some like to sleep and I take stupid pictures...lol

Wonder why this airplane is parked in front of this house? Just a wee bit odd...

Over and out!
Chris

3 weeks can't come soon enough...

2008-04-07T10:57:00.000-07:00

I just put my name on the 3 week backorder list for the brand new Teletype WorldNav 7100 GPS designed specifically for Commercial trucks. I heard about it months ago that a company was coming out with a trucker gps that routes you around tolls, lower bridges, restricted routes, etc. Well, The first batch sold out in ONE day! So I called up today and hopefully I'll have mine by the time I go home... I hope! Check it out here:

New photos from the last couple days...

2008-04-05T19:57:00.001-07:00

I'm going to get right down to the good stuff tonight...

This is where I got my CB tuned up... It was a hole in the wall but the husband and wife that run the "CB shop" were very nice and my CB is working great!

Do you like my shiny hiney?

A Central Freight peterbilt with SPINNA'S!

Coming into St. Louis today...

A HUGE oversize load. It was a really nice brand new yacht... Maybe he could drop it off at my house?

Taco bell and subway at the same truckstop? I AM IN HEAVEN!!!

This trailer is fitted with fairings that help direct the flow of air around the trailer and improves fuel mileage. Also, it has electric landing gear which is pretty cool. First time I've ever used one. UPS has it on their fleet of trucks.

How many "trucker bombs" (pee bottles) can you count?

Roadking published a link to my gordon blog...

Check this out, RoadKing Magazine published a photo and link about my GORDON blog!!! Roadking is a magazine put out by TA truckstops. Go pick one up!

Sitting here in Chicago....

2008-04-04T17:15:00.000-07:00

and it's just a wee bit chillly outside... Well, it's colder than Texas was that's for sure. I delivered this morning in Waukegan just north of Chicago and unloaded my 36,000lbs of Ziploc baggies. I pick up a Conway Freight load tomorrow morning bound for Newark, NJ. This will be my first time going any farther east than Chicago on I-80 and I'm a bit nervous but now that I think about it, I was damn nervous the first time I went to Chicago. Although, now that I've been here about 5 times Chicago is easy and the traffic is just an annoyance. So, there's a first for everything and I'm headed east! CFI Pays 5cents more per mile if you run in the northeast so that's very good and Hopefully I will get a run south or west from Newark. I'm kinda looking forward to heading west to familiar territory once again.

I remember this stretch of road from our RV trips we took each summer. It was around 8-9 years ago since I was last here...

Mississippi really takes care of their roads. I-55 north was a dream to drive on.

I was shut down at the Memphis, TN Kenworth dealership getting some work done for about a half day on wednesday. While waiting to get my truck worked on, I ended up splurging a bit on floor mats... eek

So much for driving a 18 wheeler....

2008-03-30T18:44:00.000-07:00

No, I'm not driving a 10 wheel dump truck, I'm driving a 10 wheel 18 wheeler... Sounds wierd, but CFI along with a bunch of other companies are now running "Super Singles" in which 1 tire takes the place of two. For example, instead of my tractor having 10 tire/wheels it only has 6 and my trailer only has 4 instead of 8. It saves weight since your eliminating the extra weight from wheels are tires. I've heard good and bad, so I'll have to make a decision for myself.

We rolled into the Lancaster (dallas) Texas terminal yesterday after renting a 2008 Pontiac Grand Prix and driving out from Phoenix. The ride was nice, especially because of the 80mph speed limit... We were FLYING! I drove the whole way while gary, who I had orientation with told me about his 1 million miles of safe driving... It's almost as if he told me them 1 mile at a time... He never shut up! haha.

I was assigned at 2006 Kenworth T600 with a Cummins ISX and 13spd tranny. I can compare this truck to a BMW and the freightliner I drove at Gordon to a Honda. This truck is NICE!!!

I was lucky enough to get a short load going to Conroe, TX (200 miles) delivering at 5am tomorrow morning and then the last drop in Houston (40 miles) at 8am. It's not the longest run but it let me get used to how the truck handles and how it shifts. I have lots more to learn but this is a start!

These are Super Singles.

The front wheels are coated with the "Dura Brite" Finish which will make them shine as if they were polished with just some water. The rears and tanks on the other hand are going to take some work to get all shiny...

Real nice newer style dash...

mmm, 13 speed mmm...

Trucker Chris signing out!

I'm off to Dallas!

2008-03-28T10:27:00.000-07:00

Yup, thats right. I was officially hired by Conway Trucking last night. I got the OK from Joplin, MO HQ's and will be sent to the Lancaster, TX (dallas) terminal today. It's about a 15hr or so drive from phoenix and Conway is getting me a fullsize rental car for the drive. We are paid half our normal paid miles for the drive. Any little bit helps!

We went through a TON of paper work and were given a "Conway Bible", which is a binder full of Conway info such as benefits, procedures, and policy's. Compared to GTI, Conway requires a TON more paper work but one of the plus's is that we get to choose our own route between destinations. We don't have to follow a routing plan like at gordon, so I can stay on the interstate or run the back roads, it's all up to me!

I will talk more about everything in the coming weeks as I was overloaded with paperwork and procedures this week. Conway has a "real" open door policy. It's not like other carriers where when you want to talk to your fleet manager and are asked to stand behind the glass window and speak to him/her through it. Conway let's you walk into the "control center" which closely resembles the space shuttle control room and walk right up to your fleet manager, sit down, and shoot the shit with them. You can even pick up a headset and listen to the crap that they have to deal with from other drivers. On back of one of the notebooks we received at orientation is a list of HOME, yes I said, HOME phone numbers of the CEO and other head honcho's... Pretty cool I thought.

Until next time, keep the rubber side down and the shiny side up!
Chris

This is the hotel that Orientation was held at. Brand new and very nice.

The court yard in the middle of the hotel with a nice pool.I went swimming a couple times and it was nice too cool off after a long day of signing your life away.

Even though there is a Waffle House, Jack in the Box, Arbys and Burger King across the street, this is where I blew most of my money... On junk haha.

Day 1 of Orientation....

2008-03-24T18:00:00.000-07:00

I flew into Phoenix,AZ yesterday evening and realized why I drive trucks and not fly airplanes. I have logged around 300 flights since I was born and flying was always fun and exciting. This trip was a whole different story and I realized that I need to have my feet planted on the ground at all times. I don't know if it's because I've gotten older and watched a lot more of those crash documentary's on TV or 9/11, but flying isn't for me anymore. Anyways, the flight was uneventful and smooth most of the way. It was cool to fly over Tahoe and realize how many mountains there are left for me to go snowmobiling next winter!

Orientation for Conway Truckload is 5 days and everyone from the west coast gets bussed in or flown in to Phoenix. The hotel is brand new which is very nice and with the exception of the Physical and driving test, everything is done in the Conference room. I'm only the 2nd class to be taught here in Phoenix so there are still some stuff to work out but the instructor dean is great and so far so good.

We filled out some paperwork and then was whisked away to the Clinic for a new health card and physical. From there we went to the Flying J and had lunch at the buffet and then over to the Conway LTL yard for a driving test. The loop is about 15-20 minutes long and varies between interstate driving and numerous turns in the city. All I have to say is that I have to get used to the 13spd tranny. I've only driven 10 speeds since I've had my CDL and it's whole 'nother ball game.

Conway has a fleet of 3 year old and newer Kenworth T600's and T2000's (pictured above). The T2000's are for Trainers and drivers who have driven more than a million miles. They are also adding KW T660's which are a newer version of the T600 and Freightliner Cascadia's for the teams. Eventually the trucks will all be white instead of the current red.

The T600's are real small inside. I'm used to the storage and room of a Freightliner but this truck is teeny inside. It doesn't have a lot of storage which is a minus and the layout is a bit weird but I will get used to it. The seat does go back pretty far which is good for me and overall, I'm excited to get into a truck and start rolling.

I found out today that the 4 of us in class will be given 2 rental cars and be told to go to El Paso, TX or Joplin, MO (1200 miles) to a terminal to pick up our trucks. There are currently no trucks except for one orientation truck in Phoenix which is a shocker but I'll be fine.

I'll be back tomorrow with another update

Trucker Chris

It's official!!!

2008-03-05T17:49:00.000-08:00

I just got off the phone with a recruiter from Conway Truckload. I am one of Conways newest truckload drivers!!!! I will going to orientation in Phoenix, AZ on march 24th. From there, I'll sign all my paperwork, learn how conway does all their stuff and I'll be assigned a truck! Stay tuned as I will be updating with new truck photos and stories about my time on the road.

I have a lot of new idea's to make this blog a lot better than my older Gordon one. So you will have to come back and see what my plans are!

Chris