Trucking

Long Time

2011-04-17T11:55:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon there to everyone, and a happy Palm Sunday to you. Today marks the beginning of Holy Week. It has been (as many a time) WAY too long since I have last posted. My apologies go out, once again, to everyone. First off, I am still working for Knight Transportation. Knight and I have settled our difference somewhat and, for a while, will continue working with them.

Recently I have fulfilled a dream that I have had for a long time. I purchased a motor home. A 1978 Southwind. Now granted it's not a brand new Winnebago Journey, but it's a good starter coach and it keeps me busy on my days off with minor fixes. I've enclosed some pictures. Please note that these are some earlier photos of when I first picked it up. Many things have been done to it since, including the awning, the mirror, and the hubcaps.

You'll have to forgive me for how short this post is today, for I have been feeling a bit under the weather lately. I will post again soon along with progress photos of my work on the R.V.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend and have a beautiful Easter holiday!!

--Max

The End of The Line?

2010-11-14T12:15:00.001-08:00

Good morning to everyone! I hope this finds everyone well today. I guess it's time for my monthly update today, so here we go.

Perhaps the title of this morning's blog is leaving a few of you in suspense, wondering what, exactly, the "end of the line" means. Before I begin I would like to underscore the significance of the question mark at the end of the title, meaning that nothing in this life is a sure thing, not even this.

Lately, I have been doing some serious 'soul searching', and that brought to mind the old cliche, "life is short. Do what you love, and love what you do." Do you remember that life reminded Forest Gump of box of chocolates? Well, I have a slightly different view on the resemblance of life. I think of life as a card game. Moreover, a poker game. When you are born, life deals you a hand of either five or seven cards, depending on which country you born in to. (Just kidding on that last remark) Those five or seven cards represent what you are born into. Some people, naturally, are dealt a better hand than someone else at the table. They may have a slight advantage over you at that time, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to win, you see. Because, throughout life you are able to discard some of your not so favorable cards for a chance to dip back into the deck to replace those discarded cards. This is a personal decision, and, as in life, must not be taken lightly. This ritual of discarding cards and reaching back into the deck to take a chance at receiving a better hand, represents the decisions in life we must make, and decide if the new cards we will take to replace our originals, will, in fact be better.

Even as I sit here, I can see that the suspense in the room is so thick, you could cut it with a knife. So, enough of my usual ramblings and on to my point.

Recently, I have locked horns with a few people in the organization that I work for. Added to that, the new rules and regulations that will soon be enacted from our federal government, making my job much more difficult and less enjoyable, I come back to point of my soul searching, and am reminded of the original cards I had been dealt. It wasn't a bad hand, but perhaps, I thought, I could "gamble" and make it better with some of the cards I discarded. Granted, I haven't discarded all of my cards, and still have a chance to 'take the pot,' but I think back and say, "Man, I shouldn't have discarded that King of Clubs for that Four of Diamonds." Perhaps I was looking for that Ace. I don't know, and frankly, it doesn't really matter now.

So, after all of that dribbly drab, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I will be seeking a career change. Will I go back to college to become a mortician? Will I be a local delivery man and be home every night so I can finally have a personal life, and maybe, just maybe, settle down and get married? Or will I move back to Price, and work down there in some capacity? The latter seems very unlikely. All I know, is that I'm seeing all of my classmates already settled down with careers and some of them with children that are four or five years old already, and I am too old for a job now. I need a career. I haven't discarded all of my cards yet, I'm still in the game, my chips are still plentiful, and I may just have an ace in the hole somewhere.

That's my thoughts for today. As always, thanks to all of my loyal readers, and apologies all around for not sticking to the trucking life theme of this blog. I promise that if I really do come off the road, I will have a final educational trucking themed blog for you before I change the theme to just a personal blog.

Have a wonderful Sunday, and if I don't post before Thanksgiving, God bless you and your family, and please, when you sit down at the table on the 25th, remember, Thanksgiving isn't about how much food you can eat, or about betting on how soon Grandpa loosens his belt at the table. Please ponder on the things that have been given to you by our Creator. Hug your family members when you go visit, and let them know that they are special.

Before I leave you today, I would like to share a quote from one of my hero's Fred Rogers:

"If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person. You rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you need to make choices. And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are." --Fred Rogers

And finally, the quote that I found most striking and appropriate for today:

"Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else." --Fred Rogers

New Month New Runs.

2010-10-02T20:24:00.000-07:00

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, It has been about a month since my last post. As you can imagine, my life has been hectic trying to make up lost time from the down time of last month. My truck seems to be running good, and it shows, or should I say, my odometer shows it. At the end of September, I ran 11,250 miles.

Also, at the end of September I received a load that I really couldn't turn down. I had just emptied out over at the Port of Los Angeles, and was called upon to pick a load out of Santa Clarita going to Greencastle, IN. The farthest east I had been at this point was Chicago, IL and was, of course, very excited. I was then informed that, if I trek east, it may be a couple of weeks before I would be able to get a load going back west. At this point, I really didn't care. I was up for that adventure.

I delivered my load on time, and was later dispatched to Memphis, TN, and then up to Minneapolis, MN, where I currently sit with a load bound for small town, WI, with a final drop just a bit west of Chicago, IL. (I say small town, WI only for the reason that I can not recall the name of the town at this time.)

I must say, that I am quiet proud of handling my anxiety out here. It has been low level so far. However, I do miss my mountains, and must say that I could not live out here.

If I could get a little personal for a bit, I should say that as I drive through Wisconsin and Minnesota, the changing colors of the trees up here are about at their peak for the season, and it brings to mind how much beauty there is around. I feel a bit guilty for traveling around the country this summer and not taking it all in. I have driven over some of the country's most splendid summits and peaks, with their beautiful pine trees and towering sheer cliffs, and rolled through the sweltering deserts, with their tall cacti, and red rock plateaus, and yet, as I sit here tonight and try to recall the sights, and realize, that there has not been one moment that I have pulled over, and stopped to appreciate this great land. I feel guilty for taking this all as "a given" and just another part of my job. I do believe that I have been given a gift with this job. A gift that most people will never receive in their lifetime; to see the greatest country on earth first hand, and meet the people that make it so great.

In closing tonight, I would like to make a quick mention of two very talented individuals, by the names of, Katherine and Jonas, of the band, Sons of Hippies. I met these folks at a truck stop in a suburb of Indianapolis. They play a mix of psychedelic and punk music. If you would like to check them out, their website is as follows: http://www.sonsofhippies.net Tour dates are posted on the site, as well as some great music!

Thank you to all of my faithful followers, and I hope to be talking to you again soon!!

It's Done?

2010-09-01T09:57:00.000-07:00

Well I just received a call from the Volvo shop. They informed me that the mechanics got the truck running and are going to go and test drive it now. They said that I should be able to have it back this afternoon.

So, I just wanted to inform all of you so you weren't sitting on the edge of your chair in suspense. Anyway, I better go get ready and head down there. Have a great rest of the day!!

-Max

Back To The Hotel.

2010-08-30T15:21:00.001-07:00

Hi there! Well, I woke up this morning with just a little bit of hope in being able to head out today. Well, at least later tonight. No such luck. I spoke with the service writer and she explained to me that they had drained all the tanks out and flushed to whole system, and now the scary process. They are now replacing all of the injectors, the fuel pump, some seals, and part of the DPF system. (Diesel Particulate Filter).

So now I am back at the hotel, and have reserved yet another two days. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not bitter or angry at the whole situation, just a bit disappointed that I'm not making any money right now. I really did need the days off to kinda relax and sit back and not think of work, but two days would have been sufficient for that. Also it would have been kind of nice to spend my down time with my family. But I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles here in the trucking industry.

One good thing about this down time is, I've gone through less chew than I would have during a normal day on the road. Ha, ha, I guess I am saving a bit of money that way!!

Anyway, I promised an update to everyone, so, there it is. It's a pretty boring one, but that's about how it is here too. Well, ya'll have a great day and I will keep in touch.

--Max

My Hero

2010-08-29T17:32:00.000-07:00

Happy Sunday to everyone. Since it is Sunday, I will keep it short.

If you have the time I would like you to take a look at this clip of my hero, Glenn Beck. I have been listening to him on the radio since 2005. Sometimes his views are a little out there, but for the most part I agree with what he says. I recently purchased his book, "The Christmas Sweater", and recommend it to everyone to read.

Being a fan of a talk show host, I will usually dig into their history a bit. I always new that Glenn had it rough through his life but when I dug deeper, I found that his pain ran deeper than I could have ever imagined.

If you have the time today, I would like you to view this eight minute clip.

Finally I will leave you with a Sabbath Day quote from Thomas S. Monson:

"Near the end of his life, one father looked back on how he had spent his time on earth. An acclaimed, respected author of numerous scholarly works, he said, 'I wish I had written one less book and taken my children fishing more often.'"

"Time passes quickly. Many parents say that it seems like yesterday that their children were born. Now those children are grown, perhaps with children of their own. 'Where did the years go?' they ask. We cannot call back time that is past, we cannot stop time that now is, and we cannot experience the future in our present state. Time is a gift, a treasure not to be put aside for the future but to be used wisely in the present."

Enjoy the video.

--Max

Thoughts

2010-08-28T23:08:00.000-07:00

Good early morning to everyone. Yes, Yes I know, I should be in bed. My mind is going about mach 20 though. I've got so many things going through my mind I don't know whether I'm coming or going.

I've been watching re-runs of the LDS conference reports on the television. For those of you who know me, I'd like to give you a quote by Dieter F. Uchtdorf published in the Ensign, May of 2010 which I think has helped me a bit through life: “Though you may feel that no one can understand the depth of your despair, our Savior, Jesus Christ, understands. He suffered more than we can possibly imagine, and He did it for us; He did it for you. You are not alone.”

I feel that sometimes this truck driving business is not what I'm meant to do, but rather to be in the funeral home where I feel the most comfortable, and then, as Lester Burnham said, Sometimes I feel like I'm seeing it all at once, and it's too much, my heart fills up like a balloon that's about to burst. And then I remember to relax, and stop trying to hold on to it, and then it flows through me like rain and I can't feel anything but gratitude for every single moment of my stupd little life.

Do you know what I mean? Of course not. Each of us have our own little battles we have to fight. Some of us lose some of those battles, but that doesn't mean we've lost the war.

Anyway, its bed time. That's all for now.

"Did You Fall Off of The Face of The Earth?"

2010-08-28T15:44:00.000-07:00

Wow!!! First, why has it been over a year since I have written my last post??? What in the world? For those of you that have been faithfully checking back every once in a while, I deeply, deeply apologize. Second, for those of you who couldn't care less, I also apologize.

There. Now that I have all the apologies out of the way, on to my excuse. See, the thing is, I really don't have a good excuse. (as always) Only that I have been lazy, haven't had access to any internet, (intermittently of course), and have been battling some personal demons, which I may or may not get into in the next few days.
Well, here is my update: Things didn't work out for me at James H. Clark and Son Trucking. I left there the end of September of 2009. I was only job-less for about a week. (A new record for Max). I applied over at Knight Transportation of Phoenix, AZ. They have a yard here in SLC, and perhaps the best yard of the whole company. I am definitely being treated better here and I'm actually a human being now. lol.

The first week I was given a 2007 Volvo 670. Not too bad of a truck. Put six months in and then they gave me a 2009 Volvo 670. Just two months ago, in June, I had the greatest honor or being asked if I wanted a brand new truck. Well of course I accepted. I walked out to the shop where a brand new 2011 Volvo 670 sat in front of the 1st bay. So new, that they were just starting to put the decals on the door. I cleaned out my old truck and moved into my new "studio apartment" and just sat in the seat and took in the brand new smell.

Now, picture this, present day, approximately August 24th, I am on my way to go pick up a load, pretty much a normal day, normal things on the radio, I fueled at the regular truck stop and went on my way. I spent the night i Lewiston, ID, and proceeded to pick my load up the next morning. After I hooked up to my loaded trailer I left Lewiston, and pointed the hood towards Modesto, CA. 30 miles out of Lewiston, while pulling a hill, the truck started to stumble. Then the "check fuel filter" light illuminated along with the "check engine fault" light. I managed to baby it up the hill and pulled it into a rest area at the summit where the engine died. Now mind you, I only had about 18,000 pounds in the box, and it was pulling the hill like I was grossed out at 45,000. To make a long story short, we spent two days going back and forth between the shop and I trying to figure out why an engine with only 25,000 miles on it would have a problem like that.
My anxiety finally got the better of me, and I called the truck stop to verify that i had, in fact, not put in the low sulfur diesel in the tanks, rather than the ultra low sulfur diesel that the new engines require. She confirmed that I had pumped the correct fuel in my truck and that concluded the call. About a half hour later I received a phone call from the truck stop manager asking what kind of problems I had with my truck and she could tell me exactly what the problem was.
Apparently, the truck stop fuel vendor had accidentally filled the diesel storage tanks with unleaded fuel. He then caught his mistake and they had to close the fuel islands down for a day while they pumped the tainted fuel out. Well, from what I understand, there was still some residual unleaded in the tanks as the re-filled the them with the correct diesel.

The bad thing about this situation is, now I have driven about 130 miles before i new anything was wrong. I then shut the truck off and was towed 145 miles to Hermiston, OR. where now I sit in a hotel, while my truck is in the Volvo dealership shop.

So, there you have my latest update. Today is Saturday, and the dealership won't be open again until Monday, when they will drain my tanks and blow out my fuel system and do an inspection on the engine to see if anything was damaged. Therefore, I have internet access until at least Monday. I will keep everyone updated as much as I can.
Below I have posted some recent photos. A couple of my truck and then some random photos. I hope you enjoy.

Post script: I'm not expecting anyone to even read this. I believe that I may have lost my audience due to my laziness of not keeping up on my blog. Once again, I sincerely apologize and hope I'm not just writing this to further pursue a search for carpal tunnel syndrome. Anyway, May God bless each and everyone of you, and since the summer season is slowly coming to an end, let us all take some time out of our busy schedule and stop to look at the beauty all around, because, soon, the wondrous flowers and beautiful green leaves will soon give way to the cold frost of old man winter.

Freight Shortage, The Way of The Dodo Bird? Or, Drive Semi Smart.

2009-06-25T13:54:00.000-07:00

Hello, again to everyone. It's been a little bit since I've posted last. I have been really busy. They have been running me really hard the last few weeks. I was planning on taking some days off on the 20th thru the 23rd, but only got to take one of those days off. Thats ok, though, it will be a better paycheck for the next week.

I would like to make an apology for the last post I wrote. I believe I may have misspoke about the new Qualcomm system. My frustration plus fatigue got the best of me again. After working out some of the bugs in the system, (yes, and I didnt think that they would ever make it work correctly) It seems to be working ok now. (or it may be that I just let the new system soak into my thick skull.)

For a change of topic, on the way out to So. California this week, I had an incident where I was doing the speed limit (65) and I had a very impatient driver behind me. He decided to pass me on a double yellow, with a car coming head on. I slowed way down and attempted to let him in. He was in such a hurry, that if I hadn't slammed on my brakes and locked up my trailer tires, he would have taken off my front bumper with his rear as he flung it back into the correct lane.

This last trip really showed me how little people know about driving around big trucks, let alone driving period. So today's topic is going to be safety around big rigs.

“Big rigs” continue to have a large presence on America's highways and on neighborhood streets. People in passenger vehicles are especially vulnerable in collisions with large trucks because of the great difference in weight. In fact, according to the National Highway and Traffic Safety Administration, 71 percent of fatal multi-vehicle crashes involving a large truck are caused by the other vehicle . Unfortunately, many drivers of passenger vehicles are simply unaware of the necessary precautions to take when driving around large trucks, which is why I am offering the following tips to educate you, prevent possible accidents and save lives.

Follow with Caution - If you are driving directly behind a truck or on its right side and you can't see the truck's side mirrors, chances are that the driver can't see you. Most trucks have blind spots, so it's important to stay in the driver's line of sight when preparing to pass. Keep a safe distance at all times and avoid tailgating to reduce the risk of accidents by allowing more reaction time for abrupt stops. Besides—it's a lot easier to see road signs, traffic signals, and changes in traffic if there's some distance between you and a truck in front of you.

Safe Passing - Always pass on the left side of a semi and use caution. Don't complete the pass until you can see the truck's headlights in your review mirror. Once in front of the truck, make sure you maintain the speed limit and don't slow down. It takes a lot of extra distance for a big rig to stop.

Wide Turns - Allow trucks turning in front of you enough space to complete a turn safely. When a truck is making a right turn, it will normally first swing out to the left. The same goes for left turns, where drivers first need to swing right. Never pull up into the open space on a truck's side if the driver has signaled a turn. The driver may be setting up a turn or in the process of completing one.

Time and Speed - A loaded tractor-trailer requires 20 to 40 percent more stopping distance than a car. With an empty trailer, the discrepancy between the truck and the car is even greater. Be patient and safe – don't hurry to pull out in front of a fast moving big rig.

Steep Roads - When you are stopped behind a big rig on a steep upgrade, it is a good idea to allow extra space between you and the truck in case it rolls backward slightly before moving forward. Try to stay on the left side of your lane so the driver can see you in the truck's side mirror.

The Golden Rule - Exercise common courtesy for all drivers. Let them merge into traffic from entrance ramps or other lanes. Signal lane changes. If someone makes a mistake or drives aggressively, take three deep breaths and let it go.

In Closing, guys and gals, Just please, please be safe out there. We want you to return safely home, especially during the upcoming holiday season. Have a wonderful Week.

New Qualcomm System = Headaches for Max

2009-06-10T14:35:00.000-07:00

Hey There. Here I am once again. Another gripe (of course) of living out on the road and working for a company and not owning you own truck. Our company recently tested out the new Qualcomm program to replace our old one. (I will explain Qualcomm shortly) Those of you who know me, know that I am old school and hate many drastic changes, so this change-over was pure hell for me. I'll get into the gripes and bitches in a bit. but first a little explanation of our system before i go any further.
Above you will see a photo of what my Qualcomm unit looks like. The unit is located inside of my cab. On the roof, usually on the sleeper of an over the road truck, is a white dome shaped object called, obviously, a dome. I get my load information thru this computer like device. This is a basic example of how it works: My dispatcher, located in Murray, UT, sends me my load information which includes the shippers address, time of pick up, all pertinent load and pick-up numbers, the destination, as well as as the address, also any fuel stops along the way and a suggested route to take. It goes from his computer to a satellite in space down to the Qualcomm headquarters in San Diego, CA where it gets relayed back up to a satellite and down into my "dome" straight to my keyboard unit. When I send messages it is just the opposite.

We were on the "old" system that worked just fine. Now trucks are being switched over as they come back into out yard, hence all the confusion because we are now, in essence, running off of two systems: The drivers that have not came into the yard are on the old system, and the drivers that have already cleared the "training" and been fitted with the new software. Or should I say, our dispatchers are running off of two systems. Now, I'm not pointing fingers saying that some of our dispatchers are lazy and not monitoring both systems, I'm just saying that perhaps the work load is such that there isn't enough dispatchers for both systems...at the time. (Am I making sense to anyone??)

But I digress. July 1st they have told us that everyone will be on the new software and all the bugs will be worked out of it. (Ha!) anyway, after all that mindless chatter, I come to my personal problem this week: I received a load in the yard on Monday, leaving Tuesday for Mira Loma, CA, delivering Wednesday at 11:00 am... Or so i was told. I look at my Qualcomm message Tuesday morning at 8:00 after waking up and saw that the Qualcomm said to deliver on Tuesday at 11:00 AM. Yes, that's right, that very same day. Now, it's a 10hr drive into that area from the yard. I got with my dispatcher and he informed me that is was in fact a Wednesday delivery at 8:00 am and he would resend the delivery information to me. Well, he resent it alright. The same information.

I'm sure I'm boring most of you right now, so, wipe the drool off of your chins, wake up, and just give me a few more minutes.

To make a long story short, this system will take alot of getting used to, and will take someone to clean out some of our bugs. such as when I ask for directions over the unit, it should send an automated message back to me with directions to the receiver or shipper. But I say nay nay. For most of our accounts it sends me the name, address, and the rest of the information is blank lines. Now, for some of you you may ask, "hey Max, what's the big deal?? Can't you find your way around the city?" And to that I respond, "hey you, why don't you take my keys to the truck, get loaded and go to downtown Los Angeles to the Produce markets, find the designated truck route, and find your own way to the one of hundreds of receivers there, where, if you were Joe Blow off the street in your own car, and you were to travel down some of these back streets in the markets in your own car, let alone a 70ft tractor trailer, one wrong move, buddy, and its curtains for you.

That's all for now. The next topic I'll write on will be more entertaining. I promise. But for now,

"Keep the bugs off your glass, and the Bears off your ass." I'll catch y'all on the backside.

--Max

Welcome to My World!

2009-06-10T14:21:00.000-07:00

Hello to everyone reading this. This will be my first blog with my time back with James H. Clark and Son Trucking. I must say that I have overcome most of my anxiety about the travel involved with my industry, and all the other aspects that come with it.

If you are reading this for the first time, i encourage you to subscribe to my blog, as I will randomly post new blogs at undefined time intervals. If your are new to the trucking industry, or don't know much about the trucking industry, you are in for a treat, as I will bring you the stories from the trenches of the industry, seen thru the eyes of a mortician turned trucker.

I recently acquired a laptop and will bring the funny, and sometimes strange stories when they happen. I must warn you though, sometimes I may use some language not suitable for everyone just to get my point across about the things that I feel strongly about as well to make you feel the feelings I am experiencing at the time, however, as much as I wish I could make you feel the cold tire chains in an even colder environment at 7,000 feet on the side of the road trying to get over a snow packed and icy summit, or feel the heat of the Mojave desert while your climbing Baker Hill in the middle of July with your air conditioner on the fritz, I can't. I wish you could be riding shot gun with me, especially in situations like the the above mentioned, but I know that's not reality, so I will try to make it as real as possible.

Thank you and if you ever have any questions or would like to suggest a topic that should blog about pertaining to the trucking industry, please email me and I will take that into account. Have fun, enjoy, and remember to keep the shiny side up and the greasy side down.

--Max