Here Comes 2017

          I hope everyone had a great Christmas.  Aside from a mild case of food poisoning, mine was uneventful.

          As the year winds down and we start looking towards a new year, a funny thing happens in a lot of people’s minds.  I’m talking about New Year’s Resolutions.  I’m not a fan of New Year’s Resolutions.  In fact, the last one I made (and the only one I’ve ever successfully executed) was to never make another New Year’s Resolution.

          I used to be like most people.  I would wake up on New Year’s Day and tell myself “this year I’m going to quit smoking, lose weight and exercise more!”  Yeah, right.  I never did.  The fact of the matter is I’m not going to quit smoking until I’m ready.  I’m not going to lose weight until I change my attitude about food.  I do exercise more now than I used to, but not because of a New Years’ Resolution.  I exercise more now because I have other goals that require me to be in better shape.

          I gave up on New Year’s Resolutions mostly because I came to realize that any day I wake up alive, I have an opportunity for change.  I don’t have to wait until Monday, the 1^st of the month, the 1^st of the year or any other significant date to change.  I can change TODAY if I decide that’s what I want to do.

          Would I like to be able to look back and say “2017 was the year I …?”  Of course, but I also would like to have been able to say that about 2016, 2015, 2014…

          Are you making any New Year’s resolutions?  It’s okay if you are.  I won’t judge you.  In fact, I will do my best to encourage you to tackle them with gusto.

I Hate Cold Weather!

          I hate cold weather.  I really hate cold weather.  I really, really hate cold weather!  Okay, maybe it’s not cold weather that I hate because I do enjoy snow.  What I really hate is being cold.

          I have a chronic condition called Costochondritis. Costowho? You ask?  Costo (for short) is inflammation of the cartilage between the ribs.  It’s extremely painful when it flares up and there is nothing the doctors can do about it.  I have found a good liquid vitamin that helps keep it under control.  It flares up when I tense up.  I tense up when I’m stressed, cold or under exertion like heavy lifting.

          When it’s cold I look like the younger brother in The Christmas Story who can’t move because of all the layers.  My top half looks twice the size of my bottom half, all in an effort to keep from flaring up. 

          In all seriousness, though… are you ready for the cold weather?  Ready or not, it’s here.  Please take some time to make sure you have what you need in case you get stranded somewhere.  As long as my APU runs I could survive in this truck for almost a week if it was necessary.  I know our storage is limited, but this really is important.  I’m not going to bore you with a list, you know what you need.  I’m just asking you to take the time to make sure you have it.

The Purpose Driven Life

          Several days ago, Don Freymiller sent out a fleet message to announce that Freymiller had procured a copy of the book “The Purpose Driven Life” by Rick Warren for every driver.  I can’t tell you how excited I was to see that message.

          Rick Warren is the pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, CA.  Saddleback is also the birthplace of the Celebrate Recovery program, a Christian 12-step program that has completely changed my life.

          “The Purpose Driven Life” was another life-changer.  I was in the process of reading this book when I started working here in January 2012.  If you’ve ever felt like your presence on this planet is random or accidental, I would highly recommend this book.  Not only did this book help me to understand that yes, I am here for a reason; it helped me to figure out what that reason is.

          Even if you are not a Christian, I would still recommend reading this book.  I have studied philosophies that are contrary to my Christian beliefs and still walked away with a new perspective because I look at alternative beliefs and ask “can any of this apply to my life and how does it fit in with my beliefs?”  (The Secret was a great exercise in learning how to do this.)

          This book is comprised of 40 mini chapters that introduce you to new ideas and end with questions that challenge you to look closer at your own life.  Love it, love it, love it!  What makes it even better is if you buddy up with someone and work through this book together, discussing your answers at the end of each chapter.  I have asked another driver to do this with me and he said he would.  I look forward to peeling back another layer of myself and hearing the perspective of someone new.

          I’ve heard it said that small minded people talk about people, average minded people talk about things, but your big thinkers discuss IDEAS.

          I am a huge fan of personal development so I’m really looking forward to reading this book again.

          Again, I encourage you; if you’re a Freymiller driver, to get up to the company store ASAP and get your copy.  It doesn’t cost you a dime to pick it up.  It only costs you time to read it but you have so much to gain.

Healthy Living On The Road

         It’s no great secret that truck drivers face some unique health challenges.  It seems like the more I get to know people, the more I hear about Type II diabetes, high blood pressure and CPAP machines.  It doesn’t take a lot of consideration to figure out why.  As a collective, we have gotten quite lazy.  I see more and more trucks parked on curbs at truck stops because the drivers are too lazy to go park in a legal parking place because that is farther from the building than they’re willing to walk.  I was walking across a customer parking lot to a shipping office once when a driver told me he would drive up there, he wouldn’t walk that far.  I kept quiet, but I was thinking “that’s why you’re shaped like a barrel and I’m not.”  I don’t mean to be so harsh, but collectively we’re doing this to ourselves.  No one is doing it to us.

It doesn’t help that truck stops are doing away with traditional sit down restaurants and replacing them with fast food.  Fast food is another problem, it’s insanely unhealthy.   You can get a burger on the dollar menu, but a salad can cost up to $7.  When I do stop at a truck stop with a sit-down restaurant, I am hesitant to go in because 1. I don’t like to call attention to the fact that I’m a woman by myself out here, and 2. The food is so overpriced it’s silly.  I spent $13 today on an omelet, 2 links of sausage and a glass of tea.  The food industry has made healthy food choices almost cost-prohibitive.  Aside from eating out of our trucks more, there isn’t much we can do about the food situation.  I personally tend to eat from the kids’ menu often, because not only are the prepared foods generally unhealthy, but portion control has gotten completely out of control in this country. 

So, what do we do?  I want to be healthy.  I try to be proactive.  The TA/Petro chain has a fitness room at many of their locations across the country.  I went into one and found a driver sitting in there watching TV because he didn’t want to watch what was on in the Drivers’ Lounge.  He left when I got on the elliptical.  I have a pair of rollerblades in the truck but with the way many drivers are racing through the truck stop parking lots, that can be scary.  As much as I do to try to be healthy, I know I’m not doing enough.  Society has gotten into the habit of making more excuses than effort.  The fact is, we must do something.  We’re committing slow suicide.  I don’t want to be one of the drivers that is found dead from a heart attack between the seats.

I’m always open to new ideas.  What are you all doing to try to be healthier?

Mt Shasta

          Is that not about the most beautiful scene you’ve ever seen in your whole, entire life?  I’m about 30 miles from the California/Oregon state line on I-5 tonight and this is the view from my office/efficiency apartment.  This picture would make an awesome jigsaw puzzle!

          It’s been almost 20 years since I’ve been up this way.  Freymiller’s freight lanes are changing, growing.  If you would have told me 6 months ago that I would be heading up to Portland out of Los Angeles I would have laughed you right out of the truck.  I expected to load going back east yesterday, but instead I’m going north.  How cool is that?

          Another cool aspect about this load… I get to see a woman I trained back in 2013 who has since gotten a local driving job so she could be closer to her family.  I’m looking forward to that visit.  I haven’t seen her in about 2.5 years.

          Little piece of useless trivia for you… it’s almost as far North to South in California as it is East to West in Texas.  797 miles up I-5, 879 miles across I-10.  There, you learned something today!  

Time management? Me Management!

                I’m disgusted with myself this week.  I pride myself on being detail-oriented.  It makes me a better driver; not better than anyone else, just better than I used to be.  It never fails though; every time I go thinking I’m better than I am, God shows me the error of my ways.

                I picked up a multi-stop load last Thursday in California that finaled out in Illinois on Monday.  I thought I had enough time to make it but I miscalculated.  I thought I would start picking up hours Sunday night at midnight but I didn’t start picking up hours until Monday night.  I was 4 hours away from the last stop when I realized I only had 3 hours left on my 70.  I sent a message in to dispatch and thankfully there was another driver coming south who could swap out with me in time so that the appointment could still be made.  After the swap was done, I sent in another message apologizing for the screw up.  Clyde didn’t sound angry with me.  In fact, when I first spoke with him, he laughed at me.  I think it was because I was being so hard on myself and because this isn’t the type of thing I do very often.  I’m pretty sure this is only the 3^rd time I’ve done something like this and the other times were early in my Freymiller career when I was still trying to figure out the HOS rules that had changed since my last driving job.

                I know exactly what I did wrong.  While I tried to blame the fact that I had routed myself to the 1^st stop so I didn’t have the exact calculations to the final and then I tried to blame the fact that I’d had the cruise set at 63… facts are facts.  What really happened is I rushed and assumed.  I rushed through the calculations and assumed I would be fine.  Rushing and assuming almost always gets me in trouble.

                Trust me, no one knows better than I that I am not perfect.  I’ve never striven for perfection but I do strive for excellence.  This week, I was definitely less than excellent.  I cannot manage time.  I can only manage the way I behave in any given amount of time.  I think it’s still safe to say I haven’t arrived yet.

I met Sam!

Just south of Huntsville, TX on the east side of I-45 is a 67 ft. statue of Samuel Houston.  I pass this statue periodically when a load takes me to or from Houston and every time I pass it I wave at it and say “Hi Sam!”

Yes, I know I’m a dork.

The 67 ft. statue sits on a 10 ft. platform, making the total height 77 ft.  This blows my mind when I think about it.  My truck, hooked to a trailer is approximately 75 ft. long.  I can’t give you an exact measurement because I have no idea where my tape measure is, but that makes this statue taller than my truck is long.  Holy guacamole!

So, I pass this statue periodically and I have been telling myself for years…. “Someday….”

“Someday” came last weekend on my way back from vacation.  I’d actually decided a few weeks before vacation that I was going to stop and see Sam on my way back.

On the trail to the statue, there is a replica of Sam Houston’s face, where I stopped and took this picture.  The replica face is the same size as the statue face, so you can get an idea of the enormity of this statue.  I knew nothing about him except that the city of Houston is named after him.  There is so much fascinating information about him online.  This would be a three-day read if I listed everything I found interesting so I’m just going to include a few highlights.

 1.  Sam Houston was born in Virginia.

 2.  He was a congressman in and later the governor of Tennessee.

 3.  Sam relocated to Texas, which at the time was still a part of Mexico after he ruined himself politically for beating William Stanbury with a hickory cane on Pennsylvania Ave in Washington, D.C.

 4.  He was a leader in the Texas Revolution and his victory in the Battle of San Jacinto secured Texas’s independence from Mexico.

 5.  Sam was the President of the Republic of Texas and supported annexation by the United States, he later went on to become a senator and then governor of Texas.

Seriously, I had no idea this guy was so fascinating.  Sometimes I think education is wasted on the young.  The older I get, the more I appreciate history; and man, do I love Wikipedia!

The Harder I Work, The Luckier I Get!

          I had a fabulous time on vacation last week.  This picture was taken at the Yucatan Reef Resort, a short distance from Progresso, Mexico.  I got a massage on the beach while I was there.  Talk about pig heaven!  I wrote the rest of this post the night before I left on the cruise.

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         I’m writing this week’s post from a hotel in Texas, just north of Houston.  I’m on vacation this week.  While technically I’m already on vacation, in my mind my vacation doesn’t start until tomorrow when I sail out on a cruise ship headed for Mexico.  I’m writing the post now (Sunday night), but it will not go up until I get back next weekend.  Next week I will post some pictures.

          When I told them I was going on vacation, I actually had a couple of people tell me I was lucky.  That confused me.  Luck had nothing to do with this vacation.  I earned the time off.  I planned the trip.  I saved for the trip and then I paid for the trip.  It wasn’t luck; planning got me this vacation.  Luck, whether good or bad, is something that happens to us that is completely out of our control.  If you’ve ever been to a casino with me, you know that luck rarely works in my favor.

          When I came back to work last year, I was talking about this vacation before I pulled my first load.  I was talking to a friend about going with and he said “I can’t afford to do that.”  I explained to him that if he took $20 out of the $100 advance he gets twice a week and stuffed it in a Pringles can he would have $2,000 saved for vacation in a year.  He hadn’t thought of that.  That’s about what I’m spending on this vacation.  It’s not rocket science.

          It amazes me how many people I talk to that don’t plan for anything, they just wing it and count on luck.  I heard a saying and I don’t remember who said it so I can’t give proper credit, but the saying goes… If we fail to plan, we plan to fail.

          Successful people don’t rely on luck.  They choose a goal, create a plan and then go to work on that plan.  This doesn’t just apply to vacation, but to anything in our lives that we want to accomplish. 

          Talk to me, what do you need to stop relying on luck for and start planning?

These Are A Few Of My Favorite Peeps: Chaplin Olen

     One of my favorite things about working at Freymiller is the people.  When I go to the yard, I get to see people that I honestly like and I think for the most part the feeling is mutual.  When they ask me how I am doing, they genuinely care about my answer. 

     Chaplin Olen is one of those people.

     Chaplin Olen is not a Freymiller employee, but he has been a consistent presence around the Freymiller yard for about 7 years.  I met the Chaplin when I went through orientation in January 2012.  I was surprised, yet comforted to find a Chaplin in residence here because our society seems to be moving away from traditional beliefs.  I was going through some major life challenges when I came to work here and the Chaplin's calm demeanor, quick smile and genuine concern for my well-being was one of the first signs that I had come to work at the right place.  He quickly became MY Chaplin.

     What makes him so perfect for the position he holds is the fact that he spent many years doing exactly what we, the drivers, are doing.  He understands how difficult it can be to deal with the problems at home when we are away from home for 3 weeks at a time.  He offers a unique perspective that so many pastors in other truck driver ministries just can't grasp.

     Chaplin Olen is very real.  When I talk to him about what's going on in my life, he doesn't pretend that he doesn't understand my struggles, he has been through most of them and he isn't afraid to share his own experiences.

     Chaplin Olen is SAFE.  He doesn't judge and it's okay if your beliefs don't line up with his.  He doesn't go into shock if a word slips out that you wouldn't want a toddler to repeat.  What he cares about is your heart.  He is here to help you carry the weight of the world.

     If you haven't done so, next time you're at the yard, take 10 minutes and go talk to him.  He has a converted trailer at the west end of the yard, behind the main office building.  He is an awesome man of God, doing what he knows God has called him to do... be there for you.

Shoulder Safety

It is pretty much common knowledge that stopping on the shoulder of the road is a huge no-no; okay, at least among truck drivers. I don't really think 4-wheelers give it any thought at all.

         We're taught to never stop on the shoulder, but out here in the real world where I live and work sometimes I do not have a choice.

         So let's classify "sometimes I don't have a choice" as another piece of common knowledge.

         Okay, we had to make an emergency stop on the shoulder. It seems that at least once a week I have a big truck come off the shoulder from a dead stop right into the right lane, right in front of me. Sometimes I can get over; sometimes I have to stand on the brakes.  I want to share how I was taught to get back out on the road safely in this situation.  please keep in mind that the following is in reference to getting back on the highway, not what you're doing while you're stopped, and for the record, your 4-way flashers are on throughout this whole process.

1. Check your mirrors. Now do it again. When there is at least 1 truck coming up on you in the right lane is not a good time to come out.

2. Stay on the shoulder until you build up some speed. I was taught to drive on the shoulder through the low side of the transmission. (Approx. 20mph if you're driving an automatic.)

3. When the lane is clear, switch to your turn signal, come over into the lane, switch back to your 4-ways, then get back to the business of getting up to your highway speed.

4. Your 4-ways stay on until you reach top gear.

Please people, use some common sense in situations like this. Emergencies do not consider whether or not we are in an ideal place for them to happen but we can still do our best to handle them safely.

The Loose Nut Issue

          When I was young, probably less than 10, a woman was talking to my dad about her car.  She was telling him about something it was doing.  After she left, I looked up at my dad and asked him what was wrong with her car.

His answer?

          “There is nothing wrong with that car but the loose nut behind the wheel.”

          Fast-forward 30+ years.  I admit that I am not the most mechanically inclined person on the planet.  Most of the time I tell people that I’m mechanically inclined enough to take something apart but not usually enough to put it back together correctly.  I was not ashamed to stand in our shop and tell David Freymiller that I saved him more money by NOT working on his truck.

          There is a reason I drive trucks, not work on them.  Once, I melted the plastic piece that the headlight socket screws into because I didn’t get it back in properly.  I have been IQ tested twice and scored in the genius range both times.  I told the mechanic who fixed my headlight that this was the work of a genius.

          More than once, I have had to explain what the truck was doing to either Hoop or David and ask them how they wanted me to write it up so it would make sense to the mechanic who would inevitably work on it. I find it ironic that with as many people who have told me how well I write, I draw a complete blank when I get a Gripe Sheet in my hands.

          I can’t tell you how many times I have stood at our shop desk being stared at in disbelief while I stomped my foot and insisted “this is not a loose nut issue!”

          We have had several drivers come off the road and go to work in the shop.  I admire them; I’m probably even a little jealous of them.  They can do things that I can’t.  I’m confident in my abilities, but I’m also honest about my weaknesses.  I have a very small collection of tools because my ability to use them is so limited. 

          Okay, somebody ‘fess up.   I know I can’t be the only genius with this problem!

Synergy

Dictionary.com defines synergy as:

noun, plural synergies.

  1.   The interaction of elements that when combined produce a total effect that is greater than the sum of the individual elements, contributions, etc.; synergism.

  2.   Physiology, Medicine/Medical. the cooperative action of two or more muscles, nerves, or the like.

  3.   Biochemistry, Pharmacology. the cooperative action of two or more stimuli or      drugs.

Last week was Truck Driver Appreciation week.  Freymiller does a lot for the drivers during that week: catered lunches, drawings, giveaways... they really put forth a lot of time and effort to help the drivers feel appreciated.

We hear it time and time again that "without the truck drivers the companies would not exist."  Okay, I will buy that, but at the same time.... without the support staff the companies wouldn't exist either.  

          Two years before I was born, Don Freymiller laid the foundational bricks of what we know today as D & M Carriers; DBA Freymiller.

Everyone at Freymiller plays an important part in the success of the company, from those with the last name Freymiller all the way down to the Porter who does cleanup work in and around the shop building.

I just wanted to take a minute to say I appreciate you all.

I'm Going Where?

                At some point during their training, almost every trainee has told me that I am either a walking atlas or a walking truck stop guide.  Comes with the territory, I guess.  I’d be more concerned if I didn’t know where to go - or how to get there - after being out here so long.

          There are 47,856 miles of Interstate Highway in the United States.  I have traveled most of them. Even Hawaii and Alaska have Interstate Highways, which makes no sense to me because by definition the highways cannot be Interstate, but would be Intrastate.

          I was pleasantly surprised last week when I was dispatched on a load that included a stop in Corpus Christi, TX.  I’d never been to Corpus Christi before, in fact, I’ve never been anywhere near it so I had to look it up just to find out where it was.  I looked it up on my phone and then had to zoom it out a few times to find out what Interstate went to it.  It’s at the south end of I-37, in case you were wondering.  I didn’t even know there was an I-37 until last Friday.  I’m a beach junkie so going near the water is always good for me.

          The load itself wasn’t much to get excited about, pay wise.  1,748 miles, 5 drops, 6 days.  My checking account isn’t going to be impressed next Friday, but that’s okay.  To me, it’s not all about the miles.  Yes, miles are important.  I’ve grown rather fond of eating and living indoors, but sometimes, it’s something completely different that makes a load a good one in my mind.  I get excited when I get to go somewhere new, or somewhere I can do something fun… like send live lobsters to my brother or drive over the Hoover Dam.  It keeps it interesting.  

The 63 MPH Challenge

                When I came through orientation last year, the driver scorecard bonus program was explained.  At the end, Kathy gave us two tips to help increase our MPG’s. Set the cruise at 63 MPH and don’t leave the Jake brake on all of the time.  Honestly, I blew her off.

                The problem with this: I wasn’t making Scorecard Bonus.  Kathy’s words poked at me from the back of my mind for months.  I refused to accept that slowing down a measly 2 mph was going to make a difference.  I wracked my brains trying to figure out what else I could be doing wrong that would keep me from meeting my MPG goals.  In January I decided to give it a try.  Slowing down 2 mph wouldn’t actually KILL me, would it?

                I lasted about a week; the ADD kicked in and I was back up to 65.  The crazy thing was I was teaching my trainees to set the cruise at 63, but I wasn’t doing it.

                April 1^st I committed to setting the cruise at 63 for the whole month because not making bonus was driving me bonkers. Even if it killed me.  The results?

    1.       None of my internal organs imploded.

    2.       The sun did not fall out of the sky.

    3.       I was less stressed at the end of my drive shifts because I hadn’t spent all day playing leapfrog with all of the other trucks on the road doing 65.

    4.       I increased my MPG’s by over half a mile to the gallon.

    5.       I scored Gold on the Driver Scorecard.  

Wait, what?!?  Half a mile to the gallon?  That’s right.  I had been averaging 6.8-6.9 and in April my MPG’s were 7.47.  Half a mile to the gallon might not sound like much if you drive a car that gets 30 MPG, but it makes a huge difference when you’re averaging 7.  Let’s look at this.  I pump on average 1,500 gallons a month and on 9/5/16 the national average price for a gallon of diesel was $2.22.

1,500(G) ×$2.22 = $3,300 per month (× 12 months = $39,600)

1,500(G) × 6.85(MPG) = 10,275 miles

1,500(G) × 7.47(MPG) = 11,205 miles

That’s 930 more miles on the same amount of fuel.  Not everyone is going to get on board, but what if half of us did?

930 (miles) × 250 (trucks) = 232,500 more miles on the same amount of fuel.

         If we as a fleet average 125,000 miles per truck, per year that saves the cost of fueling almost two trucks every year.  That’s $79,200 a year in savings.  Boggles the mind, doesn’t it?

Route 66

Several times a month I pass this site.  It’s not something I give a lot of thought, but every time I pass it I start singing Natalie Cole… get your kicks…

          I think I take for granted the rich history of Route 66 because I pass so many of the “Historic Route 66” signs in my daily life.  From just outside of Chicago all the way to Los Angeles I see those signs.  I pass Route 66 museums and at most stops along the way, memorabilia is available for purchase.

          Two of my aunts, along with their families, traveled that road to move out west and start new lives.  I wish I’d had the foresight when they were still alive to ask them about their journeys.

          People travel from all around the world to take the journey, mostly on Interstate highways that have replaced the “Mother Road” but in spots you can still drive on the original road.

          When I stopped to take these pictures, I had a “Whoa!” moment when I thought about where I was standing.  I was standing where countless numbers of people drove to follow their dreams and start a new life.  Times were good, times were bad, dreams were both crushed and realized along the way.  It makes me very aware of what a small part of a much bigger picture I am.

It's Already Only Been A Year?

                Last weekend was my 1-year anniversary since I came back to Freymiller.  When I thought about that in the days beforehand, I had mixed emotions.  From a work standpoint, it feels like “wow, it’s been a year already?”  When I think about the changes in my personal life over the past year then it feels like “holy guacamole, it’s only been a year?”

                The Greatful Dead song comes to mind… “What a long, strange trip it’s been.”

                I had some apprehension about coming back.  While I knew that I had a good reputation as a driver here, I was worried that I would be judged on the fact that I’d left newly married and came back a year later with that marriage ending.  Thankfully that wasn’t the experience.  Everyone was very supportive.  I told several people that “everyone seemed genuinely happy to see me and if anyone wasn’t, they hid it really well.”

                I’ve taken enough trips around the sun to know that life is constantly changing.  I’m no longer where I was 5 years ago, personally or professionally, and while I can’t give you specifics, I know that in 5 years my life will look very different from today.  Isn’t that the whole point? One of my favorite mentors once said “Do you know why the desks in the 5^th grade are so small?  Because you’re not supposed to still be sitting in them when you’re 22!”

                No matter where I’ve been and no matter where I’m going, I can say for certain that I’m very thankful to be sitting here in this truck right now.

Cash For Cans

                In California, a $0.05 deposit is charged on beverage containers; i.e. aluminum cans, glass and plastic bottles.  The idea is obviously to encourage recycling.  When someone takes these items to a recycling center, they get the nickels back. 

                Almost every time I stop in Barstow, CA, one of the local residents is digging through the trash cans on the fuel islands looking for cans and bottles to take in to the recycling center.  I admire the people doing this for two reasons:

    1.       It’s hot in Barstow… All. The. Time.

    2.       Digging through trash sucks.

        I really do admire the people doing this.  In truck stops and on street corners all around the country we see people panhandling, but these people are out earning money.  No, it isn’t glamorous.  I can’t imagine it’s very lucrative.  (I can tell you from when we lived out there, a lawn & leaf sized trash bag full of crushed cans will get you about $28.)  But, they’re DOING SOMETHING, not just looking for handouts.

        This really strikes a chord with me because when I lost my house in 2012, I had choices to make.  I didn’t choose to go squat on someone’s couch, I didn’t go get two cardboard boxes (one to sleep in and one to make a sign with.)  I went to work at a job that also afforded me somewhere to sleep.  I’m a hardcore conservative Libertarian, so this is a big deal to me, but that’s all I’m going to say about politics.

        I was thinking about it on my way back from my last CA run and the fact that I drive all over this country throwing away cans and bottles.  I decided to do something about it; I decided I could reduce my environmental footprint and help people who are showing initiative at the same time.  So… now I’m saving my aluminum cans.  I go through more cans than bottles, but decided I can’t save everything without making it look like a landfill in the truck.  I crush the cans and put them in a plastic shopping bag.  Right now I have one full – tied off and in the sidebox – and I’m working on filling a second.  I’m hoping to get back out there before I get a third filled.

        So who is with me?  I would love to see more drivers doing this.  You’ll never see me chained to a 600-year-old tree that some corporation wants to tear down, but I do believe in doing my part to take care of the little piece of the planet that God has blessed me with; and while you also won’t see me doing things for people that they can and should be doing for themselves, you will regularly see me helping people who are putting forth effort to take care of themselves and/or change their lives.

        So who is with me?

Load Security

                There have been several messages come out over the Qualcomm in the past week about seal integrity and using lock boxes.  Honestly, it blows my mind that we have to be told this. Over and Over.

                Have we forgotten that we are at work?  Have we forgotten that we’re transporting thousands of dollars in products between our customers? I was thinking about this today; about how if I left the grocery store after purchasing a couple of hundred dollars of groceries, got home to find that two of my bags never made it out of the store, I would be going right back to the store to get those two bags.  Wouldn’t we all?  Don’t we expect to receive what we pay for?  We expect cashiers and baggers to properly handle the products we bring to them for purchase, shouldn’t our customers be able to expect the same from us?  It is our job to ensure that our customers are getting what they’re paying for (look at the bills) and then to transport those products securely (seals and lock boxes) and then to make sure the customer has received all of their order (look at the bills after the delivery.)  If there are any discrepancies, we have policies in place and people to contact to deal with problems that do arise from time to time.

                Why are we slacking in that area?  And do we understand the risks when we do?

                When I am training a new driver, I explain load security to each one, as many times as necessary.  Freymiller issues security tools to each driver upon being assigned a truck.  They expect us to use them.  When there is a cargo claim, there is a $1,000 insurance deductible.  A driver can be charged that deductible if he/she fails to use these tools.  I tell my trainees “I can’t force you to use your lockbox when you’re in your own truck, but understand this… the decision to not use it is the decision to risk $1,000 of YOUR MONEY if someone breaks into your trailer.”  This isn’t a joke; this is our job.

Why Freymiller?

                Financially¸ I hit rock bottom in January 2012.  After having been a broke single mom for 3 1/2 years, I was losing my home.  My choices were go live in a cardboard box or get back into a truck after having been out of trucking for 12 years.  My brother, Dennis was working here at the time and he told me that Freymiller had a “friends and family” training program.  Most of the time the situation was where a driver would train his wife and they would run team, but not always.  It was unspoken but understood that if Dennis trained me, we would not run team after my training.  I love my brother, but I’m sure even he would tell you there is a reason that siblings grow up and go live in different places.

                While he was checking into the process of getting me hired on at Freymiller, I checked into a couple of other options, just in case.  One of the companies I called wanted me to give up my CDL (that I’ve held since 1993), go through their school and go take the CDL test again.  Another company wanted to put me through a 2-week refresher course (doable) and then have me with a trainer for about 4 months (not doable.)  I felt like these other two companies wanted me to jump through flaming hoops to be able to work for them.  I wasn’t willing to give up my CDL just to go get it again and I couldn’t afford to live on training pay for almost 5 months.  Thankfully, Freymiller gave me the okay and I was scheduled for orientation.  The rest, as they say, is history.

                There are probably hundreds of companies out on the road today.  Periodically I get asked why I work for Freymiller and not for someone else.  My answer is always the same. “I love it here.”

                 Freymiller gave me the chance to earn my dignity back.  They gave me that chance without making me jump through hoops.  Without prejudice, Freymiller gave me the opportunity to prove myself.  Freymiller is a great place to work.  Let’s change the conversation a bit.  Instead of why do I work for Freymiller, have you asked yourself why don’t you work for Freymiller?

Here's Your Sign!

          I nag the crap out of my trainees about reading the signs as they’re driving down the road.

 “What if the next sign you don’t read says “Bridge Out Ahead or Road Ends In Water?”

          I live in Missouri, where we actually do have signs that say Road Ends In Water!

          “If you don’t start reading your signs we’re going to end up in Iowa instead of Georgia!”

          Besides being necessary and informative, there are a lot of interesting signs out on the road.  Thanks to Android and Google, I no longer have to just wonder what the story is behind some of these signs, I can now look them up and find out.  Some of the more interesting things I have found out:

    

     1.       How Deaf Smith County (Texas) got its name (and that it’s pronounced “deef”)

     2.       That Zanesville, OH is NOT named after Zane Grey, but an ancestor of his. Oh, and did you know that Zane Grey was a dentist?

     3.       Patti’s 1880’s Settlement in Grand Rivers, KY is a replication, not an original settlement.

     4.       Ninety Six, SC has absolutely nothing to do with the Civil War, as I originally thought.

When I have a trainee, I will look up these signs that spark my interest immediately.  If I’m on the phone, I will ask the person I am speaking with to text it to me so I can look it up later.  I don’t even want to think of how many signs (places) I forgot about by the time I got stopped.

Am I the only one that does this?  I’d love to hear about the interesting things that you’ve looked up after having read a sign.

My Freymiller Family

      Something really cool happened on July 14^th that I want to share with you.

      Without going into all of the uglies, I recently went through a divorce and am starting over at square one again.  It’s okay, Square One is a place I’m familiar with.  I have a pickup truck that I’m going to have to sink about $10,000 into before I can drive again.  I started saving money as soon as the divorce was final, but I was starting to get discouraged because it wasn’t happening fast enough for me.  Last week I decided that I needed to buy something cheap so I can at least get around while I’m working on my pickup.  I started looking online and got to OKC on the 14^th with a few cars that I wanted to go look at.

      While it never surprises me, I’m still always very humbled and honored when I express a need or concern and the amount of people who step up to help.  Ronnie (in the trailer shop) gave me the name of his insurance agent and also some other places to look for a car if none of the ones I looked at today panned out.  Chaplin Olen sent me a few websites and also drove me around to look at the cars.  When we were on our way to see the first one, I told him “if this car gives you the heebie-jeebies, don’t let me buy it.”  He offered his opinions and explained why he felt the way he did.  We left the first car behind and as much as I wanted a set of wheels today, I was comfortable with the decision.  I couldn’t get in touch with the owner of the second car (although she did contact me back later) and I did get in touch with the third, but we couldn’t get our schedules to mesh.  When the second one called me back, I texted the Chaplain and asked him if he could take me to see it at 3:00 and he said yes.  We got back to the yard about 5:00 with my “new to me” car.

        I had confessed to the Chaplain earlier in the day that because of some personal turmoil I have been going through for the past week, I hadn’t written my blog entry for the week and I was still at a loss as what to even write about.  When I went back to the Chapel trailer to thank him again for helping me so much we were talking about how generous and compassionate the people at Freymiller are.  That was when it dawned on me what I should write about this week.

        Two weeks ago, my trainee told me that all trucking company recruiters will tell you there is a “family atmosphere” at the company they work for, but at Freymiller, she was glad to see that family atmosphere really does exist.  It really does.  I joke that being at the Freymiller yard is like being at a family reunion for me because I can’t turn around without smacking into a David, Tom, Mike or Dennis, but it really does feel like family here.

25 Years and Going Strong

     This week marks 25 years since I started my career driving a truck.  July 7^th, 1991 I started orientation with North American Commercial Transportation, a division of NAVL that is long gone.  I was one of over a hundred, about half of us with that same scared, “deer in the headlights” expression; the tell-tale sign of a recent driving school graduate.  Sometimes it feels like yesterday, sometimes it feels like a lifetime ago.  I guess it was a lifetime ago because both of my children were born after that event.

     Short disclaimer: while I did start 25 years ago, I do not have 25 consecutive years of driving.  Raising kids and other lifestyle changes have interrupted my career several times.  If you squash it all down, I probably have 6-7 years of actual drive time in those 25 years.

     When I think of the changes that have happened in trucking since “way back when” it boggles my mind.  Many of the changes have been good, some, well, not so much.  Technology has certainly made our jobs easier.  I remember my dad complaining when they put a Qualcomm in his truck, but he found a new appreciation for it the day it was raining cats and dogs but he didn’t have to get out of the truck and go wait in line for a pay phone.  Trucks are better, cell phones have made communication easier.  Trucking certainly has evolved.

     Sometimes I hear other drivers with as many years or more driving talk about “the good old days” when drivers helped each other, other drivers from the same company would socialize at the truck stops, the CB was always hopping.  When they complain about how these things are dead and gone I can’t help but think “well, didn’t you stop doing those things, too?”

     I love driving.  This is the life I choose.  It’s hard to believe that 25 years has passed and I can’t help but wonder what the future holds.

Lights, Camera, Action!

In 2014, "dash cams" were installed in 10 trucks.  It started with the CNG and Local trucks.  To date, all of the 2016 and 2017 trucks have them.  Honestly, I was leery of the idea of cameras in the trucks.  It felt a little too "big brother is watching" for my comfort.  

      Then I got some information.

1. The cameras run/record on a constant loop, but the only accessible data is what's saved to the memory card.

2.  They only record data onto the memory card when there is a "critical event" or the driver hits the "panic button."  When either of those occur, they save the 10 seconds before and 20 seconds after the incident.

3. There are only 3 people in the company who can access stored data from the memory cards.... David and Don Freymiller and the Safety Director.

4. No one has the ability to pull up any truck at random and "spy" on the driver going down the road (or when they're parked for that matter.)

     After giving this a little more thought I realized that when I worked in retail, there were cameras all over the stores I worked in.  There are cameras all over the terminal.  Really, this isn't a big deal.  I think in my mind it was a big deal because in a sense, my truck is my home.  That felt a little invasive, but once I got the facts on how the cameras work and reminded myself that the truck isn't just "my home" but my workplace... it wasn't such a big deal anymore.

     While no one can randomly access the camera in my truck to see what I'm doing, if they could all they would find out is....

1. I chair dance.

2. I'm pretty good on the air guitar but not coordinated enough for the air drums.

3. I eat.  A lot.  Well, not a lot per se, but often.

     There is nothing I do in that truck that I'd be afraid of anyone seeing me do anyway, except getting dressed, but that's why they have sleeper curtains, right?

     Have a safe and happy Independence Day!

Thelma and Louise

                One of my favorite things about not working in a cubicle is the fun stuff I get to do out on the road.  A couple of years ago, after a trip to Maine I asked my sister-in-law what she would do if I sent her a live lobster.  She said she would give it to my brother (her husband.)  I asked him what he would do with it and he told me he would hypnotize it.  I wasn’t even sure what that meant.  

                For months I’ve been saying I needed to get a load to Maine so I could send a lobster to them.  This past weekend it finally happened.  As soon as we got empty, I directed my trainee to drive to the Turnpike Service Area where they sell live lobsters you can buy and have shipped all over the country.

                Thelma and Louise will arrive in Indiana on the 28th.  No, I’m not so cheap that I would expect my brother and sister-in-law to split a lobster tail; I sent two.  I had to call my brother to find out when would be a good time for him to receive them because you have to cook them the day you get them.  I learned that they take the lobsters out of water and overnight ship them in dry ice, so when they arrive, they’re barely still alive.  Poor lobsters.  I felt kind of bad, but I’d already paid so they were going whether I liked the methods or not.

                I did ask my brother “how do you plan to hypnotize these lobsters?”  His answer?  “I’m going to stand them on their heads… in a pot of boiling water.”  He’s a great cook, I’m almost sad I’m going to miss this meal.

Rule #1

     By the time you read this, I will have a new trainee in the truck.  I thought in the spirit of such, I would share with you a few of my truck rules that I share with my new trainees.  Just for clarification, these are MY truck rules, not Freymiller training policy.  Freymiller has a great training program (shameless plug for my company here) that is top quality.  These rules were born out of necessity to make life easier for two strangers trying to co-exist in an 8x8 space.

          1.  Please don’t talk to me the minute my feet hit the floor. If you try to talk to me before I’ve gone to the restroom, smoked a cigarette and gotten at least a bit of caffeine in me, you’re wasting your time because almost nothing will sink in.  The exception to this is if something is shooting blood, shooting flames, or if our hood is leaving the parking lot hanging off of someone’s ICC bumper.

          1.  If I say the word “stop” with a sense of urgency, hit the brakes.  Don’t think, don’t ask, just stop.  I’m doing this because I see something about to happen that I don’t think you see.  I don’t care if you stall the truck, just get stopped.

          1.  Part of the training program in this truck is “Embrace Your Inner Dork – 101.”  If you aren’t able to laugh at yourself when you get in this truck, you will be able to by the time you get out.  We have fun around here.  If we can’t make it fun, why bother?  I take my responsibilities in this truck very seriously, but there are no perfect truck drivers and when I pull a no-brainer, it’s okay to laugh (as long as I haven’t caused any damage in the process.)

          1.  You will be in this truck until one of two things happen.  Either until you prove to me that you can run this truck without me, or you prove to me that you’ll never be able to.  I don’t expect anyone to know everything; my job is to teach you how to handle every situation we come upon.  When your training is done, you will be able to handle just about anything that happens and when you don’t…. you’ll know where to get the answer.

          You may have noticed that all of these rules are numbered 1.  There is a reason for that.  They’re equally important.  These aren’t all of the rules, but these are the most important.