Where to park is the?

The one big challenge that we have in this trucking world, through uncontrolled circumstances I have become a part of, is having to figure out where we are going to park for the night. Keep in mind if we drive later in the evening the chances of us finding a parking spot becomes slim to none.

Men don’t seem to have a problem with this, other then running out of time on the ticking clock, as you can imagine why without me having to go into the anatomy discussion. But being female/girly-girl  I have my routines. I get up in the am, I like to wash up and brush my teeth. And come to think about it, this is the same routine I like to do before turning in for the night. Call me anal, its just who I am.

But in this trucker world it’s not that black and white. You aren’t always going to be able to stop where there is a bathroom to wash up and brush your teeth, Eeew!! So what is a female/girly-girl to do? No clue!

I’m just praying, since I have to be in this new world, through uncontrolled circumstances, that the Lord will pour out His Grace/Favor upon me. And see to it that He gets us a place to park every night, without the ticking clock running out and that has a bathroom where I can do my nightly routine. . .

From a Females Perspective. . .

Suck it Up and Go For It

Since coming on the road it’s been an emotional roller coaster ride. At the beginning I wasn’t sure of anything and it was kind of exciting, new, adventurous. Then reality started to sink in. I’m actually living out here. I have to share my showers with grubby, stinky strangers. And all the time being very careful where I sit to Potty!

Ok, so I suck that part up and just lived w/it. Laying four towels down on the shower floors, along with, wearing flip-flops in the shower.  And please, Lord forbid I lean or hold onto a wall! Sure the showers are cleaned down after every use. But really, how clean are they? But I manage and from this point I am handling this new life, I’m dealing.

Well, then what do I do with my time while Chris drives? Let me give you a little run down of a typical truck driving day. First thing in the am/or whenever we get up to take off, I sit up on my top bunk and fold my blankets and fluff my pillows. Then I will dress, while still on my bunk, then proceed to powder my face and tie my hair back. I climb down then and make Chris’s bunk and make sure everything is hunkered down for the day ride. Then I will start the coffee and while it is brewing we will go into the bathrooms to brush my teeth and do my girly business, not forgetting to take the bag of trash to throw out on the way.

Once back in the truck I will fix our nice steaming cups of coffee. Then w/coffee in hand will climb into my seat buckle up and off we go. About Chris’s second cup of ‘joe’ I will climb out of my seat and make us breakfast. It usually is bagels w/peanut butter and some kind of fruit, (apples, bananas or grapes, whichever is on hand). I climb back into my seat and I have our breakfast on a paper plate which sits on a cutting board. While Chris drives I will hand him his bagels/fruit. As he eats and drives I eat and sight see, not too bad. Now that our bellies are full and we’ve had our caffeine fix we are set, all is good. After a few hours of driving, yep, it’s lunch time. I climb out of my seat to fix us some lunch. It could be anything from, microwave chicken breast roll ups, microwave cheese roll ups, crackers and stringed cheese, cottage cheese and crackers, and even Costco hot dogs w/chips), whatever I feel like making at that time. Sometimes getting out the microwave and trying to balance it and make things is a bit hard to do while the truck is in motions so depending on if I feel like dealing w/it or not will depend on what I would make.

Once our lunch is completed we will continue to drive, drive, drive and drive. The country side is gorgeous for the most part. We are very blessed to live in America!!!, but I digress. Now that breakfast and lunch is over and done and we’ve got our route all planned out the only thing we need to worry about is where we will be stopping for the night. So I will get our “Next Exit” book along with the truckers Fuel Stop book and see which exit area is closest to our time of stopping. Most the time we like to stay at rest areas, fewer trucks running their engines, which means better sleep, most the time anyway.

K, not bad for an organized type personality that I am, right? Well that’s what I thought at the beginning. But as the days proceed and, day after day, the trucker life really started getting to me. From being bored, when not fixing food, from just having to deal w/going into nasty truck stops to do the girly things I needed to do. I was sitting in a Truck stop the other day waiting for a shower to open up. As I watched some of the grubby, hard-working truckers come in to sit and watch TV and chat with one another, and some were waiting on showers, just like we were, I started thinking of me being in one of those showers after some of those grubby looking guys had finished. I started getting such an ill feeling in the pit of my stomach, I almost couldn’t handle it, just the thought. Now,once we got in the room and I laid out my towels and my shower was over I felt much better.

Buy this time I knew I had to do something about the situation. I couldn’t continue like this and be happy, or let Chris have to contend w/a depressed unhappy wife! So while in Columbus, staying w/my youngest daughter I thought “why not just stay up here, she could use my help and I’d be w/family. Chris could drive while I try and get a job here” This was my logic. But somehow it didn’t sit right in my spirit. I thought if I did that I would be having to use $$ we didn’t have. It would be like Chris and I would be living and trying to survive into two different locations, at the same time trying to save $$ to get ahead, just wouldn’t work. The night of the day I sat in that truck stop waiting on my shower, I just cried out to the Lord, “why does our life have to be this way? Why can’t we just have a normal life and not have to live on the road” He didn’t answer, but I know He heard!

The following day we got a load to Ohio, “there ya go, you can get dropped at Natosha’s”, that was my logic again. But as stated, my spirit I just didn’t feel right. So I decided if our next load dispatched was to Columbus or Hilliard Ohio, which is closer to my daughters, then I would do it. Our next dispatch was to CO. So that was it, I stayed on the truck. By now I’m so torn inside I didn’t know how to act or feel. “My daughter needs my help and I hated the truck life”, there goes logic again. I felt pulled in so many directions. Chris knew something was wrong. I was so withdrawn and quite. It wasn’t that I was upset w/Chris in anyway. I was just into a lot of conversation w/God and myself. Needless to say, Chris finally got me to open up, and boy was that hard. Chris stated truth that was hard for me to hear. But I needed to hear it, and I know that now Thnx MacDaddy, you always have my back!

Chris and I had a plan coming on this truck driving career. We were both going to drive, (team drivers). With us being team drivers we can make really good $$. And within 2/3 years, and by following Dave Ramsey’s plan, we could be debt free. But after me seeing how backing and doing certain things on this truck, I got scared thinking, “There is no way I can do this, no way”. And that’s what I accepted, Fear & Defeat!

After mine and Chris’s heart-to-heart talk, I’m going for it!!  Yep I’m going to be a truck driver, as originally planned. What’s the worst that can happen? I know I could crash, right?, just kidding, I don’t think I’d be that bad And for some of the grubby truck drivers I have to contend with, I guess I can adapt 2/3 more yrs. I’ve made it 7 months so far, hey piece of cake!

So now Chris and I are back on track, together working as a team.  Our first goal is to figure out how to get funding for my schooling, but at least it’s a goal in the right direction.

I still have to do the schooling, but I’m not going to worry or wonder “what if”, because my thinking is now “what if I can and I will”

Once in school it’s going to take some long studying and support, but hey w/God directing my path and w/my MacDaddy having my back I’m bound to succeed. . .

Until next post from a Females Perspective. . . .

Oh, ps. Not all truck drivers are grubby, Hey Chris and I are drivers and we aren’t grubby, well maybe some time

 

Trying to Adapt

Some people say a truckers life would be like RV-ing, camping, or even a great adventure.  Let me set the record straight, it’s neither of those.  In actual fact, trucking is a very hard life.  You are constantly on a clicking time clock.  One to pick up the next load, one to get that load  delivered on time.  Then there’s another clock for D.O.T, which sometimes seems to conflict w/the pick up and delivery clock.

We’ve been is situations where the load was dispatched to us the day after it was supposed to be picked up.  From “jump street” we are “under the gun” to get the shipment delivered on time.  In this type of scenario, we put in a few 11 hr days of driving, which is totally exhausting, not to mention running out of time on our D.O.T clock.  We had scenarios where the consignee, (where we deliver), holds us us 4-5 hours, just to unload.  And we’ve had literally 20 minutes to get to a place to park and sleep.  Keep in mind that once that clock runs down you have to stop the truck, where ever you are, and go in sleeper mode, PERIOD! It’s the law!  You would think these consignees would understand this, but they don’t seem to take that into account.

I have been with Chris on the road 6 months now.  And I’m here to tell you, I have to take this one day at a time.  I’ve went to bed, many times, crying out to the Lord, “Please get me out of this, I totally hate it.  The company bites, the consignees don’t give a squat about the drivers, nor the time frame their on; not to mention my body & energy is all droopy because lack of exercise, (even tho we park as far away from the doors as possible, and even tho I try to do crunches and fanny lifts from the bottom bunk it’s just not the same).  Plus the really dumpy places we’ve had to stay at, Plz Lord“  I’m talking really broken inside about all this.

Well, the Lord hasn’t gotten me out of it, so He must have different plans.  So my prayers/cries have changed a bit.  Now instead of praying for Him to get me out of it, I pray for His strength and total peace to get through it.  And I’ve also put a new bible verse to memory, “Let my mouth and the meditations of my heart be acceptable to You, Lord my redeemer”  I fall on this verse every time I feel that complaining compulsion starting to rise up inside of me.

So those who think that a truckers life would be like RV-ing, camping, or even a great adventure, sure at first, but what about when the newness wears off?

Trying to Adapt to a truckers life is where it gets rough.  But let me insert here, to say, it’s not all been bad, it hasn’t!  I’ve gotten to travel to see family members, that otherwise I couldn’t have afforded to do. So as stated, I’m taking one day at a time, some really good and some really bad.

The meaning behind this post isn’t to get a ‘poor-me-ole-my’!  It was just to bring to your attention, and to set the record straight, that a truckers life is more than an adventure, it’s really hard work with frustration, and then, sometimes fun.

Learning to adapt, is the key, that comes into play when trying to find that balance that will make you happy having a truckers life. . .

Trying to Understand the Flow

I know being a trucker/trucker’s wife you really need to learn to be very flexible, and most the time you hurry to wait.  But  I don’t understand the flow of everything.  Let me run a few things by you, and please any feed back is appreciated!

These trucking companies need to make money, truckers need to make money, right?  So why is it that it takes the company so long to get any thing accomplished?  For example we’ve been waiting on a newer truck now, not driving, for 2 weeks.  We finally got assigned a newer truck, on Monday.  It was suppose to go into detail yesterday.  We got word, not from them calling us with the update; but we called them to check to see what the update was, that it didn’t go in detail until today.

It seems like each department doesn’t know what each one is doing, lack of communication, not on the same page, you get my drift!

And aren’t the Driver Manager’s suppose to be working their best to get that driver out on the road as quickly as possible, you know like ‘got to bat’ for the trucker? Because if they ‘got to bat’ for the driver won’t the driver go that extra mile for the company?  Thus making the company lots more money? Just a thought. . .

And wouldn’t you think they would communicate more with the driver to keep him/her abreast of the situation, it’s like pulling teeth to find anything out.  I thought we all worked together to better the company.  Just a thought. . .

From a females perspective, I don’t seem to understand the trucking industry flow, tho I have to say, I do see how I think it should flow, am I missing something?

I was a project Lead for the State of Ohio and I made sure I was in constant contact with my clients, one way or the other.  I also made it a priority to see that everyone was on the same page, of the whole process.

It is so frustrating, just waiting and not knowing, it’s like you work for the company but out here all by yourself.    Are all trucking companies like this? Is this the flow of the trucking Industry?

I know being a trucker/trucker’s wife you really need to learn to be very flexible, and most the time you hurry to wait.  But come on, what’s the deal?

Anyway, this is just my thought. . .

Carol’s Trucking World So Far. .

I think this experience would be a lot better if we had a better truck.  When you can’t run appliances because the truck beeps at you then shuts it’s self off, makes it very frustrating.

Chris and I seem to be getting along really well, which I knew that we would.  And seeing all the different states is really an experience in its self.   We ordered Serious Radio, so we jam to the 70′s channel.  We are really disappointed that it only has 2 Christian channels, what’s up w/that?

I have been finding ways of working out on the truck.  I do my crunches and other stomach and hamstring workouts on my bunk.  I then do squats, lots and lots.  I down loaded an ap on my phone that is a squat challenge, which is pretty motivating.

With us not having an inverter yet, our eating is limited.  We eat chicken/tuna wraps, soup, beans, oatmeal.  Chris has some instant mashed potatoes that he loves, but I don’t want him eating them all the time, very fating.  And we never go without our apples & oranges, those are a must!  I have lost 4 more pounds since starting the truckers life.  I’m totally not complaining!

As we go place to place I see all kinds of women driving.  Which really motivates me to want to learn even more.  With this old truck, even the gears are messed up, so lots of jerking, so it intimidates me of wanting to learn when I see what hassles Chris goes through.  But Chris assures me that with the new truck it will be so much easier.  Looking at those ladies, they look so much ‘masculine’, with me being so ‘girlie-girl’, I have to toughen up.  So this is my goal the next few weeks.  Not to say I’m not tough when I want to be, just that I need to get ‘trucker tough’

I have been navigating for Chris.  At first it was so frustrating, but I’m learning the mapping and mile markers, North, South, East & West, more and more!! YEA!

Till Next Post. .

Trucking From A Woman’s Perspective

Even tho I have a blog updating our c2cJourney, I thought I would start this journal as a trucker from a woman’s perspective, and just put it all out there, the good and the bad from my experience.  I’d like to start off and say, even tho I don’t drive the truck, if you live on the truck and help your husband, you’re a trucker!!

It will be two weeks on Tuesday and already it has been a life changing experience, to say the least.  I give up my girlie routines, example, from working out 3 times a week to crunches on the bunk, triceps lifts & pushups from the side of the bunk, and try doing lunges, now that’s a major challenge but still can be done.  If there are any women out there that are like me and just has to have your finger/toe nails prettied up, this can still be done, that is if you’re use of doing it yourself.  Every 70 hours you get 34 hours off.  So if you work it just right you can get your shopping, laundry, showering, nails and even root touch up; yes I said root touch up. Loreal has a new product out that is called ‘on the go touch up’, I think they had me in mind when it was invented.

When on the road, as a profession driver, whenever you get 50 gallons of fuel you also receive a free shower.  Chris and I always share.  We go in together then I let him go first, while I’m getting everything out of my bag and brushing my teeth.  By the time I’m done, most the time, Chris is done with his shower.  When doing my hair, (root touch up), we do our shower routine, but I get started on my roots right away.  Then by the time I get in the shower and finish my  wash & shave it’s time for the Loreal to be washed out, wha-la a brand new me.

The storage on the truck is, well, hard.  You need to find a place for all your food, dishes, clothes, and any other things you might need while on the road, my Bible, laptops, shower bags, you get the jest.  So far I have it pretty well organized.  I have all my food and dishes in one cabinet and my clothes and shower bag in another.  Chris was a gentleman and gave me one whole cabinet and a cubywhole on top for all my stuff and he keeps all his stuff in a duffel bag on his top bunk. And my Bible I keep in a pouch by my bunk.  Oh, and Chris even give me the big bottom bunk, he’s such a sweet-heart!

Now when we get our refrigerator and microwave that is going to present a problem because that is where I have all the food and dishes. As far as clothes, I’m finding myself realizing I don’t need as much as I brought w/me.  Only when we do our four day off visits.  So I packed a few things under the bed storage.  And once Chris moves the new chains out from under there I’ll have even more storage.  The thing w/the storage is the stuff you use the most, while driving, you want in the cabinets because you can’t get under the bed while the truck is moving, just to dangerous.

The time schedule  routine on the truck isn’t the same, not to mention the time zones.  So that is an adjustment that my body still hasn’t adjusted too, not to mention adjusting to just living on a truck.  I’ve had issues w/no bm’s for several days at a time, (I told you with this journal it was going to be the good and the bad from my experience ), which causes  me headaches.   I’ve been eating a lot of beans and this seems to help, not to mention that Bushes Beans has some really good brands out there that are really good.  I’ve started drinking prune juice, yep I said it, prune juice, hey, whatever works!

I have to say, I have seen a few women truck drivers, but for the most part, it’s a man’s world out here.  Sometimes it feels a little intimidating.  I make Chris walk me to the bathroom every time I need to go.  Maybe that will change in time, but I don’t think so.  If feels like you have a thousand eyes watching you.  The night time is hard when trying to sleep.  We have a refrigerator unit,  which kicks on and off all, that is really loud.  Then you have the other trucks w/their engines running and the other refrigerator units going on and off.

Getting use to how the trucking industry works, sometimes I just get so frustrated and I want to just speak my mind to someone.  You know how it is ladies, when you know your hubby and you have given it all you’ve got and then something is said to undermine that, “oh no they didn’t” LOL. .But hey, it’s all new and I’m sure as we go along we will all grow.

Being in this trucking world, it’s really cool seeing all the different kinds of trucks and how truckers live, I had no idea. And so far I’m really liking it as a truckers wife.  But I honestly can say I don’t think I could ever drive/back up a big rig like this, even tho that is our plan.  I’m praying that  the more I learn from Chris the more confident I will become, this remains to be seen.  So for the time being I will remain Chris’ right hand, helping with navigation, paper work and learning the companies control box, (Qualcom).  As well as being house wife, (truck wife), cooking, cleaning, making beds, and just take it one day at a time.

Til next post. . .

Journal Entry #1

Still Under Construction Until Out On The Road.