My first "solo" run was actually a team effort. I was hauling a load from Dallas to Las Cruces so I could take some time off. I was giving a driver a ride so he could meet up with another truck to take him to California to get home himself. We team drove from Dallas to El Paso since neither of us had much rest before we left.

Now my first REAL official solo run was when I got back on the truck. They deadheaded me from El Paso (where I parked the truck at the lot that Stevens rented) to Amarillo to pick up an IBP load. I was dispatched on a load going to Laredo that was headed into Mexico. The same day, a load dispatched to McAllen was loaded as well. IBP screwed up and printed the McAllen's trailer numbers on both bills of lading. Both loads were ready around the same time so the guard shack had both sets of bills ready. So when I called, they told me the load was ready. Being a greenhorn, I wasn't fully aware of IBP's policies so I arrived, got my trailer number and went on to pick up the trailer that I was told to pick up (the load that the McAllen trailer was loaded on).

Anyways, I pull up to the guard shack. The guard takes my bills to go verify my seal numbers. The guard, apparently new himself, scratched out the seal numbers printed on the BOL (which of course didn't match those on the trailer) and wrote in the seal numbers of the seals on the trailer. Thinking nothing of it, I signed out, put the BOL in my document folder and drove off to scale out at the T/A. Adjusted my axles and was on my way.

About 20 miles outside of Lubbock my Qualcomm goes off. It was my fleet manager Danny. He said call ASAP. I stopped at the first place I could and called in. While the meat dispatcher was in the background vocalizing his displeasure, Danny explained to me that I had left with a load that was supposed to go to McAllen. The driver who was supposed to pick that load up needed it to go home. The meat dispatcher said something and I heard danny say "Relax man, they're headed in the same direction, they can swap in Lubbock." Danny told me it wasn't my fault, the guard shouldn't have let the trailer leave the lot since the seal numbers didn't match. That was one of their "failsafes". I waited for the other driver to show up. We swapped trailers, laughed at the situation and parted ways.

Anyways, the next day I get to Laredo. I go to the reciever and give him my BOL. He notices that the trailer numbers don't match. He asked what was up. I explained the situation and that if he needed confirmation he could call IBP. He said something in Spanish to one of his employees and they proceeded to break the seal and get in to inspect the load. When he was satisfied that the load was ok, he closed the door, resealed it and signed my bills.

Now you'd think that would be the end of the story. However, not being used to Laredo drops, I had forgotten to take the trailer by J.O Alvarez, which inspected our trailers before they were sent into Mexico. So I had to go BACK to the reciever and explain that I had to take the trailer, get it inspected and bring it back. He cussed under his breath in Spanish and let me take the trailer. A half hour or so later, it was back and I was at the Pilot waiting for another load.

 

It was awful....I had three drops in Mississippi, and one of them was in the destroyed area of Biloxi..had to drop 10 sofas in the parking lot because the building was gone! Couldn't find anything because the street signs were - yep! - gone!
Then my blinkers quit working. Found a rest stop so that repair could find me. No problem.

Then...

They called me to tell me that my trainer, who had just finished up with me, had just beeen called home because his wife had been killed. We had become good friends; his wife even fed me once when I was home alone and my wife was out.

It was an empty, dead feeling.

 

That would be the area known as: Biloxi. It's still pretty much that bad, by the way.

My first run was from Owens Corning across from a UPS hub somewhere in GA. I don't remember where the load went but I remember that their dock was at the back of their yard and to get to it you had to blindside, pull across the street, block the UPS entrance and back through their fence into their yard with merchandise and equipment stacked any/everywhere. I was a whimpering mess by the time I got into that dock but the good news is: I got in.

 

HA HA HA HA HA HA HA HA !!!!! :lol: :lol: :lol: WHAT A ROOKIE MISTAKE!!!!














i did the same thing

 

Cincinnati, Oh. to London, Ont.

 

I'm still waiting to be done with my training :roll:

 

Thanks for the replies fellas very interesting stuff.Thanks again.

 

Same here...2 more trips out and I will be FINISHED!!!


I'm a little nervous about my first trip out solo...but way more excited than nervous!

 

October 13, 2002.

The Nashville JB Hunt yard to some metal product facility in Chattanooga. I was completely out of my element. I just took off without knowing where I would sleep or shower. I found a wide on ramp in Chattanooga and slept there. Got unloaded and reloaded Coke-a-Cola for Hollywood, Florida. Reloaded Chep pallets in Ft Lauderdale for the Wal-Mart DC in Tifton, GA. Ran empty to up to Statesboro, GA and then I forget what I loaded.

Ugh. What a shit week.

 

Customized vehicles with two drops from Ocala, Fl., to Albuquerque, NM and Espanola, NM. Then crushed cars from Santa Fe to Midlothian, Tx. Way cool. BOL