Wednesday, June 6, 2012

I am not a truck driver anymore…

On Friday we were notified (by our employer) that the new truck we have been waiting for was ready for us in Joplin and we could stop by to pick it up. As luck would have it, we were driving thru Joplin on our way to California to deliver a load. Randy was ecstatic. We hurried along and arrived in Joplin about 2:30 am. We went directly to truck assignments to find out about our new truck. They confirmed that we could get our truck in the morning if we would like. Well of course Randy was not going to say no, however we were under a load which still needed to be delivered in California on time. Switching out a truck and getting everything in order could take some time. To boot, we had to sit thru a class before our company would let us leave with a brand new truck.

Well, Randy talked with the dispatch office and they were more than happy to help us out. They let us keep the load to Cali and bumped the delivery time out, they helped us with all the e-log change overs, and prepared our permit book to go. We took possession of the new truck and went to class.  All in all, everything went off without a hitch. Now the only thing left was for us to swap everything from the old truck to the new truck. Wow, what a chore…I think it is easier moving from one house to another. The old truck we had was already adjusted to our needs and everything had a place. It took us a while to get it that way. With limited space, it takes time to get everything just right. We parked both trucks side by side and started moving everything over. Now, here we are with a new truck and no idea where to put anything. The fridge did not fit, the microwave did not have a spot and the TV was way too small for its designated area. Well with the sun beating on us, the high temperature and the lack of sleep, both Randy and I decided that the organizing was not happening that day. We would just put things in place on our way to Cali.
Now, back to the new truck…I can’t even call it a truck anymore. It is more like an RV. It has way more room in it then our old truck. It has a table with benches that can seat four people. The table folds down into a bed. There is a ladder to climb up to the top bunk. The walls and seats are decorated just like an RV and not like a work truck. There are ample mirrors along with a side visor for the driver, which is nice. Both of the seats have the massage mechanism in them. It’s equipped with AM/FM/ CD and Sirius XM. The truck is quiet and smooth driving and most of all it has an automatic transmission. This means no more shifting and anyone could drive this truck. I don’t feel cool anymore, I feel like I am cheating. It was so nice to know that I could do something that big tough guys can do and now I can’t say that anymore. I am not special, just your average RV driver…lol.  The minute Randy got behind the driver’s seat he loved the truck. For me, the jury is still out even though I feel like I’m on vacation all the time.
Well, keep your fingers crossed that everything goes well with the new truck.  We are very excited and happy to be on the road.
Here are some pictures of the new truck...



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