Wow, it has been a long time since I felt like writing in this blog.  No so much that I have not been have great experiences but more because in my view they are not as interesting as adventure.

I miss the adventure of the road days but need to put it behind me as you cannot live in the past.  What I am doing is very exciting, scary, frustrating and rewarding. 

I get less sleep than when I was driving, many more headaches, quite a few pounds and nearly three times the money.  So I had better find happy because life is very short and circumstance can change in a blink.

Next year I need to be a better man on a number of fronts.  I will keep writing and go on and on about lessons I learn along the way.  So stay tuned, this may be good nap time reading.

Lesson 1: no more self effacing humor.

Later.

My two loves, the ocean and the wife.

Where's Al Now?

Well I suppose I will need to alter the name of the blog to "Here I am" and this is where I choose to be and where I will stay.

A couple of years ago as an IT Project Manager, I began to burn out and long for the past life of open road, zen moments and the ability to breath. So armed with this thought I convinced myself that for my sanity it was time for me to move on, leave IT and people behind and go back into the trucking industry.

The blog was started to allow family and friends and now esteemed colleagues to view what changes and experiences I was encountering as I made the transition. Good or bad I have shared what ever I was up against or experiencing. I don't have a writing style per say, but have found when giving a brain dump over a period of time I uncover little nuggets and lessons learned.

So, what happened. Well, for a number of reasons I began to miss the technology aspect of life, I missed, as a PM, the chance to be working with great teams on unreasonable deliverables and deadlines, I missed the feeling of accomplishment, of being the cook and, let's be honest, I missed the financial benefits of IT.

For those who have known me I am a fairly gregarious sort and that said, I had begun to question my decision to go on the road. If I am missing all the aforementioned, why not go back to it? It is not an easy transition back, technology waits for no man (woman). Once you step back it is very difficult to jump right back in. All that aside I have done just that. I have taken 2+ years of solitary thought and with the help of many jumped back in.

I have landed a position in Vancouver that has allowed me to enjoy a number of benefits. It has allowed me to become energized, renewed my focus and gain clarity in my life. I have said in many of my entries how fortunate I am. Well here I go again.....I have had a very fortunate last three or so months.

From finding my path back to writing off a semi, tractor, trailer and load without serious injury to myself but more importantly to anyone else. There has been a number of circumstances that would really set a person back however with massive support I made it through.

So the blog will continue, it will change somewhat as my "truckin' "stories will subside but life is full of interesting experiences to discuss and learn from. The question of "Where's Al now?" has been solved....I am certain the IT world will be saying....."Oye, when will he leave again?"

Not soon.

The Week that was.....

Wow, I have a new appreciation for folks that run a day cab in the city.....

This was by far one of the ugliest weeks I have had in a while. I would rather run up and down through Sea-Tac for 16 hours a day than to run around Vancouver for 10.

The rain this week seemed never ending and with the Pacific Northwest freight slowing down I had an opportunity to work the city in order to keep my hours up. (Insert root canal here).

I had a decent start to the week doing a Tacoma Spanaway rounder which put 16 hours in my pocket but the following day is when the wheels fell off. I was scheduled to run south but when I arrived at the yard I was told by dispatch that the highway teams needed the load. Nice.....bastards.

For my non trucking friends a company will endeavor to run as many miles as possible with a load. If you do not have a load your unit really becomes a cost center. When you have a load you are either breaking even or turning a profit. Makes sense right? If there are trucks sitting idle in an area it becomes more cost effective to have them take the load rather than moving empty.

OK so I have rationalized it....but they are still bastards for taking my load.

My morning started my trying to hook to a trailer that some bone head had dropped about 4 inches lower than my drive tires....how he/she got out from under it is beyond me.

In order to lift the trailer high enough for me to couple on to it I cranked for over one half hour.....tired....in the dark.....autumnal monsoon rain falling......highway bastards.

Hooked, then off I went to my first drop following my GPS as I am not familiar with parts of the city. After being GPS challenged for an hour or so I found my customer and off loaded. Day break was upon me, rain had stopped, trailer empty....OK day is shaping up I figured.

I entered the yard address into my GPS and selected "make most use of freeways" thinking this would get me on a big road and out of area with the least effort. Horseshit.....there is no replacement for a good map book. I followed the directions over hill and dale, through residential areas, school zones and mall parking lots.

Once I had my bearings and into an area I recognized I proceeded down a recognized truck route in the middle of rush hour, quite comfortable in knowing that I have gotten back into a familiar road.

To my puzzlement cars began veering left and right getting off the road as I came along. Christ I am not that bad of a driver I thought. Further ahead EMS crews, Fire trucks, utility crews had stopped at the bottom of the hill right where I needed to turn....did they hear I was coming I chuckled to my self.

Actually there was a major fire and the road had been closed. I could not go right or left as I was not about to venture of the truck route. I approached the scene and there was no way to get around it. So I calmly backed into a residence drive way and got my self turned around. All 75 or so feet of me.

In a panic I figured I would take the first right and see if it would get me back on the route I needed. Off through an orchard I go to a point the you can only turn left. No worries I am making progress. Ahead is a sign that says NO TRUCKS.....it is as the base of a 20 or so percent grade. I looked left and right and was unable to avoid it so throwing all caution to the wind and being empty I put my foot in it and and started to climb. The hill is only about 10 blocks long and I am comfortable I can get up it.

I did without issue however as I turned right on a street that is now on the horizontal my trailer dolly legs got caught up on the pavement and I began to spin....I locked up my axles to provide more traction and rolled a couple of feet back ( couldn't go further as there was about 10 cars following me thinking I had a clue). Again I was hung up. I set my brakes and got out, calmly smiled and the traffic waiting now in all directions and cranked my legs up another inch or so. Rolled back then tried again. It worked but now my truck frame was caught on my trailer frame and although I wanted to go right the vehicle had other intentions.

So edging straight I planted my steering axle in a ditch....good lord I uttered....I paraphrase. Now what. Actually it was a good thing....it released my truck frame away from the trailer frame allowing me to roll back and make a right turn.

Into the traffic I went arriving back at the yard about two hours after leaving the customer. So we can put it all in perspective it is about 10 miles from customer to yard....shut up.

So that is how the week started and it got worse from there. In my mind anyway. Really it is all good, you learn, you move on. It could have been much worse. All you can do is shake your head and hope the dispatch gods give you a load south. What did I learn? Don't get pissed off, keep a positive outlook, get rest before your next shift, don't depend on a GPS (fondly referred to as Great Piece of Shit), and .....highway guys are still bastards.

Later

Musings of a trucker in Seattle traffic.

Well, not much to discuss on the trucking front. I am doing what I love and have a good balance of work and home life.....I heard a saying the other day that if you work at your passion you will never work another day in your life. All is good.

So what to write about. I sit all day long and although the drive is intense at times I really have nothing to do but point the big truck and think. The mind wanders often and at times you feel bummed about a missed opportunity or take stock of where you are in life.

One of the items I have pondered is regret. People always have said "do you have any regrets in life?" or "if you could do it again would you change anything?" Everyone normally will say "no, I have no regrets and would never change a thing."

To both questions I say "Hell yes!!!" I don't regret my up bringing because you are dealt and hand and you play it. I don't regret my education because I have re-invented myself a number of times and have succeeded. So what is it? My biggest regret are actually two. One is not acting on a feeling or not acting on what moves you and secondly, not telling people what they mean to me or have meant to me.

Decisions you make now will have a huge effect on you as you grow up. Yes I know you have to move on but some things are not so easy. IE

I had a younger brother Kevin who I think of often. He had MD and I knew from experience with two other brothers Larry and Garry, that he was not long for this world. In Feb of 1985 I was walking past his home and thought perhaps I should pop up and say hey. Being the greatest procrastinator on the planet I said "maybe next week" to myself. He died the next day and it still haunts me.

Being raised in a family that was on one hand destroyed by MD, and on another made strong, we were no stranger to life skills. Never had much cash, had three brothers with MD, parents who dampened there hardship with alcohol....you get the picture. I felt that with all the hardship I had endured that surely we as a family were now bullet proof and immortal....I know....give your head a shake but you have no idea how the mind works at times.

My point is that when I received a text from my sister in law stating that July 7 was my brothers birthday and it was his 60th......Wow I thought....on one hand thought she should fuck off because I have always know Freddie's birthday and on the other I thought ...holy shit 60? I had better phone Susanne before it is too late. ( she is slightly elder )

You see as I grow up...I am just 52 now you realize that we are all getting older and we need to celebrate who and what we have. If something moves you, act on it, don't put it off and get to it the next day.

So my regrets are two; not letting people know I love them and what they mean to me and and secondly, acting on a feeling......I am as I write. It is never too late.

Life is short....get on it. The end is not Nye but lets face it, it will come and no one is getting out of this alive.

Later Al

New past time. Rantings of a mad Kayaker

Life at Bison continues to move along. Without sounding braggy this four on four off deal is hard to get used to.....but once you do.....you cannot beat it. I continue to run Tacoma, Spanaway and back to Vancouver daily. So from a trucking perspective there is not much to report. On another front however there is some news.

For those who follow me on Facebook or Twitter you are aware I am taking on a new hobby, kayaking. So for those people that read the blog from a trucking perspective this may have no interest to you. I do need to share some of my experiences though.

For most of my life I have lived a relatively sedentary lifestyle. I used to work my ass off and found that I had little time to enjoy life outside of work. Sad really but in Canada most of us are like that. For those that have found the balance, good on ya. You are blessed.

If you ask a North American what he or she does they will tell you they are an IT guy or an engineer, a nurse what ev, you get it. If you ask a European the same question he or she will say Oh, I ski, or I Volksmarch or raise a family....again you get the pic. We, on this side of the pond, let our work define us.

So I have taken up Kayaking in an effort to offset the number of hours I toil. I go on about a four day on four day off cycle however the hours I put in are in the order of 60+ during the cycle.

So Kayaking: Our first day out, last Saturday was less than banner. We schlepped the boat to West beach up the street and my daughter and I took turns. I managed to get soaked first time out and froze the rest of the outing.....enter buyers remorse.

All week I thought that perhaps I had done the wrong thing and maybe it only looked appealing to sit in a small boat, watching the sun rise behind the Cascade Mountain range and Mt Baker. Their shadows becoming shorter until you felt it....that radiance. There is something about the smell of the ocean in the morning that surely I would be missing if I did not make a go of this.

I tried over an over again through out the week to get out but I have learned that the tide needs be just right, calm seas and as little breeze as possible. Living on the Pacific South West coast you get what you get. Just when you think you are in for a decent day all hell breaks loose.

Fast forward to today.....awesome. We managed to get a beautiful day and I was prepared. Last night I assembled the roof rack, and proceeded to load the two kayaks on the Subaru. That was a bit frustrating and the level of frustration could only be surpassed by the fact I could not get out of our underground garage.....Remember....sitting...little boat...sunrise.....horse shit I say.

I would not let that deter me and started fresh this morning. Brilliant sunshine, ocean like glass, no wind, tide at a relative stand still. Off we went to Crescent Beach an launched the boats.

My goal was to stay drier that last week. Success. To top it off we were able to snap shots of a Golden Eagle, movie of a Harbor Seal, a number of Dungenous Crabs racing to get out of the tide pools before said eagle had his way with them.

Updates to follow....that is if anything interesting comes along.

Later.

New adventure update.

I have spent years seeking out the right employment fit for my family and myself. This is not to fault any past employers as it is I that have the needs and sometimes they just don't line up with theirs.

I must say that I believe I have found it with Bison. The money is not what I had gotten previous but you need to determine what is important. At this time in my life I needed to be home, make a living and try and chill a bit. Scenes like below help me chill.

Mr and Mrs Goose with brood.

So, I have done just that. I currently drive for Bison and run to Tacoma, WA return, once a day, four on four off. Don't think that my days are 5 hours long, on the contrary. I leave at 0600 each day, hit customs, deliver at around noon, get my load around 1400 then run home...usually home around 2000 each night. Nice thing is I get paid by the hour, OT after 11 on the highway. When work is slow I get the same rate working in the city.

I am quite happy for now. I am certain there will be challenges but I just need to "breathe" so to speak. Recently I crossed southbound only to find my load had not cleared properly....I sat for six hours waiting. It is easier to "breathe" if you are still getting your hourly rate.

So life is good. I drive a junker of a truck, work my ass off hauling recycling south and various loads back for four days, get paid for what I do then take four days off. My next challenge.....if I could just learn Punjabi I would be all set. Not being bigoted but I am learning what it is like to be on the outside looking in as most of the drivers that run these routes speak differently languages than I.

That is it for now.

Later

How it began, is how it ended with H and R

As the title reads....I started with H and R with my truck in the shop and that is the way I ended...in a shop. What happened in the middle of all that however was pretty decent.

If any readers are looking for the dirt on H and R you won't find any in this blog entry. I can honestly say that during my time with them it was a pretty good ride.

There were the odd bumps here and there as there are with any job. Once you realize that they are a business and only owe you what you earn life becomes easy. What I mean is that I worked hard, did what I was told, operated safely and efficiently and in return the owed me their best.

I got it; from Cathy T and the administrative group my transition in and out was flawless. Payroll and HOS folks where helpful in many instances and when need educated me as to what I needed to do to keep pay straight and run legal.

The on road repair system that I experienced....often....was second to none. I had a truck leased from Penske and the SOS response was outstanding.

Finally the Operations team. I began with Andy who is a task master. He takes individuals on to a fleet and at times seems short. This is his job....think of him as a Sergent Major of sorts.

I then moved to Fleet 2, then 4 and finally back to 2. This occurred primarily as I had requested changes in my running areas and frequency of runs.

One constant was my planner Gerry G. Can't say enough about him. When I need to shorten my run he took me in to a scheduled, shorter run to allow more home time. When this was not quite what I needed he took me over to a shorter more frequent run to accommodate my and my families needs. He is a solid go to guy and has a decent heart.

My dispatch team of Wayne, Kevin, Noelle, Shane and the rest of the night crew where always helpful be it issues or questions on how to perform a certain task. Finally, the individual I had most contact with was Sherrie B.

Sherrie is an outstanding Dispatcher and Manager. Even though she manages a large number of trucks and drivers she always makes time to see that you are taken care of. If you need, she will do her best to escalate as required. She takes the time to get to know you as a driver and person so she can understand your pressure points. If you are fortunate you will get on her fleet.

This seems to be like a Thank You note. In a way it is, I have no complaints about H and R but understand this. Everything you get, you earn, I was treated very well and worked my ass of for them.

If you are coming from overseas or a national looking for work make no mistake this company is not like all others. You get what you earn, not what you feel you deserve. For my readers overseas do your homework, you are making a life decision, don't believe all blogs, not even this one (although you can rest assured I have nothing to gain if you come to HR). I call it as I sees it.

So I have moved on to another firm. I will update you in my next entry.

Good luck,

Later