The Maiden Voyage

Quick note before I begin my post:

I had about 20 hours of on the road training and another 30 or so of classroom stuff, but that was it. I was never taught how any paperwork is done or the proper completion of log books. I had no idea how to back up a truck into a dock or parking spot. I had never driven in the States, except for a few small trips into northern Washington. I didn't even know how to fuel up a truck...
Also:
- I didn't have a cell phone that worked in the States, and my work didn't have a work phone to give to me yet.
- I didn't have a truck GPS (or any other type of GPS).

So I left late Thursday night to pick up my load for the next day in Kelowna, BC. It was so foggy out that I could barely see the road, and the highway I had to take was through the mountains and had many steep downgrades.
 Part way through, I noticed my Jake wasn`t working most of the time. I don`t even want to know what my heart rate was at during those few hours... Visions of my brakes catching on fire and me careening down the hill kept running through my head. I threw on my engine fan to help slow myself down on the hills, keeping my brakes happy (It turns out that my clutch sticks a bit, so my Jake and cruise control won`t work until I hook my foot under the pedal and pull up on it).
 I ended up taking the wrong highway part way through (apparently hwy 97 is not the same as the 97c) and added an extra couple hours to my run, so I pulled over in the middle of nowhere and went to bed. It definitely wasn`t the best sleep I`ve had, as this was the first time I`ve ever slept in a truck.
 I made it to Kelowna the next day, picked up my load, and headed down across the border without a problem.

Washington

Dirty windshield in Washington

Finally, I hit the open road. I couldn`t believe I was doing this. I always wanted to do long haul, but once it was actually happening, it just seemed so surreal. Once I picked up my load, everything was going well on my trip, until Denver...



The Momentous "First Post"

As I'm sitting here writing my first blog, I'm thinking, "What have I got myself into?". This seems fitting, as these were my exact thoughts when I put my truck in gear and started off on my first long haul trip.

I should probably begin with a "prologue" (problogue?) to explain how everything began...

Well, I'm 24 and I live in Vancouver, Canada, for starters.
Ever since I was a little kid, I'd stare at the trucks driving down the highway, hoping that one day I could do the same. They just seemed so cool! As I grew up, I still kept dreaming of trucking, so I decided a few months ago that it was time to stop dreaming and do something about it.
I took a driving school for about a month, then I got my CDL (Class 1, as it's called in BC) on June 23 of this year. Now the fun part began - finding a job...
I sent out a million and a half resumes, and waited. It seemed pretty impossible to get a good job, as I didn't have any experience, but a few days later, I finally got the call I was waiting for. I came in for my interview the same day and was sure I bombed it. (My employer explained later that he took a chance with me because it's easier to train someone new to drive, than it is to train out bad habits and/or a bad attitude. Makes sense.)
So I got hired on Tuesday, July 5th, and on Friday, the 8th, I was told to be ready for the following Friday, as I was being sent on my first run. I had a week. Oh crap.
I didn't know where I was heading yet, but on the Wednesday before I left, the decision was Louisiana. That's about as far away from where I live as I can get!
I practiced backing up, picked up some loads around town and bought some supplies in the days leading up to my departure.  As I came closer to that day, however,  I started feeling extremely nervous, unprepared and downright nauseous.
Finally, the day had come. After a last minute repair to my back fender and loading all my stuff into the truck, I was off...

 That's me and my truck a few days after I was hired.

I took my baby home the day before I left for my trip. Surprisingly, the neighbours loved it!

Alright, now that I've gone over the pre-driving intro, I can finally start writing about my actual trips.

Hope you all enjoy!