First Two Loads

Team Davis

Well, our first two loads as a team have been delivered! It's been an interesting few days!

Our first load, a straight shot from Ohio to Texas, went pretty smoothly. We ran into bad weather in Texas but still managed to get the load delivered on time.

We didn't have an assignment yet for the next day so we shut down for the night, only to get a call at 4am with our next load assignment. We had to take an empty trailer from Dallas, Texas down to Laredo and pick up a loaded trailer and take it right back.

Now, you might have heard about the terrible weather that Texas has had this weekend due to the hurricane that hit Mexico. Roads literally flooded and a train actually derailed just south of Dallas due to the high volume of rain pouring down. It was one of the worst storms Texas has had in a long time - and we just happened to be in the middle of it.

The trip south was in a downpour the majority of the way, and we got there about 2 hours late. We sat another 2 hours at the shipper while they got it all figured out. But going back north, especially after the sun set, was extremely difficult. I don't mind driving in the dark, but driving in torrential rain in the dark, accompanied by high winds, is not fun. To make it worse, the roads in Texas are not built to drain water since they rarely get weather like this, so the highway had about half to 3/4 inch of standing water and any low spots had puddles 3-4 inches deep. With visibility extremely low, my tires slipping on the road, and puddles threatening to grab my wheels, I was stressed out and praying hard.

The roads still covered in water the next morning 

I passed several accidents, including a jacknifed semi. I was trying to let my sweetheart sleep, but as conditions only got worse I finally woke him up. He kept me calm and helped me navigate through till we could find a rest area and stop for a few hours. We called dispatch and let them know that the highway was flooded and we were stopping for a few hours, and they didn't hesitate to tell us to be safe.

A few hours of sleep later, the storm finally began to lessen a little and we got up and finished the delivery. The load was about 10 hours late, but we got there safely. No load is worth a life. We are thankful for everyone who was praying for us going through that weather! Please continue to keep us in prayer!

We are currently on our third load, and before you wonder how this one is going...we are sitting at a truck stop waiting for a tire change. Don't ask.

Now It Is Fall

There's a crisp in the air, a chill in the breeze
That rustles through brightly emblazoned trees
Leaves in their glory of red, gold, and brown
Shine brilliantly today then blanket the ground

Beneath them the busy small creatures tread
Stocking up food for the winter ahead
Above them geese loudly repeat their call
Summer is gone and now it is fall

The apples are golden, the cornstalks are dry
The ripening pumpkins look up towards the sky
The fields yield their bounty to farmer's delight
And it seems the sun sets a little sooner each night
A harvest moon rises as frost comes with a snap
And the earth settles down for a long winter nap

2015 Rebekah Davis all rights reserved 

Team Davis - Ready to Roll!

You, me, and #3 with our truck

Our family is back together again - and we are officially professional drivers!

I got back to the terminal to take the upgrade tests but unfortunately had to leave for drill weekend before finishing. Yesterday I got the road test and backing test done and upgraded from student to professional status. Team Davis is back together! And over the weekend we picked up our baby girl too, so our family is complete.

We have been assigned our new fleet manager and we are waiting for our first load assignment. We have lots of stories to tell from training, and we will be making more stories as we roll together, so I will do my best to keep this blog updated.

Happy navigator! 

And for everyone who has asked how #3 is adjusting to truck life, well, she has made herself at home! She wasn't too sure about it at first but is adapting to the space restrictions. All 3 of us in one twin sized bed is quite cozy! She thinks the bed and the passenger seat are equally her domain, and puts her paws on the dashboard any time we leave her in the truck. She's learning to get herself in and out of the truck with a little help. We may eventually get a ramp or stairs to help her so it's not so hard on her joints though.

I missed him so much!

So for now, we are settling in and adjusting. Now that we're finally in our own truck, we can get things the way we like. We've been organizing and figuring out where to put everything. We have plastic organizers in the cupboards for clothing and food, and the top bunk has room to store our cooking appliances and extra stuff. I plan on doing quite a bit of cooking on the road, which is usually much cheaper and much healthier than truck stop food!

I hope y'all have had a good summer/fall and I look forward to catching up with everyone!

Training Update and an Upgrade

A big congratulations to my sweetheart who finished all his training hours, passed the upgrade tests, and is now a fully fledged professional driver! Yay!

Congratulations honey!

The truck behind him is ours now, a 2016 Freightliner Cascadia. It was brand new when they gave it to him - plastic on the seats and 7 miles on the odometer!

He's been running some trailers around for the company while waiting for me to finish my training. It keeps him busy plus adds some income. It's certainly better than sitting around doing nothing!

As for me, I'm a few days away from completion. I got a week behind because I had to go home for drill weekend. But I'm almost done and can't wait to be back with my love, in our own truck, and not have to be separated again!

Bay Bridge, Maryland 

In the past week I've been as far north as upstate New York and as far south as the bottom of Alabama. It's nice to finally get some decent trips instead of the little 200-300 mile runs they had been giving us. More miles means more driving hours which means faster graduation! Here I come!

Training Week 2 and 3

Indiana corn fields

We are done with Weeks 2 and 3! I have been from South Carolina to Maryland, and Wisconsin to Kentucky, and Don has been all the way out to California. It has been incredibly stressful, mostly because of everything besides driving. Driving is fun - construction zones, mountains, and bad weather are exhausting, and mechanical issues, miscommunications, and rude people make the job much more difficult. But when my honey and I are back together to deal with all the frustrations, it will be so much better.

The hardest part, of course, is being apart from each other. I miss my sweetheart so much it aches. But I am thankful for long phone calls, sweet text messages, and random selfies. I keep reminding myself that it's not permanent, it's only for a couple more weeks, it's so much better than deployment, it will be amazing when we're back together. And actually it has been good for us - it has helped us strengthen our communication and get back to the basics of our relationship. It has been a good thing...but we're both ready for it to be over.

Colorado trees beginning to change colors

As for our trainers, they are both very nice people. However, they are people who are used to working alone and doing things their own way. And of course some disagreements and misunderstandings are inevitable when two complete strangers are locked into a space the size of a walk-in closet and forced to work together. In addition, unlike most jobs, you can't go home at night and come back refreshed the next day. Sleeping in the berth certainly isn't uncomfortable, but if the other person makes any movement, the whole truck moves. Suffice to say that we are getting very, very ready to be out of training and back together.

Nebraska clouds

Once we have our own truck, we will be able to find our own way of doing things. We will be able to agree on where to place our belongings in the truck, and figure out a schedule that works for us. There will still be difficult days but at least we will be able to face them together.

In the meantime, we are simply doing our best to get through one day at a time. We have learned so much about trucking - picking up loads and delivering them, and everything in between. It's difficult right now, but in the long term it will be a good thing. We just have to make it till then!

Good morning!

It's a good day to have a good day. It's a new start, it's a precious gift, it's a good morning.

Training Week 1

Wow! It has been a crazy few days! I'm currently somewhere in Maryland, and Don is somewhere in Kansas. We met up with our trainers (whom, incidentally, are both very nice people!), and have been learning a lot every day.

Sunset in South Carolina

My first day, I experienced driving with and without a trailer, as well as with an empty and with a full trailer. I drove in rain and over hills, and saw the aftermath of 2 major vehicle accidents as well as witnessed a trailer drop (falling off the truck due to being improperly hooked up). I successfully picked up and/or delivered two loads over short distances and picked up a trailer for the next day before calling it a night.

My second day was even crazier - we had to wait most of the day for repairs to be made, then when we finally got rolling we ended up in terrible weather - lightning, rolling thunder, and torrential downpours, the kind that force you to drive 20 mph in a 70mph zone because you can't see the car in front of you! It finally cleared up near sunset and I got to experience some night driving before the weather turned nasty again. In a short period of time, there was so much water on the road and the lights were gleaming off of it in just the right way that I couldn't see where my lane lines were. To make it worse, my trailer tires were slipping in the water on the road. Let's just say I was a little stressed out! I called it a night and my trainer finished driving the load in, and we got it to its destination on time the next morning.

Don's driving so far hasn't been quite so bad, but he has spent more time waiting around for loads, or waiting to drop loads off due to paperwork errors (the company's fault, not his), or waiting around for the service department to come fix a flat tire! He too has experienced some bad weather and less than ideal driving conditions.

Clouds before the storm

Backing is still difficult for me but I'm getting better with daily practice. I've learned how to deal with hills, narrow roads, and bad directions! I've been cut off by cars as well as by other truck drivers, and nearly run off the road because of drivers not paying attention.

However, in the course of the last few days, we have seen some beautiful country. We've seen sunrises and sunsets, thunderstorms and rainbows. We've seen trees and lakes and clouds and flowers and people picnicking. And driving is fun. Driving down an open road, enjoying beautiful scenery and getting the job done is fun.

This training period is not easy. Being apart from each other is difficult. Learning the ins and outs and details of driving is stressful. But when we are back together, in our own truck, it will be worth it. Until then, we will "embrace the suck"* and stay positive. This isn't forever, this too shall pass. And then I'll be back with the love of my life, doing something that we enjoy and making money at the same time! Doesn't that sound great!


*military term meaning to deal with things you don't like and keep a good attitude