Why...

15 years as a CDL holder and I've lost some passion for the business.  I like the daily challenges.  For example, Trying to get to Portland in a 63 mph truck while in 55 mph speed zones just to beat the midnight cutoff for payroll was a challenge.  All I wanted was a higher paycheck but nonetheless I'll get paid for those miles.  Cynicism abounds as I showed in my last post. (By the way, I still don't need any cheerleaders in my corner.)  The motoring public, as many of you can testify, is getting worse.  I mean, who has the sense to tailgate at 80 mph in rush hour Dallas traffic? Apparently, many people are getting their licenses to easily.

It all comes back to my "why" which is the ultimate reasons why I am out here.

I do it for the money.

There is not another occupation other than sales that can take a zero and put him into a comfortable life if he desires to fully understand the business.  Yes, with everything some will fail and some will not have the proficiency to handle it.  Anyone who is focused can maximize their potential.

When I started I was under pressure to move back to the South from Wisconsin.  I was certain that I would not be able to find employment that paid me what I was making at the time.  After the ex-wife resisted it for a long time she finally agreed to let me drive out there.  This was after she got laid off herself and didn't feel the need to stay in Wisconsin anymore.  It worked out.

My office is mobile and I don't have to interact with management every day.

If you're like me and prefer not to have someone breathing down you back all the time the trucking is a perfect choice for you.  I can't guarantee that you won't be hounded from a distance but it's a freeing feeling when you can move your "office" from place to place.  The scenery always changes and offers up different experiences.  Not to mention you always have a workplace with a view.

It can be real fun.

As I stated before, I like challenges.  The fun for me often comes with a objective I can meet or a new challenge.  New customers, new routes and even new equipment can have challenges on their own and anything that keeps it fresh for me will fire me up.

I believe in the cause and our mission and why we're important.

If anyone needs our support it's truckers. We leave our families so your families can have the things they need.  We're not out here joyriding; every truck driver has a priority to deliver what they are hauling and much of that affects many things that we do.  All the food in the grocery store gets there by truck from the warehouse.  All the food in the warehouse get there by truck from the manufacturer.  Gas in gas stations gets there from the terminals by truck.  A recent stat that has been quoted to me is that for every McDonald's hamburger sold there was at least 100 trucks involved from the slaughter of the cow to the making of your Big Mac.  Without trucks America doesn't eat well.

So tell me... What's you "why" for doing what you do?

"I Want To Drive The Cool Truck"

Dear Young Trucking Fanatic,

Oh... so you want to drive the 'Cool' truck?

You told me you want to 'sit up high' and 'look cool going down the road' among other nonsense that tells me nothing about why you think you can contribute to that sector of the American economy.

At first when your dad came to me and said you had an interest in driving professionally I scoffed and asked why and maybe you should consider another career.  I said that because most of the successful drivers I have met have tried other careers before coming to trucking.  There aren't many life-long truckers that I know personally who got started early in life and stayed until retirement. Thousands of drivers who did other things before obtaining a CDL including but not limited to:

1.) Fast food worker
2.) Barber
3.) Warehouse worker (maybe because they got tired of truckers bragging about the money)
4.) Accountant (he needed a change)

And...

5.) Attorney (He saved and bought a truck outright and lived his dream for once)

Of these people that I know, they all brought a work ethic with them that persists to this day and that what makes them successful.

SO WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN DO IT?

You've already had two jobs you got fired from for poor performance and I remember the first job you acquired. All you did was complain.  Then you got smart with the manager.  I know working in the dining room of a busy restaurant is tough because I did it at one time. But you were hired for that job for that task and that's all you had to do. You could have tried harder and did your job better.  Complaining gets you nowhere.

You really messed up on your second job at the towing company.  I thought this was a good way to get exposure to the towing business because you could have learned a lot but you couldn't even trim hedges or mow grass for the boss when he asked you to.  You didn't have to sneak off and ride with a driver to fulfill your childish fantasies.

Now that you're at the grocery store you know what to do to keep your job.  Quit complaining about the old people that shpo ther.  They are part of the customer base and need to eat.  You have an obligation to your customers and to take care of them. It gets busy on the weekends and that is when most people buy groceries.  Get over it.  And most of all, don't get fired for something stupid.

And if you think it's tough now, you have no idea what you're in for.  Since you complain about your shift at the grocery store here are a few things to consider...

1.) You are in for some really long hours, no 9 to 5 work here.
2.) The money you make and the money you spend out there are going to conflict with each other if you aren't watching.
3.) You are going to see the world as you pass it by on the highway; there will be no time for stopping.
4.) Most of the general public really hates truck drivers.
5.) You are going to be another target for law enforcement.
6.) You are going to be away from home a lot more than bargained.

I could go on but then this post would become a novel.

And as far as you driving the 'cool' truck.  You might not get lucky enough to drive the Pete with the big stacks.  You will, however, drive a truck that nobody wants until you can get a newer truck nobody wants until you can get another newer truck nobody wants so that the company can save money by not buying Peterbilts and chrome.  Do you really think anyone wants to give a rookie the keys to a brand new $175,000 truck without ensuring he has enough experience to drive it or do you think you feel entitled. You aren't going to get the Pete until you can manhandle a Cascadia first.

It took 15 years of trying to get the job I have now and I am insulted that you think it's going to be easy. So on behalf of all of the truckers who are laughing at you right now, I say good luck and let me know how that works out for you.

7 Reasons to Be Your Own Boss

In 1997 I was travelling in the Memphis area and I sat down at a Chili's in Cordova, TN to have a drink or two.  Sitting at the bar, three sheets to the wind, was a young man about my age (I was 21 at the time) drinking the same top-shelf margaritas I was drinking.  The bartender told me what he did for a living and I inquired as to how he did it.

He got tired of the same old grind and decided it was time to do his own thing.  He talked to people he knew and got referrals and the next thing you know, he's got 2 full-time landscaping crews working the Memphis area.  I was impressed.

Then he told me something that still lingers in my mind to this day. "Just go out and do it," he said with a rising emphasis on the word "do."

So as I was thinking today while driving, it occurred to me that the young landscaper was still correct and I should go out and do it.

I have compiled my top ten reasons to be my own boss.

1.) You call the shots not someone else.

As I get older I have trouble taking orders from someone, especially someone who thinks they know what they are doing.  More often than not I hear stories of incompetent managers who are more concerned with being in charge instead of leading those in their employ.

2.) The money you make is making you richer and not someone else.

The people at the very top of their businesses have their hopes, goals, and dreams lined up in front of them and they WILL leverage their people to achieve them.

3.) Serious tax advantages.

Always consult a professional but there are a lot of things that can save you money on your taxes.

4.) You get to choose the people you work with.

Getting along with your people is a very important part of your work so why not surround yourself with people who support you and that you have chemistry with.

5.) You can follow your passion.

As an expert doing your own thing, you can share your passion and inspire others.  If you're doing what you love then it won't feel like work.

6.) You get to be a real leader and connect with people.

Everybody is going to look to you for guidance and you get to lead them. Not only that you can use your position to inspire people to become better.

7.) You get things done - FASTER.

Entrepreneurs do not like red tape as a whole and you can as a business owner bypass a lot of the red tape that many other businesses use to increase your output and get a desired result faster.

If you're reading this there is one more thing I have to tell you.  Just go out and do it.

What Happens In Bama Makes You Want To Move To Texas

Boss: I'm so glad I have a driver like you.

Me: Thanks, Boss. What made you say that?

Boss: You don't screw things up.

Me: Isn't that what we're SUPPOSED to do.

Boss: You know how drivers are...

Me: I don't know but tell me, please.

Boss: [SILENT]

Me: Boss, have you considered what it would be like if I wasn't around?

Boss: Oh, come on!!! You'll never leave here.

Me: We'll see about that. [WINK]

   This was a conversation I had with my boss in 2013.  By this point I had spent almost 3 years with a local outfit in Huntsville, AL.  I wasn't just driving.  I was spending one day a week in the office helping with regulatory and office-related functions such as truck maintenance records, driver daily logs, recovering load paperwork and training.  The Big Fuzzy Roadman was the go-to guy for all your latest trucking and fuel hauling knowledge.  This was as lovely as watching a funeral procession slowly pass through town.

Friend: Hey! What's up?

Me: Not much. You?

Friend: I was wondering if you could help me out?

Me: [ROLLS EYES] How much is this going to cost me?

   This conversation usually happened when a broke friend needed money. One in particular made it look like I was his personal ATM until I cut him off.  Nobody ever seemed to have the means to pay their bills much less pay me back. Often times I would 'gift' them the money. I knew many of them couldn't pay me back.  The most disappointing thing was their lack of effort.

Female: My boyfriend treats me like crap.

Me: We've had this conversation before.  If it's that bad why don't you leave him?

Female: I don't know.  I love him and all but every time I think he has to go I think that I am going to be lonely and my kids will miss him and my bed will be empty and I can't pay my own bills without him.

Me: I guess you love him enough for him to pull his crap on you.

     This was a normal conversation with female friends.  What makes it worse is that most of these women wouldn't know a good guy if they met one.  Nice guys weren't a wanted commodity.  They were talked about like they were but the buttholes always made their way to first place.  I was used to this.  Maybe it was time to look for another pool of available, intelligent women wanting to actually be in a real relationship with a real man willing to treat them like a lady.  It wore on me to see codependent women keep on being codependent.  They must have liked it, I guess.

Engineer: Hey there, Mr. Gas Hauler!  How does it feel to drive around a bomb?

Me: I noticed you work for NASA.  How does it feel to work for a government department that is having funding cut?  Too bad the current administration doesn't support you dream of being an astronaut.

   Engineers always seemed to have the upper hand in North Alabama.  Huntsville has the most PhD's per capita that any other major city in Alabama. They made more money and changed the face of the city. For as much as they broadened the city's demographic, they often looked down on others as if they were royalty.  It makes me glad I dropped out of school and didn't become one myself.

Family Member: Hey!!! Long time no see!

Me: I cant remember when I last saw you.

Family:  Well, if you'd stick around longer people might actually get to know you.  Heck, if you'd come to church and watch a football game with us we'd like you more.  Too bad you prefer to ride the highways like a gypsy.

Me: Well, I'm too busy living my own life to let anyone else own it.

     The problem with many of my extended family members is that they were way too self-absorbed for my liking.  If you didn't like the same things as they did or go to the same church then you didn't fit in. No matter how hard I tried I couldn't follow conversations on family gossip.  They let their imaginations run wild when I left out details of my life such as the real reason I became a truck driver, making money and taking care of a home.

Alabama Football Fan: Hey! ROLL TIDE!!!

Me: [SIGHS IN DISGUST]

     I know how many Bama Football fans there are.  They are everywhere.  They were their colors, crimson and white.  They shout their war call, ROLL TIDE!  They are arrogant. They are disgusting.  And they worship a dead football coach.  As many of them are awaiting the second coming of Jesus, they also await the day, during the Iron Bowl, that the great Paul W. 'Bear' Bryant will descend from heaven and take over coaching duties as only he could.  Bama fans everywhere will kneel as the Bear will charge one more time to defeat Auburn and put them down never to be seen again.

     I know that some you still live in Sweet Home Alabama and I do miss some things but I no longer experience the same nonsense that brings me down anymore.  To my Bama friends, best of luck.

Eating Pie

   Some days it's just hard to focus on the hopes, the dreams, and all the good things that keep you motivated to strive for something better in your own life. It's not always easy hearing how professionally dressed people walked out on paying their restaurant tab from my fiance, or the old ladies who can only afford propane one month at a time. This might be hard to hear, but if anyone stops trying then the battle is truly lost.
   While wandering on Facebook I found this quote, "Everybody says that they're trying to get their piece of the pie. They don't realize that the world is a kitchen. They can make their own pie." -Terry Crews. This completely displays original American optimism, that if we ever lose our creative motivation then we will stop making our own pie. I like my pie and I like to eat it too, but it also means I have to get up off my rear and make my own pie everyday.
   We currently live in a world where we are told that 40% of the American population supports 60% of the population. This could also be an indicator of how many people have lost hope, stopped trying, stopped creating, stopped looking, stopped making pie in the own kitchens figuratively speaking. Don't know about you, but I get up when it is dark out and go to bed when it is dark out and work a full day in-between, that is a lot of humble pie. Time to start cooking America, if you don't cook you don't eat.

Cheatin' Like In A Country Song

     "Well how do I know, I'm not there with you," this is a common complaint among women today and a few men. People are never sure of what their beloved, other half, girlfriend, boyfriend, lover, or romantic acquaintance is doing behind or in front of their backs. There is a more common story about the guy who went to war and came back to a girl who is no longer his fiance but had married someone else. This theme was popular in 1920's movies, now it seems to be much more fashionable to go on Craigslist and make new friends who all believe in time that they are each your fiance or romantic attachment. This is true for guys and girls, but it is not any less shameful when a person needs their friends to become their own private investigators so when your fiance gets tired of you and doesn't have the guts to break up with you before they go and find new fiances to string along.

   As much as I would like to require that every human being wear an ankle tracking device, this will not solve the problem of 'cheatin' achy-breaky hearts while all my exes live in Texas'. How can real relationships be formed if the sneaky people won't stop treating the hopeful people like chew toys because they are bored? Or is any relationship really safe if one person is always suspicious without reason and the other person works like a dog trying to be transparent and honest, and the suspicious one is usually the guilty one who is running around all over town. 

   This is usually the point on Dr. Phil, Oprah, or Jerry Springer where each side starts yelling and pointing fingers at the other while blasting profanity, accusations, and a lot of whiny crying. Each side is so perfect in their kind of wrong that the watcher stops caring who is right or wrong because truth is only in the eye of the beholder. It's kind of funny that's it's only after you start 'seeing someone' that they think that they have to hold you accountable of where you have been, who you talk to, and fact checking all of your stories while checking your cell phone. Then if you can still tolerate this juvenile behavior they start the same censorship of your credit cards, bills, and paycheck. What trust is there in that? Why all of this guilt-induced nagging? Bad behaviors are a sign of bad habits, and these should be fixed. 

   You meet someone, they want to get really personal really fast, as if it is their life's goal to own you, I think people call this being wanted. Then you get drugged on the feeling of being wanted and ignore all the other crazy manipulative crap that goes on because you are wanted....I mean owned by another person. Usually the owning type is a life time collector of other people's lonely hearts, then the relationship gets even more personal and emotionally abusive with your credit card history thrown in. This is no better than a self inflicted cycle of abuse, and you were conned by a soul collector who saw you coming a mile away. 

   A long time acquaintance of mine had a son who was a civilian special ops contractor, he found a sweet girl, then he was shipped out to Afghanistan for six months. When he got back, his fiance had a different fiance and two other boyfriends that she had found online. This poor boy thought love was somewhere in the equation of his life, instead he was conned by a soul collector with a pretty face and body. Then there was my own ex-wife who constantly claimed she couldn't prove I wasn't cheating because she was not with me 24 hours a day, and in the end I found out that she was the one sleeping with anything that would move while I driving the truck across country. This was not true love, because true love does not hurt others on purpose. There is that part of your soul that wants to feel something other than the freedom of the open road, and even if it's hurtful and negative always seems better than feeling nothing at all. Be smarter than this.

     Stay in school, do your home work, so when your friends find things out of where your sweet heart has been, the conversation will never bring up Craigslist.

No Rest For The Self Inflicted

     It is commonly understood that if you are tired then you should sleep. Yet even from a young we constantly fight the urge to stop, lay down, rest, then fall into actual sleep. Mother's across America will tell you, "He/she didn't have their nap today and they woke up at 4 o'clock in the morning, they're just tired. That's why they look miserable and are crying on and off uncontrollably," as you look at the mother who wants to act the same way her child is from her own sleep loss.
     Then you have the hard working adult who 'just wants one more minute' they tell themselves, for those few extra miles, for that last finishing touch on a craft project, for that last part of a TV program, for whatever those last few moments are for to stop us from letting go and getting the much needed rest.
     Many truck drivers have been know to drive illegally for 20 hours straight, this means that they are willing to ignore the laws that protect their sleep and safety. The same can be said for crafters and mothers a like who are finishing Christmas pageant costumes, cupcakes for a class bake sale, and any general illness that claims to only last for '24 hours' per family member. These are some of the simple things that we do or can't avoid to post pone sleep for the self inflicted.
     We live in a culture that is so sleep deprived with Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Seven 11's that real rest is no longer valued. It's really hard to give a damn when you are too tired to smell the roses, and coffee really can burn out your taste buds so a steak will never taste the same again. What else are you willing to miss out on because so many pieces of yourself are too tired to enjoy them from your self inflicted lack of rest?
     We have become a culture of sleep apnea and obsession with instant gratification and ignoring our personal needs. Ever make a list of all the things you are too tired to do? This does not include joining a gym, going for daily walks, or eating healthier. This means doing things with other people, going places to be with other humans, and screwing your better half every night. They say that the evidence is in the details, and screwing is such an interesting detail to have in your life. Now get back on your treadmill, you need just one more minute on that computer, just one more minute with your hot glue gun, just one more minute......Zzzzzzzz

Go Big or Go Home

 

     There are days when I need to be reminded of who I really am, almost like a self pep talk into feeling a foundation under my feet and washing my spirit with that memorable hope that has been erased by the distractions of life. My job is very demanding, like anyone else I love it because they treat me well, but there are days when I put my head down and launch into a memorized cycle of no return. It is when my heart is stuck in a place of not finding it's happiness, while my head and body are out making money to please my boss. In this instance my heart is not my boss, instead it is a guy I will call Phil, my soul is a comma patient, and brain is on a mission for Fair Trade Propane.

   This is not a rant or rave against Fair Trade Propane or Phil, like I said I appreciate my job because they treat me so well and I show them my gratitude regularly. However, like any other hard working American who works at least ten hours or more a day every day, there is a tendency to forget that once upon a time you had goals and dreams that were not work related. You forget about wanting to have hobbies, you forget about being interested in other subjects that will let you learn about non-job related things, you forget about what you were and who you really are.

   After meeting my red head and starting to have something similar to a social life, her response to so many things was 'go big or go home'. At first it was funny, at the Chinese Buffet I was challenged to get that 5th plate of food, her response to this dilemma was 'go big or go home' so I got the extra plate. Then as we started to talk about business plans, the stock market, marketing strategies, and ideas that would take a lot of long term planning and extra hours at home that my job does not allow for; her response was 'go big or go home'. This was a challenge that I was really starting to take to heart. 

   What was something I felt big about and wasn't all talk and no action. My job would not always be this busy, I would be able to slow down in three more months if I was hopeful and patient. But what things was I willing to call my own again that I was willing to fight for and keep in my life? What things did I feel that I should go big with or leave at home for a future review. I know that I am your friendly neighborhood propane delivery man, but what else am I? I needed to know that my beer gut was not the only big thing in my life that would stick around for a while that was serious part of me, there had to be more to me than a smile and a beer gut. 

   Then the red head explained to me why she always used the slogan that she did, "Well a long time ago it made sense that 'going big' meant showing love to world in ways it did not understand. Or being the bigger person was not a size thing but a 'not make the world a worse place' thing. So when she used her usual expression, she simply meant that by 'going big' you improve the world and don't let hurt you or itself. What she meant by 'or go home', this is when you recharge your batteries to fight another day and the devil can't win. 

   "Those with the biggest hearts always go big because they don't limit their capacity to love....then you get a different version of the energizer bunny," then the red head told me that size of my heart was one of the reasons she knows that she can emotionally connect with me, I am a fixer-upper, but I am her fixer-upper and that we really need to go home because she can't eat any more at the Chinese Buffet. Her pants don't fit any more so it is time to leave. I quickly find myself again and ask for the check....since I know what dessert is.

Working Christmas Eve

   Nobody knows love like eating ham and eggs on your way to work on Christmas Eve. So how do I mean this you ask, well the ham was a gift from my job at Northwest Propane and the eggs were cooked by my fiance so that I could have a quick meal in the morning when she wasn't there so I would not go hungry every morning while running out the door. It was part of her fight to keep me away from the golden tombstones, a.k.a. McDonald's drive-thru.
   I can't say that I could taste the care or love in the food while eating it at Southlake traffic lights, but I could feel the fore thought and consideration that people had for me in making sure I had been taken care of. This is during the time of year that depression, suicide, and an introverted sense of hopelessness takes control of many people who become the polar opposite of the Christmas spirit. This is when all feelings of loss, abandonment, joylessness, and a bottomless hunger that can never be satisfied takes over those who don't want to be saved or have given up the fight to be happy, or are just worn out from trying which they call pretending. They have shut their eyes to the little gifts in life that make daily life worth living everyday of the year, not just around the holidays. They can't see the bowls of eggs and ham for breakfast because their pain has closed their eyes and their hearts.
   This all also goes back to the time when I was in the hospital and I could feel God telling me to be more grateful for what I had which helped to make everyday is an adventure in my world. After this revelation of sorts, I really could appreciate the small things in life and see the blessings others give without anticipating repayment. I truly am grateful for the honey glazed hams from my work (which my fiance will make more food with than I can eat when she comes over), and all the little ways that my red head makes a big impact in my life. I will not reveal any sappy details about her, but I am always telling her that I love her more than she knows....but then she might, her cooking has made me lose weight since it is all real food....the stock market price just dropped for McDonald's.