Back to the beginning

Yes it's been awhile since I last typed my great adventures on this blog. I will be changing the parts of the title seeing that I am no longer a schoolbus driver. At least not full time. I have been keeping up with my other blog http://wannabedriver.blogspot.com/ Anyone who is aspiring to change their carreer might take an interest.

Here's the story. When I was five years old I got strangely obsessed in the movie "CONVOY" From that point on I was into the big trucks. I had dreamed nightly about riding in one. When I was about 11 years old my family and I moved to Phoenix, Arizona. My dad had a drinking buddy that owned a small trucking company. One day while running errands Dad took me with him and had to talk to this fellow. I got to sit in my first truck ever. It was a Peterbilt C/O. Shortly there after this guy hired my dad to go out and get a couple of abandoned trucks. That got my dad a foot in the door for a local driving job. It was hauling stuff for satelites in a set of doubles to the middle of the desert. It was drop and hook and he went out every evening about 6pm and was home in the morning. Basically a third shift job. My dad had become a truckdriver! I never would have thought that to happen in a million years. It just made me closer to my dreams. One day during the summer my dad took me on my first trip in a truck. It was a Peterbilt C/O as well. It was just slightly bigger than a day cab. It had a small sleeper in back, but only one axle in the back. The trailers were a set of doubles. I still remember that trip. I was afraid to over talk him to death with all the questions I had but I did good and just absorbed the experience. I did ask a little but it was hard to hear and talk over the doghouse so I was quieter than I would have probably been. I even stayed up all night due to the excitement. Not an easy feat for the youngster I was.

The my dad moved on to an OTR company based out of Phoenix. He teamed with a guy and was gone a lot. His first time out he was gone for about a couple of months it seemed. When he got his own truck I started to ride with him. In the summer we would go across the US. On weekends I would go with him on short runs to LA or to maybe get a load in Yuma or Chandler. By the time I was fifteen I was a well seasoned passenger. In 1986 we moved to Springfield and my dad found a job with Aaron's Automotive. On those runs I went a few times and did the errands with him. He worked is way to a dedicated route and was home every weekend. After a foot surgery Aaron's laid him off. He went to work for Lowes then shortly thereafter cancer took him from us.

During these years of being a passenger I learned a lot from my dad about trucking. It was hard, miserable, yet enjoyable and worthwhile at the same time. One had to take the good with the bad. I was fully prepared to do it but one small drawback, my dad said, "If you ever become a truckdriver, I will break your arms!" Now my father wasn't a violent man but I beleived him none the less. In return because of his rule he had to watch me struggle from job to job, never really being happy. During this struggle he finally broke down and said that he thought I could do better than be a truckdriver and that he just wanted what was best for me and not put my family through what we had to endure. Eventually I became a welder for Tracker and that put the dream on hold indefinitely.

After six years of welding I was miserable. hated my job, hated the industry, tired all the time. I was an ass to my kids and things were falling apart at home. After my wife and I fiddled with the budget I decided that I would get a driving job as a schoolbus driver. Free training, I would have at least a class B CDL. This would be the "great compromise". I would be driving but not away from home. I would have time to accomplish things at the house. And most importantly It would subdue the trucker bug that was inside me. If I hated the job I would still have the class B CDL and be able to work for someone locally. Guess what? I would love this job! It was rewarding, easy, and I had stories to tell when I got home. As far as subdueing the trucker bug it made it worse. I was happy but I would pass a big rig and dream once again. The words "what if" can be very powerful. The shows Trick My Truck and Ice Road truckers didn't help either. So I started to heavily research the truckdriving industry. Another unexpected effect of my schoolbus driving was my wife's urge to become a teacher. She had always thought about it but when I came home with my stories she started to go for her teacher's degree. Then we hit a crossroad. She was miserable at her job. Her school, job, and kids were wearing her out. I wasn't making hardly any money. School would be easier for her if she went part-time. That's when we talked and I told her about the money I could make as a trucker. We decided to go for it. Her dad was also a driver so she knows what to expect. Now I start my journey into fulfilling a lfe long dream. I am halfway through my trucking school. Due to my research I went with a reputable school and won't be obligated to anyone. So let the journey begin.