Back Once More!

Good evening to everyone out there!  Once again, It has been WAY too long since my last post.  A lot has happened in between here and there, and I will try to let you into my head for the next few minutes. 

Just a little side note before I begin.  Some of you reading my post will thing to yourselves, 'Max, these posts don't really read like a blog, they sound more like a letter to a friend.'  I say to that, yes, they do sound like that I suppose.  I could come out that way because, while I am writing these, in my head and in my heart I feel that you all are truly my friends.  Very good friends, in fact.  And that is what friends do, they share what is on their mind and in their hearts.  Also it could be that I have never actually read a real blog, but I digress.  

In July of this year I left the Over-The-Road life for a combination of some health problems, and a "grass is greener on the other side" syndrome.  I moved to Phoenix, AZ to work a local job and finally be home every night.  I applied over at Albertson's as  a local delivery driver to deliver at their stores.  As most of you may know, I suffer from gout, and occasionally have flare ups.  Well, as luck may have it, a week into my employment, I developed a particularly severe flare up in my right ankle, which subsequently, along with some other factors, ended my short employment with Albertsons.  My manager over here at Knight was very understanding and helpful in bringing back on full time with the company.  I have nothing but wonderful things to say about this company.

I currently drive for the Refrigerated Division of the company, and enjoy the work.  Lately I have been slowly putting the puzzle pieces of this great conundrum together.  Let me elaborate a bit.  In a few earlier posts you may recall that I thought that I may have had some doubts about pushing a truck down the road.  There are a couple factors that I have been looking at in rethinking my position on that topic.  On my hiatus from the long haul, I slowly realized I was missing the routine that I had hated so much in the past.  I missed the long moments with nothing on the horizon except a Kentucky sunset, and my thoughts bouncing around in the cab of the truck.  That may sound like pure hell to some of you, however a long distance trip with nothing but the radio and the hum of the engine was, unbeknownst to me, the greatest thing in the world at that time.

Factor two, came into play at the very beginning of my career when I decided to commit my education to this way of life.  (notice I didn't say job.  We'll get into that in a later post)  I'm not a well educated man.  Let's be honest, I didn't graduate high school, and pretty much everything I have learned is through radio programs, audio books, regular books, and some pretty damn good mentors along the way.  This is all I know how to do, and feel that I am pretty well committed at this point, rather than give it all up and start all over again with a new career in college.

Now, I'm not saying that I will be driving long haul all of my life.  It's likely, but not guaranteed.  IF I were to find "the right one", I would go back to driving local and being home every night.

There is quiet a bit more life changing events that have happened since the last time that we talked, but, as I look at the clock smoking as it's hands are spinning around on the screw, I must leave you for now, and will return soon.  I have much more I would like to share with you.    


I love each and every one of you.  I wish only the best, and that God may bless each and every one of you.  Please please please, be safe out there on the highways and bi-ways,  and please be especially cautious around semi trucks and buses.  That is all for now.  I will talk to you all very soon.


--Max

Long Time

Good afternoon there to everyone, and a happy Palm Sunday to you. Today marks the beginning of Holy Week. It has been (as many a time) WAY too long since I have last posted. My apologies go out, once again, to everyone. First off, I am still working for Knight Transportation. Knight and I have settled our difference somewhat and, for a while, will continue working with them.

Recently I have fulfilled a dream that I have had for a long time. I purchased a motor home. A 1978 Southwind. Now granted it's not a brand new Winnebago Journey, but it's a good starter coach and it keeps me busy on my days off with minor fixes. I've enclosed some pictures. Please note that these are some earlier photos of when I first picked it up. Many things have been done to it since, including the awning, the mirror, and the hubcaps.

You'll have to forgive me for how short this post is today, for I have been feeling a bit under the weather lately. I will post again soon along with progress photos of my work on the R.V.

Have a safe and wonderful weekend and have a beautiful Easter holiday!!

--Max

The End of The Line?

Good morning to everyone! I hope this finds everyone well today. I guess it's time for my monthly update today, so here we go.

Perhaps the title of this morning's blog is leaving a few of you in suspense, wondering what, exactly, the "end of the line" means. Before I begin I would like to underscore the significance of the question mark at the end of the title, meaning that nothing in this life is a sure thing, not even this.

Lately, I have been doing some serious 'soul searching', and that brought to mind the old cliche, "life is short. Do what you love, and love what you do." Do you remember that life reminded Forest Gump of box of chocolates? Well, I have a slightly different view on the resemblance of life. I think of life as a card game. Moreover, a poker game. When you are born, life deals you a hand of either five or seven cards, depending on which country you born in to. (Just kidding on that last remark) Those five or seven cards represent what you are born into. Some people, naturally, are dealt a better hand than someone else at the table. They may have a slight advantage over you at that time, but that doesn't necessarily mean that they are going to win, you see. Because, throughout life you are able to discard some of your not so favorable cards for a chance to dip back into the deck to replace those discarded cards. This is a personal decision, and, as in life, must not be taken lightly. This ritual of discarding cards and reaching back into the deck to take a chance at receiving a better hand, represents the decisions in life we must make, and decide if the new cards we will take to replace our originals, will, in fact be better.

Even as I sit here, I can see that the suspense in the room is so thick, you could cut it with a knife. So, enough of my usual ramblings and on to my point.

Recently, I have locked horns with a few people in the organization that I work for. Added to that, the new rules and regulations that will soon be enacted from our federal government, making my job much more difficult and less enjoyable, I come back to point of my soul searching, and am reminded of the original cards I had been dealt. It wasn't a bad hand, but perhaps, I thought, I could "gamble" and make it better with some of the cards I discarded. Granted, I haven't discarded all of my cards, and still have a chance to 'take the pot,' but I think back and say, "Man, I shouldn't have discarded that King of Clubs for that Four of Diamonds." Perhaps I was looking for that Ace. I don't know, and frankly, it doesn't really matter now.

So, after all of that dribbly drab, I have come to the conclusion that perhaps I will be seeking a career change. Will I go back to college to become a mortician? Will I be a local delivery man and be home every night so I can finally have a personal life, and maybe, just maybe, settle down and get married? Or will I move back to Price, and work down there in some capacity? The latter seems very unlikely. All I know, is that I'm seeing all of my classmates already settled down with careers and some of them with children that are four or five years old already, and I am too old for a job now. I need a career. I haven't discarded all of my cards yet, I'm still in the game, my chips are still plentiful, and I may just have an ace in the hole somewhere.

That's my thoughts for today. As always, thanks to all of my loyal readers, and apologies all around for not sticking to the trucking life theme of this blog. I promise that if I really do come off the road, I will have a final educational trucking themed blog for you before I change the theme to just a personal blog.

Have a wonderful Sunday, and if I don't post before Thanksgiving, God bless you and your family, and please, when you sit down at the table on the 25th, remember, Thanksgiving isn't about how much food you can eat, or about betting on how soon Grandpa loosens his belt at the table. Please ponder on the things that have been given to you by our Creator. Hug your family members when you go visit, and let them know that they are special.

Before I leave you today, I would like to share a quote from one of my hero's Fred Rogers:

"If you could only sense how important you are to the lives of those you meet; how important you can be to the people you may never even dream of. There is something of yourself that you leave at every meeting with another person. You rarely have time for everything you want in this life, so you need to make choices. And hopefully your choices can come from a deep sense of who you are." --Fred Rogers

And finally, the quote that I found most striking and appropriate for today:

"Often when you think you're at the end of something, you're at the beginning of something else." --Fred Rogers

New Month New Runs.

Well Ladies and Gentlemen, It has been about a month since my last post. As you can imagine, my life has been hectic trying to make up lost time from the down time of last month. My truck seems to be running good, and it shows, or should I say, my odometer shows it. At the end of September, I ran 11,250 miles.

Also, at the end of September I received a load that I really couldn't turn down. I had just emptied out over at the Port of Los Angeles, and was called upon to pick a load out of Santa Clarita going to Greencastle, IN. The farthest east I had been at this point was Chicago, IL and was, of course, very excited. I was then informed that, if I trek east, it may be a couple of weeks before I would be able to get a load going back west. At this point, I really didn't care. I was up for that adventure.

I delivered my load on time, and was later dispatched to Memphis, TN, and then up to Minneapolis, MN, where I currently sit with a load bound for small town, WI, with a final drop just a bit west of Chicago, IL. (I say small town, WI only for the reason that I can not recall the name of the town at this time.)

I must say, that I am quiet proud of handling my anxiety out here. It has been low level so far. However, I do miss my mountains, and must say that I could not live out here.

If I could get a little personal for a bit, I should say that as I drive through Wisconsin and Minnesota, the changing colors of the trees up here are about at their peak for the season, and it brings to mind how much beauty there is around. I feel a bit guilty for traveling around the country this summer and not taking it all in. I have driven over some of the country's most splendid summits and peaks, with their beautiful pine trees and towering sheer cliffs, and rolled through the sweltering deserts, with their tall cacti, and red rock plateaus, and yet, as I sit here tonight and try to recall the sights, and realize, that there has not been one moment that I have pulled over, and stopped to appreciate this great land. I feel guilty for taking this all as "a given" and just another part of my job. I do believe that I have been given a gift with this job. A gift that most people will never receive in their lifetime; to see the greatest country on earth first hand, and meet the people that make it so great.

In closing tonight, I would like to make a quick mention of two very talented individuals, by the names of, Katherine and Jonas, of the band, Sons of Hippies. I met these folks at a truck stop in a suburb of Indianapolis. They play a mix of psychedelic and punk music. If you would like to check them out, their website is as follows: http://www.sonsofhippies.net Tour dates are posted on the site, as well as some great music!

Thank you to all of my faithful followers, and I hope to be talking to you again soon!!

It's Done?

Well I just received a call from the Volvo shop. They informed me that the mechanics got the truck running and are going to go and test drive it now. They said that I should be able to have it back this afternoon.

So, I just wanted to inform all of you so you weren't sitting on the edge of your chair in suspense. Anyway, I better go get ready and head down there. Have a great rest of the day!!

-Max

Back To The Hotel.

Hi there! Well, I woke up this morning with just a little bit of hope in being able to head out today. Well, at least later tonight. No such luck. I spoke with the service writer and she explained to me that they had drained all the tanks out and flushed to whole system, and now the scary process. They are now replacing all of the injectors, the fuel pump, some seals, and part of the DPF system. (Diesel Particulate Filter).

So now I am back at the hotel, and have reserved yet another two days. Now don't get me wrong, I'm not bitter or angry at the whole situation, just a bit disappointed that I'm not making any money right now. I really did need the days off to kinda relax and sit back and not think of work, but two days would have been sufficient for that. Also it would have been kind of nice to spend my down time with my family. But I guess that's the way the cookie crumbles here in the trucking industry.

One good thing about this down time is, I've gone through less chew than I would have during a normal day on the road. Ha, ha, I guess I am saving a bit of money that way!!

Anyway, I promised an update to everyone, so, there it is. It's a pretty boring one, but that's about how it is here too. Well, ya'll have a great day and I will keep in touch.


--Max

My Hero

Happy Sunday to everyone. Since it is Sunday, I will keep it short.

If you have the time I would like you to take a look at this clip of my hero, Glenn Beck. I have been listening to him on the radio since 2005. Sometimes his views are a little out there, but for the most part I agree with what he says. I recently purchased his book, "The Christmas Sweater", and recommend it to everyone to read.

Being a fan of a talk show host, I will usually dig into their history a bit. I always new that Glenn had it rough through his life but when I dug deeper, I found that his pain ran deeper than I could have ever imagined.

If you have the time today, I would like you to view this eight minute clip.

Finally I will leave you with a Sabbath Day quote from Thomas S. Monson:

"Near the end of his life, one father looked back on how he had spent his time on earth. An acclaimed, respected author of numerous scholarly works, he said, 'I wish I had written one less book and taken my children fishing more often.'"

"Time passes quickly. Many parents say that it seems like yesterday that their children were born. Now those children are grown, perhaps with children of their own. 'Where did the years go?' they ask. We cannot call back time that is past, we cannot stop time that now is, and we cannot experience the future in our present state. Time is a gift, a treasure not to be put aside for the future but to be used wisely in the present."

Enjoy the video.

--Max