In less than 24 hours, I would be the trainee learning about what lay ahead of me as a commercial truck driver.
After I finished my routine presentation, I went back out to the front desk and handed the keys to my company car to the young man at the desk, as had been previously arranged. Only one other person in the entire building knew that I would never be back. My company laptop, credit card, and company car all ended in that hour. Without these useful tools, I suddenly felt vulnerable and much smaller.
The e-mailed instructions from the trucking company told me to pack enough bedding, clothing, prescriptions, etc to be gone and on the road with the trainer for up to four weeks. It all had to fit, by the way, in two small soft-sided pieces of luggage. It was a good thing I'd had some experience packing.
My sister who lived in the area came and picked me up at the insurance office. She was kind and understanding during this tumultuous day of change. Later that evening, she and her husband dropped me off at the hotel near the trucking company terminal where I was assured I'd have a reservation. The closer we got to the address, the city began to change from pleasant suburbs to grimy inner-city. We turned one last corner, and there it was, the Ramada Inn. The parking lot was full of tents and trucks. It looked like a major gem and rock show was going on and the place was packed. I went to the front desk, and confirmed that a reservation for two nights had been made for me. I went back out to the car, unloaded all my stuff hugged and thanked my sister and made my way to my room. I sat in the silence of the hotel room to try and let my head stop spinning from the events of the day, and the significant changes that had taken place, and to contemplate the fears associated with my uncertain future. I set my alarm clock for 5:30 in order to catch the 6:30 shuttle bus to the terminal. Soon, I would be the trainee contemplating the future that lay ahead of me.
If you start as a new job as a truck driver at any of the nation's large, major trucking companies, you will most likely go through 'Orientation'. Whether you're experienced, or a Greenie like me, orientation is where you learn the company rules, and how they want you to do things while out on the road.
Apparently, at most large trucking companies, there is a driver shortage. Just look on the rear of many semi trailers, and you'll most likely see an ad seeking drivers. If you want to place a shipment with a large trucking company, good luck trying to find a website to help you with that. However, if you want to be a driver for a trucking company, then you will find company websites everywhere explaining why this company is so different, and better than all the others, and why you should come and drive for them. This was oddly enough, one of the things that caused me to consider becoming a truck driver...if there really is a shortage, and companies are actively looking for drivers, then, I want to be wanted!
I've gone through those frustrating times of responding to numerous online job postings. The most common response to my submission of a resume and a cover letter? Nothing. Silence. Sorry Mr. Applicant, you're simply not important enough for us to even acknowledge the fact that you have an interest in working for our company. Sometimes I'd receive the occasional auto-generated letter..."thanks for applying, if you're a match, we'll let you know...." What I sincerely did appreciate was the very rare letter which stated: "thanks for applying, we've done an evaluation, and we're moving on with someone else. " Companies that responded in that fashion showed true class in my opinion, and I always appreciated those rare letters.
As my search for a job outside of insurance became more earnest, and the result for the most part continued to be a wall of rude silence, I realized that I wanted to work where people sought me out, where I was the one to decide if I would call back or not.
But back to orientation, because of the driver shortage, some large companies decided to do their own training, and thankfully so. Many drivers (including yours truly) got their start at a company that was willing to train a brand new driver. However, my observation is that for many companies they recruit like crazy, throw their new drivers into the system, and see how many will stick it out. Obviously, many new drivers don't stick it out, and thus the cycle continues.
So orientation at some of these places is a bit like boot camp in the military. Put these new, raw, untested recruits through some testing and let's see who's going to go on for more training.
The driving test was intense: turn left at this intersection; turn right at the next one; take the ramp onto the interstate. Part of the parking area for trucks had been converted into a course which had been setup to test backing skills.
I was glad to be in a small orientation class. The testing would be done in groups, so everyone would see each other's successes and failures. If I was going to fail, I wanted it to be as private an affair as possible, and not in front of 10-12 of my peers. There were actually only two of us. My classmate was a guy named Dan. Dan was an interesting guy, just a few years younger than me, but quick to tell about himself and his life. Dan had arrived in Denver the day before on a bus from Texas. Dan's life had been full of drama, setbacks and successes. When I told him I have five kids, he laughed and truthfully grinned that I had as many kids, as he'd had wives!
Orientation concluded on Thursday. Dan and I both passed the drug tests, the skills tests, and the driving test and were accepted as trainees. Dan was immediately placed with his trainer that Thursday afternoon, so he grabbed his stuff and headed out to meet up with his trainer. My trainer wouldn't be available till the next day. They reassured me that a room had been reserved for me at the same hotel, and all I had to do was to call the hotel shuttle bus, and they'd take me over back.
I loaded up all of my gear, called the hotel and requested the bus. I was told the shuttle was very busy, due to the gem show and all, but they'd get to me. After about an hour, I called, and reminded them that I was patiently waiting. Soon, the shuttle bus arrived and I got in. The driver invited me up to the front seat, and I obliged. Instead of going to the hotel however, we headed off in another direction. At first, I thought he may be taking a short cut, or alternate route, but we kept getting further from the hotel, and then, he pulled up to a lady standing by the road and asked if she was waiting for the hotel shuttle. She was.
She climbed in and we began to chat. She was a young lady from China here for the gem show. She recently moved from China to New York City, and now here she was in Denver. The driver then continued driving away from the hotel and directly into downtown Denver with its throngs of people, tiny one-way streets, and tons of traffic. He finally arrived at the convention center where he was to pick up another passenger for the hotel. As we sat waiting for the new passenger, I struck up a conversation with the Chinese gal. She was curious about a good place to get Japanese food, and neither the shuttle driver or I could be any help. Looking at her phone, she suddenly realized that there was just the type of place she was looking for just a block away, so she decided to get out and go get dinner. She'd take a taxi back to the hotel.
Finally, it was just the shuttle driver and me and we were headed back to the hotel. All these travels had taken us well into the evening, and it was now completely dark outside. The driver and I struck up a quick friendship. He was from the Middle East, and showed me pictures of his daughter who had just finished her solo flight for becoming getting her pilot's license. Out came the smart phone with all the videos and photos of the event. Suddenly, we are laughing, talking, about our families and kids and flying.
Could this day get any crazier, I remember thinking to myself. I start my new career tomorrow with my trainer, and we are going to spend 3-4 weeks traveling the country in a truck. And here I am driving around downtown Denver with a young lady from China and the most friendly shuttle driver you'd ever meet who was taking me back to the 'Ramadan' Hotel.
Finally, my adventure getting from the trucking company to the hotel ended and I lugged all my gear up to the check-in desk and was told that there was no reservation at the hotel for me. I asked her to check under the company name, and there was no luck. I started to call around at hotels in the area and they were all booked. Apparently, the gem show was a big deal and all the hotels for miles around were booked or priced well out of my price range.
Finally, I called my sister and asked if she might be able to come and pick me up and rescue me and let me stay at her home, and then bring me back again tomorrow? She of course was glad to do so, but on their way to a play at the theater. I was glad to wait for them, and chose to do it outside, sitting on the steps since the inside of the hotel lobby was completely full of gem vendors.
As I sat on the steps to the hotel, watching people come, unload luggage, and enter the hotel, and other gem vendors step outside for a smoke, it began to rain. Eventually, a British gentleman came and sat down on the steps beside me, and lit up a smoke in the rain. He told me his name, but I've forgotten it. His British accent was so strong, he spoke so quickly, and his speech was slurred somewhat by the alcohol he'd soaked up during the day, that I was having a hard time to understand him. Sometimes, all I could do after he made a comment was to laugh politely, smile, and nod my head.
He told me the story of finding some gems while in the British army, and how he'd kept them in a coffee can for a long time, never realizing until he finally showed them to someone that they were very valuable. Thus, launching his entrepreneurial career in stones and gems. Finally, he bid me a pleasant good evening, and not long after, my sister arrived.
My long day as a trainee, and my long journey to a bed for the evening was finally at an end.
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| A view of the Denver terminal |
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