Driving for the summer

[Mattymatt]

I got a lead on a job driving a straight truck as an independent contractor for FedEx Custom Critical. I'm hoping to do this until school starts in September. I'll be over the road and travel will take me all over the 48 states. I didn't necessarily want to go back to driving but the money is good and I need something for the time being. At least this time I won't be driving an 18 wheeler. I'm done with that life.

 

[tree]

I didn't realize FedEx worked that way.

I am used to the local FedEx drivers that
stop at my house. One is more "local"
(has a shorter route) than the other,
but neither go out of state.

 

[Mary Anne]

I got a lead on a job driving a straight truck as an independent contractor for FedEx Custom Critical. I'm hoping to do this until school starts in September. I'll be over the road and travel will take me all over the 48 states. I didn't necessarily want to go back to driving but the money is good and I need something for the time being. At least this time I won't be driving an 18 wheeler. I'm done with that life.

I always wanted to be a truck driver and drive the 48! I envy you oh so much! You get to be alone, and see the world, and the sky, and nature.
Why do you not like driving an 18 wheeler?

 

[Mattymatt]

I always wanted to be a truck driver and drive the 48! I envy you oh so much! You get to be alone, and see the world, and the sky, and nature.
Why do you not like driving an 18 wheeler?

It's very stressful operating a 75ft vehicle in traffic and you absolutely have to have a cool hand and head when doing it. Remember that sometimes we are carrying upwards of 40 tons or 80,000 lbs and the majority of the motoring traffic doesn't understand that a truck doesn't stop on a dime. Oftimes, you are so focused on being safe and getting the freight in on time, that you've got little time to enjoy the open space. Driving an 18 wheeler requires laser-like focus. I am so worn out by the end of the day, I simply passed right out in my sleeper berth.

While my strong preference is to be alone, the truck driving world is incredibly lonely. Living out of the back of a truck gets old and claustrophobic. Sadly, I won't be able to go back to driving because I did not qualify for the medical certificate. Not enough time has passed since I've completed gastric bypass surgery for the CDL medical examiner to feel comfortable.

 

[Mary Anne]

It's very stressful operating a 75ft vehicle in traffic and you absolutely have to have a cool hand and head when doing it. Remember that sometimes we are carrying upwards of 40 tons or 80,000 lbs and the majority of the motoring traffic doesn't understand that a truck doesn't stop on a dime. Oftimes, you are so focused on being safe and getting the freight in on time, that you've got little time to enjoy the open space. Driving an 18 wheeler requires laser-like focus. I am so worn out by the end of the day, I simply passed right out in my sleeper berth.

While my strong preference is to be alone, the truck driving world is incredibly lonely. Living out of the back of a truck gets old and claustrophobic. Sadly, I won't be able to go back to driving because I did not qualify for the medical certificate. Not enough time has passed since I've completed gastric bypass surgery for the CDL medical examiner to feel comfortable.

Other people drive like crap. I also have seen bad dangerous driving behavior from semi trucks too. My last job, I drove 80 miles per day on I294 tollway around Chicago. I would see semis going way too fast,
Almost jackknife, drive in the left fast lane, and switch lanes way too close. Scared me a lot.