The amount of bs it takes to hire on to a new trucking company makes it compelling to simply stay where you are at regardless of how it is.
Well maybe not so much that, if the place you are sucks, you're going to get the high-horse out of there.  But it's ridiculous.  It's a truck, I'm not flying an airplane and I'm not buying a house. 

Let's start at the beginning of this.  With this company I am intending on hooking up with.  It was a 14 page application on the internet.  That's right. Very intrusive, too.  I mean, they want to know alot more about you than I think they really need to. 

Anyway, I didn't hear from anyone at my current job this morning.  I got up at 6:00 am, thinking I was going to get a call or texts with next load instructions. I sat there for a while and decided to take a shower and make a pot of coffee, figured that if I did that, that would somehow cause it to happen, lol.

It did not. So I called the prospective employer and asked what company does their drug screening and DOT phyisical?  Good Shepherd Occupational in Longview.  A short discussion and I said, okay thanks.  I sat and pondered a while.  Should I go for it? I mean, while I'm home and this company I am currently working for hasn't bothered to contact me at all?  I jumped in the car, drove over to my hopeful new employer.  It took her quite a while to go through numerous screens on her computer to select and print, explaining that she has to do this for everyone. 

When she finally got through pushing the "print" tab, she got up and went to the next office over.  The printer in there.  She handed me a pile of paper at least an inch thick.  What on earth is all of this? I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.  Oh yes, I had to fill out all of this when I signed on I don't even know how to drive a truck and most of this is for truck drivers! 

Yes, of course it is. The most regulated industry in existence, I believe, the amount of bs you have to go through.  Well, I had gone there to get the paperwork to go to the DOT testing, but she handed me all of that too.  I called the place. We do physical from 8 to 11 and 1 to 3.  Ugh, it was almost 11 am.  I understood what today was going to be: shit.  haha, sometimes I have to laugh at myself.  I sat down at a table there - 2 hours to burn to go get the physical, not even knowing if current employer will call or text with - whatever - and spent an entire hour filling out paperwork.  Let me tell ya, I don't  take my time with that stuff, either.  I try to blaze through it - been doing it that way my entire life - and get it over with, meaning that I usually get done with something like that well before most other people would. 

Just saying. For it to take me an hour to go through all of that would mean many other people taking an hour and a half or even much longer depending on the person.  Ridiculous.  They don't need this much information to drive a freaking truck.  But I kept my mouth shut about that. I want this job.  It will give me the experience driving tankers and extremely volatile, hazardous chemical that will eventually get me to gasoline tankers and home.  Home every day type of home.  Or maybe I'll get used to it and just stay there.  Who knows. 

I filled all of that out, handed to her and left.  Arriving at the doc office, of course, even more  endless paperwork to fill out.  I expected it, though.  I took a seat after filling it out. A nurse eventually came through the door and called my last name, haha.  I was tired.  Dunno why but I woke up tired today.  And this kind of stuff beats me to death.  Paperwork and doctor's offices, a lethal combination.

Pee test. You have to take everything out of your pockets and put it into a basket. People try to get away with drug use by having a bottle of someone else's pee with them.  You go into the bathroom. The toilet lid is taped shut. The hot and cold water valves on the sink are taped shut . You can't flush the toilet.  The world we live in for urine tests.  Then, the lady says, well an audio test and you are done.

Umm, no? I'm here for a DOT physical, this is just the beginning. No, sir, this is all that is on that paperwork.  I picked up the paperwork, scanned through it, found where physical was checked off, no ma'am, it says it right here.  Oh no!  she replies, telling me there is a "pile" more paperwork you will have to fill out. My God in Heaven.  And sure enough  Pages and pages and pages of more junk. 

Ugh.  So, somewhere around that time, I finally get contacted by "my" company.  It's 2 texts from the dispatcher.  Not, hey how are you doing? It's the place where I am going to pickup and the place I am delivering - which I am sitting in their parking lot right now. I did not reply to him right away. If they are going to treat me like that, they are going to get the same treatment back at them.  The pickup appointment in Mount Pleasant wasn't until 5pm, which actually helped me because shit was going south here at this doc office.  After filling out all of that paperwork, I was taken to a room to wait.  And wait. And wait. A doctor finally came in 45 minutes later.  Long haired hippie dude, looked like a relic from the 70's.  Much older than enough to be from that era. 

He started to converse with me about getting this done and then noticed another guy in the room across from me. "You've been here alot longer then him, I need to take care of you first".  I'm like, what?  Okay, how long is this going to take?  I've already been waiting.  30 minutes for him and 30 minutes for you.  I can't do that  I have to get on the road and get to an appointment on time.  He just looks at me.  Fine, I'm going to have to finish this some other time

I walked up to the desk, lady asks if she can help me? I don't have time to finish this today. I've already been here an hour and a half for this. That doc told me another hour.  I have to go.  She says, wait for a minute, let me see if the other doc is available.  Well, long story short: other doc shows up, gets it over with in a few minutes, signs off on it Meanwhile, that other doc is still doing whatever with that other guy.

I literally run out of that office to my car.  I need to get home, deal with stuff, say goodbye to my dogs and get on the road.  Addler has this figured out now and knew right away I was leaving.  Starting jumping all over the place and getting all kinds of excited.  Donny took me in his pickup up to the truckstop, I wasted no time getting on the road. But it was funny, cause a broker had called and texted me - of which I ignored and the dispatcher also tried to call - of which I also ignored

I got the truck fired up, started rolling. Never did call the dispatcher back - hes ignored me for almost 5 days, let him have a taste of his own medicine. The broker I texted back - 30 minutes later lol. 

Anyway, things are moving along.  I expect and hope to have landed a new and much better job, but, until I'm told I actually have a job?  Nothing is secure.  Yet, I was informed of orientation of Monday coming, that I would be paid for my driving there - take my own car which is fine by me, hotel paid for, breakfast at hotel, lunch supplied at orientation and dinner keep a receipt for.  It's a week's training, not the two I had originally been told it was by whoever, don't remember now. 

I need to get my physical back to the manager.  That is the next thing - like tomorrow, if they send me to Lufkin and then up to get a load again in Mount Pleasant? There will be a stop in Longview along the way.  I actually considered quitting on this trip, but I think I will get another 900 miles on the "clock" for a paycheck that will help tide me over.  I'm 99% certain this job is a done deal for me. 

Anyway, it's 12:30 am.  I wasn't going to pull out the laptop, but I needed to wind down.  I need to get some sleep.