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Phil Madsen's BlogLearning Something New Every Day |
Truck drivers Phil and Diane Madsen live, work and play on the road; transporting expedited and critical-shipment freight in their custom-built truck. Phil's blog is a blend of travelogue, brain dump and commentary on road-inspired topics.
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June, 2008. This has been an eventful month in a non-freight-hauling way.
ATA Truck Driving Championships
Months ago, at our carrier's invitation and encouragement, we agreed to compete in the American Trucking Associations Truck Driving Championships. That was quite something. We went home to Minnesota to compete. You can read my story about it if you wish.
I keep telling myself we won't do that again. It takes too much time and energy. But part of me wants to go back next year and give it another shot. Whether we go back or not, we are glad we competed this year. We learned a lot about the trucking industry that we did not previously know and the people are great. The competition forced us to review our regular safety practices, which is a good thing. The competition refined our skills and made us better drivers.
When we went home early in the month to compete, we had half in mind the notion of taking a canoe and camping trip. We used to do that a fair amount before we got into trucking but have not done it since. After the competition we were more spent than we expected. Instead of getting right back on the road, we, in the interests of safety, stayed home to rest up.
While there is always the desire to make money by hauling freight, the desire for a canoe and camping trip took root while we rested up. The decision was made. We would stay home even longer and go camping. With the truck now paid for, it is not as urgent to get back on the road as it was before. A camping trip is an affordable luxury. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Paid Off the Truck
Oh yea, did I mention the truck is paid for? We sent the final payment in May, 23 months after we purchased the thing. Not bad, we feel, but the moment was tempered by the knowledge that we must start saving money now to buy our next truck. The plan is to pay cash for it.
Our current truck is now two years old and has 275,000 miles on the odometer. We continue to be delighted with its features and performance. The truck and its floor plan is perfect for how we live and work on the road. We plan to drive it eight more years, longer if we can. At our current rate, we will have a ten-year-old, 1.5 million mile truck to get rid of when we buy the next one. "Little Putt Putt" is serving us well. We could not be happier with this truck. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
Went Camping
Rested up after the competition, we dug out our canoe and camping gear and spent a day rigging for a trip to the woods. It was sad to figure out that it had been six years since our last camping trip. While staying on the road as we have paid off, part of the price was no camping trips.
It felt right and good to gear up for the woods again. It was also nice to see all our gear was in good shape. Being stored for six years, some of it might have rotted or maybe mice might have gotten into it. It turned out that we packed it right when we put it away six years ago. It came out of storage fresh and ready to use.
We prefer primitive camping for a true get-away. We paddle a canoe into an area where cell phone signals do not reach and people are scarce. Then we set up camp and relax for a few days. Our preferred camping area is the the upper Saint Croix and Namekagon rivers in Wisconsin and Minnesota.
On day one, we paddled ten miles downstream and set up camp. It took a while to gather wood and set up the tent and campsite. I had some quiet time while paddling and after supper.
It was interesting to watch my mind clear. It was a bit like watching TV with the remote automatically scanning the channels. A thought or memory would bubble up and pass just as fast; then another, and another. There was no order or significance to any of it. Thoughts just bubbled up and evaporated away.
On day two, I got out of bed with a clear head. The bubbling had stopped and I was free to sit quiet and watch the river go by. We brought books to read but I left mine in the tent. It was enough to sit in the lawn chair, listen to the woods and watch the river flow quietly by. Except for campfire-cooked meals and an afternoon nap in the tent, that's how I spent the day. Diane's day was pretty much the same, except she read the books she brought.
The summer weather was perfect. I sat in my chair totally content and at peace. There was no place I would rather be and no one I would rather be with. I have always done my best thinking on these rivers. I was glad to be back.
No thoughts bubbled up this day, save one, and it was a doozie. I have paddled and camped on these rivers many times, both as a boy and a man. This time, and for the first time in my life, I was not wanting to be anything more or different than the team truck driver I am right now.
There is no corporate ladder to climb, no organization to establish or get established in, no new certifications to earn, no new business opportunities or career options to explore. To have the money and job satisfaction I want, I don't have to look or go anywhere else. I am exactly where I want to be.
With that thought in mind, I sat in the woods with Diane, listening to the birds and the breeze, and watching the river flow by.
On day three, I read a philosophy book and hand-wrote a number of journal pages. I'd like to share some of those thoughts here but they need to be typed first. Maybe later.
Day four was spent breaking camp, paddling 20 miles downstream and driving home. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page
On The Road Again
It took a day at home to clean up, pack our camping gear for the next trip and get the truck ready to roll. I would have preferred to head back to the woods for more camping, but I got the mind-clearing rest I needed, and work cannot be neglected forever.
On Tuesday, June 17, we drove to Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin to pick up a load going to Boulder, Colorado. We delivered on the 18th and waited longer for freight than we liked. Finally, on Thursday, dispatch asked us if we would accept modest pay to relocate to Los Angeles. With poor freight prospects in the Denver area and the weekend approaching, we agreed. On the way, we were dispatched on a short run that picked up in Long Beach. After that, we don't what freight will come next. It feels good to be on the road again. Blog author Top of page Bottom of page