And now we wait...

Here I sit at the terminal, waiting for my first load.. and waiting... and waiting. Actually, I haven't been waiting that long. I only became available about an hour ago.

Orientation today was spent doing fun stuff like permits, security, lease orientation, and getting my truck ready for the road.

That last part was EXPENSIVE... wow. Here's what I spent on that:

1 tire gauge: $14.87
2 load locks (need to minimum to prevent load shift): $30.00 ea
1 3 pc security set (air cuff, big padlock for trailer doors, little padlock for inspection door): $115.13
2 sets of link chains (remember, I live in Colorado!): $50.94/set
1 set of cable chains (for retarded states who like chains on trailer; Oregon and Washington): $42.19
1 digital thermometer (I work reefers, remember?): $11.00
4 Nev-R-Tips (for blocking and bracing w/ load locks): $12.50 ea
1 flashlight (didn't bring one thinking I was b-seating): $7.98
1 accident camera: $7.34 (yes, I should have bought one at Wally World, but oh well)

Grand total of $410.39, spread out over the next few settlements so that I can build up positive cash flow. And all tax-deductible.

After that, I still had to spend more of my money because I was a moron and left BOTH of my truck atlases at home. Can't work without that, so I had to buy one. That was completely my fault, so I take a little business loss for being an idiot. I did have some extra money set aside for buying a few extras and not-so-extras, so I bought:

1 logbook cover that fits these Prime logs
1 400 watt inverter (my other inverter is sitting uselessly in my car in Denver. but it sucked anyway)
a couple of hand tools
inexpensive boot mats for my steps ($6 for 2 of them - haven't seen a better price yet)
Prime's alternative to the Pumpkin book, just packaged fancier
lanyard for my Prime id/fuel card because it has to be visible when I'm on Prime property and is also the access card to all the doors. The free one sucks.
Zip ties (mats didn't come with any. still cheaper)

Also, I noticed that these trucks don't come with the privacy curtain that goes around the windows. I didn't HAVE to have one, but I like them to help keep out the sun and the yo-yos who like to stare into my windows. So I got one. No big deal.

Now I get the fun of dealing with Opti-Idle. It's kind of a neat feature, and yet kind of annoying. See, you set a temperature range on it, and the truck will turn on and off to maintain that temperature as well as keep its batteries charged and whatnot. It's annoying because the thermostat makes a loud BEEP! when the truck turns on. That will probably get old fast. I'm not really worried because I'll quit using it once I get an APU installed on this puppy. In the meantime, though, it will be cheaper on fuel that running the truck all the time.

I need to devote some time to talking about the truck a bit. This is VERY much not the same Freightliner Century that Schneider uses. It has more gauges. It has better quality and more comfortable seats. It has a cruise control on the shifter. It has a very different Qualcomm. It has a thermos holder on the floor. It has Sirius satellite radio installed (damn it! I'm an XM person!). It has VORAD on the passenger side and front. It has another mirror above the passenger door. It has no passenger side sidebox (damn it!). It has a better mattress. It has no fan above the driver's side vent. The CB mounts above the driver's head instead of on top of the dash. It has a panic button. It has 515 horsepower. Man, it tries to get away from you if you're used to Schneider's eunuch trucks. I have to relearn at what speeds the gears like because the ones that I got used to at Schneider just grrrrrind like crazy on this thing.

Now for the Millenium Building, which is the crown jewel of Prime's operations. All I can say is "wow". Talk about a contrast to Schneider's dull grey operating centers. This place is colorful, full of fountains, and a little hard to navigate if you're not used to it. The fuel pumps are full service. As in, you're not allowed to pump your own fuel. There are a few posters around featuring Robert Low (at Prime, you don't get any higher than him) practically DARING you to play basketball with him and others at lunchtimes Monday-Friday. I haven't seen this spectacle yet, but the word is that he used to play college ball and he is GOOD.

Now for those of you who have been through Schneider's training and are looking at Prime... or those who have READ about Schneider's training and are looking at Prime, let me explain a few things that I've learned here. Prime is a LOT less hand-holdy than Schneider is. If you don't understand anything and don't ask, nobody is going to help you. There are several different groups all doing different things commingled together, so don't rely on other students or new guys. You have to ask the instructors or others who have been around. Those of us who came from Denver had COMPLETELY different itineraries from those who have been here, and I had a different schedule from the b and c seats who came from Denver with me. You've got to be paying attention. Also, I was CLOSE to taking off without any Transflo forms (no Trippak here!). That would have sucked painfully come time to scan my stuff to get paid. Nobody was going to remind me. Especially if you're not with the main group.

Now I just get to wait for my first load...