Unexpected Week Last week was one of those weeks that came with many surprises. When this happens, things can either go very well or very bad. Fortunately for us, things went rather well. Have you had weeks where plans either did not materialize at all or unexpected plans presented themselves? How did you handle them? In the past, we would have waited until more expected plans would have presented themselves. Last week we decided to go with what came rather than waiting for w...

Headset Review Last week was filled with a little bit of work and a whole lot of fun. Here's hoping you had some of the same! We also purchased a new headset for me. When using my old headset I noticed that the volume seemed to be not working right and others said they had a hard time hearing me despite the fact that I had a great phone signal. The beginning of the week found us making a delivery close to home. With no other loads available we decided to take advantage of som...

Final Week at Home Last week was our final week at home for some time. At least, that is the plan. We took two and half weeks off before, during and after the Independence Day holiday. I like to handle tasks one at a time while Dave seems to prefer working on several tasks simultaneously. Here is the breakdown of how are two and a half weeks flew by. First, we emptied the semi so that we could take it down to Bolt in Indiana to have some work done on the sleeper, replaced air...

Multitasking Merriam-Webster online defines multitasking as: "the performance of multiple tasks at one time." There have been several studies that have suggested that multitasking actually slows us down more than it allows us to get more things done simultaneously. Last week found us trying to work, then rush home for a friend's milestone birthday party and prepare for an upcoming vacation. While home we try to get appointments done, groceries bought, laundry completed, go th...

When starting at a new job, many people simply want to learn their role and focus on only what they were hired for. You know, the not my job, not my problem mentality. If they're hired to pick up a phone to answer and make calls, then they'd make sure to just learn that job. Anything else is considered above or below their paygrade. So that's it. If they're brought into a company to process paperwork, or maybe they're a sales or tech specialist, then that's what they do. That...

The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) and state agencies will begin enforcing stricter English-language proficiency standards for commercial drivers operating in the U.S. Under the updated enforcement rules, drivers who cannot adequately speak and understand English may face out-of-service violations on the spot. The changes follow a new enforcement policy distributed by the FMCSA on May 20, which mandates that all roadside inspections begin in English. If t...

Long Weekend Holiday weekends are always a double edged sword. It would have been nice to be home; however, working is a blessing too. The week before a holiday can also be unpredictable. In some cases, the customer might try to move as many pieces as possible. While other's mindset is already in vacation mode rather than work. Each holiday, each customer and each year is a guess for us as to how much work we may or may not have. This year, this holiday and our customers were...

You're parked at a rest area, taking a well-earned break between loads. Suddenly-CRUNCH!-another driver misjudges their turn and smashes into your cargo van. You hop out and find the front of your vehicle badly damaged. You know right away: you're going to be down for a while. And when you're not rolling, you're not making money. At first, things look okay. The at-fault driver admits it was their mistake. They're insured. After a few calls, the insurance company agrees to pay...

The Commercial Vehicle Safety Alliance (CVSA) has officially announced that this year's Operation Safe Driver Week will take place from July 13 to July 19, 2025. This annual initiative focuses on improving driving behaviors across North America through a coordinated effort of law enforcement, public education, and industry outreach. Operation Safe Driver Week is a collaborative campaign conducted in Canada, the United States, and Mexico, targeting both commercial motor vehicl...

Back to Work After two weeks off, we finally made our way back to work. And what a week it was! We haven't work that hard in a very long time. We left home on Monday night to stage for our pick up on Tuesday morning. We knew we would have a tight timeline and informed our contact. And of course, there was a slight delay. Fortunately, the trip went smoothly until we arrived at the delivery the next day. We then had to wait nearly two hours to get unloaded. The timing was tight...