Those of you in Houston who drink soda can thank me for having a hand in keeping you supplied.

Seeing the other side of the shipping business has been an entertaining experience. It's given me a new appreciation for what truckers go through. It also sheds some light on why some of the drivers I'd dealt with at Amazon were raging assholes. It's frustrating to be on the road that long only to have to wait at the shipper or receiver to finally finish and get some rest. If I ever get back into the warehouse side, I'll be sure to not judge them so harshly...

This week has flown by and I finally have my first 2,400 professional miles in my logbook. I can safely say it's been the most fun I've had at a job in a long time. This is true even though it was mainly sitting in a chair for 8 to 9 hours a day piloting 76,000 lbs. of truck and trailer down the freeway. Am I ready to do this solo? Well, I think so. My trainer thought so, else he wouldn't have signed off on me today. After the final week of school. I'll get my truck...

We drove a Freightliner Cascadia this week, outfitted with the mighty Detroit Diesel DD15. We're talking one hell of a heavy-duty motor: a 14.8-liter inline-six turbodiesel pushing 505 bhp and 1750 lb-ft of torque. All mated to Eaton's tried-and-true Fuller Roadranger 10-speed transmission. Truly the king of the road (unless you count the heavy-haulers out there.)

One more week to go before I'm in my truck. It's an otherworldly feeling being a "professional driver." I can't really describe it.