Applied physics?

Monday, November 21^st, 2011

      For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. Newton' s third law of motion, right? Does this still hold true in the laws of physics? In light of all the quantum going on these days I've fallen sadly behind the cutting edge of science. Despite that, I'd like to extrapolate this 3^rd law into life at large. I mean, if we make rules for forces we cannot see, then why restrict these laws to merely the realm of physics? Shouldn't all universal laws be just that; Universal? Taking this to the human level, we can safely conclude that all actions on our part engender reactions, or consequences on the part of the world; this holds particularly true when other people are involved.  I shall elaborate.

      Canada. I certainly have a hate/hate/love relationship with Canada. Mostly on the dislike side obviously. Everything up there costs more than down here, or so it seems. There is no getting around the cold winters. I do not care to be up there more than I have to. That said, I went in today to talk to my DM about not doing Canada anymore. It was a bit tough for. I have certain difficulties expressing displeasure, this is my own belief that I am choosing to indulge in here. More specifically, I have long lingered under the impression that if I display displeasure in a circumstance then I am disturbing the peace. I'm starting to reframe that into the idea of me expressing myself and what I feel my desires/needs are. After telling my boss, he goes to his boss.

      The boss' boss then came up to the driver's window and proceeded to explain how it wouldn't be fair to the company to have me do this for two weeks then jump ship. They paid me a bonus for signing on, and he further went on to say that they would not have hired me were I unwilling to go into Canada. I listened attentively as he explained how freight for Canada is more steady in the winter months of January and February, seeing as we mostly deliver to Costco up there, and they don;t stop for hell or high water (paraphrased). I was encouraged to give it 6 months. I assented, given the fairness of it all, after asking if they wanted the bonus back should i continue with my desired course, to which he was rather evasive. Chances are that they will not take it out of my check, but still, a direct knowledgeable answer would have increased my trust.

      The important thing here is that I have learned a lesson. When it comes to situations, if it is not exactly what you want, then do not be afraid to walk away from it. At the time I applied, I felt as if I had a couple options. The sign on bonus was a nice incentive. Ultimately, what I really want is to be driving down into Texas now and again during the winter. I like to run the South when I can, but especially so in winter. This is something I should have asked my recruiter before agreeing to go to orientation; whether or not they run Texas. I simply assumed that such a big company would indeed be visiting the Lone Star State on occasion. I learned otherwise on the second day of orientation.

      I would have considered going right then and there, but I put myself in a position in which I felt I needed to start earning money sooner rather than later. This is my own fault, for which I accept full responsibility. Going forward now, I am looking into driving teams for Schneider, but not without asking some serious questions first. I know that thye require a driver to have a HazMat endorsement on their liscense. That will take some time and finagling. I've got to get fingerprinted and a background check done. Woo Hoo. Then I have to go take the test and pass it. Both of these things take time and money., but that is how it goes. The one thing in the job posting that caught my eye was “passport preferred.” My question then becomes, “is a passport mandatory?” (passport=Canada runs, which is what I no longer want). Additionally, Schneider teams earn UP TO $0.39 per mile. I wonder if that is split, because I earn $0.34 per mile in another month of experience. Why go through the hassle for such a meager increase, especially if it is split? Granted, Schneider will find me a team-mate, so that helps a lot. So long as he's a good team-mate. That, I suppose, depends on how we get along really. I did call the recruiter today and left a message. At least the ball is rolling. Barring that, I could always go back to Swift, a company I know well. Time will tell.

      This is such a unique industry in that you can bounce from one employer to another just like that. For the most aprt they'll accept you, but I've read about some companies wanting drivers to have less than 3 companies in 3 years. Shows stability i guess. Hmm. So for now, I'll be going back to Canada as required, but hopefully not every run. That would get old really quick.