I’m currently on a back-and-forth trip from Portland, Oregon, to Los Angeles and back. I need to be home on Thursday, and then I’m camping in the North Idaho woods this weekend. Today started in Fontana, California, with a Walmart delivery, followed by picking up my next load and heading north.
So, I’m a little frustrated right now, and I’m trying to turn to prayer in it. I was just at the Walmart DC Fontana location delivering my loaded trailer, and I found an empty Knight trailer! That’s super rare at that location. It was kind of off to the side, but since it was a Knight trailer and I’m a Knight driver, I hooked up to it. I even asked the security guard who was going by if I could take it, and he said yes.
So I hook up and start taking off when all of a sudden a third-party owner-operator truck drives up next to me, honking their horn, saying that trailer is theirs. I’m like, how is it yours? I am a Knight driver, this is a Knight trailer, what the heck are you talking about? But he says he has the paperwork for it and he’s doing a Knight load. So, not wanting to deal with drama, I just said fine, you can have it. I drop the trailer right there and let him hook up to it.
It’s just frustrating because I need a trailer, and that was a Knight trailer. I should have priority over third-party owner-operators using our equipment. See, there I go being Mr Big Head again. I didn’t mean me specifically, I meant company drivers in general. Lord have Mercy. Anyway, I probably could have made a stink and called dispatch, but whatever, I’m not going to make a fuss. I’ll just pray about it and hope for the best. Lord have mercy, maybe I’ll get lucky and find a much better trailer in the Fontana yard. After all, the trailer I was picking up was old and beaten down. Knight Transportation is in the process of retiring all of our older trailers, so I guess I should count my blessings in that regard, right?
Every day is a lesson in checking your emotions and humility, and sometimes I have to learn those lessons repeatedly. As Jesus said, “So the last will be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:16, NKJV). It’s a reminder that our struggles can teach us valuable lessons if we remain humble and patient.
After leaving Walmart, I headed to our terminal in Fontana, hoping to find an empty trailer, but had no luck. I tried the AutoZone Distribution Center in Ontario and the Home Depot Distribution Center nearby, but still nothing. Frustrated and feeling like a lost sheep, I finally contacted my manager for help.
But just because you ask the master for help, or in this case your boss, doesn’t mean you’re going to get the easy answer. My manager sent me to Moreno Valley, 30 miles out of the way through heavy traffic. The drive was exasperating, filled with inconsiderate drivers. It felt like a battlefield, testing my patience and soul. I mean when you continuously get cut off, over and over again, by people in smaller cars who are completely oblivious, it tends to piss you off.
As my friend Father Timothy at St. Luke’s OCA Church in Chattaroy, Washington, once told me, trucking is a great opportunity to deal with the faults of humanity, and the faults within ourselves. He called it a battlefield of the soul, and I really like that. I tried to remember this as I navigated the congested roads of Southern California.
Eventually, I reached Moreno Valley and found the promised trailer. Sometimes, when we ask God for help, the answer isn’t what we expected or wanted, but it’s exactly what we need. The journey may be difficult, but it’s part of our growth and purification. I for sure didn’t want to deal with 2 hours round trip of frustrating LA traffic, but I asked for an empty trailer, and that’s what I got.
You know what was also frustrating? When I finally arrived at my shipper in the afternoon after four and a half hours of searching and playing “find the trailer”, I found out that I could have bobtailed in. I didn’t even need an empty trailer to start with! I didn’t need to put myself through all those hours of grief today.
My day continued to drag on with more traffic and frustrations. All the little perceived annoyances and wrongs seemed to just pile up!
You know what? Forget everything I previously said. Forget about all my frustrations, forget about my arguments, forget about my perceived injustices. None of it matters. I’m alive, I’m well. I’m in one piece, and that should be more than enough.
Once I was able to clear up all my issues and finally start my drive north to Portland, I noticed that traffic had stopped due to a massive truck accident. Seeing the burnt wreckage was a sobering reminder of how blessed I am. The entire cab was completely burnt down to the frame, with white firefighting foam all around it on the ground. The wreckage was still smoldering. The trailer was burnt three-quarters of the way, leaving nothing but a hollow shell and a bit of the frame. Three out of the four lanes were closed down, causing a massive traffic jam. There was nothing left but a smoldering husk of a semi tractor and trailer.
Glory to God that I am okay, that I am alive, that I am well. The accident was a stark reminder of the fragility of life. If I hadn’t lost so much time earlier, that could have been me. It also reminded me that all the frustrations earlier in the day, didn’t matter. I’m alive and I’m well and I made it through the day. Lord forgive me for complaining.
Thank you, God, for reminding me that sometimes delays and frustrations are your way of protecting us. “Watch therefore, for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42, NKJV). It’s a call to be prepared and to trust in God’s timing.
Now, as my day comes to an end, it’s almost 11:00 p.m., and I am just now ending my driving day. I pulled into a large dirt lot next to the interstate in Central California. I drove for 10 hours and 53 minutes out of the 11 hours I’m allowed to drive, but only covered 364 miles. That’s LA for you. I’m currently about two and a half hours south of Sacramento. My journey in the morning will be delayed because, as I was pulling off the asphalt into the dirt lot, something must have punctured one of my trailer tires. As I pulled in, I heard the hissing of air and noticed the telltale signs of a tire going flat right before my eyes. I’ll deal with it in the morning. Glory to God that I’m parked.
With 740 miles ahead of me in order to reach Portland by Wednesday morning, today was a day of learning and growth. It’s okay to struggle and face frustrations. God is always there, guiding us, even when we don’t realize it. As I prepare for my camping trip this weekend, I need to reflect on these experiences and how they shape me. Every challenge is an opportunity for growth, a chance to deepen my faith and trust in God. Thank you, Lord, for your constant guidance and protection.
I’m off to bed.
Thanks for reading my friends, hopefully tomorrow is a better driving day. All my love,
-Orthodox Trucker
Orthodox Trucker 