Orientation, Merlin, and a Plumbing Misfortune: Part 2

I shook Bill’s hand and thanked him, and then returned to the terminal to wait, fill out additional paperwork, wait some more… wait even more, and finally, go to the doctor for my physical.


The next two days would be comprised of the standard orientation rhetoric—some of it useful, some of it sleep-inducing. The dark-haired girl, whom I’d gotten to know on the shuttle ride, sat at the table behind me throughout orientation and had a habit of constantly crunching ice cubes. Regardless of this annoying routine, I got to know her during the breaks, and she turned out to be one of the nicest people I would meet there. Her name was Mona, and once she found out who my trainer was going to be, we had a lot to talk about.

My new trainer was a good friend to Mona, and to her husband, Calvin. Calvin was also a trainer, and he would be training his wife after orientation. On the final day of orientation, Calvin and my new trainer, Merlin arrived. The four of us all went out to dinner together.

At first glance, Merlin looked as if he might have jumped right out of the pages of Easy Rider magazine. He was 47, and of average height. His shaved head was adorned with a biker’s beanie, and a graying Fu Manchu moustache framed a frequent smile. A cherry-flavored Swisher Sweet could often be seen bouncing in his lips, as he was never at a loss for chatter. On the day we met, he was wearing a black sleeveless tee shirt and a faded pair of jeans, which held the dangling chain of a biker’s wallet. As truckers go, Merlin looked to be in pretty good physical condition. He had avoided falling victim to “trucker’s physique”. His gregarious and playful personality made it impossible not to like him on first impression. Since I also fashioned myself with a shaved head, this evoked immediate joking from Calvin and Mona.

“You guys are going to look like the Cue Ball Brothers going down the road!” they laughed.

Our first delivery would be to Helena, Montana, but Merlin’s truck required some repairs that would not be completed for 24 hours. In order to make Helena on time, we would have to drive as a team rather than trainer/trainee. This is not a practice that I, personally, endorse but, since I had a whopping 5 months of experience under my belt, at least I had more confidence than I would have as a wide-eyed rookie fresh out of CDL school. We slept in the truck that night and I was glad that I had savored my final night in the motel. Although the Freightliner was much roomier than my old Mack, it still didn’t compare to a real bed.

Merlin and I ate breakfast in the cafeteria the next morning where we watched the rain pelt down in violent torrents. He asked if I would prefer the day or night shift, and I opted for the night shift since I had no desire to familiarize myself with a new truck in the midst of a mad rainstorm. I did not know whether I’d be able to sleep in a moving truck, but I discovered that fatigue, in the proper amount, could inspire me to sleep anywhere. We drove through Nebraska and Wyoming and made it to Helena on time.

Helena was originally called “Crabtown” after John Crab, one of the “Four Georgians” who discovered gold along Last Chance Creek. Helena’s main street is named Last Chance Gulch, and follows the path of the original creek through the historic downtown district.

I was exhausted when we arrived at the customer; so, Merlin took mercy on me and did all of the backing. I didn’t know it at the time, but Merlin would continue to run us as a team. By week’s end, we had logged over 7000 miles. Merlin became excited and challenged me to “break the record” next week. I told him that I would probably be more enthusiastic about all this mileage if I weren’t doing it for trainee’s pay while I was making him rich. After that, he frequently offered to buy my dinner.

In fairness, however, Merlin had been spending a lot of time up front with me while I was driving. He seemed to require little sleep, and he would always remain up front for 3 or 4 hours after his shift to offer training and to “shoot the breeze”. Merlin had been on the road for 25 years, and I was confident that he could help me to polish the skills that I had, and learn the ones that I didn’t.