Semi Social: Plum Assignment

Newly-Minted Team Documents Transition From Civilians To Truckers

By Tom Kelley

Not surprisingly, many of the trucker-oriented sites on the web have been created by veteran truckers. The good side of this is the years, if not decades of experience these truckers are able to pass along to the industry’s newest recruits.

The downside, however, is that for many of the veteran truckers, they entered the industry when training and hiring practices were far less formal than they are today. When these truckers got behind the wheel, social networking was done at the truckstop counter, advanced communication gear meant having a CB with sideband channels, and a pre-employment test drive may not have even involved leaving the terminal yard.

So in spite of having intimate knowledge of every nut and bolt on a truck, and being on a first-name basis with every pavement pothole in North America, the veteran drivers don’t have much advice to offer about what it’s like to make the first few steps into today’s world of trucking.

Plum Trucker is the online home of “twenty-somethings” Michelle Crawford and her fiance/co-driver, Kendall Donaldson.

Fortunately, some of the newest truckers in the business have also joined the ranks of the “Semi Social” with websites that chronicle the challenges they face on the road. One such site is Plum Trucker, the online home of “twenty-somethings” Michelle Crawford and her fiance/co-driver, Kendall Donaldson. Given that Michelle and Kendall have only been out on the road sans-trainer since August, 2010, and that the first post to the site dates back to mid-April, 2010, it’s clear that Plum Trucker tells as much of the story of becoming a trucker as it tells of being a trucker.

The Plum Trucker blog, and the couple’s decision to become truckers, were both inspired by Salena Lettera’s blog, The Daily Rant (see Semi Social – November ‘10). Having found many sites with a negative view of the industry, Michelle and Kendall found Salena’s posts to be a welcome counterpoint to the negatives, while providing a realistic view of life on the road.

“I instantly fell in love with the blog, her, and their life on the road,” says Michelle. “It appealed to me in so many ways – travel, freedom, money, and a chance to be with Kendall. As silly as it sounds we are one of those couples who enjoy being with each other more then anything.”

After some e-mail correspondence with Salena, Michelle was sold on becoming a trucker. “I’m not 100% sure what made me say it, but I wanted to go for it,” said Michelle. “I think I really just wanted to do something daring and take a chance. I never wanted to be in my fifties and think ‘what could have been.’ I want to know that I went for it, and that I never settled!”

In the blogging world, when an existing blogger inspires a friend or follower to begin blogging, they earn the designation as the new blogger’s “blogfather” or “blogmother.” So borrowing a little from that theme, not only does Salena qualify as Michelle’s blogmother, but as her “truckmother” as well. The name of the blog, Plum Trucker, was also coined by Salena, based on a character from Michelle’s favorite book series. In her quest to become a trucker, Michelle felt a kinship with the series’ main character, an adventuress described as “incredibly average, yet heroic if necessary.”

Both in their early twenties, Michelle and Kendall held typical workaday jobs in central Florida when the trucking bug bit them. There were already a few truckers in Kendall’s family, and the couple had discussed the idea of “getting a big sleeper truck, driving around seeing America, and getting paid; oh what a dream,” Michelle recalls.

The couple both attended truck driving classes at Central Florida College, in Ocala, FL. “I received a scholarship to attend and we were able to come up with the money for Kendall. The seven-week class started at the beginning of May,” says Michelle. “By the end of April we had quit our jobs and taken the written portion of the CDL tests.”

Even after completing the college training program and each earning their CDL, Michelle and Kendal were still required to complete their carrier’s training/testing program, and complete a specified number of miles with a company trainer as a co-driver. “We have now been driving for Conway Truckload for almost 7 months now. Sometimes it’s hard and sometimes it’s great, but it is always an adventure,” said Michelle.

The couple’s current truck is a 2010 Kenworth T660, equipped with a Cummins ISX15 engine and an Eaton Fuller 10 speed transmission. The truck’s 72″ sleeper is fitted with double bunks, a microwave, an 18″

flat-screen TV, a 1500-watt inverter, a small sandwich press, a small refrigerator, a porta-potti, and Michelle’s personal favorite, a Keurig coffeemaker. The truck is also equipped with an AM/FM radio, a CD player, an iPod hook up and XM satellite radio.

On her 24th birthday, back in November, Michelle reflected on her career change. “In only the past few months, I’ve seen more, done more, met more people, and made more money than in my first 24 years. I can only imagine what a year can bring,” said Michelle. “My life now is anything but routine, in fact it literally changes by the minute. I wake up in a different state practically everyday and I am always excited about what is around the next corner.”

Michelle continues, “Granted I won’t be having birthday cake tonight, but that’s okay because I ask myself, what other 24 year old do you know that will be traveling across the country with their best friend, and sharing it all with you, on their birthday? I think 24 is going to be a very exciting year!”

Check It Out At: http://plumtrucker.blogspot.com