Passed The Airbrake Test Today

Well all the studdying paid off,  today I passed the air brake test. Yippee.  I was unhappy with about 5 of the 50 questions as they were not specific to the answers and you had a 50/50 chance of getting them right.
I pointed this out to the guys in the test centre, they agreed it was misleading and a new question sheet is to be introduced any day soon.

Well its the end of my first week with Bulk Carriers and I have to say i don't think I have enjoyed my first week anywhere as much as I have here in Canada. The guys in the workshop have been fantastic, Melvyn, Donny, Blaine & Greg have the patience of a saint. I have been helping out with the servicing of the trucks and getting to know a lot more on how North American trucks work in relation to the European ones I have been used to driving for the last 18 years. True there are many simularities between the two in the mechanics but operation is a different kettle of fish altogether.  It has helped me no end in the passing of the Airbrake Test (have I mentioned that already :-) ?). If i had any questions these guys would stop what they were doing and spend the time explaining and showing me the answers, thanks fellas coffee's on me Monday.

After the test, Blaine and I headed off to Wall-Mart in Charlottetown so I could pick up some safety shoes, and coffee from Timmy's on the way back to the yard. No sooner had I put my overalls on Greg the Island Shunter calls me to say we had a trailer swop in Charlottetown, so off with the overalls and off we went.  He asked if I wanted to drive and I declined saying that I would rather observe how the truck was driven properly, not spend the next 20 minutes playing him a tune on the gearbox and terrorising the locals on roads I was unfarmilliar with. He makes it look so easy, so with trailer hitched up off we go back to the yard, great lunchtime I'm starving.

                      Some of our International 9400i tractor units enjoying the rain in the yard

After dinner jumped back into my overalls and no sooner had I done this, yep you guessed it, Greg called me, "come on we got a call from dispatch to pick up two loads of potatoes from two different farms on the Island". Again I declined the chance to drive as I wanted to carry on observing and getting to know the roads. Got to the first collection (after stopping to pick up a coffee), one truck on the dock getting loaded. Waited 20 minutes then backed onto the dock.

                                                Loading Spuds at our first collection point

45 minutes later spuds on board, then had to wait for the OK off the potatoe inspector (you need his clearance or the spuds don't go). All paperwork done off we go. A lovely drive up to the east coast of the Island, well it would have been if it was'nt for the howling wind, rain, sleet & snow flurries. Got to the second collection, backed on the dock and loaded in 15 minutes, then had to wait again for another spud inspector, ok all sorted and by now it was dark, thank god Greg was driving, If I had been driving I think we would still be out there somewhere! So different here in the dark, no street lighting in the sticks!!! 
Back to the yard where the driver was waiting for our trailer, the destination for our spuds - Boston for 6am the next day!
With the unit parked up it was time for this taff to call it a day, off back to my motel for a well deserved coffee (cough, cough).

One week in, do I regret making the move across the pond?  Not on your chuffing life!  I do miss Maxine and Elliott especially the weekends cos thats when I would be home with them in the UK. But I'm not in the UK and I know why I'm/we are doing this. Its a small sacrifice for I hope a life time of happiness.

Off to enjoy my (cough cough) coffee now.    10-4 Good Buddies