A Commercial Driver's First Trip
Written by David Barth, September 4, 2008.
This is Ruben, a Senior Driver for Carey International.
This is Ruben's story about becoming a driver for Carey International. A few weeks before September 11, 2001, he
interviewed for the job as a driver for Carey, a company that specializes in providing contract transportation.
Carey gave Ruben a pager to contact him for jobs and told him they would
give him a training session if they decided to hire him.
A few weeks after September 11, he still hadn't heard
from Carey, so he figured they had decided not to hire him. As he was wrapping the pager in bubble wrap
to ship it back, it began to beep. He phoned the number and the Carey dispatcher told him to drive over to
Carey's lot, pick up a Lincoln, drive to the Westin hotel, pick up a guy, and take him to the airport. She
was in a hurry, so he didn't get a chance to ask her about training.
He quickly put on a suit, jumped into
his old Toyota, picked up the car at the Carey lot, and drove toward the Westin. On the way, he heard "beep
beep." He didn't know what it was because he had never driven a commercial car, so he ignored it. Again, "beep beep."
Finally, he heard the radio say, "Ruben, are you there?" He suddenly realized there was a 2-way radio in the
car. He picked up the mic, pressed the button and said, "This is Ruben." But he didn't know that he had to
release the mic button for the dispatcher to talk to him. Finally, he released it and the dispatcher told him
how to work it. She asked him how far he was from the Westin. He said he was 5 minutes away.
In a few minutes, he pulled into
the pick-up area at the Westin and waited. The radio beeped again, and he said, "This is Ruben." The dispatcher
asked him where he was. He said he was sitting in the car at the pick up area. The dispatcher asked him if he
had talked to the bell captain, and Ruben said "No." She asked if there were any other Lincolns parked there.
Ruben said there were about six other ones parked ahead of his. She told him that he had to go introduce himself
to the bell captain and tell him who he was picking up.
Ruben went to the bell captain and told him who he was
picking up. Just then a man walked out of the Westin and said he was that person who Ruben was to drive to the
airport. The man put his suitcase down onto the sidewalk and waited beside the car. Ruben suddenly realized that
he was supposed to open the car door. The man got in and Ruben walked around the car and got into the driver's
seat. The man in back said, "What about my luggage?" Ruben quickly got out picked it up off of the sidewalk and
placed it into the trunk. Then he drove to the airport.
At the airport he saw a sign for commercial vehicles, so he drove up the ramp to a gate. A
sign on the gate said to scan a card, but Ruben didn't have a card, so he pressed the button on the post and a
lady told him to scan his card. He told her he didn't have a card. She asked him how long he had been a commercial
driver, and he replied, "Thirty minutes." She laughed, raised the gate, and told him to phone her when he had
dropped off his passenger. He drove up to the curb, hopped out and opened the door for the guy in back. He got
out and Ruben started to get back into the car to drive away when the guy asked about his luggage. Ruben quickly
opened the trunk and gave it to him.
Everything worked out even though Ruben didn't know much about being a
commercial driver. That was seven years prior to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. He is now
a senior driver for Carey, and has driven many famous people around the Denver metropolitan area.
A few weeks after September 11, he still hadn't heard from Carey, so he figured they had decided not to hire him. As he was wrapping the pager in bubble wrap to ship it back, it began to beep. He phoned the number and the Carey dispatcher told him to drive over to Carey's lot, pick up a Lincoln, drive to the Westin hotel, pick up a guy, and take him to the airport. She was in a hurry, so he didn't get a chance to ask her about training.
He quickly put on a suit, jumped into his old Toyota, picked up the car at the Carey lot, and drove toward the Westin. On the way, he heard "beep beep." He didn't know what it was because he had never driven a commercial car, so he ignored it. Again, "beep beep." Finally, he heard the radio say, "Ruben, are you there?" He suddenly realized there was a 2-way radio in the car. He picked up the mic, pressed the button and said, "This is Ruben." But he didn't know that he had to release the mic button for the dispatcher to talk to him. Finally, he released it and the dispatcher told him how to work it. She asked him how far he was from the Westin. He said he was 5 minutes away.
In a few minutes, he pulled into the pick-up area at the Westin and waited. The radio beeped again, and he said, "This is Ruben." The dispatcher asked him where he was. He said he was sitting in the car at the pick up area. The dispatcher asked him if he had talked to the bell captain, and Ruben said "No." She asked if there were any other Lincolns parked there. Ruben said there were about six other ones parked ahead of his. She told him that he had to go introduce himself to the bell captain and tell him who he was picking up.
Ruben went to the bell captain and told him who he was picking up. Just then a man walked out of the Westin and said he was that person who Ruben was to drive to the airport. The man put his suitcase down onto the sidewalk and waited beside the car. Ruben suddenly realized that he was supposed to open the car door. The man got in and Ruben walked around the car and got into the driver's seat. The man in back said, "What about my luggage?" Ruben quickly got out picked it up off of the sidewalk and placed it into the trunk. Then he drove to the airport.
At the airport he saw a sign for commercial vehicles, so he drove up the ramp to a gate. A sign on the gate said to scan a card, but Ruben didn't have a card, so he pressed the button on the post and a lady told him to scan his card. He told her he didn't have a card. She asked him how long he had been a commercial driver, and he replied, "Thirty minutes." She laughed, raised the gate, and told him to phone her when he had dropped off his passenger. He drove up to the curb, hopped out and opened the door for the guy in back. He got out and Ruben started to get back into the car to drive away when the guy asked about his luggage. Ruben quickly opened the trunk and gave it to him.
Everything worked out even though Ruben didn't know much about being a commercial driver. That was seven years prior to the 2008 Democratic National Convention in Denver. He is now a senior driver for Carey, and has driven many famous people around the Denver metropolitan area.