Orientation

Well, day one is complete. We did some paperwork early on, then sat around and waited alot. There are only 9 in this orientation class, quite a difference from our CFI/Conway orientation with 30 something. At Conway there was always pressure on, do not be one minute late for class or you're sent home, don't be late for shuttle, or you're sent home, etc, etc. No where near that here, very nice and personable and respectful so far.
Of the 9, there are 3 of us with prior experience, considered company drivers, and the other 6 are right out of CDL school somewhere, so they are considered student hires. They will go out with a trainer for 3-4 weeks. The 3 experienced drivers don't. We get our trucks hopefully Friday.
We got paired off and did a roadtest this morning, which consisted of discussing the pretrip with the the road examiner first. I was paired with one of the student drivers. He was instructed to drive first, pull up and drive out of the terminal, the drove along the access roads and some larger city roads, then off on some smaller rural roads. After approx 15 min of driving, he pulled over and I got behind the wheel. I have to admit, it felt good to be in the seat again. It was a larger Volvo truck with an AUTOMATIC transmission. Yup, thats right, auto,,so it made it alot easier to get back into the swing of it, I just had to concentrate on driving the truck. Kept it in my lane, didn't hit any curbs, and made it back to the yard in one piece. Drove around and in back of the docks so I would come up to where he want me to dock the trailer on the driver side. He got out and and I set up and docked it. Not bad, a little rusty, but I did it. So I got signed off on the road trip.
Next we went over to the medical clinic, and patiently waited for our turns to pee in the cup, do an eye test, color test, vitals, and see the Doc. After a short visit with him, I have a fresh, shiny new DOT medical certificate good for 2 years.
So much for day one. A few of us are going to meet in a couple min here at the hotel, and go have a little dinner together to celebrate the hard stuff is done.
Tomorrrow is alot of videos, and training on the electronic logs, and communications, safety, benefits, HR, etc.
See ya later, Keep it safe out there drivers!

Ready for Orientation

I have been getting everything in order for orientation this week. One of the things they mentioned was a Dr release for ANY treatment in the last 5yrs. I had a kidney stone last Sept. and was treated in the ER. I did not have a work release because I wasn't working at the time. I had to get copies of the records, and an examination by our local Dr we used 11yrs ago. Luckily, he didn't have a problem reviewing it, and looking at me. I got my letter, so everything is set now.
I am scheduled to leave on the bus (ya, BUS) from Tulsa tomorrow morning at 10:45, and arrive in Dallas at 5:15. I will be staying at the Ramada and they will provide a shuttle to pick me up at the bus station. Then at 0630 Wed morn, the company shuttle will pick us up at the hotel for Day one. Day one should be mostly getting physicals for all of us. I was told they would give me a dedicated type physical which is a little more involved than the standard one. It is required prior to  being selected to take a dedicated route, so I will be ready if one becomes available in my area.
I am getting everything packed today. I was told to expect one to two weeks before being able to get home. I am taking my inverter to have installed in my truck, the cb, a couple tools, computer, chargers for phone and blue tooth headset, clothes for warm and cold weather. Also have to take my sleeping bag and pillow for bedding. When I can get back through here, I will add the refrigerator and microwave.
The part of orientation that concerns me the most is the driving eval. I have not stepped in a truck for 2 1/2 yrs. I will be given a road and driving test right off the bat. I think I will be ok out on the road, but if I do much backing, I expect to be a little rusty. But, it's what I do now, so I will just take a little extra time, get out and look a little more, and "git er done".
I will try to update from the hotel during orientation and let you know how its going.

Here we go AGAIN!

Well, I am getting ready to go back over the road. I got laid off the first of Sept last year, and have not had any luck finding gainful employment in the simulator or training world, so I am falling back on something else I know how to do, drive a truck.

This time, I will be solo. That will be alot different from the team driving Kim and I did. With that the truck could stay moving all the time. As a solo, I will be REQUIRED to have a 10 hr break/down time after 14hrs on duty or 11 hrs driving. So I will sleep in a parked truck!

I have done alot of research again to find a company that will take me with the break I have had. There are a few that will work with me, I fall into the category of 6mo experience within the last 3 years. One of these was Maverick, a really great sounding company, can't really find too much negative about them, however, they are a flatbed company. Kim thinks I am too much of a clutz to do that. Drivers have to strap and tie down the loads, and often throw tarps over the load, climbing all over the trailer and load.

Soooo, on with the search. SRT came next. They are a Reefer outfit out of Little Rock Ark. Had a good report of them by an ex instructor and friend of ours that drove for them for awhile. I applied last Nov, and got accepted, but put them on hold while some other options with Southwest Airlines, and Flightsafety, and a couple others played out. After keeping track of them on several forums, I just decided there was too much negative and kept my search going when Kim and I decided I HAVE to do something NOW.

Lastly, along comes US Xpress. They are a larger company, based in Chattanooga, Tn. They seem to have newer equipment than SRT, and more options. Alot of their fleet are automatics, so that will be different if I end up with one of those.

As of right now, I am scheduled to go to Dallas next Wed, 26 Feb for a 3 day orientation. Because I have previous experience, I won't have to go out with a trainer after orientation. Will be given a truck, and hit the road again. Orientation involves a physical exam, drug test, driving eval, review of my application and history, filling out all their forms, and I am sure safety briefings, intro to the way USX operates, etc.

We (Kim and I) are not really overjoyed that we will be separated like this, however, we do what we must, and we must pay bills, and live. I will "pay my dues" here for awhile and see how it goes. There are alot more options that open up after a year, and even more after 2years experience. I should be able to get a job/route where I am home every couple days to weekly by then. My goal is to get to the point where I control where and when I go, not totally in someone elses hands. That only comes with time and experience.

Sooo,,here we go again,,"on the road again" ,,and maybe I will be able to see some of my friends when I pass thru your towns!!