Life changes

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IMADreamer
Has an anecdote about a townie he overheard.
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Re: Life changes

Post by IMADreamer »

That's fantastic. You are going to be awesome at it. I wish you all the best and safe travels!

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thrill
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Re: Life changes

Post by thrill »

cardinalkarp wrote:
September 15 21, 8:08 am
Now don’t go f’ing cutting me off to sneak into the fast lane because some other truck is slow as [expletive].
@tlombard It's important that this doesn't go overlooked. If I hear that you are in the left lane when other people are trying to pass a slower truck, all the good vibes we sent your way are cancelled. I know that's harsh, but it is what it is. I don't make the rules.

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GeddyWrox
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Re: Life changes

Post by GeddyWrox »

Something my dad told me when he was teaching me to drive:

Those truckers are working. You're not. Cut them some slack and give them room.

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thrill
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Re: Life changes

Post by thrill »

We were joking. I've driven enough moving trucks in the fast lane to know that I am a complete hypocrite on that subject.

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GeddyWrox
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Re: Life changes

Post by GeddyWrox »

I knew it was mostly joking. But under every joke is some amount of truth ;-)

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Jocephus
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Re: Life changes

Post by Jocephus »

y'all need to step up your game
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tlombard
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Re: Life changes

Post by tlombard »

I'll probably be the slow truck that the other trucks are in the left lane to get around. Heck, I don't think I can really get going fast enough to pass others unless they are going really slow. I think I heard somebody today say that Stevens has the trucks governed at something like 64 or 65 miles per hour. I don't know for sure about that though.

I didn't have the cash to pay for a plane ticket up front so I had to take the Greyhound from St. Louis to Dallas and left about 6pm Friday night. We got to Dallas about noon today. I had both seats to myself and there were no crying babies or anything like that so it wasn't a terrible trip. Boring at times but at least I was comfortable the entire way and I was able to get some sleep.

Apparently this entire hotel is booked by Stevens exclusively so everybody here is either in training at the school here, in orientation like me, or a current driver here for whatever reason waiting on their truck in the shop or for their next load to be ready. Since there were a few people in the lounge watching football, I took up a spot and ended up talking to a few guys who are a mix of current drivers and waiting on their trainer to get started on the road. They gave me some information on what to expect and were talking to each other about things that have happened to them recently on the road which was interesting.

And then I noticed that there are some shelves with just a bunch of random stuff on them with a sign that says 'Take it or leave it.' Apparently it is a place for people to leave things they don't need or that are found in rooms after people check out and if you need something from it, then just take it. I happened to still need a pair of boots and wouldn't you know, it was my lucky day. A lady came in and put some stuff on the shelves and one of the things she left was a box with brand new boots in it. Unbelievably they were even my size. So I tried them on and they are mine now. They are nothing fancy but they seem like decent boots and they still have the tags on them along with the soles being scuff free so they shouldn't be filled with somebody else's foot fungus yet. In the end, I don't think it would have been a big deal if I didn't have boots yet from what I heard from the other guys here but they did tell me to make sure to bring some and this solves that problem in case they really do want us to be wearing actual boots. They don't even have to be steel toed as long as they have rubber soles so it kind of confuses me as to why it would really matter. I'm sure they have their reasons though.

One of the guys I was talking to had actually tried to make use of them the other day but even though he normally wears a size 13, he couldn't get his feet into them for some reason. He was the third person to take them only to end up right back on the shelf over the past few weeks. I ended up talking to the lady who put them back out there and found out she is the woman who runs all of the lodging arrangements and such here at the hotel. She saw me with the box and came over to tell me that she was glad they were finally going to use because multiple other people had tried to take them but they didn't fit right for them. She said that people will leave boots, blankets, sleeping bags and all kinds of stuff for others who need them which I thought was pretty cool. She also tipped me off that in the kitchen there are all kinds of non perishable boxed and canned goods that are there for anybody who needs them too. She throws away anything that's been opened food wise as well as pillows and stuff that's a bit too personal so to speak but the blankets and sleeping bags she will get laundered and put out for others.

I also had a late lunch/early dinner at the hotel and they certainly seem to treat their drivers right in that regards. Of course I had to pay for it but I got the fried catfish dinner and it was four huge catfish filets, a huge portion of fries and a soda for $11 even. It was a pretty darn good value and it was good eating too. I'm used to paying that much for two filets that are half the size or less than the ones I got. Now I'm excited for breakfast tomorrow morning!

I could really use to go to bed here shortly abut I want to watch some of the Iowa State game that starts at 9:30 and my roommate is already asleep. We got our keys to the room at the same time and I'm pretty sure that he was knocked out and sleeping within minutes of me leaving after dropping my bags off and heading back to the lounge. That was over four hours ago and he's still knocked out. Seems like a guy I can get along with so far. He just said that he was going to go to sleep and for me not to worry because whatever I did wouldn't bother him. I've pretty much stayed out of the room since then though other than going to drop off the boots a few minutes ago.

tlombard
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Re: Life changes

Post by tlombard »

Day one of orientation is in the books and still going well. Today was a lot of paperwork and boring stuff before finally getting out in the yard and getting behind the wheel a little. We did an on road evaluation where we drove about 18 miles. It was my first experience in an automatic and there are a couple of things I have to remember but he signed off on my card as being road ready and gave me the top marks saying I did a really good job.

Then we did a new backing maneuver (new to me at least) where instead of doing a 90 degree alley dock, we did a 45 degree one. Wasn't a problem. I still used the steps from the 90 degree alley dock and just had to tweak them a tiny bit and I got right in there. Others were struggling and I didn't really understand what the trainer was having them do to make the corrections so when I got to a certain point in mine that I knew I needed to put a little more bend in it, I stopped. The trainer started to tell me to pull forward with my wheels turned some direction (I don't remember which) and I just simply said that I had planned on fixing it a different way that I was already more comfortable with and had more experience with. He said to go ahead and do it how I thought it would work and I put that trailer right in there with only one small pull up to make it just a bit easier even though I might have been able to get it finished without pulling up. When I hopped out after I was done he actually gave me a fist bump and said I did a really good job. The road evaluation was fun but nailing that new maneuver on the first time and knowing what worked for me even though it was different than what the trainer thought and being proven correct, that right there was a great feeling and really fun. After nearly a week of not getting any practice or even being in a truck, I was very happy with how well what I learned stuck with me. And I just realized a minute ago while I was typing this that I would have looked pretty stupid if I did it my way and messed up. It might have looked like I was telling the trainer that I know more than him when I clearly don't. Maybe the clarification that it was something that I was more comfortable with and had done a few times before would have saved me but I still would have looked like a male sex organ.

Tomorrow is going to be a really long day though. We have to be there by 6am for roll call and then we probably won't be done until 9 or 10pm. Tomorrow morning is physicals with the company doctors from 6am until lunch. Then I think we have a couple of classes and then finally back on the yard where we are going to do more backing up and more work on the road... but at night which most of us haven't done before. There are a couple of guys who have experience driving for other companies but this will be the first time driving and backing at night for most of us which should be really interesting. Definitely going to be an adventure!

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GeddyWrox
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Re: Life changes

Post by GeddyWrox »

:cm:

tlombard
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Re: Life changes

Post by tlombard »

I survived day 2 of orientation and it was a long one from 6am until 10pm but it's over now and tomorrow is only 8am to 10pm. We got a lot of paperwork filled out, insurance paperwork and all that. We all had to pee in a cup this morning and then some got physicals if the school they went to wasn't one that Stevens has approved for the medical. Thankfully the school they sent me to is one that they are good with so I didn't have to go through another physical and get another medical card. My roommate is actually leaving tomorrow because he had to get a physical from the company doctor and they won't let him drive with one of the medications that he's on. They wanted to work with his doctor to get him on something else so he could drive for them but he decided that he's not going to waste their time because he is happy with how the medication is working for him and doesn't want to switch off of it. He's just going to find another company to work for. Alrighty then! He said that there were about three or four other people in the same situation after the physicals and all are getting sent home tomorrow. At least the company is paying to get them home and not just leaving them stranded here.

It does also show how seriously they take safety and such with how strict they are on the physicals and how they have us here for four long days of orientation and practicing skills in the yard where other people I went through school with are basically being thrown right into the fire with their company trainer picking them up a week after they get their CDL and then only mentoring them for two weeks before they are let loose on their own. After we get 240 hours with our trainer and have been to all four corners of the country as well as made it down two mountain passes (there is actually a list of mountains that qualify) then we come back for two or three more days of grad school where they test us on the road and backing skills and if you don't meet their high standards to pass then you don't get sent out on your own until you do. They aren't messing around.

All together it was another productive day and one step closer to getting out there and making some money here soon. Still a very positive experience overall even though I'm not a fan of 16 hour days, especially when they start at 6am so if you want breakfast then you'd better be ready and down there at 5am in order to have time to eat and catch the shuttle. When people were wanting to doze off during the day and looking tired, the comment from the instructor was simply that if you can't adapt to getting up that early and working odd hours then this is not the job for you. He certainly had that right.

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