It's been awhile

Well it certainly has been awhile hasn't it!!  Since my last update, I have graduated my training, been through grad fleet, and am now in Alliance (Stevens lease program.)  Everything has worked out quite well for me.  I have had a few hiccups regarding my pay, but they seem to be worked out.

When I graduated my training, they gave me a 2009 Kenworth T2000. It was most certainly a grad fleet truck as it broke down every week that I had it.  It had a Caterpillar C15 ACERT engine in it.  It was a great engine that pulled strong, but was very thirsty as I could only manage a 6.4mpg average.

Here she is in all of her glory:

I gave that up when I went to Alliance, and now I have a 2011 Kenworth T660 with a Cummins ISX 450.  I haven't driven it yet, but soon.

I promise I will attempt to update this more often.

Matt

The Truckers Image

I want to start this post off with an apology for not updating this as promised.  I have been incredibly busy, and quite upside down since the last post.  I have since received a new trainer since my last one didn't like to eat but once every other day, and firmly believed that Febreze took the place of showering.  My new trainer is better...not much...but still.  That brings up a good topic to discuss:  The Truckers Image.

There has been quite a bit of discussion on why truck drivers as a whole have a bad image.  Unfortunately, when you don't shower every day...or every other day...or every other week, you begin to smell.  Quite wretchedly in most cases.  Not only do you smell, but you look like shit (excuse the french.)  Your hair gets really greasy and napy, and your skin starts looking all oily.

Lets face it; You sit on a cloth seat in an enclosed cab with the a/c on recirculate for the better part of 11 hours a day, and then you climb into the bunk for 10 hours before starting the cycle over.  Sure, you get out to fill your 164oz thermos up with Shockwave energy coffee and 12 shots of 5 hour energy, and grab a few donuts and candy bars for breakfast, lunch, and dinner.  Maybe you'll have to stop for fuel, but that's it.  No bathroom breaks, cause you can pee in a bottle.  Gotta "keep them doors closed to make money!!!"  Riiight...so you sit and sleep in your own stench and filth for days on end.  You non truckers are probably thinking "yeah right," but you truckers reading this are laughing your ass off because you know I am right!  The problem with this is, you eventually have to interact with other people...whether knowingly or unknowingly.  Shippers and receivers; the general public at truck stops; that cute server in the diner.  You get my drift.  These people then, unwillingly, have to look at and smell your nasty un-showered self because that load was just too hot to take a 15 minute shower.  See where I'm going with this?  If you all want the professional truck drivers image to get better, just start practicing basic hygiene.  I know personally, I can't stand to live like this.  I feel nasty and dirty.  I have felt like a homeless person.  I would never operate my truck this way.  Both of my trainers have told me that this is how the trucking life is, and to that I say bullcrap.  There is no load that prevents a driver from taking 15 minutes to relax in a hot shower, or even 5 minutes to stop at a rest area to use a restroom instead of a plastic bottle.  A driver is the only person that prevents a driver from the basics of life.

I will try to get some updates out soon.
Thanks for stopping by!!

Week 1 on the road

It's hard to believe how quickly this First week has gone by!  So far, we have been in the Western states...mainly due to a lot of repowers (when somebody can't make an on time delivery, they give the load to a truck that can.)
Right now, we are sitting in San Diego, CA hoping to get a load to the Northeast.  Dispatch said it might be Thursday or Friday before we can get one.  My trainer feels that it is worth the wait, and I am happy to have a day or 2 to recoup.  San Diego is a really nice city.  Where we are is actually called National City, but it's close enough to San Diego.  We are only about 1/2 mile away from Tijuana Mexico, and can clearly see it from our vantage point.  I have tried to take some pictures.  Unfortunately, somebody stole my camera when I was at Steven's.  So I am having to use my cell phone.

States I have been in:
Texas
New Mexico
Arizona
California
Nevada
Utah
Wyoming

Our routing and loads:
I met my trainer in El Paso, TX.  He had picked up a load of chicken going to Chandler, AZ (Phoenix).  Once we offloaded in Chandler, we dead headed (drove with an empty trailer) to Colton, CA (Los Angeles) to pick up produce bound for Cheyenne, WY.  There was no way we could've made an on time delivery on this one, so they repowered us in SLC with a team that had the hours available to make the delivery time.  In return, we pulled their load to Cheyenne so that they could continue on with it.  We swapped trailers with them in Cheyenne and stayed there for a day.  We then received instructions to repower another drivers load going to Oakland, CA.  With the swap complete, we headed towards CA.  Upon getting closer to SLC, we were again instructed to give the load to somebody else and stay in Ogden, UT for the night.  The next day, we went to Hersheys to pick up a load of candy bound for San Diego.  We delivered that yesterday, and here we sit.

Things I have seen:
A tornado in Ogden, UT;  Snow...in July...in Wyoming;  Mexico;  The Pacific Ocean;  Naval Destroyers and Submarines;  The Hollywood sign;  the Mojave Desert;  The San Bernardino, Laguna, Spring, Phoenix, Wasatch, and Rocky Mountains.  I have been from 20ft below sea level in CA to just over 9,400ft in WY.  daytime temperature differences have ranged from 110° in AZ to 49° in the Wasatch mountains in UT.  I have driven 1,486 miles this past week.

Here are some pictures:

This is the tornado in Ogden.  What a crazy cool thing it was to watch.  It was like it had a mind of its own

San Diego.  Looking Southeast into Mexico

 

Salt Lake City sunset

Near Bryan Head, UT

Cheyenne, WY looking Southwest into Colorado.  What an amazingly beautiful state.  If you look closely, you can see the snow-capped mountains in the distance.  

I'll go ahead and wrap this up for this week.  I will try to update this as I get the chance.  There is no telling where this next week will take me, but I'll be ready nonetheless!!  Until next time, keep it between the lines!

1st day with my trainer

Hi Guys!  After a couple of days sitting, I finally got out with my trainer.  Stevens flew me to El Paso to meet up with him.  His name is Alex, and he is really cool.  He is only 27, but he is very mature for his age.  I think we will get along just fine.  I met up with him last night at 11.  He has been having issues with the reefer unit keeping the freight cool, so it took him a little longer to get to El Paso than he thought.  After I met him, we went straight to sleep in anticipation that we would be heading out First thing in the morning.  Well that didn't happen...

Right now, we are sitting at the Thermo King dealer in El Paso because the trailer temp is 8°F when it should be -10°F.  We are sitting under a load of chicken bound for Chandler, AZ with a delivery time of 11pm.  We hope to get rolling soon, but there are 2 trucks ahead of us.  Welcome to the trucking industry!  Until later!!

Some random thoughts

I wanted to share some thoughts an opinions that I have had regarding the school process and Steven's in general.  I finally received my medical card today.  Awesome!!  Now I can finally say that I am an employee of Steven's Transport, and I can get out and drive a truck.  I believe that what I went through to get it was silly.  It took 6 whole days to get the drug test results back whereas it should've only took 24 hours...48 hours max.  The way that they make us sit here with all of our luggage and wait for a trainer is pretty ridiculous.  I'm sure that there is a method to their madness, but still.  If it was up to me, I would keep everybody at the hotel room until a trainer was available to take them out.  There are currently 97 people waiting to get out.  Rumor has that Steven's school graduates get priority, but we'll see.

The school itself was very organized...almost basic training like.  Keep in mind that they are there to get you your cdl...not teach you to drive a truck.  Yes you get to learn how to shift and parallel park and stuff, but it's the bare minimum to pass your driving test.  The instructors are easy to get along with, but they will not tolerate b.s.  This isn't high school, but you will be treated like a high schooler if you act like one.  It is a rigorous schedule, but it is doable.  Just make sure you get enough sleep, and you'll be just fine.  Don't think that you can come up here and party.  There is a very strict "no alcohol" policy in place and YOU WILL get caught...no if's and's, or but's about it.  There were a few people that came in with the class before me that thought that they could party, and carry on.  Well they learned real fast that they couldn't when Steven's booted them out of the hotel with out a ride and they were stuck begging for money to get home.

The training trucks are older Kenworth T2000's with 10 speed transmissions in them.  They are pretty worn out, but they are drivable.  They have a/c and radios that work.  I didn't see a truck out there that didn't have more than 800,000 miles on it, so not bad.  The 5th wheels were pretty loose so the trailers would slam back and forth between the 5th wheel and the lock.  Nevertheless, they were in better condition than any of the other training trucks that I have seen.

That's all that I think of to touch on.  I'm just going to be sitting here waiting for a trainer...probably for the next couple of days.  We'll see.  I most likely won't update this until I do get out there.  Until then, keep it between the lines.

Graduation!!

Thursday morning was spent on the hill practicing 45° backing.  After lunch, we had a 3 hour safety workshop.  Let me put it this way...3 hour lecture right after lunch=involuntary nap time!  After the workshop was completed, we ate dinner and then went back up to the hill for our final time in school.  We practiced truckstop pullouts, 45° backing and parallel parking.

Friday was our graduation day.  We began the day by taking our final exams which lasted for the majority of the morning.  After lunch we had our payroll orientation and received our fuel cards.  At the end of the day, most of the students received their medical cards and were released to the student planner.  He is the guy that gets us out to a trainer.  Now I said most of the students received them because myself and 2 others did not receive them.  After trying to figure out what the hell was going on, I finally found out that they are still waiting to get my drug test results back...from last Tuesday.  Right now, I am what they call a "pending student."  It is quite frustrating to have come this far only to be stuck waiting.  Oh well...so much is life, right?!

Well that brings me to today...the end of phase I and II, and the beginning of phase III.  I did nothing but sit today...along with 90 other people waiting to get out with a trainer.  Let me tell you all now to not believe the recruiter when they tell you that you will be getting out of school and immediately going with a trainer.  A lot of these guys have been waiting for a week or longer.  One thing nice is that the "Steven's School" graduates supposedly get priority over people that come in from the outside.  They moved us from Crosslands to Americas Best today.  I guess Americas Best is the 'employees' motel.  We also received our ID badges and graduation certificates today. I will continue to update this blog as I continue on my journey to become a professional truck driver.  If there is anything that you guys want to ask, please feel free to leave a comment!

Days 12, 13, and 14

Apologies for not updating sooner.  We have been slammed at school.  I will give you all an overview of what was all said and done over the past 3 days.

Monday:  This was our last true night class.  We started the day off by attending our benefits class.  We also received our Steven's driving handbook.  It's huge!  After the benefits class, we went on the road to drive over our DPS driving test route for the rest of the night.

On Tuesday, we had to be at the DPS at 630a.m for our driving test.  I really don't understand why so early since they open at 8 and they bring us to the front of the line anyways.  Nevertheless, we only got 4 hours of sleep the night before.  When it came time for my turn, I proceeded to start my airbrake tests, but I forgot to turn the ignition back to the 'on' position after turning the engine off.  I caught my mistake, but it was too late.  I failed my driving test before it really even had began.  I was so pissed off that, in my sleepless stupor, I had forgotten something as simple as that.  I also felt very cheated for the fact that I caught my mistake right away, but yet I was still failed.  Luckily,  you get 3 tries to pass it.  After the DPS testing, we all headed back to Steven's to attend some more classes.  We had a class from the fuel department talking about fuel economy and fuel bonuses.  We also met our driver counselors.  They are basically our mentors while we are on the road with our trainers.  Once we were finished with that, we got another drug test.  I was kind of worried about this one since I had recently taken some cold medication...some of which was Claritin D which, I have heard, can pop up as meth on a drug screen due to the pseudophedrine.  I haven't heard anything about it, so I'm assuming that it didn't pop up or that it is a non-issue.  I did the best that I could with the medication.  I tried to ask people at Steven's, but nobody there could give me a straight answer about what was approved or not.  I just made sure to stick with stuff that was non-drowsy.

Today was the First of our 2 loooooong days.  Today was 630a.m-9p.m, and tomorrow is 7a.m-9p.m.  First of today was the DPS again.  I nailed my test today with a 97.  The DPS examiner actually told me that, out of all of the Steven's people that she has ever tested, I received the highest.  Now whether that is the truth or not is a different story...but I like to think it is!  After the DPS, we went back to Steven's for more classes and some skills driving/backing.  The First class was for Alliance Leasing, and the Second class was actually all for filling out our pre-employment paperwork (w4, I9, etc.)  When we were finished with the classes, we went out to start our skills backing.  There are several areas including 45° backing, 90° backing, the serpentine, straightline offset backing, and Hunt's Point.  Hunt's Point is an incredibly difficult dock to get in to in NYC.  So far, I am the only one in the class to get it...it took me 30 minutes, but I backed her in there!!

Well that about wraps up the past 3 days, and I'm tired.  I'm heading to bed now.  See you all soon!

Day 11 and weekend #2

Just as I expected, we were on the hill today practicing shifting and parallel parking in anticipation of the DMV road test on Tuesday.  I didn't drive hardly at all because there are people that need to practice a lot more than I do.  I also finally had my First of what is supposed to be several interviews today.  I wouldn't really call it an interview since the person just looks through your paperwork to make sure you're legit and then signs off on it.

Time is really picking up its pace now.  We are starting our Third week on Monday, but it feels like we just got here a few days ago.  The new class will be arriving tomorrow, and the First weekers are now going into their Second week filled with DMV visits and studying. The graduating class is off to meet their new roommates for the next 5 weeks, and the cycle will continue.

I've been sick for over a week now...mainly due to the fact that I have no idea what meds I am and am not allowed to take.  Nobody seems to know either.  I am feeling better, but it is one of those lingering sicknesses that just doesn't want to go away.  At least I have one day of good rest that maybe I can kick it before we hit the road again.  Monday, we are supposed to be going over the DMV road test by actually taking a truck out there and practicing it.  I have also heard that we are going into downtown Dallas...I guess we'll find out then.  I'm excited to get this final week going so that I can start working (and getting paid!)  I hope everybody enjoys their weekend!!

Days 9 and 10

Sorry for not writing every single day, but things are starting to get rather hectic around here.  We only have a week left, and we are going to take our driving test on Tuesday.  That gives us a day and a half of school time to finish preparing for it.

Yesterday we were on the city streets practicing our turns and coping with the 4 wheelers.  Our instructor was very nervous and kept intervening instead of letting us get the feel of it ourselves.  It was quite an uneventful time.

Today, we were on the highway.  It was a much better experience as our instructor was much more calm and just let us drive.  Our truck broke down today.  One of the other students stalled the truck, and it wouldn't turn over after that.  After several unsuccessful attempts of trying to get it started, we started to smell burning electrical wiring.  Luckily, we broke down across the street from a Chicken Express...awesome food, and not nearly as greasy (or expensive) as Popeye's or KFC.  There was a big snafu with how we were going to get picked up.  Since there are 4 students to a truck and a training truck will only hold 6 people including the instructor,  It was either going to take 2 separate trucks or a shuttle to come get us.  Anyways...to make a long story short, our instructor told us to go eat as we were going to be waiting for the shuttle bus to come get us.  About 5 minutes after we start eating, the other 2 trucks show up to get us!  The lead instructor got ticked off at our instructor...some choice words were said, and our instructor quit right then and there.  We got back to the yard and grabbed another truck to finish they day on.  Here's me driving

Tomorrow is a half day, and we will be back out on the hill.  Since both the day and night class will be there, I don't expect to get much drive time...if any...in tomorrow.  Until then...

Days 7 and 8

The last 2 days were basically carbon copies of each other.  First, we did our parallel parking.  After that, they hooked us up to trailers and let us drive around the course for the rest of the evening.  Here is a completely unedited video of my driving around the course.  It will give you a good idea of what to expect.  Sorry about the low light conditions, but it was obviously nighttime.  Also, don't pay attention to the bantering...lol!

In my opinion, I think that it is better to train at night.  You can't see everything at night.  For example: you can't see your whole trailer, so you have to rely on the clearance lamps to know where your trailer is when making turns.  So if you learn how to do it at night, you should nail it during the day!

Wednesday marked our 4th day of driving the trucks, and most everybody has the shifting nailed.  The instructors all keep saying that we are one of the best classes that they've had in a while...now whether that is true or not is a different story!  Of course we have our couple of "super truckers" that know everything there is to know about the operation of a class 8 commercial motor vehicle...even though they don't have a cdl, and they are going to a truck driving school just like me.  The worst one is a 24 year old from Tennessee.  Last night, our instructor asked the class who was the best shifter.  Well, guess who was the only one who promptly raised their hand.  He was informed that he was being cocky.  Well...enough about that.

We lost another guy a couple of days ago.  Nobody knows the entire story, but he said it had to do with some speeding ticket he got in 2006.  We all think he lied on his application.  The moral of this story is DON'T LIE!  It's not worth your money or time to come this far only to get the boot because of a silly lie on your application.

Today, we are going to hit the streets of Dallas.  It should be an interesting time, but I think we will all do just fine.

Day 6

Monday was all drive time.  We started off learning parallel parking.  I like that we did parallel parking First.  A lot of cdl training schools will teach you straight line backing, then 45° backing, and then parallel parking.  By doing parallel parking First, you are learning straight line backing and 45° backing at the same time!  After parallel parking, we did laps around the hill to fine-tune our up-shifting and downshifting.  I spent another day at the DMV finishing up the tests, but now I'm finished with everything but the driving portion.

I wanted to tell you all about the hotel.  Where we are staying is called the Crosslands Economy Suites.  It's an Extended Stay Hotel, so you get the basic "extended stay" amenities such as: a coffee pot, silverware and dinnerware, cups, a microwave, mini fridge, and stove.  If you're lucky, you'll get pots and pans, and maybe even a toaster!  If you're super duper lucky like me, you'll get a big room with queen size beds instead of the tiny rooms with single beds.  I would definitely suggest bringing your own towels as towels here are few and far between.  They never have any towels to give us...basically because people steal them. On one hand, I don't blame them for not replacing things that people steal, but at the same time, I shouldn't be punished for somebody else's wrongdoing.  Also with the hotel, management basically treats you like crap...even though you are, in essence, paying for the room.  This morning, the hotel manager just comes walking into our room to "see if it was still occupied."  No knock, no "Hey, I'm about to come into your room!"  Nothing...and then he got pissy with us when we jumped on him.  I just keep reminding myself that I only have another week and a half.

I will take video of the hill today along with posting up some pictures of the Steven's yard and whatnot.

Day 5 and the Weekend

The weekend is finally here.  Part of me is thankful, but the other part of me wishes that I could be out on the hill right now.  It gets VERY boring sitting around the hotel.  I am literally walking around the hotel just to get a change of scenery!

Today, we did our map reading/trip planning class.  It took 5 hours to get through this class, but it is a lot of information to soak up.  Don't buy a road atlas until you're out with your trainer.  There's no need to and the instructors are going to make you use theirs anyways.

They moved me and 9 other students to night shift starting Monday.  We will be going to school from 3pm-11pm.  I am very happy about this as it will give us a lot more 1 on 1 training with the instructors.  There are a few people in my class who have not gone around the track more than once.  I was lucky in the fact that I was able to go around 3 times!  So this split will definitely help out with that.  I am also happy that going to the DMV will no longer cut into class time as we will be able to go before school.  I will be able to finish up with the DMV on Monday, but a lot of the others still have 4 or more tests to take and will be going for the majority of next week.

I will finally get to go to Wal Mart tomorrow so that I can get some groceries.  I am also going out to eat tomorrow night with the in-laws.  Other than that, I have absolutely no idea what to do for the weekend.  I don't know what's on the schedule for Monday, but I'm 99% sure we are done with the classroom stuff...so it should involve driving!

Day 4

We finally got to drive today!  It's such a sense of accomplishment for all of us after all of the testing and paperwork we have done over the past few days.  I do have to say that it is incredibly mind boggling to think that we are going to be pulling 53' trailers around Dallas in less than a week from now.  We also learned the pre-trip and went back to the DMV (DPS.)  I was able to pass my general knowledge and airbrakes exams yesterday so only 2 more exams for me!  Hint: The quicker you get these exams finished, the more driving time you'll have.

Tomorrow is only a 5 hour day.  We are doing map reading/trip planning for the First part of class.  I hope that we get to go back out to the hill today to continue driving...

Day 3

Today was yet again filled with more paperwork.  We had the FMCSA quiz this morning.  We filled out our student contracts today.  We also received our First pay advance for food.  At the end of the day, they sent us over to the dmv to take our cdl special requirements test so we could get our permit.  I think all but a couple passed with no issues.

We filled out what Steven's calls a "Canadian Declarations" page today.  Basically they want you to tell them about any arrests that you have ever had.  They do this so that they can determine whether or not you will have an issue crossing the border.  Don't lie on it. You will get caught sooner or later...and the last thing you want is to get held at the border with a load because you got arrested when you were 13 years old and didn't tell Steven's about it!  Then, you will not only be quite embarrassed, but most likely fired as well!

There were 5 more people that got placed on medical hold today.  3 for vision, 1 for a stress test due to a previous heart attack, and one for a fit-to-work test and sleep study because of his bmi.  2 people on the vision list actually had to go buy glasses to continue.  We also got 3 new people from the class ahead that were held back.

On a positive note, we found out today that Steven's just purchased 500 brand new Kenworth T700's.  They are getting rid of the T2000's quite rapidly, so the chances of getting a close-to-new truck right out of training is very good right now.  Irregardless, all of Steven's equipment that I have seen is in great shape.

Tomorrow, we head back over to the dmv to continue our tests (5 total.)  We might actually start learning how to drive a truck here soon as well...after all, that's why we're here right?!

Until tomorrow...

Day 2

Wow is time flying by!!  We took the drug screen and D.O.T physical this morning, and then we went over hours of service this afternoon.  The drug screen was done onsite at the school, and the results take less than 24 hours.  The physical was done offsite at a Drs. office.  Again, it was a relatively painless process.  The only big thing is that Steven's recommends that you fast before the physical.  That means nothing that can raise your blood pressure like coffee, cigarettes, or breakfast.  Something to keep in mind.   We also individually met with a recruiter today so that she could go over our applications in preparation for our "interview" next Monday.  I write that jokingly since, if we graduate the school, we are guaranteed a job with them.

We lost 2 guys today.  One of them left for family issues, and I don't know why the other one left.  That brings our class size to 39.  Another guy got put on medical hold due to his BMI (yes, they check it.)  He has to complete a sleep study to see if he has sleep apnea.  The study costs $1800.00/night.  Like everything else, Steven's will pay for it initially, but you have to pay them back.

I did want to go into the whole cost thing a little bit since there seemed to be a lot of confusion from several different people.  Stevens will pay for you needs up front, but they expect you to pay them back...for everything.  Travel, food, lodging, schooling...everything.  Something to definitely keep in mind when making your decision.

Tomorrow, we take 2 tests.  One regarding the FMCSA, and the other is for our CDL permit.  We also get our First pay advance tomorrow, and our red (student) Stevens cap.  Basically when you get that, it means you're in the school and you've passed the physical and stuff.  Until tomorrow night, take care!

Day 1

Today consisted of nothing but paperwork.  We did get to take a tour of the facilities today...man is this a big place!  Tomorrow, we take the D.O.T physical/drug screen.  I'm really interested to see how many people make it through tomorrow.  We currently have a class of 41 people, but I have a feeling that that number will be getting much smaller over the coming weeks.  It amazes me how many people came into this so unprepared for it.  Several people had absolutely no idea about Steven's policies, and more than a few showed up to class without the required stuff (money, birth certificate...)


Well, that's all for tonight.  I have to wake up at 4am tomorrow because we have to be in class at 6am instead of 7.  Tomorrow, I will write more for you all.

Decisions, Preparations, and a New Family Member

After deciding on my new career as a truck driver, I had a lot of planning a preparation to do.  First off, I wanted to say that, for me, research is never completed.  To this day, I am still researching different ways of doing things.  I like to begin something knowing all of my options and possible outcomes.  To begin with, I was looking at which was the best way to get my cdl.  There were 3 options on the table:

A) A private truck driving school.  Roadmaster Truck Driving School is the closest school to me, so that is where I went to look First.  Upon arriving, I noticed that their "school" is nothing more than a double-wide mobile home and a few wore out trucks.  After going inside and filling out the application, I sat down with a recruiter.  He was a nice enough guy, but we kept getting interrupted every 30 seconds by his phone ringing and him answering it...and then grumbling about how his phone was always ringing.  I just couldn't understand why he couldn't turn his phone off when he has live body in front of him.  They basically had 3 class options and 2 types of payment options.  For classes, you could go Monday-Friday  7am-6pm for 3 weeks; Sunday-Friday 6pm-12am for 4 weeks; or Saturdays and Sundays 7am-6pm for 8 weeks.  One could either pay $5000.00 to them, or get financing through them.  If you financed through them, it was $6500.00 and you repaid that at 18% interest!  For that price, I better get a gold plated CDL handed to me on a diamond crusted platter!

B) Community College or a trade school.  I really didn't look into this route because it takes awhile to get your CDL this way.  The upside to this route is that you can usually get some kind of financial aid or student loan/grant to pay for it.

C) Company sponsored schooling.  This route usually consists of a trucking company training you for little to no money in return for a commitment from the student to drive for said company for a certain amount of time...usually a year.  If the student breaks the contract before the time period is up, the student will be responsible to pay for the training plus interest.  This is the best route for those that want to be a truck driver, but have no means of getting there.

Initially I chose option A.  I even went as far as to get a personal loan for the cost of training.  I then started to question the logic behind my decision.  I already knew that I wanted to go to work for Stevens Transport.  Since they offer their own CDL schooling, why don't I just go there?  That way I am training in the type of truck that I was going to be driving anyways.  Also, Stevens has some of the best training in the United States.  With my decision now made, it was time to get everything in order. 

Now, let me talk about the family a little.  My wife's First husband was in the military.  He was gone months at a time, so she knows how it is already.  That's not to say that it's going to be any easier on her, but at least she was able to go into this knowing what to expect.  We got her a dog named Zeus so that she isn't alone all of the time.  He is a Great Dane/Hound mix and is a very good "deterrent" dog.

I also have a 5 year old Son from a previous marriage that I get to see for a couple of days every week.  He knows that Daddy is going to go drive a big truck, and won't be home for awhile.  He is taking it pretty well for his age.  He is also excited that he will get to go with Daddy once he is older.

About a week before I was to leave, we started gathering up everything that I will need for driving school and initial training.  With Steven's, the CDL schooling is 3 weeks long in Dallas, TX.  After the 3 weeks, you immediately go out with your trainer for 5 weeks.  After that 2 month stretch, you are allowed to go home for a week before going back out for 4 more weeks to finish training. What we are doing is packing what I need for the 3 weeks of schooling.  About a week before I leave with my trainer, my wife is going to mail the rest of my stuff to me.  This will reduce the chance of things being stolen by other students who "forgot" something of their own. Here is my packing list:
Money and Documents:

    Wallet
    Debit Card
    A few Checks
    Social Security Card
    Driver’s License
    Original copy of Birth Certificate
    4 family references w/ addresses and phone numbers
    2 Personal References w/ addresses and phone numbers
    $26.00 for license transfer
    $10.00 for permit
    $60.00 for CDL exam
    $100.00 cash/money order school registration fee
    Enough Money for food and personal expenses
  

School and Staying Organized:

    Notebooks (1 or 2)
    2 or 3 spiral note PADs 5x3” and/or 6x4” (fits in a pocket type)
    Folders
    Post-its
    Calculator
    Pens and pencils
    Highlighter
    Ruler
    Work Gloves
    Flashlight (maglight)
    Padlock (for school locker)
    Stapler

Personal Items:

    Books
    Sunglasses
    Cell Phone, regular charger, and mobile charger
    Meds
    A couple of photos
    Camera
    Laptop and accessories
    MP3 player
    leatherman
     
Necessities:

    Sunscreen
    Towels
    Wet Wipes
    Kleenex
    Laundry Detergent
    Mesh Laundry Bag
    Shampoo
    Soap
    Toothbrush and Toothpaste
    Deodorant
    Cologne
    Shave Cream and Razor
    Backpack
    Scissors
    Sewing Kit
    Immodium AD, Advil, etc.

Clothing:

    One extra pair of Tennis Shoes
    Flip Flops, to wear in dirty showers
    Jacket
    2 Sweaters
    5 pairs Jeans
    3 pairs Shorts
    10 T-Shirts
    Socks
    Underwear
    Hat

I chose to fly instead of take the bus.  The biggest reason is because it's a 3 hour trip opposed to a 30 hour bus ride.  It was worth the $130 to be able to spend the extra day with my wife.  We also got a wireless hotspot modem from Verizon so that I always had an internet connection.  We will Skype each other quite a bit and they have the video option.  Something that is also important is getting a hands free device for the cell phone.  I bought a Bluetooth so that I can always use my phone.  The next time I will post will be from the hotel room Monday night.  Until then, stay safe!

Starting Off

Hi All!  Some of you might know me, but some of you might not.  Let me take a few to introduce you all to myself, and give you a little info about who I am, and why I chose truck driving as my profession.  I have always loved big vehicles.  Growing up in the mountains of New Mexico, I remember being outside playing with my Tonka trucks (the real, metal ones...not the cheap plastic ones that they make today.)  I used to build roads, plow snow, and of course...crash!

After getting out of high school, I went out to Texas and started operating heavy equipment with my Dad.  He has been running heavy equipment for close to 60 years!  He has taught me all I know about heavy equipment and construction.  I remembered that my Dad was always telling me that I should get my CDL, and that it would help me to get better jobs.  I worked towards it...even going as far as to get my class B permit.  Unfortunately, I could never locate a vehicle to take my road test with.

After I moved to Florida, I worked for a few construction companies.  The pay was horrible, and I had absolutely no job security.  Once the economy took a nosedive, it was even worse.  I decided that it was time for a change.  I went into the aviation industry, and started working for a major airline.  It was a great job that taught me a lot.  I had to quit when my wife and I moved to Las Vegas for her job.  After moving back to Florida, I had a hard time getting a job that paid me enough to keep us afloat.  I was an aircraft fueler for a couple of months, but I was getting paid coal for a job that should have paid gold.

When I was working as a fueler, I started talking to one of my coworkers who use to drive for Covenant.  He was telling me about driving OTR, and how much he got paid for doing it.  He told me that he used to love being in the farmlands of Indiana one day, and in Manhattan the next.  He couldn't drive anymore due to a preventable accident that he got into.  After mulling it over, I decided to take the plunge.  The next big step was get the wife on board and to figure out how I was going to go about accomplishing it...