At 50, I made this decision to change careers. One thing I can tell you about his forum, is it is the best place I have seen for information. The other thing, is, half of you guys scare the crap out of me, and the other half make me wonder why I didn't make this decision 30 years ago. I am trying like hell to keep an open mind, but my stomach has been in knots since I gave my notice at my job. Heck, I don't even know if I can make it through orientation or not anymore.

I have to Greyhound for 18 hours from here, just to get to Springfield. I will be at the St. Louis Greyhound in the middle of the night for 3 hours with 1500.00 worth of electronics in a backpack. (laptop, camera, i pod....). It ain't like that isn't scary enough. I do believe if I make it, this forum will be able to take a lot of credit for it. I think I will depend on this to get me through, more than my wife.

Wish me luck, and like, Daytona, I will try to keep a log on here of things, so they see how things work at Prime, if anyone is interested.

BTW, my name is Joe. Larry Underwood is a characther from one of my favorite books, and has been a yahoo address for about 12 years. lol

Thanks all

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The tree of liberty, must sometimes be watered with the blood of patriots.

Good luck Larry ! Say hello to Joe for us and Happy Trails to you both ..

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Desperado ~ one well seasoned driver

Best of luck to you Joe,you'll be fine.JUST STAY AWAY FROM THEIR LEASE PROGRAM no matter how much they hype it up.

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"I have trouble remembering names,may I just call you Scrote ?"

NO HABLA JIBBER JABBER

"Haven't I told you a million times not to exaggerate"

Every so often, I like to stick my head out the window, look up, and smile for a satellite picture

CBA # 454

Hey Larry, what night was that you're laid over at Greyhound? I need to go shopping for a new backpack and maybe some electronics. Just kidding.

just give me your addy, I'll mail it to ya. gotta be easier than gettting mugged for it.

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The tree of liberty, must sometimes be watered with the blood of patriots.

Well, 20 hours later, I made it to Prime. It has been 35 yrs since I had ridden Greyhound, and I can assure you it will be at least another 35 before trying it again. What a mess that company is. On the final leg of the bus ride from St. Louis to Springfield, I met 6 other people coming to orrientation and school with me. That was kind of nice. Now that I have eaten and showered, I can take a nap and try to catch up on my sleep. No way to sleep in a full bus, and everyone was full to the max.

I already told them, if I don't cut it, don't bother getting me a bus ticket back, I will hitchhike before that. LOL

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The tree of liberty, must sometimes be watered with the blood of patriots.

best wishes Joe..Im looking forward to hearing about your journey..I hear you about the Greyhound..I remember laying over in chicago on one years ago..a cop hitting me on my feet because I was sleeping in a chair, waiting for my bus.........Snuggs

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what we have here,is a failure to communicate

lol i wouldn't worry about them even trying to get u a bus ticket back if u dont cut it....

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Up # 5:45, orientation starting # 7:00. All in all, my first day was much better than my expectations. The scariest part was the physical, and my high blood pressure. Last night, I kept convincing myself that is doesn't matter if I work here or not. I wasn't going to die if I didn't get to be a truck driver. This morning, as I was waiting my turn, I did some slow breathing excercises and some relaxation. I couldn't believe it... but 130/80. The best reading I have had in like forever. I was calling everyone I knew, and turning cartwheels in the parking lot. Tonight is studying to take the cdl permit test tomorrow. If we pass that, we go out with a driver for 3-5 weeks for 1 on 1 cdl intructions and training. I went over to the "Millenium" terminal tonight for dinner and browsing around. It is incredible what they have here for thier drivers. The grill where we ate was awesome. This place is huge, pool tables, gym, baskeball courts, theatre, chapel, salon, massage parlor... just about everything. One of the things I really like here, is all of the drivers that are here, are really nice people. They all have good things to say about Prime. It makes a really nice atmosphere. Anyway, I am sure my bubble will burst soon, but so far, I am happy with the decision I made.

Well, off to cram for the exam tomorrow.

Joe

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The tree of liberty, must sometimes be watered with the blood of patriots.

Congrats man... I will be starting on the 25th... Keep us informed on how you are doing... I would appreciated any insights or advice you might have.