Originally Posted by win/win

I went to Springfield Ohio on Sunday and started and started orientation
on Monday for 12 hours the first day.
Day 2 we were in class until about 3:00 pm. With all the paper work and tests
your head is spinning. I graduate and ride the hotel van back and get organized
and fall down on the bed to rest. Forgot to mention the lovely continental breakfast
and the four dollars for lunch a day, Joy. Pay for your dinner too.

I call my SDM and talk to him and about an hour later I get a phone call that
a trainer is picking me up, wow- that was fast.
I pack as fast as I can and go a meet the guy, very nice man with the company
about 9 years and has a brand new Peterbilt, cool.
We load up my gear and go back to the Ohio terminal and his truck
gets red flagged for maintenence, so I'm stuck in Ohio terminal overnight.
I wished I could have stayed in the room.
The upper bunk is fair and it was very hard to sleep.

We get up the next day and head to Bentonville Arkansas, Wall Mart to drop a trailer
I drove 8 hours the first day under constant scrutiny but faired well.
He drove the rest of the way and we stopped for the night, again I could barely sleep
and woke up at 6 in the morning, of course we are not close to a bathroom
so wiz outside the truck-fine. No coffee let alone something to eat-
so we sit there to about 10 am and I wanted to go
and eat and at least use the bathroom some where?
Anyway about 5 miles later we pass a bathroom and a cup of coffee
and I asked him to stop of course he would not-
we have to keep going? I drove 4 hours holding my own dead tired with
no coffee and did not even get to wash my face to wake up.
Well he was used to this and says welcome to the trucking world...

Then it seemed hard to focus as I was cruising the monster truck
ready to burst and half awake
he starts on me about watching my mirrors every five seconds
I was like fine dude, I am reminded that on a 2 lane road
I'm not watching the right side mirror enough, O.K. what ever.
I tell him I'm more concerned about the traffic on my left side and
what's in front of me. What are them west coast mirrors for? Damn.
I am driving on a road I never have before tired and ready to
crap just hoping to make it to the next truck stop.
I lose my cookies at him finally and said let me drive,
I cant handle being hasseld in the condition I'm in.
We get to a Flying J and turning into the lot I had to refuel, no problem.
We get done and he is telling me to turn right, I'm like where?
I can hardly see thru the wind shield with the speed passes stuck to it
and air fresheners and a CB hanging down
so I move into a safe area and park, soon as I can I go running into the john.

The point is I left, I am not going to bust my kidneys and blow a gasket because
this guy would not let me stop for about 4 hours. I had to listen to music I didn't like and
he liked the TV on all night with the same DVD playing over and over, I could
hardly get any sleep. Tired and frustrated I never got a fair chance to make my own
trip plans or rest stops, we got along pretty good but I could not live the way he was
used to. He is a good man but selfish in his own right.
It was his show, I had no say other than to just drive. I had to eat when he was ready,
or take a shower when he wanted to stop for the night.

I called my SDM and said I didn't want to be a prisoner in this truck like that and
I was then asked if I was quitting? I said no I wanted to take a few days off and get a
different trainer and re group, so the person said I had to have 137 hours before I
could leave, I said what if it was an emergency would you ask me if I was quitting?
I said fine I'll just leave, so I rent a car in Memphis TN. and drive home.
I plan on calling Werner and hopefully go back out there.
Besides the time and money invested I will call my recruiter and see if
there is anything left to salvage.
Mind you I'm not complaining I just am a morning person-
I get up drink coffee and need to visit the can- been that way for years, lol.
I can cruise all day after that. I maybe wrong too, I hope not.

Originally Posted by Kinghunter

Originally Posted by wahwah70

But you do get used to it, in fact you will have a hard time sleeping with out the sound of a diesel running...LOL

Originally Posted by Lilbit If your eyes aren't moving, you are going to miss things, and those things could mean the difference between life and death - yours and/or that of others.

Originally Posted by wahwah70

That's what my Grand dad taught me, and it's yet to fail me...
I remember he told me " Son, you can recover if you hurt yourself in an accident...But, if you hurt some one else you'll never recover from that"... I try to remember that every time I push in the clutch and turn the key.