Trans Am as seen by Broke Down 69

Orientation Day 3

Well today completed the classroom portion of orientation. We spent most of the day working on the Garmins, doing every single routine form we'll use...several times for the few mental pygmies that couldn't seem to understand even the most rudimentary electronic interface. I mean for heavens sake it's all touch screen and very self explanatory to anyone with even a room temperature IQ but even that low bar was seemingly out of reach for a couple of the trainees. Oh well, it's done now.

Got our EFS cards today with a $100 advance available on it. That was a nice surprise. Learned how to write, and get approved, EFS checks which came in very handy for getting a little pocket money. Got an introduction to operating the reefer units as well. They are surprisingly easy to use...another nice surprise.

Lunch was from a local sandwich shop and was darn good if somewhat less than what I'm used to eating. Probably won't hurt to back off the chow a little, I've been killing the breakfasts every day.

This weekend I have to go online and take a safety test but it's short and simple. Other than that it's the weekend now and a group of us are going to get together tonight and hang out by the pool and tell a lot of lies about how great we are...I'm looking forward to it.

Any specific questions that I haven't hit on, just post them and I'll answer them.

 

Track 2 is three days with a short amount of classroom time and the majority spent on the range. The range consists of a road evaluation section...your standard cone course...and a backing course for straight back, 45 degree and 90 degree alley dock practice.

Track 3 should begin on Thursday, provided your trainer gets in. This lasts 11 days and in that period you will run the truck under the trainer's close supervision. Provided you have a good handle on things you will then come back to Olathe or Rockwall for two days and complete your paperwork, final test out and be assigned your own truck. Then you are a full fledged employee running your own truck and loads.

As far as the lease goes, I still have heard nothing else about it other than the brief previously mentioned presentation.

 

It remains in your dispatch TZ. For Tans Am this in the Central TZ as both terminals are located in it.

 

So far, so good. I have no complaints at this point.

 

Day off

The English language does not provide adequate words for the boredom that is Olathe, Kansas when one has nothing to do. Orientation keeps you fairly busy at least during the day but a day with nothing to do is long in the extreme. There's some sort of yapper type dog show in town filling the hotel with "dogs" and the assorted oddballs that think smoking is awful but dog crap all over the place is some sort of heaven. Was kept awake most of the night as when one of these yap factories cranks up it sets off a resultant cacophony that would wake the dead and make the living give strong consideration to murder. And joy of joys, I get to go through this again tonight and then slog through another off day tomorrow. However, in the grand scheme of things these are minor issues and I'm sure I'll find a way to endure.

More later...