Headed for Indianapolis for Orientation August 7th...

So while I struggled to decide between potential employers, I selected SNI for several reasons, most notably:

1.) I felt their size provided stability in employment and freight.

2.) Of the major large carriers, I felt their reputation among current and former employees was greater than others.

3.) The proximity of freight close to my house (Lima, Ohio). I think there must be more than 200 trailers within ten miles of my house, and I see maybe 20+ pumpkin trucks drive right past my front door daily. It gives me a better chance to snag a local gig, even if it is a trailer jockey at a local factory.

4.) I was offered a dedicated route that starts each week less than ten miles from my house, and (in theory and recruiter promises) should put me home each week.

5.) I have sleep apnea, and as a company they seemed the most progressive as a company in acknowledging, treating, and employing drivers with this disorder.


Anyways, some of the very best posts on this forum are from drivers who started mini blogs / threads about their experiences from day one. I am fresh out of school and acknowledge I do not know my ### from a hole in the ground, so I will keep track of everything here. I am not an English major, so my posts will seem more stream of consciousness than reading a novel, so I apologize in advance.

Raid3r

 

IN 2003, when I weighed more than 350 lbs (my scale at home didnt go over that, so I do not know exactly), I was diagnosed with what you would describe as weight related sleep apnea. However, as I lost weight, I found my sleep was better, mysnoring stopped, and all the other "characteristics" and "side effects" of sleep apnea had disappeared. I stopped using my cpap machine years ago. However, when I applied to SNI, they asked me about it, and I told them the truth. Their medical department wanted me to use it for at least two weeks, which I did and sent them the data from my smart card. I have been using it every since, but can honestly say I do not feel any different. I am about 230 lbs now. I suspect that I will use it until I can get into SNI's health insurance and then try to get another study showing I do not have it, so I can get off of this machine. I would also do a surgery if it would improve my condidtion or make it so I would not have to use the cpap.

 

So before I start posting about SNI, I will give a brief history of how I got to this point.

I have spent 15 years in construction , but the past 18 months or so have been really tough on me an my family. If I can find work at all, I am making less than $10 an hour doing work I was paid nearly $30 an hour for 4-5 years ago. One day I found an opportunity to go to company paid training for driving. That ad was for Driver Solution and PAM Transport. I did some research (including this forum) and found I really did not want to be part of either of those groups. However, I thought I could drive a truck, and my wife was not cold to the idea. I started researching schools and programs. I ended up choosing a quick training over a ten or twelve week program. I still ended up at C1 training IN Fort Wayne , Indiana. Regardless of what anyone says about them, I was very pleased with the instruction and people there. I was the first one tested out. I knew what I was getting, which was a CDL. Otherwise, I have a CDL and do not know a single thing about the trucking industry. I am a quick learner and not afraid of hard work, or afraid to ask questions. I think the real training starts for me the first day of orientation, and ends when I stop driving. Anyways, I graduated CDL school and got my CDL July 6th, 2010. I returned to Ohio that day and got an Ohio CDL, passed my HAZMAT, went to TSA place and got fingerprints etc done. I also went that day and got all of my passport stuff taken care of and submitted. I have now a Passport on it s way, and a CDL with all endorsements. I shoudl have started at SNI around July 21st, but the sleep apnea stuff put me a couple weeks behind.

Something that I noticed that more and more companies are doing is this pre work screening stuff. You can find a video here about it:

http://www.schneiderjobs.com/www1/g...blic/documents/document/preworkscreen_wmv.wmv

I am a bit nervous about it. My normal BP is (at least few physicals) 120/70 and my resting Heart Rate is between 60-70. I have been doing all those little exercises, and walking 2 miles each day over that past ten days or so since I was cheduled for orientation. I bough a little BP/ Pulse machine at wallyworld for about $60 bucks,and can not get my heart rate to go over 130-135. For the purpose of Schneider, my heart rate during these exercises can not exceed 165 (220-36=184, 184x.9 = 165). So it would seem I am fine, but since I am still a bit large, I am jsut hoping everything is fine. I will have to do that screening Saturday morning (in 48 hours) so I wont be doing them the next two days because muscles I haven't used for awhile are sore and tight, and I do not want them to feel that way when I show up at orientation.

Raid3r