Graduation Day - For one of "Jerry's Kids"

I'm one of "Jerry's Kids"... but that's Verrill, not Lewis...

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...-driver-training-ted-cohen-3.html#post1715229

Well, yesterday I went & did it... nailed my maneuvers, pre-trip, & road test out of the park on the 1st at bat... got the temp CDL, just going to wait on the HAZMAT background check before I head to the DMV (ugh) & get the permanant new mugshot.

Now I've got to go over my options & current offers on the plate to figure out when & where I want to head to.... unfortunately not everybody that hires rookies, hires out of Maine... but of those that do, there's a few that seem to be hauling a decent amount of freight in & out of this neck of the woods.... guess it time to sort 'em out, ask 'em a bunch of questions & pick one. (I do have an ultimate long-term plan in the back of my rather limited amount of grey matter)

There's a lot of folks on this forum I really should thank for some great info I picked up along the way in all the hours I've spent reading here in the past few months... Injun, Iron Pony, Rerun, wsyrob, & chompi come to mind as a few... but there are dozens of others I'm forgetting at the moment.

Also, I may have come off sounding like a paid advertiser in the school topic, but I really do have to thank Jerry Verrill, the instructor at OHTS... the guy is not only experienced, but is also just a "natural" as an instructor... he gets all the credit for my 1st round victory.

Thanks again, to all of the above... & to those who's names I can't remember at the moment.

 

Thanks Chompi.... we actually had a pretty semi-decent showing for those of us from our school that tested Monday... of the three of us that Jerry said he felt should be able to pass right out of the gate, 2 of us did it & the other only missed his parallel park by the thinnest of margins... he's got a re-test date for next Friday & he'll only have to do the parallel park & road test so he should be all set... we were all shocked that he messed up on a maneuver... he & I had a pair of trucks over in the practice lot Sunday & he was spot-on every time.

One of the other two actually surprised us... he nailed the maneuvers & passed the pre-trip... did OK on the road test until he got back to the state maint lot where we were tested out of... he missed a downshift & couldn't get it back in gear quick enough... so all he has to do is road test... Jerry's going to take him out this week & next & have him work the stick hard.

The last guy is another story... for all the time he's spent in the trucks he just doesn't seem to get it... he's one of these guys that can cite chapter & verse of anything you want to ask him... but the "hands-on" part of it just never seemed to come to him... he passed the pre-trip fine... but the maneuvers were a nightmare... even myself & another of the students have tried to help this guy out as much as we could and it just never seems like he can get that feel for it... I think Jerry may ultimately talk to him about maybe opting to go Class B.

I was a little skeptical of being able to pass 1st time out.... Jerry wasn't, he figured I do fine, but I'm my own worst critic anyway. ... the "bad news" we got about our test date is that we got the toughest of the three examiners we could have gotten... & that was confirmed by a couple guys I talked to at the state garage while waiting for my test... now, one of them added that if you pass with this guy at least you'll know you earned it... so, I'll take that for what it's worth I guess.

Funny part was when I handed the guy my licence he looked up at me... looked back down at the licence a 2nd time & then asked, "How come there's no motorcycle endorcement on this?"

Seems he rides, & apparently I look like I should be a biker.

I've got a few offers on the table as we speak... of course one of those is Werner naturally... now besides the all the horror stories well documented here I just don't see many of their rigs up here at all... & I travel I-95 between Auburn & Portland quite a bit.

I see a lot of Western Express... but they are on the "excrement list" of the SP up here so I'll try to pass on them... word of advice to any WE divers out there... if you cross the Piscatiqua River Bridge northbound on I-95, make sure your logs are good & all your ducks are in a row.

Of the top 2 options on the list thus far, one always seems to have a number of trucks that I'll pass on a daily basis up & down I-95... including there always seem to being quite a few of them taking their sleeper time at the Irving lot off Exit 75 (Auburn) which I could almost throw a rock into... the other is looking for drivers for a dedicated run between northern ME & WI.

 

Thanks... now if they could finally get to figuring out in Washington that I'm about as home-grown redneck as they come & I'm not a terrorist I could get to the DMV for a new mugshot.

The examiner & I had another semi-humorous moment as well... when I went to pull the hood up for my pre-trip... all whopping 150lbs of me only got it about tilted ahead about 4 or 5 inches & back down it went.... being the smart*ss I am I looked over & said, "I only weigh a buck & a half, this may take a minute".

He laughed a bit & said, "there's no time limit on getting it open".

When I was closing it back up he said he had a woman a few months ago that couldn't have been more than 100lbs soaking wet.... said he kind of felt bad 'cause she really struggled to get it open & he's not allowed to help... he sheepishly added that he did help her close it though.