May I start my Diary

Hello Everyone, I hope that you will let me start my new diary and chronicles here.

Well the first day of Orientation is over, and I will say, lots of sitting around during the morning, some paperwork, physical and four of us had to take a road test. We started out with 13, and by the end of lunch, we were down to 9. Three that we lost will be returning later. There was just something about their application that was going to take a little time to resolve.

As far as the 13, only two of us that were exp. They were trying to figure out why, if I was Intermodal, I was not in Gary. Told them the whole story, and they are going to try and get me transferred to the OTR by the end of orientation. If not, then next week, off to Gary for some more. They are pretty sure that they will get me transferred, just might take a little extra time to get a truck.

As far as the road test, I read somewhere here that it is simple in Columbus, WRONG. You are taken down the two lanes with some nice turns, and railroad tracks, and you have to make some decisions. Shift on tracks, fail, stop to close, which one of the turns, there is a stop light in front of the tracks, and a line behind. Make the wrong decision, again, fail.

In the afternoon, met with the Safety Director. Learned alot more, like GPS, company policy within the last 4 months, not allowed in company trucks, They really are not heavy handed on it yet, but with the new QC's going in, they will start soon. Also mentioned that E-logs are coming soon.

Well this all for now. Time for dinner since I am able to travel back and forth from home to the teminal. Will keep you informed if you want.

 

Thanks, and now 2nd day in the books. Learned alot more today, and asked many questions. Between myself and the instructor, we have 35 years exp. I can throw my exp out, and he has 14 years with Swift, driver, mentor, dm and now instructor. From what I am learning, I feel that I did not make a mistake. Hamshoe, I know, you have to read between the lines.

This afternoon there was some questions about the levels, as far as L/P and Company, 1-5 level and Gold and Bronze and Medallion, and because the questions started to get intense, he was able to bring the one DM that actually handles L/P to help to answer many of the questions because he was truthfull enough to say, that he did not know, so he himself learned some. After talking to the DM, this is where I learned alot. Even as a L/P, I am not forced as far as dispatch, but also, I do not get a choice of preplans until I reach that level, which can take a a short time, up to a long time, all depending on how I run and my record. This was the first time that they brought a DM up to Orientation here.

Well found out when I was leaving, I have been transferred to OTR and being coded out of Columbus. There is a chance that I could get my truck tomorrow night, but I did tell them, if there are upgrades comming in, let them go ahead and get a truck, since I know that they have not been home for some time, and I get wait until Monday. This will give them more time, and I think, let them know that I am able to work with them. I know that making money is very important, but I have some issues that I need to take care of at the end of the week, and I know that when I do head out, I am going to be gone for almost 4 weeks before home again, and then possibly flying to AZ to get my new Lease Truck. Trying to work within a plan here.

If someone here wants to come back on the L/P program with something negative, please, save it. I am not a rookie, and I know my plan.

Thanks again everyone.

 

If they do get the NAVGO system and it is set up right, it is sweet. My last one would show all the stops on one screen, and I just needed to select the one that I wanted to go to, then it would find me, and send me on my merry way. It took me 4 months before I actually tried it, then used it all the time.

 

Hello Everyone,

Well, day 3 is done and back home. My self and the other exp driver where sent home until Monday. We are still not coded, and no trucks anyway. For me, this was fine, and also her since her husband is due in this weekend.

Did hear something interesting, and let me see if I get the story correct here. One of the new drivers is being Mentored by her best friend. He had to go through a short course to allow him to train her. She went to Millington. For 2 months he kept telling his DM out of Edwardsville everything that was going on. Even told her when she was going to be done with Orientation so that he could get to Columbus to get her. Turns out that she never made any notes in the screen to get him here. He was sent to Memphis, then to Texarkana this week. Well, it took some help from the staff here, and he is now on his way. His DM, well, got into some trouble.

Was told something today in Log class, and it did cause an argument, and I am sticking to my decision, and as of yet, have not heard a good argument to tell me that I am wrong. The class was told that you can work, and the key word is work over your 70 hour, and not be in Violation. I disagree. Your log sheet says how many hours that you have to work on a given day. You go over that 70, you are in violation. We are being told in class, as long as you are not driving, and on line 4 and go over the 70, you are not again in Violation. I just finished with E-logs, and it told me how many left on the 70. I went over, and it started to flash, in Violation. I am sitting at a receiver, and wait to long to get unloaded, and it takes me past my 70, it is telling me, in violation.

There is nothing in the FMSCR about this. It just says that you can not drive past your 70, but look on the recap, and it says hours available to "WORK".

Another thing that I did not understand, but left it alone, the log sheet. You do a Pretrip, log it, but you do not sign until the end of the day, and call it a post trip, that you have checked everything, but then you only flag the post trip. Makes no sense to me.

Well the diary will stop until Monday, when I have to call the fleet manager here. There is a chance that I will be getting placed right on the the one DM's board that only handles the O/O, L/P drivers here, knowing that in the near future, that is what I will be doing. Then also getting my code. Everyone, thanks and please be safe out there.