My adventures with Western Pacific Truck School Modesto CA

Thanks! oh and lol. I'm still headed up there but I had to push back my orientation to the 25th so I could tie up some loose end here at home. Plus my girlfriend and I want to take a little trip before I go out on the road.

 

Today we practiced in the yard with the 48 foot trailer again. More alley docking from different angles. We even did some blind side docking We also practiced docking between trailers that were parked in the yard. After a while we went out driving with the long trailer. We have one more day of training & then its graduation time! Tomorrow I think we are going to take out the double trailers to get some real world practice with those. I know it will only be one day driving with doubles but one day is better than no days right?

As for my bike, I talked to the mechanic today & he said that if he gets the starter tomorrow and gets it installed he would be willing to stay late just so I can pick the bike up after I get out of class. Saving me money, getting it back to me a.s.a.p. and willing to stay late just so I can get it back even sooner? Now thats one hell of a mechanic!

 

Today was another good day. A few days ago we went through the process of hooking up doubles and got to drive them in circles around the yard. Today we hooked them up again and took them out on the road. The only big difference I noticed was the weight. Yeah I know, what weight? Two empty trailers? LMAO But still, it was heavier than just a single trailer back there. Turning was about the same. Glad I got to at least try them out. Tomorrow Is graduation day! Then I've got a couple weeks off. During those I have to fax a new DMV printout, my transcripts, and my certificate of completion to Sandy at Watkins. I'll also be spending a few days in San Francisco with my girlfriend. Also have to get all my stuff ready for my trip to Missoula on the 24th. Gonna be a busy couple of weeks.

Here is a pic of me in front of the truck we were driving today

 

I'm officially a gradute of Western Pacific Truck School and I've got the certificate to prove it!!!




To anyone in the Modesto area thinking about going to truck school I highly recommend Western Pacific. In my opinion they are the best school in the area. I feel I got a very thorough education in the short time I was there. The instructors are very good(classroom & range instructors) and you couldn't ask for a more helpful office staff. Not only that but they offer lifetime placement assistance too. Of course you can't just go in and say I NEED A JOB lol but they can and will always help you with job leads and applications. All in all I don't think I could've had a better experience. Met a lot of cool people there, students and staff. VERY happy this was the school I decided on!

Now to put in a bunch of applications with some local companies and if nothing pans out I've already got orientation scheduled with Watkins Shepard for April 25th, wish me luck!

 

No problem! I know what it's like dealing with the WIA process, a serious pain in the @ZZ lol. But if you see it through to the end it will pay off. Good luck with that & with school.

 

Well so far I've applied to 6 or 7 local outfits. A couple of them are definitely hiring right now. I have 5 - 7 more places to apply on Monday and Tuesday. I should hear something back from the ones I applied to already by Wednesday. I'm really hoping to have something lined up by the end of the week but realistically that's probably not going to happen. I'm waiting for a call from watkins shepard for some kind of phone safety interview. Once I do that I'm supposed to go somewhere for my physical and drug test then if I haven't heard anything from the local companies I've applied to I'll be headed to missoula for the watkins 10 day orientation.

 

Well I called the TSA again today & found out that my HAZMAT application/background check has been completed and I've been approved! So that's a good thing.

As for the local job search, it's goin slow but steady. I've put in quite a few apps with local companies and haven't gotten any bites yet. 4 or 5 of the places I've applied are Ag haulers and aren't hiring until the end of May or beginning of June(when harvesting starts) and I can't & don't want to wait that long to start working. I've got 2 possibilities that might be considering me but the guys doing the hiring are pretty busy right now so I just have to wait and see.

I've spoken to Watkins Shepard and they are currently processing my application. I'm expecting a call for my safety interview in the next day or 2. After that I'll get another call to schedule my drug test & HPE physical thing that I'll take in Sacramento next week. Then if everything goes good I'll be in Missoula for orientation on May 2nd.