Shots, glad to hear it is going so well. This job can be alot of fun, but it does have ups and downs. I try to use humor to get through the rough patches. If I didn't I think I would explode sometimes. The other thing that really helps to blow off steam, is screaming at stupid drivers in other cars and trucks. They can't hear you, but it really does have a positive effect sometimes. (I would not try that while in school.) Well enjoy your time there, you only have about 10 days left. Then it will be out in the real world with your trainer.
Lol@ PA... don't try it. On test day either... tho the tester may laugh their ##### off it wouldn't be good. The other guy will get it. He just needs to focus and not let one thing rattle the next. My buddy joey and I just let it go. The third guy would get flustered and let a minor mistake turn into a major one. On test day remember that. Oh and turn your head exxagerating the fact you look at your mirrors... glad things are going well for you!
So week two, day eight is finished. I can't believe how fast the days are going by! Had a pretty good day again. I had a near flawless run in the morning and a so so run this afternoon. Only ground the gears twice all day. Joe said I was doing real well. The only thing Joe said to watch out for was going through a yellow light. He said I had time to stop. I know I am the student but I didn't think so. He said a tester could fail you so I won't make that mistake again. Lights turn quick as hell around here. lol My co-student in my truck got a "talking to" in the office. He did a little better today but I am nervous when he drives. I am more nervous for the people out there than us, since he drives so slow. I don't think he will make it but you never know. Brian helped me tremendously today by giving me a totally differant way of doing the 45 degree back. He teaches a bit differantly than Joe. I like to get other points of view on things I am trying to understand and his way of doing it really made it "make sense don't it". LOL He is a bit of a trickster I see. First he took my service line and disconnected the glad hands. I stepped on the brake to do my check and whushhhh. LOL. Then he put a cone in between the two trailers I was backing in this afternoon. I told him it all gets put in the memory bank until I get hired. Then the payback can begin. LOL Oh well, I cant believe how fast things are going. This time next week will be getting close to test day. Wow. Joe mentioned that Roehl will reimburse me for my mileage on hire day. At 1100 miles each way, plus to and from school each day, that will help a lot! Oh well, time for homework and I need to hit the whirlpool toninght. Oh hey PA, don't feel like Meltom unless you start telling everyone to start punching people. LOL
The measure your heartrate and then make you do some differant stuff and then measure it again to see if it elevates past a dangerous level. Not very hard at all. I think the toughest was, wait, nothing was very tough. lol. You will squat quite a few times during the test so if you arent used to them your legs will be a bit sore the next day. Otherwise nothing too strenuous.
Like Shots said, there are several activites that they have you perform, they check your heart rate during the tests several times. Depending on what division you are going into will determine what tests you take. If you go flatbed you will climb a latter, walk a balance beam, and do a pull down exercise in addition to the normal test. It is pretty easy unless you are really out of shape and your heart rate shoots up really fast. If your heart rate goes too high, or you cannot do one of the activities you will fail. I would recommend walking, and doing some basic cardio exercises to prepare, you will do fine. The test is to basically weed out the really out of shape people.
Yeah my upper leg muscles were killing me the next day even though I considered myself fairly in shape, my body wasn't used to the prolonged squatting. lol
