Follow me through Central refrigeration training 2.

Am currently in a TA TS in New Jersey...just dropped off a load in Bethlehem, PA and thought that the TA here would have plenty of room - WRONG. We kind of made a spot so for now, we are parked...we'll see what happens.

My OTR training is quickly coming to a close. By this coming Wed, I'll have just one more week to go before I upgrade. My trainer will try and work the loads (along with his Driver Manager) to get me back in WVC on either the Wed. or Thu (11/13-14). We'll see how things work out. I still need more practice at backing, but other than that, I think I'm ready to go and tackle things on my own. Sometimes I tend to learn more when I'm out there needing to get something done and so I just work through it. Not that my trainer hasn't been helpful because he has, it's my belief that there is only so much anyone can do to help out someone else...I mean, in the end, it really is up to the person learning things to do just that...they need to do the learning. What's the old saying...you can lead a horse to water.......and many more like that. So what I'm saying is even though I'll continue learning and learning and learning, and that I would gladly take helpful hints from whomever I can, I'm to the point where I need to go out and do it.

As for the remaining week plus...I'll try and get on when I can. Right now, we've pretty much been teaming it as we've been on the go most of the time. The load we dropped today was actually scheduled for a Tue. drop...we told them that we'd be early but I guess not in time enough as we don't have a load assigned to us yet and probably won't till tomorrow morning sometime. So for now, we sit at at TS.

 

Hah - gotcha.

For the training class, I just took plenty of notes...not everyone did. You will get plenty of handouts as well so really, nothing else is really needed except for paper and pen. If you approach this like school...like a 'class', you should do well. If you are able to look over a CMV Drivers Manual (you will receive one of those as well) ahead of time, you could be a little ahead of the game. Since I live in UT, I went down to the DMV and picked up a manual and went through it a bit. However, you will be getting a handout with very helpful information as you study for the written CDL test. Again, first week is to help you pass the written CDL test, the 2nd is to get you the basic driving skills and pretrip info to pass those tests. Listen to the instructors...you should do well.

Lets see...if you leave 11/9 that means you'll start 11/12 - I should be back at the terminal (CRSWVC) on either the 13th or 14th to upgrade - maybe I'll have the chance to meet you. Until then, have fun.

 

Thanks Diner Man, hoping for a more condensed class time as the last two days will be Thanksgiving (can't imagine what the terminal would serve! lol).
Thanks for the info for class, lots of details about training and with trainer but couldn't find anything on step 1. Nice to see what's ahead but also wanted to be prepared for what I am about to step into as well.
Thanks, hopefelly we will have a chance to meet at the terminal, stay safe!!!

 

Last year the West Valley terminal served a full thanksgiving dinner. I think it was like $5-6 and included pumpkin pie!!

 

Hopefully we can have a good meal before WE head out on the road! lol
Thanks PSUMoose, maybe we will have a chance to meet, too.

 

in all my years i have never heard of a company that charges its employees for a holiday dinner. shaking my head in disbeleif.

 

diner, Keep up the good work I hope your having a good time. Can't wait untill the first of the year so I can get started. Is it harder or not as hard as you thought it would be? Also let us know how the first few weeks go after you go solo. Again Thank you and be safe out there. Tiger

 

Tiger...Is it harder or not...well, depends on what aspect so let me answer it this way:

Driving - for me, I've always loved a good drive so I don't mind the driving aspect of trucking. Now, I'm not sure if I'm normal or not, but I can drive...and have driven with my trainer, an entire shift without having to stop at all...unless a scheduled fuel stop. I already have food and drink, so if I end up driving for 8 or 10 hours straight...even without stopping to use the bathroom, that's not a problem for me and am able to do that.

Backing - this is somewhat challenging...it's more getting 'used' to how the trailer reacts to what you do to steer the trailer to where you want it. The setup is a bit crucial. I mean, I don't 'suck' at backing, but at the moment, it's not as natural to me as driving is.

Shipping/Receiving - this is something to just learn as you get out on the road...what the shippers need (paperwork and such) and what you need to make sure is written on your copies of the paperwork for you to send in...in order to get paid. Again, this isn't hard...just something that you've got to learn.

Sleeping Odd Hours - to which this also means driving at odd hours...well, I mean driving at night vs daytime. You've got to be able to drive at night as well as the day. Obviously, the daytime is easier given the amount of light. However, I like night driving as well as there is less traffic. The only thing for me about night driving...if I am on unfamiliar roads that are curvy and winding and up and down (think PA), then I go slower than what I would during the day. I also like to use my high beams when I can, or have another vehicle a bit in front of me so I can tell what the road is going to do. So sleeping odd hours...no big deal for me.

Overall...I would say not really that hard. The one thing I haven't mentioned yet though is...is it hard on family life. This is where I think the real challenge is for most people. For me, all my kids are done with HS and either in College or out on their own so really, it's just myself and my wife at home. Now, I haven't been able to see my wife for 3 weeks now...and by the time I see her, it'll be 4 weeks. Would I like to see her more than that - absolutely. However, we both know that time away from home is the deal here so we are both fine with that. So for me, I don't find family time a hardship or a challenge.

I'll update more though as I upgrade and am solo otr, but for now...all is good.

 

Well...I'm in my final week of otr training. My trainer is now on with Kraft dedicated in which a lot of the work that he'll do is East coast. We ran from PA back to WI right back to PA and heading back to IL. However, as things may change...since we are way early on our runs, we are helping out with some quick intermodel runs first thing in the morning and then picking up our preload to run out to IL. If it weren't for the intermodel runs, we would have been back on the road to IL instead of holding up at a TS to do the intermodel runs in the morning. That's ok...gives me a chance to get caught up on some other things as well.

So this is my last wknd out on otr training...assuming I pass my upgrade tests and such...which I should. Once I upgrade, I should get 4 days off...since I live there in UT so don't need to get a load back home (my understanding is they will try and route you to your home asap). The time has gone quickly so for those of you out there dreading the training time otr, don't fret too much about it. For me, I get along with my trainer just fine though I can't say we are buddy buddy and best friends for life. Don't get me wrong...a friend he is, but my point is...it's 'only' 4 weeks that you'll need to be with someone...it's not that bad so just work through it. Also for me, I was fortunate since I live in UT so for the 2 week class and 3-day orientation, I got to go home each day. For those that come in from out-of-state, I think they are going on about 6+ weeks without seeing their families so I consider myself lucky.

So even though we are at a TS tonight, my phone has full 4G service so I am using my phone as a hotspot which is cool for my laptop for my internet connection - this is the first time I am using my phone in this manner. As a note...there is data usage on this, but I think I have unlimited data usage...though I will need to double-check just to make sure.

Not much else to report on at the moment other than otr training is where you'll work on getting the hang of what to do. A lot of it is repetitive which is actually a good thing. And as a last note for tonight...I am liking this MUCH better than having to be in an office dealing with the daily office grind and politics - ugh!!

 

Got into my room and watching some games before everything starts tomorrow.