Follow me through Central Refrigerated training

Headed to SLC to start training on the 26th this month. Anyone else going to be there by chance. Thanks for this thread guys!

 

If you have a cpap you have to get your doctor to sing a release saying your good to drive, most trianers have inverters on ther truck so you can use them.

 

I want to see his doctor singing the release

 

Your doctor will not be able to sign that. You will need a new sleep apnea test. Only passing that will you be able to drive without using a cpap. You either have sleep apnea or you do not. I haven't used my cpap for over 5 years. My doctor said I don't need it. The DOT doctor said I did not need it. The company insurance said I need a new test because I was diagnosed to have it but a doctor can not just say you don't need it. I think that's wrong but it makes sense I guess.

 

The doctor that put you on a cpap can sing it,I'm in training with central and I have a cpap.

 

"old time truckers who spent 2-4 hrs every night off duty planing the next day"? Really? That's pretty much how I did it for 15 years, never had a GPS and I can promise you I never spent more than 5 or 10 minutes figuring out my next day. (And I'm a high school drop out... so I know it's not THAT complicated) But hey I did train a few drivers who pretty much took the better part of an hour to do something like that. I had a guy one time and we were in Nashville, TN and had just picked up a load going to Fresno, CA. I asked my student driver to give me the closest route to Fresno from Nashvuille using my RM MC Atlas. Here's what he came up with after almost an hour of looking at the atlas. Are you ready? I65 North - I80 west - CA99 South. I just quietly shook my head and said "well, yeah that'll get ya there but it's about 1500 miles out of route. Then I asked him to open the atlas up to the page for the entire US and asked him to put one finger on Nasville and another finger on Fresno and draw an imaginary straight line bewteen the 2 and give me a route that stayed as close to that line as possible. He then came up with I40 West-CA58 West-CA99 North. Yes! Whew! That was a tough student and no he didn't make it to the hiring stage. he just did not have the mental capacity required. Too bad too cuz he was a pretty good kid. I'll give him this...he tried. He really did.

 

Want to say thanks for this info, has helped me decide. Trucking is its own world, that's likely why I'm drawn to it. So tired of working all the time just to get by. Might as well work all the time and get somewhere.
Wondering where everyone went who just got through training or started. Maybe they have lost the words to explain the refreshing choice they made, must be a great feeling to be solo trucking, breathtaking views, at least for a newbie must be rush of freedom. If can relate to menial labor service industry, what rubbish we are subjected to. Freedom!

 

Do you get hometime after you upgrade to your own truck? If not, when is the first time you get to go back home? I talked to my recruiter, and she said it would be about 8 weeks before I'm able to get back home.

 

8 weeks sounds about right. 3 weeks roughly in WVC doing school and orientation, and waiting on a trainer if you have to. 4-5 weeks with your trainer, then usually as soon as they get your truck, you have a load heading home. So about 8-9 weeks. You have to get home 60 days after you get your CDL in Utah (end of 2nd week of school) or else your cdl will expire, and youll be royally screwed.

 

Today I completed my first load(solo) . I made a trip from Rochelle to Atlanta, I was a little nervous being in the truck solo. I think I will love this job. The only problem I had on my trip was the fact that the Kroger D.C. seem to know I was on my way home. I was there in Atl at the warehouse for over 4 hrs, and I thought Wal mart was bad. Oh well it is a part of the game so I'll get adjusted to that part too. Be safe people see you and the road or at a truck stop near you.