Schneider Orientation Fontana 1 July 2014, Military Apprenticeship, Colorado

Thanks TracyN....I'm beginning to get this sleep thing down pat but it was definitely challenging at first. I've been running solo the last two days since my sons wife decided she wanted to have her kid while we were on the road. Flew my son out of Asheville, NC and made the delivery. Drove to Charlotte to pick up a relay headed to Massachusetts but the trailer had issues (cracked frame) and after cross loading they couldn't get the paperwork straight. Next morning had a second relay to Lincoln NE for 0700 tomorrow morning. It was considered a "hot load" and there was some concern I could make it safely 1100 miles in two days. Not an issue as I have arrived 12 hours early. Have my reassignment for tomorrow picking up 50 miles from here and delivering in Laredo. Thats another 1000 miles. Not sure whats going on but I have driven 3880 miles in 8 days and that includes the day the trailer was messed up and I only ended up with 37 miles.

What I have learned....I average 52 mph and my son averages 58 because he drives nights and doesn't deal with shippers. I can do 475 miles a day in 9 hours comfortably. He does 530 but if we need to push we can it just means driving more than 9 hours.

I stop when I feel like it. I actually get more miles by taking a break every two hours instead of killing myself by driving straight through. While driving solo I start around 4 in the morning so by 0630 I've already gone 165 miles. Not a bad way to start and when I finish at 2:30 I have no issue finding a spot at the truck stop.

We average 9 mph with the Cascadia Evo with an automatic transmission and 30000 pounds in the trailer. Just hit 63 and put it on cruise and it'll get 9 mph all day long.

We are actually planning what to do when we hit the year mark. Do we go IC? Dedicated? Do we both solo? I'm retired military so I have a steady income and no debt. He's a smart kid that saves money and also has no debt. We have many options to explore in the next 10 months. My only complaint about the truck is with it being governed. I don't have to go 70 mph but would like to safely pass without the alarms going off. Everything else about the truck we like to include the on guard system. We don't need an APU because the truck never stops long enough to need AC.

I've been reading the threads about IC and can see the potential with picking your own loads. We both love the West to East 10/20/40 corridor. We can really crank some miles pretty easily that way and you avoid too many mountains. I also like Michigan to Laredo. We've had that route a couple times. Not crazy about OKC, Dallas,Austin,SanAntonio but if you time it right it isn't too difficult.

Thanks again for your words of wisdom. Still new at this but still liking it! Also...my son has been test driving all the burgers at the different OC's and so far he likes Fontana's best. West Memphis was close but not quite as good as Fontans.

 

I went through Orientation in July. The physical agility is nothing to worry yourself about. It is a series of activities that simulate duties performed in trucking such as getting in and out of the truck and squatting to check to make sure the kingpin is locked in. They have you step on and off a box for a minute than measure your heart rate. Key to this, if your out of shape, is to take your time. There is nothing that says you have to rush it. After a minute they measure your heart rate and if it's too high (above 150) thank you retest at a later date.

The prescreen can be found at the following website about halfway down the page. It really is nothing to worry about. Your not going to be running two miles and doing pushups and sit-ups or nothing crazy. This is basic stuff to make sure you can perform basic duties.

http://schneiderjobs.com/company-drivers/orientation-and-safety/recent-graduate-orientation

 

Dates 3 August to 14 August.....Crazy 11 days to say the least. Don't have an accurate number of miles traveled but paychecks were $825 and $1250. The first was as team and the second had two runs as a team (5300 miles) and one as a solo (1100 miles). Next weeks check is going to be for 2400 miles as a solo.

Taking my TAH so I can see the new grand baby and give the wife some loving'. Things I learned this last two weeks. Slow down and pace yourself.

When we started we ran real hard racing from location to location. Would get about 550 miles a day by running ten hours and then would switch with my teammate. We discussed the inconsistency in what time your driving and started taking longer breaks and more frequent breaks during our drive time. It seems that you end up getting more miles just by pacing yourself.

Second thing I learned is you can shower everyday if you'd like and your running the miles. Most truck stops offer free showers if you get more than 50 gallons of fuel. Well that's easy enough to do so I will sometimes get fuel when I'm at half a tank just so I can get the shower credit. Works great and I don't feel nasty, funky!

Third thing I learned....truck stops are dirty. The parking lots wreak of urine and basically it's pretty disgusting. There are some nice ones but the parking lots are normally nasty.

Fourth thing...I would start my morning as a solo at 4 a.m. no matter where I was. Several reasons for this but #1 was that by 3 p.m. I'm done with my day and not having an issue finding parking at the truck stops. This also meant I was normally first in line for deliveries if I positioned myself correctly.

Fifth...I was real concerned the truck would be too hot to sleep in unless I was idling. My trick is to pull the curtain and run the AC on high in the Sleeper Berth and when I stopped it was nice and cold in the Sleeper Berth. This works for about three hours and then you have to do it again. Slept last night in Post Texas near Lubbock....86 degrees at 8 p.m. and I was able to get a good rest and not sweat to death while doing so.

Well that's all for now. Spending Friday through tuesday at the house. I'll post more later and hope this is helpful for others.

 

1st Question....first day is paperwork, agility test and them getting you into the system. Your hire day is day 2 and you start receiving the pay then. I think it's like 80 a day. Anyhow....you won'y see your first paycheck until 12 days after you start and that one is only $320...after that they are $560 a week while you're in orientation. Breakfast and lunch are provided the first and third week. The second week is with your Training Engineer on the road so it's fend for yourself basically. The food is good at the Operating Center and the hotel so plan to eat light for dinner and you'll come out ahead in the end. There are restaurants near the hotel and plenty of choices for food. The closest store is a healthy mile to mile and a half walk from the hotel. You might find a classmate that brought a car and they can take you there. I can't tell you how much you need to bring because I didn't really track how much I spent. I would say $100 a week should be more than sufficient.

Teaming is the way to go! All of our loads have been drop and hook so quick in and quick out. Mileage is dependent on the team but you can comfortably run 1100 a day. During the last three weeks I was able to stop and see my daughter (Waynesville, Missouri), son (Warren Michigan) and had dinner with my Brother and his entire family (San Angelo TX). If you know people that live near an interstate you can see them often no matter where the live in the country.

Feel free to ask if you have anymore questions and good luck! Orientation was excellent and the people there care about your success.