Starting Katlaw School, Austell GA, 1/12

Well, have almost reached the end ... one more class and then we go test .. Yikes!!

Tue was more of the same .. went great. My only real weakness is cutting turns a little close and sometimes 'bumping' the curb .. a big no-no on test day so I need to focus on that.

Wed we added two more students to the truck. They failed the DMV test last week for one reason or another and get a couple of days refresher and then will test again with us on Fri.

Still having a lot of fun and ready to get going. Waiting to hear back from Conway, did my phone interview Tue, and see if I'm on for the Feb 9th orientation. They have a lot to offer but also a lot of rules: forced dispatch, NYC loads, etc.. Still looks like the best deal for me and my dog.

Steve

 

Well .. school is done and I finished with a 98 GPA (classroom and truck), for what that's worth. I feel real good about my training and should have no problem with the DMV test tomorrow. We'll soon see if I'm right.

Thanks for the support!

Steve

 

Thanks Sassy .. I'm really excited. I feel pretty good too, and should have no real problems .. but we'll see.

Now just have to find a decent job ..

Steve

 

Sounds great RedFox, I think you'll like them .. I really did. Of course I was easy to teach with a lot of the skills needed already in place .. crazy diverse background I test at the DMV tomorrow so we'll see what's what.

Good luck!

Steve

 

Thanks Scoo-Tare .. I tested today and had no problems .. yes! I am a Big Truck Truck Driver now!! well, uh .. sort'a

I also got a call from Cristine and everything is good so far. I assume that means she finished the background and DMV checks. I am still on for Feb 9th orientation in Joplin.

Did you get your Hazmat yet? She said we have 120 days to get it. I got Tanker and Dbbl/Tripple when I did my permit but they had no record of the dbbl/trppl today so I only have Tanker. Don't really need dbbl anyway so no big deal.

Thanks everyone for your support and good luck to all!!

Steve

 

Sorry to hear that. I luckily had the cash from my severance pay after my layoff. I was hesitant to part with it since that left me very little money for bills and it could be a while before I start getting paid. Paying your own way through school really does open up your options a lot more, but for many it's just not an option.

It looks like I'll get on with Conway Truckload but I was looking at Werner. They do seem to be hiring and have a dog policy (important to me). I met a local driver with 6 months at Werner since leaving Katlaw and he was doing fine. Around 2500 miles a week, an '07 Peterbuilt (very nice), and generally no big surprises .. we're rookies, it is what it is. Down side is he is only making .26/mile after 6 months.

My investment 'looks' like it is working out as I should start at Conway 2/9 with 7 days of orientation. I should be on the road with a trainer by the 17/18th (hopefully) and making money. They pay .26/mile while you're with the trainer (min 7500 miles - as little as 3 weeks), and then .30/mile once solo. If I take my dog they take .01/mile back until I show consistant good gas mileage .. I think they wait 6 months to evaluate. .29/mile is still better than most of the entry level companies. So I should be making $650 a week or so to start, assuming they have the miles (2500/wk) .. possibly more and $725/wk once I'm solo. Not enough for all my bills but it's a start. Better than any other options I have.

Good luck, I hope you can find a way to work it all out.

Steve