TITAN TRANSFER

Aug 7 2018

Another wonderful day in the books. Really enjoying Titan Transfer. For the longest time after my incident in 2015 I never thought A) I would drive again B) I would have found such a great company to work for, training is going great, still missing the family and Pup but I get to Face Time them daily so that helps with the separation. Really Missing Dad, several times I have picked up the phone to call him and tell him about the awesome people I work with and great things I am learning about, so I go to his contact in my cell phone, and there is picture is staring back at me, and it hits me...NO ONE is there anymore, I can't call and talk to him, and be excited to hear his questions and voice about what I'm doing, no more. I know he is proud of me and I hope I am making him and the rest of my family proud of me. It isn't an easy career field, because if it where easy we wouldn't have 51,000 trucks needing drivers. But I MUST do this to better our family situation and give them the life they so deserve, being able to go on vacations and such.

Today was another great day, we started our new Schedules (check previous blogs) showed up at 8am and jumped right into pre-trip, I would give my self a B+ on it, got through MOST of the outside with a few prompts, and most of the inside/airbrakes/ with few small prompts so just keep plugging away at it until it sticks. I may have to sit down and just memorize the sheets. I get to partner up with an AWESOME group who are going to drive team, we bounce ideas of each other, if a certain move doesn't work, hey how did you do this, or hey you might wanna try it this way, see if that works. It's really great to be with a company who unlike my last employer actually gives a crap about their employees. Now I'm not saying my other fellow employees at these places didn't care saying the EMPLOYER didn't.

We started rotation through driving today in pairs, and I went 2nd in my team, the first driver was a little nervous and got flustered but THIS IS PRACTICE, this is why we do this, THEY will get it, and have NEVER Driven a vehicle THIS large before, really proud of them for not giving up. It will come easy. Heck this isn't my first foray into this driving thing and I even struggled a couple times, we AREN'T perfect, but that's why we practice, I am 110% confident they will get it and be driving in NO TIME flat looking back and saying man remember when I struggled with that, it's so simple now. I hope a few years down the road we can all look back on this class remember the good times we had, and how hard it all seemed, but now seems so simple.



When that new employee comes in for day one, don't give them grief, because they aren't going as fast as you are or aren't as good at their job as you are....Remember you were new once too, we don't all get born into greatness, we ALL had to learn, the best thing to do while you are moving up the later of success is to turn around and extend your hand to those below you and bring them up with you as well. Encourage them, help them, answer any questions they have, and one thing I love doing is Thanking them...Hey Thanks for coming in today, thanks for ALL the heard word you did, sure you made a few mistakes today, but it only becomes a mistake if we fail to learn from it, so don't look at them as "mistakes or screwups" look at them as you creating several learning opportunities, recognize them, understand them and then move on. LEARN/TEACH/LOVE/Respect

If a company takes care of it's employees they will never have to worry about their customers.

Thank you for traveling with me

Safe Travels, Love Each other

firemedic2816

 

Aug 8 2018,

What an AWESOME AWESOME Day today, nailed down pre-trip with out using any of our study guides, still little shaky on the wording but that will come over next week or so. Got into backing, and for some reason I still can't get around the stupid trailer, in the alley dock, again but again PRACTICE PRACTICE haha seems to be a repeating thing here. First group went out driving, and on the way back to the yard, they happened upon a motorcycle accident, and Johnny on the spot blocked them in so they sat there for a little while, and of course EVERYONE Assumed the BIG RIG was involved some how, civilians. My partner and I went out driving, they started out great, then something happened and I saw it in their eyes the minute it clicked and struggle most of the drive, they got frustrated and I get it sometimes, we all get frustrated at times, just have to remember to be calm, we get an adrenaline dump, we just have to learn how to work through it. We got back to the yard in time for lunch, after lunch started thundering and by the time I walked from the class building to the truck, and closed the door, BOOOOOOM Torrential down pour, just my luck. Instructor said we are gonna stretch your drive time a little bit. We left town went out on some great roads, up shifting and down shifting, breaking and accelerating. Was a great day, felt really good and calm not as nervous as I use to be, so I guess that is good. We got back to school after driving 54 miles, I know that's not a lot but you consider yesterday I drove 18, that's a big jump.

Really loving class and the friends I am making in the class, they are all great people and progressing nicely, I remember the first day of class when he went over the pre-trip and said there are 91 items you have to identify and memorize, their location and condition. Now one advantage we have several different Brands of trucks, so yet we learn where they are on the class truck but also on non class trucks so we can find and identify things on any truck, and now we look back just a few days and say WOW we got this. I am pretty sure they are all feeling confident. It won't be long before we can look back and go Remember when?

Any ways I'm getting sleepy right now, so excited that the kids start back to school tomorrow, a 6th grader and 10th grader, and then Friday Afternoon the kiddos and wife are coming for a visit AND Bringing my puppy.

Thanks for Traveling with me

Safe travels

firemedic2816A

 

They said the are working probably 50-50 between the shaker and anteater, right now most ant eaters are going to teams and 1 and 2 million safe mile winners, but eventually they are wanting to make them available to whom ever would like one, so when you get hired on you could request one, for now I will proudly take the keys of what ever they hand me and get on down the road. Thank You for the support

 

Awesome best of luck to you two be safe. See you on the road

 

Sorry didn't post yesterday was home sick with food poisoning

Aug 10



What an amazing week, with the exception of yesterday. Got a lot of driving done these last two weeks, and a lot of RECALLING. Today was no different, woke up around 0530 had breakfast, took a shower, caught up on some paperwork and studying, got to class at 0800, found out our driving truck was in the shop, so we didn't get to drive today, so spent 8 hours on the yard going in reverse. To make things more difficult the instructor set up two trailers 11' apart and we had to back into the area as an alley dock. "What makes that maneuver difficult?" Well your trailer is approximately 9' wide so you really have to be accurate on getting it dead center or your tearing up trailers, and we all know what happens when you wreck a $180,000 truck/trailer combo, we go straight passed go DO NOT Collect $200 straight to the unemployment office. oh did I mention we also had a "wall" to avoid, that is 70' from the front of the alley. Started out first 2 times nailed it 100% no issues, then things went to crap, struggled the rest of the day trying to hit it. Then at the last run of the day, we had to do all 3 maneuvers, Straight line back, right side off set and alley dock. Guess what nailed all 3 perfectly with no issues, slowed down took my time and some how figured it out. What a great way to start the weekend. Feeling Relieved. Nailed the Pre-Trip stuff 100%, struggled a little with the inside Wednesday but today NO ISSUES. Now we just spend the next week and a half or so polishing up the maneuvers. Really proud of all my classmates they are doing amazing, won't be long and we get to meet up with our trainer for some OTR Training and then get our own big rigs. It's been a great learning experience and have made few new friends.

Thank you for Following, I probably won't blog again until Sunday night after the family goes back home.

Safe Travels

Love One Another

Firemedic2816

 

Thank You kindly

 

Aug 11-12th

Had a great visit with the family, they got down here LATE Friday night, and I'm not who was happier to see me the kids or my Rottie. We crashed Friday night, was kind of fun, the kiddos slept on air mattresses, and some how the MRS and Rottie all slept in the full size bed, it was snug. We got up Saturday morning, had breakfast, loaded into the car and headed to Lynchburg, so the kids and MRS could see the distillery, they didn't go on the tour but got to go into the Welcome center, which is pretty neat, tells the history and process of the tour. Mrs said she wants to come back down sometime when we can all go on the tour, but need someone to watch the puppy, because even though he helps the kids with their Autism and Anxiety I have not gotten him Certified yet as a therapy dog, even so not sure they want a 110# Rottie walking around the distillery. So I did my best "Tour" and basically they HEARD the tour but didn't actually go ON the tour. We then left there and drove a really really long 2 blocks and went into the HUGE Metropolis of Lynchburg, MRS and the kids walked the town square visited couple places and me and Rottie dog drove down to a park to use the potty. After Lynchburg we drove thru Tullahoma and back to Shelbyville, went to the airport watched a couple airplanes, then came back and chilled at the apartment rest of the eve, watched some tv and ate some pizza, went to bed, and snuggled with my puppy. Sunday morning we slept in had some breakfast and enjoyed each other's company. They headed home around noonish, stopping in Louisville at the MRS mom and pops house for few hours. Then made it home. Didn't do a whole lot but enjoyed spending time with the family.

Safe Travels,
firemedic2816