And so my new Stevens adventure begins!

No I haven't been home since I headed out to school in Nov. I was given the opportunity to go home after this five weeks before starting the next three but I chose to stay out and get all the training done in one hit. The sooner its over the sooner I can move forward. For Xmas we did route through my trainers home for about a day and a half so he went home. We were under a load so I stayed on the truck. I didn't mind at all because it was nice to have the downtime to relax and little bit of me time.

 

####....I have been, and hope to always, able to avoid the greyhound

 

Well I have plenty of time for an updated. Sitting in Rippon, CA at a Flying J until our pick up scheduled for 2 Jan. The last couple days have been standard day to day operations. Since I have progressed to a "T5" it gives us a few more hours to be flexible in our day. I have found that this week has presented a few more challenges with the gear then the previous 4 in which I never really had to deal with equipment issues.

We picked up a Tyson load out of Russellville, AK that was a drop n hook and my trainer was not to pleased to exchange his 11000 series trailer for the 9000 series they had there. Made the swap, were loaded about 2k lbs over gross so had to have the load adjusted. Drove outta the yard and discovered an audible air leak from the trailer that had not been heard during the PTI. Eventually determined it was in the breaking system due to the fact that we would lose about 25-30psi every time we slowed down. Road Rescue was able to direct us to a Kenworth dealer nearby who replaced one of the brake canisters on the trailer but discovered a tire that needed to be replaced. Headed down the road and after only a few miles could definitely tell something was not right as the load was bouncing and porpoising badly. Pulled off again and discovered the mechanic had not properly re-installed the air leveling rods on the back of the trailer so the air bags were not inflated. We repaired that in the parking lot and were on our way again. Grabbed a new tire when we got stopped.

Nothing earth shattering but definitely another learning experience about how quickly little things can snowball and before you know it your day is completely gone and you have traveled about 300 miles in 17 hours.

 

Well everyone I have reached another milestone. I completed my 35 days with the trainer and came off the truck last night. Working right up until the end with a final run out of Laredo to the rail yard in Haslet.

Reflections....the 35 days were long at times but in reality went by pretty quick. There really was not a "hardest" part to deal with unless your a person like me who enjoys our free time and quiet space alone which is clearly sacrificed. However, there is a chance to get some time away which I fully recommend. Granted it was not often that we were ever at a truck stop for an extended period of time outside of sleep but when those days did arrive I made it a point to get outta the truck and spend some time on my own. Not with the intention of being rude but with the idea that I assumed my trainer would enjoy a few hours without me as well. Whether it be hanging out in the lounge watching some tv or just taking off for a walk when the area supported it.

Things that I may have changed if I had to do it again (thank goodness I won't). I probably overpacked a bit. I brought everything on the list but to be honest I never used anything other then my cloths and shower bag. I had atlases, books, flashlight, pens, paper, envelopes, inverter, extension cords, and a few other things that I just havent unpacked since Nov but have had to lug around. The fact is that my trainer had everything I used on a daily basis. Now when I go out in the next phase with another new driver they may be useful but still coulda got by without them.

Another piece of advice is to not "acquire" more crap out on the road. The only thing that I bought was a gel seat cushion because no matter how comfy a seat may seam spending 15+ hours a day in one between driving and riding can make the bum a little sore. Also, the air ride on the passenger seat in my trainers truck was broke so you felt every bump.

Money and finance.....yep the pay is what it is. No its not equal to the work put in, however it is as described and the training in my opinion was worth it. I was fortunate that I had planned this transition so I was not simply living off training pay, but at the same time there was no reason to be wasteful. Honestly, I only went to 2 Walmarts...and one was on the second to last day. I pretty much lived outta the truck stop for the whole 5 weeks. With that said I was still able to 1) Lose weight 2) Keep my budget right around $100/wk. Are the prices more expensive...yes but honestly I didn't usually eat 3 full meals a day. It was more like 1 meal and then snacks which consisted of fruit, granola bars, crackers. As for drinks I made a concerted effort to skip the sugar. I drank the Vitamin Waters, G2, Milk, and yes just water. I guarantee thats where the weight loss came from.

Do I feel confident that I could go out on the road right now and be successful? Honestly yes but there would still be growing pains.

Do I feel a need to take the seven day break before the end? Nope

Will I grin and bear it for 3 more weeks? Yes

Have I felt misled, lied to, or deceived by anyone? No, but doing all of my own research independently before hand helped.

Am I glad I am not in Wyoming today? Hells yes!

Time to enjoy some football. I hope some of this has helped a couple people in making the decision to start the own journey!

 

Lol....yea I got that