C1 Fort Wayne My presepective.

That's why I signed up for the winter time, this is the best time to learn. I am not for sure how much time we get behind the wheel. I know the total school hours is 100 hours or 3 weeks we spent 40 hours in the class room so I am guessing we'll spend the other 60 hours will be spent on the range and road.

 

Well Friday AM we continued the trip planning of classroom instruction and started working on the pre-trip. We received the pre-trip packet earlier in the week but me personally I was overwhelmed with trying to get the permit test passed, but now I am back on my grind, going down to the range tomorrow pm and work on it. Hoping a couple of the other guys go with. Will post something Monday on the range and pre-trip test and how that whole experience was.

 

Well Monday we started on the range, everybody who was in the class the week before had to work on passing the pre-trip...only two passed and I wasn't one of the two. I was scared because I thought I wasn't going to be able to drive or go on the range because I didn't pass pre-trip...but they let us start on the range. I started working on my straight line backing and that was nerve wrecking first time ever behind a big rig. Stalled out twice but it was all good. Then everybody had to go stand out in the cold after range time was over and do a Pre-Trip lab.

Tuesday Morning get to the range and the roll is called and then I go over to my range and the driving instructor comes and says I need Matt...grr just my luck. I get to driving and know nothing about a stick shift transmission....the driving instructor shows me and then I take over. I sucked but he let me go around the industrial part. And then he took me out to the boondocks to practice driving...I stalled out twice...and then he took over. Not bad, did not hit nothing or a person. It was white knuckle though. I survived.

 

Well today was supposed to be Pre-trip exam day and yes a lot of people did Pre-trip, but they didn't get to me...but I still gotta study it. Went and did a few minutes of straight line backing and then it was time for lunch. After lunch went out driving today, and I will have to say after day three it was not that bad. I was still nervous but I got to 10th gear. I failed my four point, forgot to cut the truck off. Now tonight is study night and it's Wednesday off to Bible Study in a few minutes gotta hear what God is saying and pray that I don't knock nobody out in the truck (almost took at a car that was too close behind me in a traffic lane) now when I am in my personal vehicle I will get up off that DOT bumper. Well will keep you all posted on the next day.

 

Thursday was range time and driving time and I sucked at both. Driving I made on mistake and I just shut down and didn't want to do it no more. Range I couldn't get the truck to straight line for nothing, but it was just simple fixes (over steering).

Friday continued with the range, and after lunch did driving, I messed up again. Grr I just want to give up, but I can't give up I am just going to keep pushing. My roomie is on my driving team and told me to just go back out to where we started in the country and go through my shifting and downshifting again for 2 laps and I'll be ready. I hope that I can get my CDL by next Friday but at the rate I am going.....who knows.
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