Coming Aboard!

Yes sir! I'm the one who called out "what's going on snowman?" he literally told that story five minutes before you walked on by.

 

A few thoughts in case anyone considering Maverick is reading this...

I take the final tomorrow and looking back I'm amazed at what we've all done.

Be prepared to work hard. I don't know why anyone would come to a job and not expect to work hard. But in this case, yeah. You're gonna work.

Make sure you understand what you're getting into BEFORE you waste your time coming down. In my orientation and the following I saw people leave the first day basically saying, "Screw this." Really? How did you not know about this?

The last day of training is NOT too late to be kicked out. If you slack off because you think you're in, or if you've hidden something that will disqualify you, it's gonna bite you.

I can't speak about being away from home and how to deal. For my part, I'm a bit homesick and it's probably my biggest concern facing the next few weeks. Skype helps at least bring the family a bit closer. Somehow I've kept all that in check and not let it be a distraction.

I'm looking forward to crossing the next bridge!

 

100% on the final! Trainer is on his way. Laundry in the washer. We ship out at 4am. It happens fast!

I still can't say enough about the people and the process. Really top notch!

One minor wrinkle...my trainer and I live 1000 miles apart. That gives me a chuckle.

See you on the road!

 

It was a great week to cut my teeth! I drove every day all day (minus a couple hours so I could get some phone business taken care of). Went through Ft Smith twice and stayed over night there once. Hit Jernberg in the south side of Chicago twice (both sides of the low bridge). Got to see the inside of US Steel in Portage, IN and learned a VERY valuable lesson. No typos when entering your info on the computer to get your pass. Almost got refused. We played the noob card and security took pity on me. Drove through rush hour traffic in Chicago and St Louis. Stayed over night in the Madison yard. Secured 4 tarps in 25mph winds. Drove through torrential storms and "one shotted" all my docks and truck stops.

They already know my face at the hotel in my trainer's hometown. Tonight I'm looking forward to a much deserved chicken fried steak dinner at the local diner.

Cheers!