Finally Started School!

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by ScooterDawg, Jan 5, 2009.

  1. AfterShock

    AfterShock Road Train Member

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    If there weren't, by golly, .... there WOULD be! :biggrin_25523:
    Might wanna discourage that.
    She'll probably wanna do some of the Bttruck drivin' too.
    And before y'all know it, ----
    I'd be out of a job. :yes2557: :biggrin_25525:
     
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  3. Tinman55

    Tinman55 Light Load Member

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    Hey Scooter .. thanks as well for the info and 'play by play'. It's keeping me inspired while I wait for things to get going.

    I didn't get into the W/S school (we spoke in that thread) too many applicants ... ended up opting for local training as well and will start at Katlaw on Mon. Tried to get the WIA funding but apparently my county has run out of funds already and I'm not allowed to get it from another county .. kinda crazy! :biggrin_25512: Good thing Katlaw only cost $2495 and is accepted by W/S, FFE, and others that I'm looking at. I'll review Katlaw in another thread as you're doing here in case someone else is looking at them.

    Thanks again .. have fun!
     
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  4. ScooterDawg

    ScooterDawg <strong>"The Blue Tick Lab"</strong>

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    Good morning Jack,

    Well let's hope so, huh? It would be great to get going on this and I can tell you are quite anxious. I hate that there is going to be time spent away from the family, but at least it is not like ya'll haven't been through it before. If there is a silver lining.....

    Don't quite know what to say about the snow and cold. Maybe you could take the 19 y/o with you from time to time in the winter. One thing you have to admit though, at least in the summer time, you are not under a constant 95 degree temp with 98% humidity. I'm originally from PA and I sorta miss the white stuff, but not enough to relocate.

    Good luck today and let us know how it goes..... keeping my fingers crossed for ya!
     
  5. ScooterDawg

    ScooterDawg <strong>"The Blue Tick Lab"</strong>

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    Well Hey..... we could work a three-man Round Robin... what a concept!
     
  6. ScooterDawg

    ScooterDawg <strong>"The Blue Tick Lab"</strong>

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    Hey Smashburn! Good to hear from you.

    Sorry to hear about the school at W/S. Well if anything, at least you get to stay local and get a good night's sleep without having to spend days on a truck. Good to hear that W/S and FFE will accept Katlaw's training though.

    School is a RUSH! At least in my world. All of the students ahead of me are tired and sort of burnt out. See, a lot of them are staying in a hotel for four weeks and living out of a suitcase. I have had to do that for two weeks at a time before in my life, and I know how that can be.

    It is interesting though to listen to some of them that had driven for 5 hours in the morning, having a 1 hour lunch break, and then 3 or 5 hours in the afternoon. And then they complain about being so tired and thinking it is not fair that they should have to drive that many hours in one day. YET, they want to be Big Truck Truck Drivers and run a Cali-Carolina run. It leaves me shaking my head. I just try to keep a positive attitude and look towards the next learning experience.


    Pay attention to your instructors and your fellow students. Let me rephrase that..... LISTEN to your instructors and pay attention to your fellow students. When you are in the back observing the student behind the wheel, listen to the engine, learn the cadence. I talked to a few guys this weekend about shifting and they said to remember two things:
    1. When you shift, treat her like a lady.... don't jam the gears. Fingertip touch. The truck is smarter than you. It knows when it is going to go into gear. All you are there to do is have the gearshift in the right place when the engine hits the right RPM. Then it will fall right into place.
    2. When you are shifting, you only move the shifter with your right hand while you are pressing the clutch with your left foot. And don't push the clutch to the floor. It only has to move about an inch or two, depending on the adjustment. Besides, if you keep pushing it to the floor, your leg will be dead by the end of the day.
    Well good luck on Monday. And for the love of MIKE, STAY IN TOUCH! Pop a post on here letting us know where your thread is so I can read your "Day in the life of Smashburn"..... hehehehehe

    Knock 'em dead Bud!
     
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  7. luvtheroad

    luvtheroad Road Train Member

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    Carolina, i agree that things are expensive. i paid $4700 to go and i was the only one in my class that wasnt getting funding or grants of any kind. When you think about it, the driving classes cost more to have than most other classes do. They have to have an additional place for skills practice, the cost of the trucks, trailers and any other equipment, insurance for us and the equipment, fuel, wages for instructors for the driving part of schooling. There might be more but thats what I can think of for now. I go to a community college and am pretty happy about the quality of the school. Good luck in your endevours
     
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  8. ScooterDawg

    ScooterDawg <strong>"The Blue Tick Lab"</strong>

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    Man this is going by fast!

    First the good news. There is this guy named Joe that walked out last Thursday and we all felt SO TERRIBLE for him. Well he showed up today and he actually went back to the school on Friday, tested and passed. Today he had to finish up a few hours. So once he got done with his hours, he rode off into the sunset. I was so happy for him.

    OK, here we go. Went in this morning and found out we had six new students starting today. Made me feel good because I am no longer the "new kid on the block". (yeah I know, but still, I am no longer referred to as the new guy) It was sort of funny because they all sort of had the same, lost look on their face. I figure that is what I looked like last week.

    This morning, we started out in the yard. I got to do my first live Pre-Trip Inspection. I actually sort of surprised myself. I did rather well. Missed a few things, but I was immediately corrected and then sailed right through it. Did my In-Cab Pre-Trip and when I finished, the instructor said I passed. I said "You mean I was being tested?". He said no, but I passed anyway. Durn! Thought I had gotten that out of the way!

    Then we did 100' backups and 45 degree backups. Did pretty well on both. Only got to do the 45 once due to time constraints, but I got her in there.

    All afternoon I was in the back of the truck doing more observation. Sat over in my corner doing my double-clutching as the driver was shifting. I didn't grind the gears near as many times as the driver did..... hehehehhe. Then my buddy Ty and I were going over the pre-trip routine, over and over while we were cruising the highways and byways. Tomorrow we (Ty and I) are supposed to be testing on the Pre-Trip so we played off eachother for a couple hours this afternoon. I think we both have it. Now let's just hope I don't forget it over night... hehehehe

    Also, Star Transportation (TN) called today with a prehire and wanted to schedule me for orientation. It's good to know I have a Plan B now. I'm still gunning for Conway, but you never know what the future will bring. But it does look like I will probably be joing ya'll out there, so consider this "Fair Warning" hehehhehehehe

    See ya tomorrow!
     
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  9. ScooterDawg

    ScooterDawg <strong>"The Blue Tick Lab"</strong>

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    Day 6 has come and gone. Frankly, I am feeling pretty good about life right now. For many reasons.

    First off, I woke up (always a great way to start the day) and just felt really good about myself (another big plus)!

    Got into school and found out I was going to spend another 5 hours observing in the truck. See, a lot of students whine and complain when they have to sit in the back, but I LOVE IT. Not only does it give me a chance to watch and learn, but it also gives me an opportunity to watch the instructors and find out what they expect come time for the road test (my instructors are certified by the state to conduct the actual DMV road test and issue the license - sort of a nice perk)

    Got back in at lunchtime and after decimating two small burgers (Lord I was hungry), went back to school to find I would be in the yard for the rest of the day. I was really tickled about this because I wanted to go ahead and get my Pre-Trip Test done. And I did! It was the very first thing we did when we went outside. I was a little nervous, but I aced it!

    Then to make things even better, I got to test for all my backing exercises. 100' backup went perfectly, but I did have to do one pull up on the 45. I got a little ahead of myself and although I would not have hit anything on either side, I would have bumped the dock slightly crooked, so I pulled up, adjusted, and put her in the slot. It was tough not to leap out of the truck and do a "Snoopy Dance", but I maintained my composure.

    We took a short break and then we were informed that we were going to be educated on sliding the tandems for weight balance on the trailer. Now I have to admit.... I was already taught the concept, principles, and saw it done by quite the expert. It was on airslides, but still, it is all pretty much the same. SO the instructor was asking questions, and I had the answers. And I was feeling pretty good about myself until the instructor tossed the keys to me and said, "Alright, show me how it's done". <GULP!>

    So he laid out this scenario and told me to figure out where the pins needed to be. So I did, jumped in the cab, moved the tandems, and locked them in place. What a rush. I can tell you one thing though, had I not been shown by someone else first, there is no telling how it might have gone. Thanks M & K!!!!!

    Then I got to unhook a trailer from a tractor and park the tractor. Ok, ok, no big thrill, right? But it was for me! Every bit of this just keeps getting better. Linda is about to make me move out into the garage "cuz I just won't shut up!

    Then to top it off, I get home, and Linda has made one of the BEST pork tenderloins I think I have ever eaten. Man, it just don't get any better than this......

    More as it happens! Thanks for reading!
     
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  10. ScooterDawg

    ScooterDawg <strong>"The Blue Tick Lab"</strong>

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    As it stands right now, here are my prospects..... And I would really appreciate some input (even if you already said something before)

    PreHires with Orientation Plans
    • Conway
    • Star Transportation
    • Smithway
    Prehires
    • Transport America
    • US Xpress
    • TransAm
    • TMC
    "Pretty Sures"
    • Willis Shaw
    • KLLM
    Applications Pending
    • Maverick
    • SuperService
    • Danny Herman
    • Marten
    • Smith Transport
    • Holland (not USF)
    • Navajo
    • PAM
    • WEL
    All comments and suggestions welcome and requested!
    Thanks!
     
  11. AfterShock

    AfterShock Road Train Member

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    DanG, DawG!
    You're soundin' more & more like me!

    When I did that test, I putter right in, too.
    But I was slightly off completely straight.
    The instructor awarded me a perfect 100%.

    However, in MY eyes, it twern't prefect.
    I told the instructor that within one pull-up ----
    It would be 'prefect'.
    And proceeded to do so.

    My effort was rewarded with a 98%,
    due to the two-point reduction rule.

    I told him --- NO problemo!
    I'd rather have a perfect 98% ---
    Than a crooked 100%.


    Man-0-Man's best friend!
    No doubt about it, amigo.
    You're ToP Dawg.

    HuH?
    WhAT?
    Readin'?
    Am I 'sposed to be readin' sumthin'? :biggrin_25525:
    Loud & Clear.

    Hi!
    Linda.
    *wink*
     
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