Life on life's terms: One persons journey.

pure gold....thanks!

 

4/11/15

It was a good week here in Dallas, Tx. I really enjoyed the experience. The TDA school that Swift contracted to teach us newbies about the basic knowledge and introduction into the profession of being a commercial driver was very professional and they also made it fun. Kudos to them.

I passed all 5 tests and now I officialy have a Class A CDL permit. I passed 4 of 5 tests on wednesday, and then came back on thursday and re-tested on the airbrakes section and aced it.

Tomorrow morning I take the bus to Corsicana, Tx. to begin training at the academy on Monday. They are gonna have us staying at the La Quinta there in Corsicana. I only hope none of my little cousins (roaches) will meet up with me there because they were out in full force at this motel they have us staying here in Dallas lol. There was a group of guys in our class from Louisiana that left for Utah this morning to continue their training in Salt Lake City, Utah. I have to admit that I am a little envious of that, Utah looks like a beautiful place, I told a couple of them that too lol. I wish those guys the best though, no bad vibes intended.


I feel very hopeful about my future and career in commercial driving. Im going to be able to pay off my college loans, save some money, and help my younger sister who is going off to college in the fall among other things.

Life is an adventure. Enjoy it.

 

4/12/15

Took the bus from Dallas this afternoon and now Im here in Corsicana, Tx. Tomorrow early in the morning I will begin training at the Swift Corsicana driving academy. Im feeling focused, humble, and ready for this challenge.

The La Quinta hotel they have us at here in Corsicana is 100% better than the motel in Dallas. Its clean with no shady activity, no shady characters, and no roaches! I have a roomate, he's been here for a week. He is a younger fella from Ethiopia so his accent is pretty thick but he seems like he is about his business, so thats good.

I was talking to my mothers boyfriend on the phone yesterday and I was telling him about this being an opportunity to right a wrong in my life back from when I was driving in California and blew it because of my party lifestyle. Kinda cool that the universe is giving me another shot at this.

I better get some rest now. 5:30 shuttle pick up is not far away.
.

 

4/15/15

Things are rolling along here in Corsicana, Tx. Today was our first day out on the drivers range and we did pre trip inspections and also some basic straight line backing which truthfully I had no problem with . It took me about two times, and I was right back in the groove.

I attribute that fully to being a CDL driver back about ten years ago for a short time. Im thankful that I do have that prior experience to fall back on because its gonna help in the long run. The other two guys that I teamed up with struggled mightily, mostly because of nerves, but the instructors really worked with them and towards the end of the day there was marked improvement. Im glad to see those guys calming down a little bit. Heck I even got nervous a little bit when the instructor turned up the heat on me LOL. One thing I was told is that I need to watch both mirrors and not be locked in on just one.

The instructors here at the Corsicana Academy really seem to want to see you suceed. They are stern, but fair across the board which is awesome.

Ive been taking these walks over to this park after the shuttle drops us off at the hotel, today is my third day. Im really making a conscious effort on improving my health and diet, while shedding a few pounds and I am approaching this one day at a time. I enjoy these walks, getting to explore a new town in east Texas that Ive never been to and will call home for the next three weeks.

While on my walk today I called my Aunt Vickie up in Illinois. She has been battling cancer for over two years now with chemotherapy and fighting strong like a warrior. I wish the universe would heal my Auntie and take that #### out of her body. I love talking to her, and I admire her strength to carry on, despite whatever is happening inside of her. I love you Aunt Vickie.

 

4/17/15

The last two days seemed to have went by so fast. Especially today, I looked up and it was 330pm already. I passed my strait line backing test yesterday, I have to admit that it was pretty easy for me.

But what isnt going to be that easy for me is the pre-trip inspection and also parallel parking, i had a hard time grasping the parallel concept today. Ill get it though, with me its all about practice and repetition. This is exactly the reason I didnt want to go into the Corsicana Academy thinking I knew it all because I drove for a short time ten years ago, there is so much to learn, and I want to be a safe and professional driver.

The guy I was teamed up and training with got sent home today, He was having a hard time grasping how to fill out logs and also he failed his strait line backing test today. I tried as best I could to be of help, but the instructor told me this morning that he is gonna have to learn how to do it on his own, and she is exactly right. I felt kinda bad for the guy though he just got so frustrated when he couldnt grasp things. I wish him all the best in life.

As for me, im chugging along learning how to be a truck driver putting one foot in front of the other and still very grateful for the oppurtunity swift has given me. I will continue to pay attention and study hard and learn how to drive this big ole thing LOL.

Life is a journey. Enjoy the ride.

 

Thanks moosetek13. I will approach it in that manner. Makes alot of sense.

 

4/20/15

Its been quite an eventful few days here @ Swift Academy in Corsicana, Texas. Sunday was all classroom day, we had to take 10 tests total ranging from doing proper logs, map reading, calculating gas mileage, trip planning, hazmat, etc. It was alot, buy I got through it with a 92 average so im happy about that.

Ive been putting forth the effort to learn pre-trip inspection, at first I found it a daunting task to remember over 100 parts, but now hat I am in it and doing it things are not to bad. Im not really a "study group" kind of person, id rather study alone and thats whats been working for me. When i did try a study group, i found it hard to focus because people began to socialize about their lives instead of the task at hand.

I have improved alot on my parallel parking, by tomorrow i should be ready to test on it. I still have to learn the 90 degree maneuver and off set backing. Swift may only give you three weeks to pass your cdl exam, but so far the instructors have been really thorough.

My class has an overall young vibe to it, which I find annoying. I do wish there were more focused people in my class, but there isn't really. Thats OK, im not gonna get distracted by anyone, im gonna keep moving 4ward in life and taking it one day at a time.