New from Sacramento

Hello all....well, I am a 47 year old female that has just finished trucking school at the end of march. To my surprise I took to it fairly easily. Except that gosh darn alley dock. We used 28' pups so you all know those things can get away from you quickly.
I had heard that many new truckers are within my age group. I just did not want to go back to school for a long time. I had worked in the restaurant industry for over 15 years and was definitely burned out on that. I then became a personal trainer but after many years discovered I could not make money doing it. No one "needs" personal training so it is very hard to sell.
So, I began to think about trucking. I knew they made decent money especially given the amount of time spent in school. My only concern was the fact that I usually hate to drive. I lived in the Los Angeles area for over 15 years so driving became beyond tedious. But as I weighed the pro's and cons there seemed to be more aspects of it that appealed to me.
A woman that I went through school with started working for a company. Maybe I shouldn't mention names. I had been pre-hired by numerous companies during school. She had some problems with her past so felt she had no choice but to go with this company. They even made her take a "refresher" course. It will cost her $750. All because she told them that we only pulled 28 footers. So, I went back to my school and made them take me out in a 53'.
The only reason I went with this company was so that I could drive team with my classmate.
Of course recruiters never mention the negatives but do genuinely ask if you have any questions. I'll take responsibility for not finding out all the information before toodling on down there. I assumed companies paid for orientation. The ones that had pre-hired me did. Oh no, not this one. It lasts a mind numbing 4 days. They charge you for your medical exam, drug testing and make you buy one of their "kits". It includes the motor carrier atlas, truck stop book, calculator, tread depth checker and ruler. Fine and dandy. I know these are all things that I need. I already had a nice atlas...the spiral bound laminated one. And.....and after 30 days of employment they were going to charge us for our hotel stay. $300!
I was bugged by guys in the class and the yard. And you know what I mean by bugged. I get it. It's a man's world. But so much lack of respect. I requested a female trainer to the terminal manager explaining that I did not want to put myself in a possible sexual harassement situation. Not 2 days later he sexually harasses me. Good Bye.
I called the company that had pre-hired me because I knew their terminal was in the same area. Immediately moved to their hotel. Was paid the minute I walked through their doors. Orientation was a day and half. They did not charge us for anything. The place was high tech, professional staff, respectful drivers and fellow students. I also requested a female trainer. I did ask if I would still be getting paid while waiting and sure enough I was.
Unfortunately, while either at the first companie's terminal or the oh-so-nice motel they put us up in I contracted chicken pox. A female lead had just called me that morning too. God, I was so ready to go after all I had gone through. But I had to hop on a bus and come back to Sacto to recover.
I believe things happen for a reason. I am going to take the opportunity this week to go to the dmv and get my endorsements.
I have met alot of great people at both places. Seasoned drivers and students alike. Garnered lots of useful info from the seasoned drivers.
I am excited to get out there and meet more. I am also looking forward to seeing the countryside. Being a native Californian I haven't seen too many states.
Take care all