Starting Swift Academy in Lewiston Oct 10!!

More driving around on the range today - back and forth and around in circles. I got the alley dock twice out of like 10 tries, and the offset back twice out of like 5 tries. But I killed three cones and did tons of pullups on the offset back. You just can't see anything! I need to GOAL on that one. Straight backing is a breeze - I've been playing with watching my headers and drives in addition to my tandems, and getting a good understanding of how it all works together. Soon that should be at the level of instinct instead of having to think about every move. Overall I'm feeling pretty good, considering we just started.

Yeah, I was thinking about just walking in like I own the place. I've found that to work very well in most cases - as long as you keep the right attitude and demeanor, you have to get very lost before people start wondering about you. The coin-op laundry will be handy also.

Injun answered most of your questions exactly the way it was explained to me by my recruiter and instructors. The motel room is like the tuition in that you're given an interest-free loan, paid back by payroll deductions during the first 6 months of your employment (which is counted as starting when you go solo). It's treated separately, though, and you don't get reimbursed like you do for tuition. I was told to expect 2-3 roomates - I think it's a suite of 2 doubles with a shared bathroom and mini-kitchen, but I haven't asked my classmates. LaughingMan, want to confirm or deny that rumor?

Yes, the instructors are friendly, quality people. They are knowledgeable, helpful, and respectful. Their goal is for you to know everything you need to not just pass the CDL but be ready to drive well. They give individual attention when needed but leave you alone if they see you understand. It's not a perfect environment - we're rushed by the nature of corporate cost-cutting squeezing as much as possible into a short time, and that has real downsides. But they're doing the best they can, and I'm confident that it will be plenty. If anyone doesn't pass, it's their own fault. The student's attitude makes a big difference, as always - I can see how someone could go in with unrealistic expectations, refuse to adapt, and be frustrated, fail, and blame it on the instructors. There's an idiot in every bunch!

The instructors said that the Lewiston terminal covers all drivers in Idaho and some in Washington, and the Troutdale terminal covers all drivers in Oregon. However, my recruiter calculated the distance from my home to various terminals before assigning me to Troutdale (once I finish). So I'm not sure who's right, but I am sure that your terminal would be Lewiston.

I'm feeling better today, and I have to take the opportunity to remind myself that not getting sick when I otherwise would have is an excellent reason to keep eating real food and avoiding stuff that came in boxes from a factory. And I need my rest - good night!

 

Today was the last day of driving this week. Tomorrow is all classroom stuff - "death by powerpoint" as our instructor said. But at least we're expecting to get out a little early!

I got to do the alley dock and offset back twice today, and finally figured out both to some degree. Because our class is large, the stations are a little lopsided - there's only one truck for offset back, three for straight back, and four for alley dock. So I've had the least practice on offset back, and this morning I did a million pullups again like yesterday, but was starting to understand it. This afternoon I just hopped in and did it right four times in a row - still with a few pullups or GOAL, but at least I figured it out. I wish they would turn a straight backing station into an offset back, since I can now back up straight in my sleep, upside down, from the back seat, forwards and backwards. Wait, I'm already going backwards! Anyway, it was all good practice.

I'm finally getting used to the stupidly early schedule. It seems silly that we start so early that we have to practice pre-trip in the dark with flashlights for two hours before we can drive, then we quit driving when there's still three hours of daylight left. How do they get students any decent driving time near winter solstice when the sun doesn't rise till 9am? Whatever - nobody's paying me to think, and it seems pretty obvious that I just have to keep doing what they tell me and I'll pass and move on to the next thing. This company is so big it's like a machine, or a river - you put yourself in one end, hold on and just keep doing what's next, and you come out the other end with a CDL and enough experience to "write your own ticket" as Injun said. And in my case, with plenty of money saved up, too!

I rode my bike to get groceries and internet tonight, which I would have done Wednesday if I hadn't felt sick. I'm looking forward to doing some real exploring on Sunday - there are some big hills around here I'll have fun climbing. The weather has been perfect - 45 at night, 65 in the day, a little sun, a little sprinkles, and lots of clouds. Same as the weather at home now, but with a little less rain.