Climbing the Ranks

     Wow! So much has happened since I updated 3 days ago. I'll try to go through it all, or at least as much as I can recall.

     Wednesday we spent our morning learning how to pre-trip a truck. You'd be surprised how much a truck driver checks on their vehicles before they move them! You have the engine compartment (including alternator, compressors, pumps, hoses, brakes, belts, etc.), the back end (the frame, the driveshaft, exhaust, wheels, all of what you can see gets checked!), the trailer, lights, then inside the truck, and even how the brakes are working. I have to remember ALL OF THIS for the exam, because I will end up checking the coupling, the cab, and the lights. In addition, the examiner will give me a random pick of the engine area, the back end, the trailer, or all three.

     The rest of the day was spent on a simulator. They're little driver cockpits with two touchscreens for your instrument panel and three large flatscreens for the windshield, and side windows. People get sick from these, since everything moves towards them, rather than the other way around. I had no problem with it, and spent a few sessions learning how to double-clutch. For those of you that know how to drive a manual, double-clutching is just moving it to neutral and changing to the appropriate RPMs before you switch to the next gear. Going up is simple, since once you push in the clutch, the RPMs drop and you're ready for the next gear. Going down, on the other hand, is a little trickier, since you have to push the accelerator to raise the tachometer before you can shift down. So I've spent time driving around towns, people walking out, vehicles pulling out, etc. I'm trying to work on my coordination, so it's been a little weird. But I figured out the gist of it, as I called it a day.

     Thursday was talk over their benefits (which isn't as good as FedEx's, but passable) and about load security. Did you know: if I let a hi-value load get stolen, that could be around $35,000,000 in equipment and freight? And I couldn't make that back if I drove all day every day for the rest of my life! Insane! After that some people had to go learn about a sleep study. I wasn't in that group, but it's $600 (paid through your check in increments once you start.) I heard that someone yawned through their physical and the doctor ordered the sleep study right then and there! Anyway, we have lunch (the cafeteria ladies know me by name right now, especially by the fact that I run all the costs through my head so I don't pay too much for food), and then go sit down to learn about defensive driving. Lots of advice like paying attention to everything, watching far out in the road, and not to multitask. Very informative, but overall a short and boring day. "Hurry up and wait," they say!

     Today was a great day. This morning I went in for roll call and to learn more about what we'll do about training and whatnot. No cell phones while we're driving (even holding the phone is against the law, and I can get big fines for that), no alcohol at all during the program, etc. A big thing to me was what they call the "trifecta". If I go and pass all three of my driving and skills tests the first time, they'll give me a $250 bonus! That would be really nice for Anna and I, since we're not in the best of situations, but we'll survive with minimal assistance.

     Then they sent us out to the Millennium Building. This place is phenomenal! It's got a gym, a nice cafeteria, company store, pool, movie theater, and a bunch of amenities for drivers while they wait for their trucks to get work done on them. I got to go out to the training pad, where they also do CDL testing. I can tell you watching someone parallel park a truck blows my mind. I mean, I'm sure you guys can barely parallel park your own cars! But I have to learn how to take a tractor + 53' trailer and move it sideways into a small hole. Not today, we just spent time learning how to back up straight and spent more time on pre-trip stuff. My forehead, in the meantime, decided it wanted to be a tomato, and has developed a nice shade of red. (You would think SOMEONE would've recommended some sunscreen!)

     After some training, we got our DOT medical cards back, and some people had been assigned a trainer. Those who did not get one, had to go and wait until their trainer found them, usually through a call to their cell. I do not have a cell, since my phone kicked the bucket before I left. Instead, they took me to meet the Operations Manager, Steve. He was nice, and asked me about why I had decided to work for Prime. Eventually another guy came up. It was Gary, my new trainer. He's 51, old enough to be my dad (although my own father is slightly older. Love you Dad!) He seems pretty laid back, and wants me to really learn how to do this properly, by his own method he calls "modified old school". I'm pretty interested to see what happens.

     Got some stuff at Wal-Mart, pulled my $200 cash advance for food and stuff, and am sitting here typing this out. It's been a long day, and hopefully by tomorrow evening I can be out on the road. There's been some people sent home and some people still not cleared for training. One guy's drug test had to be sent off for "further review". He was, needless to say, quite peeved. But, and I'm not one to not care about the people around me, all I was worried about was me and I'm ready to get out there and drive. Tomorrow I will practice a bit and get to know Gary a bit more. I hope to keep all of you updated, and maybe a little bit entertained, as I continue my quest for a CDL and my own truck. Thank you for reading.

Orientation and More

     The first day was pretty nerve-wracking, at least for me. I like things to be in order, and anything that I'm not completely sure of I don't submit it. I hate wasting people's time, especially my own. So since Sunday night, I've been filling out all sorts of paperwork. Survey forms, disclosures, another application. Form after form of blanks hungry for ink. Fortunately, I keep a lot of information handy for these instances. I have an entire detailed work history saved ready for whenever this kind of thing is necessary. Unfortunately, my references are not up to snuff. I had to email one person, and the other my lovely wife found for me. And because I didn't have easy access to wi-fi, I feel lucky to have gotten them in time.

     7 a.m., and I'm sitting in a large room with about 60 of my closest friends. We spend lots of time going over the forms, making copies of documents, and people asking questions. The security guys come in to talk about fingerprinting, and at least a half a dozen people need new fingerprint cards because they didn't wait for instructions. I think it was Dad that told me someone told him: "There's never time to do it right but there's always time to do it again." That applied a lot today. Next came the nurse to go over the doctor's forms and the drug test. If you lie on the background check or the drug test, they can make you pack and leave in 30 seconds or charge you with trespassing! That's crazy!

     Then it was drug test time. I had to use the bathroom before hand, so I ended up drinking a lot of water and waiting around for about an hour. Pretty cut and dry for a drug test, and even got part of my physical done. Next was an interview. I sat down with the man who went over my application and he asked a couple of questions about things I had mentioned. Everything had been in order...except for a couple of phone numbers I forgot to get! Luckily, Anna saved the day again and I was able to go back and fill them in afterward. They gave me an ID card and sent me off to finish the physical.

     I had already done the eye test, a short hearing test which had me repeat a whisper from 5 feet away, and a blood pressure test (something around 120/70.) Got to go into an exam room and take of some clothing. Then the doctor walks in and it's another episode of Speed Physicals! I swear that guy talked at a mile-a-minute. Everything happened in a blur, and I think he cleared me? After that it was just computer lessons until I finished up.

     I'm pretty tired, and I'm excited for tomorrow so I can start learning some driving skills!

Time to Hurry Up and Do Nothing!

     So the bus ride was alright. From Indy to St. Louis, I spent my time next to someone who was sick! He stayed curled up in a ball in the seat, and got up a couple of times to go to the bathroom. I had no wi-fi, and so I spent the time doing puzzles and playing Quake. The second half had me in the back of the bus with a Hispanic couple. We kept to ourselves, but the trip felt longer than 4 hours, and I had a headache part of the way. But I got a lot of legroom, and I was next to the outlet, so that was nice.

     Once we got to Springfield, I met a few guys who were also there for Prime. The conversation went in an inappropriate direction, real quick. Finally the shuttle came and picked a couple of us up, and I was really glad for that. Seems like there's going to be a lot of older, bearded guys who like talking about the good ol' days, but I guess I should have expected that. Rick (one of the guys who was on the bus with me) and I got to the motel and got checked in, got some food, and settled down in the room.

     It's not the Hilton, but it's not horrible either. Basic amenities, although their wi-fi isn't working either (seems to be the theme of this trip.) Their cafe is quite nice and filling. I also found out that if I'm late to orientation tomorrow (at 7 a.m., 8 a.m. for you all in Indy) then I'll get sent home straight away! It's looking like a very short leash. Plus I have a bunch of paperwork to fill out, replete with tons of information needed to complete it. Got a couple of people I have to contact for references, but I should be ok. We'll see what happens tomorrow.

The Journey Begins

     Today I waited for an hour to get on a bus for St. Louis, MO. I sat there with Anna, hugging and kissing her because I knew I'd miss her for a while, at the very least two months. I'm pretty sure this will be a journey for both of us; Anna will discover her independence, and I will see if I have what it takes to become an over-the-road truck driver. It's not going to be easy. I'll spend 3 weeks training to get my CDL, and another 3-4 weeks with a trainer for real-world driving experience. I have a lot of work ahead of me, and getting on that bus was just the start.

     But right now I want to talk about something I really don't get into with anyone: myself. I'm a very reserved person, and I've always had mixed feelings about spending time with other people. It's not that I don't like people. I just seem to enjoy the silence more. A lot of my life has been spent by myself, either in my room when I was growing up, or at school walking hurriedly to my next class (since I didn't have anyone to stop and talk to.) Things just seem easier when I'm alone. But I'm grateful to have the friends I do have, and I wouldn't trade them for anything in the world.

     I barely graduated high school, just because I didn't really do much homework. School was very boring for me. I understood the ideas, but the way they wanted me to remember it all was just very lacking. Things clicked better for me when I was hands-on, and abstract ideas like symbolism were harder to grasp then something concrete like a math problem. I couldn't take it, and graduating was a joy. I wanted to NOT go to college, just because I felt like I would have the same problems I had during high school, but with a large debt to boot.

     So I took a lot of fast food jobs. Low pay, lots of hours, and minimal skill. Never kept one for longer than six months. Again, things just got boring. Moved between Indianapolis, to Southbridge, MA. The two best things in MA was Mom (because I'm kind of a momma's boy) and Anna, and when Anna left I had to follow her. I stayed in Missouri for a month, and eventually my Dad let her and I stay in their house back in Indiana for a bit. It was there that I got the only two jobs I've held longer than six months: unloading trucks at Meijer, and working at FedEx.

     Meijer wasn't too bad, but the people (read: teenagers) there frustrated me to no end, and once I had a decent income at FedEx, I put in my two weeks. FedEx has been a blast. Lots of stuff to learn and do, and I always felt like I've been valued. However, lately it's been starting to thin out. I was pushing for a Ramp Agent job, which would have me leading a group of people to get a flight out on time, but I had no real support from my management. I felt like I had hit the wall.

     I needed to start making more than $250 a week in order to start feeling like things weren't paycheck-to-paycheck. To make a long story shorter, I discovered Trucking Truth about a month ago because of a video game. The people on that site are fantastic, especially Brett Aquila, the man who runs the site. They're all upbeat and give fantastic advice on how to get started in the industry. Fast forward a few weeks and here I am, writing this blog.

     I know that was kind of long, and I completely understand if you feel like it is a TL;DR (too long; didn't read). The short version is I'm doing this for the money, for the challenge, and for the lifestyle. My wife is fully supporting me and as are my friends, and I couldn't be happier. Please let me know if you even read a paragraph. I don't want to do this if no one sees it, and I'm doing it for my friends.

     There are a lot of people who don't make it through the initial training, and I hope that I'll be excluded from that list. Only time will tell...