Friday, September 6, 2013

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.

6 comments:

  1. Happy all is well for you Son....

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  2. Glad to hear that you are doing so well. About the parallel parking, that is how I failed my driving test the first time, I could not do it right the first time so I had to go back and try again in two weeks. I do not know how you are going to do it with a truck, good luck with that, I am sure you will do better than I ever could. You really sound as if you are getting the hang of things, so again best of luck and if you need anything let us know. Love Uncle Keith and Aunt Denise

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  3. Did I ever tell you about my parallel parking on my driver's test? It was so bad, the instructor told me I would pass without it to get me to stop trying (I am also stubborn). I don't know if I could learn to drive a truck the way you are. You can do it, though! <3

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  4. I hope you learn well, son. And I hope you don't drive like some of the jerks in semis that feel it's their duty to block the road on my way to work!

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  5. Good to read about your experiences so far. We are trying to keep Anna occupied here. Did she tell you that she nearly had a tpk the other day at D&D? Chin up. We're rooting for you. Michelle and Walt.

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  6. Very interesting! Thank you for continuing to share your experiences. I could not do what you are doing and I did not know truck drivers went through so much training. Once when I was a fairly new driver I was driving to Florida and lost sight of my Dad in a downpour. I called to him on our CB radio, scared, and it was a truck driver who answered and talked me through the route. -Lena

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