Week One - Day One (Monday - March 21, 2016)
Paperwork, Driver Qualifications (Classroom), Recruiter Events, DOT physical, and Wisconsin DMV
What a crazy first day! Right from the start it was a great day. The drive alone was so great and such a big change. I have been working from home for so long and only left the house maybe once or twice a week to go grocery shopping or for an appointment here or there and that's it. Since I am driving into South St. Paul from Wisconsin, I gave myself double the time I thought it should take me to get there just because I have no idea how bad the city driving would be. It was a smooth ride with no traffic backups so I got there plenty early.
It started with filling out paperwork, writing a check for the tuition, signing the contract, and getting my badge with my name and barcode which I will scan whenever I enter or exit the school so they can keep track of the hours I spend in the classroom, on the driving range, or in the simulator lab. Once that was done, I just hung out in the classroom waiting for class to begin.
Class started promptly at 8 a.m. and a lot of basic info was covered about how the training goes, etc. This was all done by the owner of Interstate, Bill C. He is great at explaining the program and very straight forward about how they do things and what it will take to get us through the program. There is no fluff, just the facts. Loved it! There were quite a few new students that started today and only 1 other girl. She is doing class B and is from Minnesota so there are some differences in the things we have to learn and do when it comes to testing and driving (since I am Wisconsin and class A), but I still think we should be able to help each other get through this. For the most part, I don't think most of the guys there seemed to care about the fact that there were girls in the class. There were just 2 guys who seemed to sort of laugh or be making comments to each other anytime the other girl or I said something or asked a question. Maybe it was a coincidence and it wasn't directed toward us, but I believe it was. Do I care? Not really. If they have a problem with it and get their kicks making fun of girls wanting to be truck drivers, so be it. If they want to focus their attention on making fun of us and not on what is going on in class, they are the ones who will miss out in the long run.
There were a couple of recruiter events there today. Since I had a physical set up for the afternoon and didn't have anything to do during the time between, I decided to stay for both of them. First was the Dart recruiter. He had some very interesting things to say so I would not consider them out of the running as a company I would work for. I would like to tour the company (which is something Bill C. recommended we do) just to see more up close and personal what Dart is really like first and hope to do that at some point in the future when I can work it into my schedule and not miss school doing it.
The second was Allied and I can honestly say I am not interested at all. The driving is much less with them and you are not paid by the mile. They haul furniture and refer to it as "white glove" delivery, meaning they deliver furniture and set it up in people's homes. They do not hire just drivers. Everyone is an owner/operator. They claim their employees make an average of $169,000 a year; but when you figure in that you pay for the fuel. maintenance on your truck, cash pay for an assistant to help you unload and setup furniture (having a helper is a requirement), and the cost of paying to rent a smaller truck to haul the furniture from your big truck to the residential areas where a big truck can't go, you probably will end up with half of that pay. ALSO....they prefer you to buy your own truck but if you can't afford one and need to lease through them, they will get you a truck that has around 400,000 to 500,000 miles on it and it will cost you $1500 to $1700 a month to pay them back for this truck. They claimed time and time again that they pay the best in the industry but there seems to be an awful lot of work involved and a lot of extra out of pocket so I can't see that it really evens out. They ended the event having everyone fill out a sheet with their info on it and said they wouldn't be contacting anyone right away but about 6 months down the road would check in to find out how many of us were tired of driving so many miles and making little to no pay doing it. Maybe it is a job for some but definitely didn't sound good to me and it has nothing to do with me being a female or being afraid to move or build furniture. I just don't want to have the responsibility of being an owner/operator just starting out. That is just too big of a commitment. They said they have you start by training and I think it was for 90 days and not becoming an owner/operator until after that time was done, but that to me still sounded like too much to ask.
After Allied left, a couple of the other guys who work at Interstate came into the classroom to get some more info from each of us and to set up our individual backing evaluations. They want to have each of us back a pickup truck and trailer to assess our skills to decide where to start us out for backing practice. I have backed trailers before (both short and long tongue), but it has been quite a long time since I did that, and I always cheated and looked out the back window when I could. I did back a camper once and also drove/backed a 24-foot Penske truck when we moved, but both of those times I had people to help guide me. It really doesn't matter how I do on the backing evaluation though. It isn't like I will pass or fail anything. It is simply being used as a measure to show where I am at and where they will need to work with me. They also wanted to know what my availability was so they can get a schedule made out so I have set simulator time, backing range time, etc. I gave them a wide open availability to schedule me anytime. That could be as early as 6 a.m. and as late as 7 p.m. I want to be certain that I can get as much time as possible training and not drag out my training longer than necessary. I am very hopeful that I can get my full 160 hours of training time done in 6 weeks (truthfully I want to do more than the 160 hours without extending past 6 weeks).
After setting up my backing evaluation and giving them my availability, it was time to drive over to the building where they do the DOT physicals. I was confident there would not be an issue there and that would be the easiest part of my day but I was wrong. I did well on everything but my blood pressure was up. It was taken with a cuff and the systolic number can be no higher than 140. Mine was 143. I was shocked to hear this at first and yet could understand it because the day was stressful and had me way out of my element. He took my blood pressure again, this time using a wrist cuff and this time it was even higher. The systolic went up to 147. Damn! That means my Fed Med card is only good for 1 year instead of 2. He gave me some tips on diet and exercise and monitoring my blood pressure and said if I have a high blood pressure in a year when I take the DOT physical again it will hurt me more and I will only get a 3-month Fed Med certificate. He advised for now that I exercise, watch my diet, and check my blood pressure either at a drug store or at home and make sure it is not elevated and if it is elevated then I need to see a doctor to try to get it under control so that in a year there isn't an issue when I do my Fed Med exam. Truthfully I do not believe it was anything more than a little white coat hypertension that did this just because I was so nervous about everything today. I will take his advice though and keep an eye on it because I do not want something as simple as this that can be corrected to become a problem.
Once I had the Fed Med card it was time to drive back home and go to the DMV to get my permit printed. As I mentioned in an earlier post, I had already passed the 3 basic written tests at the DMV to get my CDL permit, but I just left it on file at the DMV as they advised to avoid paying an extra fee of $14 ($30 to get it the day I passed the test before my DOT physical was done and then $14 after I had the Fed Med card to get the restriction removed and get the permit reprinted). The DMV office was just crazy with people lined up all the way back to the door. I waited in line, got up to the desk and told the gal what I was there for. She verified a few things, took my picture and told me to have a seat. Seemed like things were all good. Finally my number got called and I go to the window they directed me to and the gal looks over my things. I took my passport, the Fed Med card and the paper that I had originally filled out on the day of my permit tests and gave them to her. As she is reviewing things, she starts to make noises and act as though she is not finding what she needs on her computer so I asked her if there was something wrong. She said she was not able to find anything that I had passed my permit tests, that the info that I passed the tests "didn't transfer over." Okay....now I start to panic. My worst fear has become a reality. All I could think is "you've got to be kidding me!!!" I kept my cool though and just asked her "what does that mean?" "Please tell me I don't have to take all of those tests again." Thankfully she was the one who signed my form the day of my permit tests and she vaguely remembered it, even though it was about 5 months ago. She said she could just use the dates from that form that she signed and enter it into the system manually to show I passed. Whew! It took some time to do this and standing there waiting felt like an eternity but knowing she was taking care of it and I would get my permit I worked so hard to get made the wait worthwhile.
So now I have my Fed Med out of the way and have my permit. They just need to get a copy of my permit at the school so I can eventually be scheduled for road training once I reach that point. I do not need that to practice on the backing course, but the permit is required to do any driving on the road. Nice to have that part out of the way.
It was a very crazy first day with not knowing what to expect but really not bad at all. I am so ready for day two. Time to take a break now and let my brain shutdown so I can be fresh and do it all over again tomorrow.
Day Two (Tuesday)
Hours of Service Part I (Classroom) and Backing Evaluation
Well here it is day 2 and I have to say my brain feels scrambled. Class today consisted of 4 hours of classroom training on hours of service and learning how to log in a log book. Each of us was given a log book and a ruler. We then watched some videos and the instructor went over some examples of how a log book should be done. He also explained in detail the rules as far as maximum driving hours, maximum on-duty hours, how to do a 34-hour reset, the 60-hour 7 day rule and 70-hour 8 day rule, etc. There was so much information and most of it wasn't something to take notes on though I did manage to get a few. This was just the first day of hours of service and the second part of it is on Thursday.
The owner stepped in before the training started today and said if we walk out of there thinking we will never understand it and feeling confused that is a good thing and that learning the hours of training is like dumping out the pieces of a puzzle on a table and having no idea how they come together but then eventually it will all click and make sense. Both Bill and the trainer for the class said if we still do not understand the hours of service after the 2nd part of that training that we should attend the hours of training classes again in 2 weeks, as most companies do not expect to train you on the basics of hours of operation. They expect you to get that training in school. What the company will train us on is how to use the E-logs, which is an electronic system that monitors your hours of services using an electronic device instead of using paper logs. There are different brands of E-logs so the school can't really train us on those. Since E-logs are becoming mandatory, it is likely we will not need to use the paper logs. but we do have to know how to do them in case there would be a system failure or something would break with the E-log system. We have to have proof of our hours of service whether it be by E-logs or paper logs.
Once class was done I was set to hang out for an hour and do nothing while I waited for my time to do my backing evaluation. I got lucky though and the person that had a noon appointment did not show up so Alex (the instructor doing my evaluation) came looking for me and luckily I was still in the building so I got to do my evaluation 45 minutes early.
So we get out on the backing course (they refer to it as the green backing course because it apparently was done in the past with golf carts) and there is a small pick-up truck out there with a small box trailer very much like a little U-Haul attached to it. He tells me the 3 maneuvers I have to perform and how much time I have to perform each of them. I have backed trailers like this before but always did it with someone directing me and never used my mirrors to do it so the challenge was on and you can consider this my first time backing a trailer because using the mirrors only is a whole different monster. As much as I was nervous about it, I took the challenge.
- Maneuver # 1: This was just straight backing. I took it very slow and really thought I would be able to do it no problem, but I had to pull forward 2 times to get that trailer straight back into the space I needed to. The instructor was nice and let me know what he was seeing and explained how I should correct it. Very helpful. The end result was I got it on the 3rd try and did it in the time allotted so we moved on to the next one.
- Maneuver #2: This was an offset left maneuver. For this maneuver, I had to pull forward 3 times and said "shit!" a few times as well each time I screwed up and knew the only way to get me out of it was to pull ahead. In my defense, it was a small course and a lot of cones for the 3 different areas to back into so it got a bit confusing to me watching only in the mirrors. I just tried to focus and listen to the instructor and found his tips very helpful. With his help, I was able to complete that maneuver in the allotted time as well.
- Maneuver #3: This was the most difficult maneuver. It was a driver's side alley dock. For this maneuver I rolled down the window and was allowed to put my head out the window and not only rely on the mirrors. The goal was just to get the wheels of the trailer between the first 2 cones. If you could get your trailer in the entire slot and put the back of the trailer in an exact location by the back 2 cones it would give you extra points. I almost got the trailer between the first cones, but right at the end I turned a little too tight and screwed it up so that if I had kept going I would have ended up running over the first cone on the driver's side. Rather than making me pull forward and try again like he did with the other maneuvers. he told me I could just pull back into the starting position and turn the truck off. The evaluation was over. Since it was just an evaluation and not a test he said he didn't need to see more and knew where I was at with my backing skills.
When we got back in the building, he told me I can go out on the course and use the pickup and trailer whenever I want to practice as long as it is not scheduled for someone else to use. He told Dan (the guy who does the scheduling) to plan me to train on the pickup truck and trailer a couple more times and then I should be ready to move up and do a backing maneuver with Alex with a bigger truck and trailer. I was shocked! I didn't think I did very well, but of course I am the kind of person who believes I should have been able to do all of those maneuvers on the 1st try even though I know that not realistic. With their instruction and some practice I am sure I can get each of those maneuvers in 1 try. I just need practice, practice, practice!
The evaluation ended my 2nd day at the school and once again I was pooped out. I was only there 5 hours and felt completely worn out. I just got an email from the school giving me the links to their online training that I requested so I am going to look that over and get things set up and then take a break. Tomorrow is a long full day at school and I need to rest a bit and go into that with a fresh brain. We are not required to do any of the course work online, but I asked for the online info so I could do extra classroom work on my own time and also watch the YouTube videos to study for the pre-trip inspection.
More to come tomorrow...
Day Three (Wednesday)
Air Brakes/Pre-Trip (Classroom) and In-Cab Inspection (Outside)
Okay...so here I am on day 3 and this was a long day for us. We were scheduled to be in class from 8-3 today. Most days the classroom is only 4 hours. Going into this I was worried. I honestly thought pre-trip would be my biggest nightmare. Just reading the manual about checking air brakes was so confusing for me. There seemed to be too many steps, but in class today we watched a video that was immensely helpful. They called it the A B B C to remembering the steps to checking the brakes. Just by remembering the words that go with each of those letters, it will help you remember each step in order.
There is also a shelf in the front of the class that has a bunch of random parts that make up the brakes. We had some classroom lecturing and demonstration of some of the parts of the brakes along with explanations of how they work, such as the air hoses connected to them and which hose was for the service brake and which was for the emergency brake. He explained and showed us the rubber diaphragms inside and how the springs work and even showed us piece by piece how all of the parts connected to make the brakes work when you press on the brake pedal. Having that visual with the explanation was great! There is also an old semi tractor in the classroom that is set up in such a way that there is no hood so you can see all of the engine parts and it is hooked up to an air compressor so you can actually get in the cab and practice the air brake check to get hands-on with that task.
After the demonstration of the different parts, Bob had us get up and go over to the truck in the room. First he showed us the slack adjuster on the drive wheel. He showed us how to pull it and how to measure it. This was a manual slack adjuster and it was not correct so he showed us how to properly adjust it and get it to less than 1-inch of slack. Then we moved around to the back tires of the tractor and he showed us how those slack adjusters are checked. This was an automatic slack adjuster and it also was not adjusted correctly so he had one of the students get in the cab to pump the brake pedal and get the slack adjuster into proper alignment. He also gave a tip, saying that a lot of truckers who have been on the road for a long period of time without using their brakes very much (if they have automatic slack adjusters) will purposely pump their brakes a little (as long as nobody is behind them) if they see they are coming up on a weigh station to ensure they are in alignment because if more than 2 are out of alignment that is enough to put your truck out of service.
Then he went on to have each of us get into the cab and do the A B B C for air brakes that we saw in the video. There were probably 12-15 of us there and one by one we took a turn at it. I was probably the 6th or 7th person to do it and I made a goof and it was right in the beginning even though I didn't notice it right away and he didn't say anything either. The first thing to do was to turn the key to the on position and then push in both the parking brake and trailer supply buttons. I got in, turned the key and forgot all about the buttons and just held the brake pedal to test for PSI loss for a minute. I then continued on with the test and got through the 2nd step to check the buzzer, and then once I got to the 3rd step where I was going to pump the brake pedal until the buttons would pop out indicating the emergency brakes were applied due to too much air loss it dawned on me...I never pushed in the buttons after turning the key. I right away stopped pumping the brakes and let him know I was aware I goofed. He just laughed and said he was going to let me keep pumping for a while to see if I noticed. Since I couldn't do that test correctly now, I just finished up with the last step to say I would then start the engine (if I were in a real truck) and would try pulling forward to test that the brakes were actually working. I stayed and watched a couple more people go through their try at it and then grabbed my lunch. After everyone came back from lunch we watched some videos about pre-trip inspection that the school created and that took us to the end of class.
After the demonstration of the different parts, Bob had us get up and go over to the truck in the room. First he showed us the slack adjuster on the drive wheel. He showed us how to pull it and how to measure it. This was a manual slack adjuster and it was not correct so he showed us how to properly adjust it and get it to less than 1-inch of slack. Then we moved around to the back tires of the tractor and he showed us how those slack adjusters are checked. This was an automatic slack adjuster and it also was not adjusted correctly so he had one of the students get in the cab to pump the brake pedal and get the slack adjuster into proper alignment. He also gave a tip, saying that a lot of truckers who have been on the road for a long period of time without using their brakes very much (if they have automatic slack adjusters) will purposely pump their brakes a little (as long as nobody is behind them) if they see they are coming up on a weigh station to ensure they are in alignment because if more than 2 are out of alignment that is enough to put your truck out of service.
Then he went on to have each of us get into the cab and do the A B B C for air brakes that we saw in the video. There were probably 12-15 of us there and one by one we took a turn at it. I was probably the 6th or 7th person to do it and I made a goof and it was right in the beginning even though I didn't notice it right away and he didn't say anything either. The first thing to do was to turn the key to the on position and then push in both the parking brake and trailer supply buttons. I got in, turned the key and forgot all about the buttons and just held the brake pedal to test for PSI loss for a minute. I then continued on with the test and got through the 2nd step to check the buzzer, and then once I got to the 3rd step where I was going to pump the brake pedal until the buttons would pop out indicating the emergency brakes were applied due to too much air loss it dawned on me...I never pushed in the buttons after turning the key. I right away stopped pumping the brakes and let him know I was aware I goofed. He just laughed and said he was going to let me keep pumping for a while to see if I noticed. Since I couldn't do that test correctly now, I just finished up with the last step to say I would then start the engine (if I were in a real truck) and would try pulling forward to test that the brakes were actually working. I stayed and watched a couple more people go through their try at it and then grabbed my lunch. After everyone came back from lunch we watched some videos about pre-trip inspection that the school created and that took us to the end of class.
Something that I found interesting during class today was it was mentioned that there are some differences between Wisconsin and Minnesota the way they handle things on the pre-trip, etc. The school is in Minnesota but I live in Wisconsin so I will be doing my testing in Wisconsin. They have us wearing lanyards around our necks which hold our name badge barcodes for signing in and out of school and the color of my lanyard tells them I am from Wisconsin so they are pretty good about mentioning the differences when things like that come up. The biggest difference and one that will be a challenge for me is that the CDL Vehicle Inspection Memory Aid (which is the sheet that they allow you to use during the pre-trip test at the DMV) is different...WAY DIFFERENT!!! The one for Minnesota is a nice word list of the things you need to check. It doesn't tell you what you are checking for on each part/item, but it mentions each part/item so you at least have that to go by and can check things off as you go along. The Wisconsin sheet is so much different. It is actually just a picture of a tractor and trailer and it only has a few of the things listed almost like an outline. An example of this is on the Minnesota list for the engine compartment they list oil level, coolant level, power steering fluid, etc (you get the picture, right?). The Wisconsin sheet only says engine compartment. That's it! I am going to have to somehow memorize everything without having a list of each item. They also said that at the Minnesota DOT most of them if not all are not even people who hold a class A license themselves. They are just DOT employees, whereas in Wisconsin we have a third party tester do our test and it is someone who drives a truck so they do know exactly what we are talking about and know their way around a truck well. I didn't plan to go in and take the test until I could do it in my sleep anyway so this shouldn't be an issue...hopefully.
Anyway, at the end of class we waited in the lobby to go outside. The last event of the day was we were going to be doing the in-cab part of the pre-trip with an instructor. Tim came in to get people and he took me and the other girl in class out first. He went through a complete in-cab inspection for us going by the list on the Minnesota Vehicle Inspection Memory Aid. Since I am class A and she is class B, he went over things and explained when there were differences for us, though there weren't really that many. She only has a couple of things she doesn't need to do during the pre-trip that I do have to do. When he was done I explained to him that I am from Wisconsin and he said he was aware of the differences in the visual aids that we use with less detail for me so I will have to know the steps without much help. He did give us some pointers on key words to use and even added some things that we could say to win over the DOT/third party testers or what he called "getting a pat on the back by the tester." I remember some parts of this but will definitely need to go over and over and over it to get it right. The school does pre-trip every Wednesday and Saturday and they recommend you attend each and every one of those until you pass your CDL so that is what I plan to do. I also plan to do as much online work and quizzes through the school as I can just to get it down.
As bad as I thought it was going to be, I think this will be easier to get than the hours of service. I still am so confused just to think about that. With the pre-trip and air brakes there is at least a better visual to go along with that. Tomorrow is the 2nd part of hours of service so hopefully that will make things a little more clear and I come out of there understanding it. If not, I will need to ask for more help, review with their online course on hours of service, or retake those segments of the class when they come around again in 2 weeks. The latter would be my last resort though. I really want to try to understand it without doing that.
Well, I think I covered all that happened today. The last thing I need to do tonight is fill out an application for Roehl Transport. They have a recruiter visiting the school tomorrow and since I am very interested in driving for them, I would like to hand the recruiter my application while she is there. At this point I have not applied to any other companies but that is definitely something I need to do very soon if I decide there are others I am truly interested in.
Day Four (Thursday)
Hours of Service Part II and HazMat Test Prep (Classroom)
This morning started like most others where Bill (the owner) came in and gave some advice for the day and went over some of the materials we would be going over and told us a couple of stories before turning us over to Bob. We started out with Bob going over a lot of the info we already covered in Hours of Service Part I on Tuesday. After that, he started having us do some practice logging by giving us pretend situations and we had to paper log them and calculate out the totals for off duty, sleeping berth, driving, and on duty. I actually did pretty well on it and seemed to have it down. The hard part is when he shows us completed logs that are already done and then asks us if we see any violations such as driving after the 14th hour or not taking breaks because they are still hard for me to spot, but I think if I was looking at the up close and had more time to look them over I would be able to figure it out. It is just a matter of putting it all together and applying it for myself and knowing the basic rules. With practice that should be just fine. I don't feel like I will have to sit through those classes again in 2 weeks as a repeat.
After we did that practice, a MN State Trooper stopped in to go over things such as the levels of inspection that they do, things they look for in each type of inspection, what happens if you fail an inspection, and how you should handle the situation if you are pulled and chosen to have an inspection done. Very informative. He also went over a lot of the things we already knew from the CDL manual just as a reminder for us such as no cell phone use while driving, seat belts, alcohol rules in a CMV and private vehicle, out of service situations, etc. He also played a video for us. It was a true story being told by 2 men...the husband of a woman who was riding a bike and was killed by a man using his cell phone, who was the other man in the video telling the story from prison. It was very sad and had the potential to jerk some tears, but I wasn't about to cry in that environment and thankfully was able to hold it together.
We took a break and then those of us who wanted help reviewing for HazMat were back in the classroom watching videos about that and given pointers on things to study extra hard on that will likely appear on the test. The owner was part of the first video, and he gave us an acronym to use to help us remember the order of how things need to appear on the shipping papers under the basic description. The other thing that was very helpful was his tip on how to remember the items in Placard Table #1. He used a number system to get the numbers memorized and it sounds pretty easy if you just keep saying it to yourself over and over until you get it. He said while it would be best to be able to memorize both tables it is not necessary. If you memorize Placard Table 1 (which is easier to memorize) that is enough because if you know the item you are questioned on for the test is not in Table 1, then that tells you it is on Table 2 and you will have your answer that way.
The office staff gave us some papers that listed the info of who to contact in order to get the fingerprinting and background check done before being able to take the HazMat endorsement test, but it was all Minnesota info and they did not have anything from Wisconsin for that. I will have to call the DMV here in Wisconsin and get details on how I go about doing that process on my own. I am not ready to take the HazMat test yet, but I heard that it could take up to a month for them to get back to a person with the results of the fingerprinting and background check so I need to get that going soon so that when i am ready to take the test I can.
I had a bit of an ahhhh moment today from one of the guys in the class. In fact, it was one of the guys who was doing some of the giggling on the 1st day with another guy. He has talked to me twice now and today said he was really inspired by the fact that us girls were in the class. We chatted for quite a bit today before the HazMat practice and then he asked me if I had a sister he could date. It was pretty funny. I noticed yesterday and today he has distanced himself from the other guy that was doing the majority of the giggling at us girls and yesterday was the first day he talked to me. That other guy still has his attitude but doesn't have anyone participating in it with him so whatever he is saying they must not agree with it. I find that so awesome! It would have been so easy for the guy who has been talking to us to continue like that and include others and there could have been a huge group of people in on it since there are only 2 girls and plenty of guys around. Glad they are all behaving well and making the most of it and doing what they should be doing...paying attention and trying to learn which is why we are all there. Boy or girl, we all have the same goal in mind. We want to drive a big rig...and honk those air horns, of course. As the commercial for the school would say, "Breaker...Breaker...Be a Money Maker...Honk! Honk!
On my way out today, I stopped at the window to find out if they got back the results of my drug test yet. The drug test was done on the first day and once they get the results, they can start getting my schedule going as far as simulator work and backing course and things. The results are back and I should be getting my schedule very soon. The only part of my schedule that will be different from the others in the class that are from Minnesota is the CDL test. Since my testing is set up with a third party tester, they cannot schedule that until they know where I am at with my backing and driving. That is fine by me. I certainly wouldn't want it scheduled too early and have to go into it before I am ready to test so it's all good.
So that's it for today. Just have Friday and Saturday to go and then my 1st week of school/training will be over. Whew! Until tomorrow...
After we did that practice, a MN State Trooper stopped in to go over things such as the levels of inspection that they do, things they look for in each type of inspection, what happens if you fail an inspection, and how you should handle the situation if you are pulled and chosen to have an inspection done. Very informative. He also went over a lot of the things we already knew from the CDL manual just as a reminder for us such as no cell phone use while driving, seat belts, alcohol rules in a CMV and private vehicle, out of service situations, etc. He also played a video for us. It was a true story being told by 2 men...the husband of a woman who was riding a bike and was killed by a man using his cell phone, who was the other man in the video telling the story from prison. It was very sad and had the potential to jerk some tears, but I wasn't about to cry in that environment and thankfully was able to hold it together.
We took a break and then those of us who wanted help reviewing for HazMat were back in the classroom watching videos about that and given pointers on things to study extra hard on that will likely appear on the test. The owner was part of the first video, and he gave us an acronym to use to help us remember the order of how things need to appear on the shipping papers under the basic description. The other thing that was very helpful was his tip on how to remember the items in Placard Table #1. He used a number system to get the numbers memorized and it sounds pretty easy if you just keep saying it to yourself over and over until you get it. He said while it would be best to be able to memorize both tables it is not necessary. If you memorize Placard Table 1 (which is easier to memorize) that is enough because if you know the item you are questioned on for the test is not in Table 1, then that tells you it is on Table 2 and you will have your answer that way.
The office staff gave us some papers that listed the info of who to contact in order to get the fingerprinting and background check done before being able to take the HazMat endorsement test, but it was all Minnesota info and they did not have anything from Wisconsin for that. I will have to call the DMV here in Wisconsin and get details on how I go about doing that process on my own. I am not ready to take the HazMat test yet, but I heard that it could take up to a month for them to get back to a person with the results of the fingerprinting and background check so I need to get that going soon so that when i am ready to take the test I can.
I had a bit of an ahhhh moment today from one of the guys in the class. In fact, it was one of the guys who was doing some of the giggling on the 1st day with another guy. He has talked to me twice now and today said he was really inspired by the fact that us girls were in the class. We chatted for quite a bit today before the HazMat practice and then he asked me if I had a sister he could date. It was pretty funny. I noticed yesterday and today he has distanced himself from the other guy that was doing the majority of the giggling at us girls and yesterday was the first day he talked to me. That other guy still has his attitude but doesn't have anyone participating in it with him so whatever he is saying they must not agree with it. I find that so awesome! It would have been so easy for the guy who has been talking to us to continue like that and include others and there could have been a huge group of people in on it since there are only 2 girls and plenty of guys around. Glad they are all behaving well and making the most of it and doing what they should be doing...paying attention and trying to learn which is why we are all there. Boy or girl, we all have the same goal in mind. We want to drive a big rig...and honk those air horns, of course. As the commercial for the school would say, "Breaker...Breaker...Be a Money Maker...Honk! Honk!
On my way out today, I stopped at the window to find out if they got back the results of my drug test yet. The drug test was done on the first day and once they get the results, they can start getting my schedule going as far as simulator work and backing course and things. The results are back and I should be getting my schedule very soon. The only part of my schedule that will be different from the others in the class that are from Minnesota is the CDL test. Since my testing is set up with a third party tester, they cannot schedule that until they know where I am at with my backing and driving. That is fine by me. I certainly wouldn't want it scheduled too early and have to go into it before I am ready to test so it's all good.
So that's it for today. Just have Friday and Saturday to go and then my 1st week of school/training will be over. Whew! Until tomorrow...
Day Five (Friday)
Cargo Doc and Handling (Classroom)
Once again the day started with the owner coming into the classroom to get things started. He went over a few different scenarios of things he has experienced as far as cargo.
Shortly after that, Bob took over the class and showed us some videos on handling cargo and securing it properly. There was a video that showed the story of an accident that happened locally years ago where a machine was not completely secured to the flatbed trailer and rolled over on top of the cab crushing it, killing the driver. That definitely got the attention of everyone on how important it is to know how to secure cargo properly always. I don't think there are any students who plan to drive flatbed but he went into some basics about securing cargo if you drive flatbed and the different styles of flatbed trailers. It's funny because I entered school thinking there was no way I would want to drive a flatbed even though I keep hearing that the pay is higher there because it is more work. After seeing the videos and hearing more details about flatbeds, I can honestly say I came out of that class thinking I could probably handle flatbeds and the work they require. The only concern I would have is the tarping and if I could handle those things because they are huge and heavy. Something to think about I guess...
We also watched a video on CAT scales and how they work and then talked about drive, steer, and tandem weights and some details on how to slide tandems, which way to slide them to get the weights correct, etc. Since I had looked a lot of that up before going into school on Truckingtruth.com, I already knew a lot of that, but it was good to hear it in class to confirm the info I had was correct. He also showed us a video on PrePass as well and discussed how those work. Pretty slick!
During the class I got called out by Dan to go to the office and go over my upcoming schedule as far as simulator and backing range time. I will be practicing in the pickup and trailer backing a few more days (1 hour each day) in addition to starting on 10-speed simulator training. Simulator training is every day starting next Wednesday. Then on Friday I am set up to do a backing lesson with Alex on the red range with the bigger trucks. Once he gives me that lesson and I understand how the backing on that range works, I will be practicing my backing just about every day on my own. All of the simulator and backing practice is in addition to the classroom work that needs to get done as well. I believe there is only 2 weeks of classroom required and then after that the schedule rotates and anything in the classroom would be repeat, so if there is something I need to go over again to help me understand it better, I will be attending those classes. Right now though I think I have been retaining and understanding what we have learned very well and could likely just use the online training to get a better understanding of things if needed.
Since today was one of our shorter days and we were out of class by noon, I decided to do some investigating as far as the fingerprinting and background check with the DMV for getting the Hazmat endorsement. I was hoping that I could get that started and then worry about taking the Hazmat test later. That isn't an option. I found out that an appointment cannot be made to get the fingerprints and background check done in Wisconsin until the Hazmat test has been taken and passed. That just means I need to get studying on that harder now to pass that test. The company I am looking at now is not one that handles Hazmat, but I still would like to get as many endorsements as I can so that I am ready for anything. There are so many opportunities that you never know where this career is going to take you.
After the DMV research I finally checked my email...something I hadn't done all morning which is not usual for me. I had a reply in my inbox from a company with a question I had asked. The story here is that about a month ago I was Facebooking with a cousin, telling her about my new journey I was planning for going to truck driving school. She in return told me about how she had an old high school friend that drove for a company located right here in the city I live in. She told me she talked to this gal and asked if it would be okay if I called her. Well...with still working 3rd shift at the time and then going right into school I haven't had a chance to call her. Last night I was sitting around investigating the website for this company though and decided to submit a question and the reply in my inbox was from a recruiter for that company. The question I had asked is if they hire on new drivers that are fresh out of school with their CDL. She told me they did not have a direct hire program, but they do have a 6-week paid training program. She gave me all the details of how their training works and I was sold. They sound just awesome. If I could have applied right then and there I would have, but I have to wait until I am about 2 weeks out from being done with school for 2 reasons: 1) If I apply too early, the system will kick out my application and 2) She will need about 2 weeks to get things prepared for me to get started on their training program. The original plan I had was to apply at a few companies but I actually think now I am just going to apply to this one. It sounds like the perfect match for me in the area I was to drive, the things I would be hauling, their passenger policy, the fact that it is located right in the town I live in, you name it! The only downside to it is they do not do tuition reimbursement, which was almost $5000 that I am paying out of my own pocket for this training (worth every penny so far by the way). I called my tax guy and he said with the school being set up the way it is we can likely get some sort of a deduction for it even though it is not an accredited school. I will not let that be something to stop me though. I could see making that money back in no time just working anyway so it's all good.
You could say today was a great day and things are already starting to come into focus and give me a little direction. All I know is the main goal here is just to learn to be a safe driver and have a great work ethic and there isn't anything that can stop me. The doors will be open everywhere and anywhere!
Day Six (Saturday)
Pre-Trip (Classroom and Yard Practicing Pre-Trip on Trucks)
So here it is the final day of my week. Yes! We really have class on Saturday. This is just the pre-trip. We were told that until we have our CDL we should attend every Wednesday and Saturday pre-trip class to make sure we have that information down well. The students that started this week sat through 4 hours of videos and classroom and then went out to the yard to play on the trucks and practice our pre-trip. The instructor did say we could come and go as we pleased between the classroom and the yard. but it wasn't clear so most of us had no idea we didn't have to sit in the classroom the whole time and re-watch videos we had seen already on Wednesday. It's okay though since I think re-watching the videos is a good way to learn it too, though I much prefer the hands on. Next Saturday though I am hoping to buddy up with someone else and go through the complete pre-trip a couple of times to get familiar with it and get to know all of the engine parts better. The instructors say that there is a truck in the yard that goes to Wisconsin to do all of the Wisconsin tests so my goal is to ask an instructor this week which truck that is so I can get myself familiar with it and do my pre-trip practice mostly on that truck. I did play around with one of the trucks a bit and opened the hood to see how hard/easy it was. Piece of cake. We aren't allowed to open any of the trailers so no idea what that is like. The school seals all of them, guessing for safety and so nobody can try camping out in them? Not really sure but don't ask because it isn't important really. At 2:00 I decided to end my day and go home. The school is open until 3:00 but I really had seen enough out there and wanted my week to end.
Before class had ended the instructor gave us the advice that once we got home today we should put away our school things and not look at them again until Monday, just take the rest of the weekend off and enjoy it and let things that we learned this week absorb. I actually had planned to back off a bit today and enjoy my day but then was planning to study more tomorrow, make up some flashcards to practice pre-trip, and maybe watch some online videos from the school. I am sure the instructor just doesn't want people to burn themselves out, but I am someone who always jumps in both feet and hits things hard when I have my mind set to do something and feel lazy if I don't so I doubt I will take his advice. I guess we shall see tomorrow how I feel about it.
Before class had ended the instructor gave us the advice that once we got home today we should put away our school things and not look at them again until Monday, just take the rest of the weekend off and enjoy it and let things that we learned this week absorb. I actually had planned to back off a bit today and enjoy my day but then was planning to study more tomorrow, make up some flashcards to practice pre-trip, and maybe watch some online videos from the school. I am sure the instructor just doesn't want people to burn themselves out, but I am someone who always jumps in both feet and hits things hard when I have my mind set to do something and feel lazy if I don't so I doubt I will take his advice. I guess we shall see tomorrow how I feel about it.
Week Two - Day Seven (Monday)
Accident Procedures (Classroom) and Pickup/Trailer Backing Practice (Outside)
So here we go....week 2. As I mentioned before, this is my final week of classroom work unless I need extra time to learn anything, but so far that is not the case. I have absorbed all of the content they have thrown at us, and let me tell you...It has been A LOT!!! I can't say anything bad about it though. I did a lot of research about the trucking industry before I started this process and most of what they are saying is just confirming what I have read and then some. It isn't an easy job but it can be a good job. It is what you make of it.
Bill (the owner) was the instructor today. We had class from 8:00 to noon. Monday is the day new students usually come in and there were I am guessing at least a dozen that started today. The morning discussion from Bill was spent going over all of the things the rest of us learned our first day. Not real exciting, but I really enjoy his stories so got through it just fine. There were a couple of things that I don't remember him telling the rest of us on our first day so I at least got something new out of it.
At around 10:00 we took a short break and then went into the new material on accident procedures. This is a subject that Bob is very passionate about. If there is one thing you will know about when you come out of this school...it's safety. That gets pounded into you like crazy and rightfully so. When you are teaching new people to go out and drive trucks that have the potential of being 80,000 pounds, you definitely want them to know about safety for themselves and others on the road. We were shown pictures of cars and told about the accidents that caused them to become as mangled as they were and how they could have likely been avoided. Along with that we were also told about how to handle ourselves at the scene of an accident whether we were involved in it or not and when it is necessary to stop and exactly how involved we need to be. I enjoyed this class and all of the info so much that I came home and watched the videos on this subject from the school about it again once I got home.
There was one piece of info in the class that was a little tough to take. Bill explained that just as there are people who take their lives by jumping off buildings, swallowing pills, shooting themselves, stepping in front of trains, etc, there are also people who choose to kill themselves by driving head on into an oncoming truck and we need to know how to recognize it if possible and how to handle it. This struck a nerve with me, as that is how I became a widow at 18. My husband was in the military and we were newlyweds (only married 7 months) when he hit head on with a cement truck. I won't go into details, but to this day I wonder how that cement truck driver dealt with that happening to him. After it happened, I went to the cement factory and asked them how the driver was because it caused his truck to go down in the ditch and tip over. They told me he had some minor injuries but would be fine.
While that was tough to get through in class, I managed and am glad he told us about it because it is a reality and it could easily happen. He said some people will drive straight into you and others could be just on the side of the road by their car looking like they are broken down and just step out in front of you. You really have to be alert and ready for anything. I have never been in an accident where i was the driver and feel I have always been aware of my surroundings when driving, but I am noticing more and more just with school how much more I am noticing on the road with other drivers so I am definitely sharpening my skills with the info they are giving us just driving my personal vehicle, which truckers refer to as a "4 wheeler."
In the new class that came in, there was only 1 female. She happens to be from Wisconsin too. There was an empty seat up by me and the other girl as usual (since none of the guys seem to want to be back in that corner - Cooties or something - HA HA ) so she came up and asked if she could sit there. She introduced herself and then class began right after so there was no more time for talk. We were about 90 minutes into the class when all of a sudden I hear this very interesting noise. I look over and yep...she's sleeping and snoring a bit. That is the second person now that has been sleeping in class. The other one had to have someone tap him with his binder to wake him up. This lady caught herself and also noticed that I had noticed her doing it. I said nothing. That is none of my business. I am not sure if the instructor noticed or not, as he didn't say anything either. I just sit there thinking to myself...if they can't stay awake in class, how in the hell are they going to stay awake driving?!? Scary thought, isn't it?
Class was set to let out at noon and I had my backing range practice in the pickup truck with the short-tongue trailer at noon so I packed up and bugged out of class a few minutes early. I want as much time as possible practicing my backing even if it is just in a pickup truck with a trailer. I actually did pretty well when it came to straight backing this time. I could remember what the instructor said when he did my eval and was able to do it. When it came to the offset and alley docking, that was a little different. On some tries I got it no problem, on others I was closed but not in the exact spot I should have been, and on other tries I failed. That is encouraging to know I could make it though with a few tries. I spent my full hour doing it over and over and over.
Funny thing...when I was almost done practicing, an old man who had been practicing his straight backing in a big truck in the next section over, came over to me and asked me when I was going out to buy a boat and a camper because he thought I was doing pretty good. It was pretty funny. He said he is retired but likes to keep busy and make money not spend it and wants to get a job driving a truck where he can have the winters off so he can go to Florida to "hang out in the village," which he said was a big retirement community. Sounds like the perfect plan to me. After I got out of the truck he was still there waiting for the other big truck to be available so we chatted a bit. He was so nice. Hope I get a chance to talk to him again just because. Up until this point I had never seen him before so guessing he started the program some time ago. If I have the chance to chat with him again I will be sure to find out more details on his plan/journey. Just goes to show...you are never to old to become a trucker whether you are male or female!
Day Eight (Tuesday)
Defensive Driving (Classroom) and Pickup/Trailer Backing Practice (Outside)
As with any other morning, the owner came in to talk to us about a few things before handing the classroom over to Bob to teach us about defensive driving. We watched some videos and had some classroom discussion. We were reminded how important it is not to tailgate and always be looking ahead. The rule is to be looking ahead 12-15 seconds so you can be prepared for things that could happen and avoid them instead of waiting, not seeing them, and then needing to react. Proper following distance was also discussed as far as how far back you should be and how to determine if you are far enough back from the traffic in front of you. These are all things that you see in the CDL manual and memorize when you are studying to get your CDL permit so it was nothing new but still something I wanted to sit through just for more details and confirmation that I have learned everything correctly.
There are some people from the class that are already starting to walk out during class and sit in the lobby to do other things or just leave. That is allowed by the school because they are not your babysitters. They give you the schedule and it is up to you to show up and do your thing. However, they know when you are and are not there because of your barcode badge you scan when you come and go, plus I do believe they mentally keep track of how much you are attending the things you should be and it will likely show up somewhere in your file there. I don't know that for sure, just my suspicion. I do know you are not required to sit through every single class but it is highly recommended, and that is what I plan to do.
On my way out today I talked to one of the students who started when I did (one of the people who walked out of class today) and he thinks he knows which trucking company he is going to because he received a call from the recruiter this morning and he said he doesn't plan to sit through class anymore this week. I get the impression that he thinks he knows everything there is to know and now that he has a trucking company interested in him that is all he needs. Hope that works for him. I honestly think the best thing to do is sit there and go through all the motions of this so I get all of my 160 hours in and then some, learning as much as I can because even if a company chooses you to be one of their drivers that does not guarantee that they will retain you as an employee if you can't perform to their liking.
In this industry, if you have 1 accident that is your fault, you are out of a job for at least 3 years until your driving record is free and clear of any accidents. They have said that time and time again, making it very clear that we need to prevent accidents at all cost. All of these things we are learning may seem self explanatory, but they are necessary to know how to be a safe and smart driver out there.
One of the best things about this school is Bill is very good to his students and said once you are a student there you are like family. If you ever need a refresher on your pre-trip inspection or anything, you can just show up and sit through the class on Wednesday or Saturday and he won't charge you a dime. That is pretty incredible! He also said that no matter how long it has been, if we are out on the road and have a question we should call the school and ask them. They will do what they can to help you and research to get you the correct answer if they don't know it.
I am starting to think it sounds like I am trying to sell this school to people in this blog, but I swear I am not affiliated with the school in any way other than just starting out there as a student...a very lucky student who happens to have found a school that I love and am really glad I chose them. So enough of that for now. Let's move on.
At 11:00 I had to go back out on the green backing range to work on my backing skills in the pickup truck and trailer. This was the first day I was scheduled to do it since my evaluation on my own. Alex did show up like I asked, and I told him I could straight back just fine but the offset and alley were hit or miss for me. I just asked him again what I needed to be watching for in the mirrors with those and how to do the maneuvers again. I told him I know it is only a pickup truck and trailer, but I wanted to get it right since I have an evaluation with him Friday for one of the bigger trucks. He asked if I had another evaluation set up for the pickup truck and trailer and I told him I did not so he said go ahead and do your maneuvers and he would just watch and do a quick evaluation. I did all 3 maneuvers and got them all on the first try. They were not perfect by any means, but I got the trailer in each area I needed to on the 1st try. That little bit of instruction obviously worked. I was so pleased! I am guessing that was enough for Alex too because after he saw that he moved on and went to a different area of the yard. I spent the entire hour practicing over and over and over and only missed the alley dock a couple of times. That was going with just 1 try though. If I had done a pull-up, then I'm pretty sure I would have made it each time. I know how to pull-up to fix things so I have not bothered to do that at all. I more or less just try to get in the correct spot in 1 try, and if I don't make it I start over.
Once I get in the bigger trucks, I will do more pull-ups if I cannot get the trailer in the correct place in 1 try because I need to have that maneuver down too. During the CDL test, you are allowed to pull-up and also get out and look, but there is a limit to it. I am not sure if that is the same for all states or not but your manual tells you what you are allowed to do before you will start losing points on the test. The biggest part of the maneuvers on the test will be not touching or crossing over the boundary lines or cones because you definitely lose points for that.
I spent the night tonight going over my pre-trip material again. I am trying to get a rhythm for the words being used in each area and trying to make it more consistent and easier to remember. Class tomorrow is pre-trip and those of us on our second week will be outside most of the day practicing it on the trucks. In addition to that, I also have more backing on the green range and my first simulator training session. Should be fun?!?
More to come tomorrow!
Day Nine (Wednesday)
Air Brakes/Pre-trip (Classroom), In-Cab Inspection and Pickup/Trailer Backing Practice (Outside), and Simulator Lab
This morning we got the morning chat with Bill and it wasn't long after that Mark came and got those of us who were in school last week so we could go outside in the yard working hands-on with the trucks for pre-trip. It was very wet and cold out there. Many people did not bring jackets to school or dress properly at all. I was even guilty of that a little bit but was prepared. When I started out in the morning, I was wearing a rain jacket and honestly thought that would suffice. Nope! Mark started doing a full pre-trip for us on a truck since he had not demonstrated it to us before and those generally take about 45 minutes. People were dropping out early from that going inside to warm up. I took a break myself but it wasn't to go inside. I went to my car and switched out jackets and put my snowmobile jacket on. It was so cold and wet it made it hard to pay attention to what he was saying. Once I had that jacket, I was ready to rock and roll again on the pre-trip and stayed out there. :)
When he got to the inside of the truck, he asked if anyone wanted to hop inside and then looked at me (being the only girl involved in this) and said any ladies? I figured why not. Not only did it get my out of the rain, but it got me away from all of the noise in the yard from all of the trucks with their brakes howling while being moved from being wet (I kid you not, it sounded like the Titanic sinking!) and also the other trucks where people were running through the air brake part of the pre-trip so this way I could actually hear what Mark was saying.
After we got through that, I asked him which truck was the Wisconsin testing truck. He showed me and told me to go over there and he would meet me there. I was hoping to get under the hood to find out what parts are and are not belt driven on it and find out exactly where all of the parts are. Didn't happen. I heard him coming back to the truck saying, "We will have Cindy run us through that." I looked up and here he had 3 other guys coming to get in the truck (since this truck had a full back seat) so I ended up being the first guinea pig to run through the in-cab inspection part of a pre-trip. I have to say, it's funny how you hear the wording you need to use to describe each item and think you know it and then you get behind that wheel and have to say it and you just blank out. I got quite a bit of it but asked for his help on some of the wording.
It also is confusing because each of the instructors including classroom and yard guys like to use different key words for their inspection so it gets confusing as to which words to use. I am just going to need to figure out what it is that I want to say and stick with it or else I will never get through this. After I got done with the in-cab inspection, the instructor left us there so we could keep going so I ended up in the back seat while 2 of the other guys ran through their pre-trip. There wasn't time for all 3 of them to do it so I was glad I started and got through mine when I did. While it was highly entertaining, it was definitely a waste of time. They were not trying to get it right at all. They were just going through the motions and saying whatever they could just to get through it. Not a good learning experience at all. I just know I am not going to get stuck in that situation again when it comes to pre-trip. Live and learn. Since we ran out of time, there was no chance for me to get under the hood of that truck so I will have to try to do that Saturday if that truck is available and not out for a road test.
I took a quick break to sit in the lobby and eat a banana before going out to the green range to back my little friend (the yellow truck with the short-tongue trailer). While I was in the lobby, one of the guys who was in the truck doing the in-cab inspection came over and sat by me. The other 2 had taken off to go for lunch and he didn't join them. He was not too pleased about the in-cab and the way it went either. He was thinking the same thing as me that it was a disaster. He has been in school for almost a month now and is done with his classroom but usually hangs out there anyway since he has to drive a long way to school just to do his simulator and pre-trip training. That is how it will get for me coming up here shortly too so I will have a lot of lag time, but I plan to use it for studying or practicing pre-trip or whatever I can. During our chat, this guy told me he thought I did much better on the pre-trip than the other guys did and seemed to think I was ahead of them even though this is only my 2nd week. I'm sure he was just being nice, but I'll take it.
That break went fast and it was time for the backing range which went fine again. I only missed the alley dock once but was able to get the trailer where it needed to be in all of my other backing maneuvers. I focused more on getting it in there straighter and not having the back of the trailer pointing out on either side and it wasn't too bad. Tomorrow is my last day of doing that so I have to make the most of it.
Right after the backing range, I had to walk down to the simulator lab. When I got there, the guys watching the lab were switching out for lunch so I had Pat setting me up. It was on my sheet to start on the 10-speed, but he said he was putting me on the 6-speed which is how they start us new people. The video was just of the owner driving around the block a few times, going on the interstate and things and you just mimicked what he was doing the whole time. It was a slow start because he does the video for everyone including people who have never driven a manual transmission before. You weren't really getting any feedback from the simulator at all. It was set up like you were in a real truck with all of the gadgets and pedals and shift level but they were not transmitting info to the simulator at all on this lesson. You were just pretending I guess is what I want to say and it was like normal car shifting, not doing any double clutching yet. The simulator lab guy just sat in the other room out of my sight and watched how I moved and if I was able to keep up with the shifting, etc. He said it was just so they could get an idea if you have the muscle memory for shifting down, which I do. I may have forgotten to turn off the blinker lever a few times but that is not what they were looking for so it didn't matter. That is something I will have to get used to though because trucks do not have blinkers that automatically turn off after you get around a corner. The driver always has t cancel the blinker.
As far as the sim lab and how they choose the different simulators to put you on, I think that all depends on who is running the lab actually because Brent is a guy who started school the same day as me and he was started on a 10-speed sim and isn't even doing any of the green range backing yet so it isn't like he is ahead of me by any means. We have both have manual transmission experience in cars so that isn't the difference either. The only thing I can come up with is that it was a different sim lab trainer. I talked to Brent about it after because he is a day ahead of me in the sim lab and he was on the 10-speed twice and thinks it is too confusing. Pat told me they will put me on the 10-speed tomorrow and if I think it is too hard and I cannot keep up with it that I need to tell them because the will put me back on the 6-speed sim, so I mentioned that to Brent and he is going to ask them about going back on that tomorrow. Everyone says the 10-speed is really hard and confusing so if I can get through it and figure it out on my first couple of tries I will be amazed.
So up to this point I have been pleased with the school and how things work, right? You could say that all changed today when I found out some info from Pat about how the Wisconsin driving test is done. When I was investigating schools just to choose the right one to go to, Darrell (a student recruiter) at Interstate told me that the day of your driving test for 2-4 hours before you actually take your test you will drive around with an instructor to practice and get comfortable in the truck so the pressure of the test is a little less. In talking to Pat about the testing he said that is not true. Since the tester does tests over here in Wisconsin on Saturdays that means there is no instructor from Interstate that can drive around with me beforehand. They will likely take me out the day before the test but it will be in the area around the school in Minnesota and not at all in Hudson. I will be going into this driving test without ever having driven a semi in Hudson.
In class today they went over the route that the drivers who take the test in Minnesota will be taking. They have a satellite picture of the DMV and roads over there and they show the students exactly where they do their backing, parking uphill, parking downhill, the exact route pretty much for everything. They tell them which corners to be careful on because most truckers will tend to hit certain curbs due to the angle of the streets, etc. I feel a bit upset on that because I paid the same money as they did for the class so I should get the same fairness on that. I am not going to raise a stink right now about it because I haven't even gotten to the road driving yet, but as time gets closer to me actually doing the road test I may have to talk to the owner or Tim and Mark (2 of the instructors) to find out if they can somehow arrange it that I get some drive time here if not the day of the test at least another day before that. Again, that will just wait for now.
As annoyed as I am that Darrell flat out lied to me about driving the day before the road test (and it wasn't a misunderstanding because he knew full well I was from Wisconsin when he was talking to me and my husband - and yes my husband heard him say it as well), I just have to put it in the back of my mind and let it go. If I let this get to me, I will have a hard to time concentrating on the important stuff. I spent most of the day and night after school today studying pre-trip and trying to work on a cheat sheet for myself to practice the wording. I made a set of flashcards since that is what they recommended but I don't really like using them. I think I would prefer a sheet to follow along on until I get it right. I just have to tweak the wording a bit yet and get it in the order I want to always practice it in so I don't forget anything.
Well that's enough for today. I didn't realize this was going to be such a long post today. Tomorrow will be just as busy so who knows what that post will bring.
It also is confusing because each of the instructors including classroom and yard guys like to use different key words for their inspection so it gets confusing as to which words to use. I am just going to need to figure out what it is that I want to say and stick with it or else I will never get through this. After I got done with the in-cab inspection, the instructor left us there so we could keep going so I ended up in the back seat while 2 of the other guys ran through their pre-trip. There wasn't time for all 3 of them to do it so I was glad I started and got through mine when I did. While it was highly entertaining, it was definitely a waste of time. They were not trying to get it right at all. They were just going through the motions and saying whatever they could just to get through it. Not a good learning experience at all. I just know I am not going to get stuck in that situation again when it comes to pre-trip. Live and learn. Since we ran out of time, there was no chance for me to get under the hood of that truck so I will have to try to do that Saturday if that truck is available and not out for a road test.
I took a quick break to sit in the lobby and eat a banana before going out to the green range to back my little friend (the yellow truck with the short-tongue trailer). While I was in the lobby, one of the guys who was in the truck doing the in-cab inspection came over and sat by me. The other 2 had taken off to go for lunch and he didn't join them. He was not too pleased about the in-cab and the way it went either. He was thinking the same thing as me that it was a disaster. He has been in school for almost a month now and is done with his classroom but usually hangs out there anyway since he has to drive a long way to school just to do his simulator and pre-trip training. That is how it will get for me coming up here shortly too so I will have a lot of lag time, but I plan to use it for studying or practicing pre-trip or whatever I can. During our chat, this guy told me he thought I did much better on the pre-trip than the other guys did and seemed to think I was ahead of them even though this is only my 2nd week. I'm sure he was just being nice, but I'll take it.
That break went fast and it was time for the backing range which went fine again. I only missed the alley dock once but was able to get the trailer where it needed to be in all of my other backing maneuvers. I focused more on getting it in there straighter and not having the back of the trailer pointing out on either side and it wasn't too bad. Tomorrow is my last day of doing that so I have to make the most of it.
Right after the backing range, I had to walk down to the simulator lab. When I got there, the guys watching the lab were switching out for lunch so I had Pat setting me up. It was on my sheet to start on the 10-speed, but he said he was putting me on the 6-speed which is how they start us new people. The video was just of the owner driving around the block a few times, going on the interstate and things and you just mimicked what he was doing the whole time. It was a slow start because he does the video for everyone including people who have never driven a manual transmission before. You weren't really getting any feedback from the simulator at all. It was set up like you were in a real truck with all of the gadgets and pedals and shift level but they were not transmitting info to the simulator at all on this lesson. You were just pretending I guess is what I want to say and it was like normal car shifting, not doing any double clutching yet. The simulator lab guy just sat in the other room out of my sight and watched how I moved and if I was able to keep up with the shifting, etc. He said it was just so they could get an idea if you have the muscle memory for shifting down, which I do. I may have forgotten to turn off the blinker lever a few times but that is not what they were looking for so it didn't matter. That is something I will have to get used to though because trucks do not have blinkers that automatically turn off after you get around a corner. The driver always has t cancel the blinker.
As far as the sim lab and how they choose the different simulators to put you on, I think that all depends on who is running the lab actually because Brent is a guy who started school the same day as me and he was started on a 10-speed sim and isn't even doing any of the green range backing yet so it isn't like he is ahead of me by any means. We have both have manual transmission experience in cars so that isn't the difference either. The only thing I can come up with is that it was a different sim lab trainer. I talked to Brent about it after because he is a day ahead of me in the sim lab and he was on the 10-speed twice and thinks it is too confusing. Pat told me they will put me on the 10-speed tomorrow and if I think it is too hard and I cannot keep up with it that I need to tell them because the will put me back on the 6-speed sim, so I mentioned that to Brent and he is going to ask them about going back on that tomorrow. Everyone says the 10-speed is really hard and confusing so if I can get through it and figure it out on my first couple of tries I will be amazed.
So up to this point I have been pleased with the school and how things work, right? You could say that all changed today when I found out some info from Pat about how the Wisconsin driving test is done. When I was investigating schools just to choose the right one to go to, Darrell (a student recruiter) at Interstate told me that the day of your driving test for 2-4 hours before you actually take your test you will drive around with an instructor to practice and get comfortable in the truck so the pressure of the test is a little less. In talking to Pat about the testing he said that is not true. Since the tester does tests over here in Wisconsin on Saturdays that means there is no instructor from Interstate that can drive around with me beforehand. They will likely take me out the day before the test but it will be in the area around the school in Minnesota and not at all in Hudson. I will be going into this driving test without ever having driven a semi in Hudson.
In class today they went over the route that the drivers who take the test in Minnesota will be taking. They have a satellite picture of the DMV and roads over there and they show the students exactly where they do their backing, parking uphill, parking downhill, the exact route pretty much for everything. They tell them which corners to be careful on because most truckers will tend to hit certain curbs due to the angle of the streets, etc. I feel a bit upset on that because I paid the same money as they did for the class so I should get the same fairness on that. I am not going to raise a stink right now about it because I haven't even gotten to the road driving yet, but as time gets closer to me actually doing the road test I may have to talk to the owner or Tim and Mark (2 of the instructors) to find out if they can somehow arrange it that I get some drive time here if not the day of the test at least another day before that. Again, that will just wait for now.
As annoyed as I am that Darrell flat out lied to me about driving the day before the road test (and it wasn't a misunderstanding because he knew full well I was from Wisconsin when he was talking to me and my husband - and yes my husband heard him say it as well), I just have to put it in the back of my mind and let it go. If I let this get to me, I will have a hard to time concentrating on the important stuff. I spent most of the day and night after school today studying pre-trip and trying to work on a cheat sheet for myself to practice the wording. I made a set of flashcards since that is what they recommended but I don't really like using them. I think I would prefer a sheet to follow along on until I get it right. I just have to tweak the wording a bit yet and get it in the order I want to always practice it in so I don't forget anything.
Well that's enough for today. I didn't realize this was going to be such a long post today. Tomorrow will be just as busy so who knows what that post will bring.
Day Ten (Thursday)
Daily Inspections (Classroom), Pickup/Trailer Backing Practice (Outside), and Simulator Lab
This morning I got to school early which is the norm for me. I was in the classroom getting prepared for the day and decided I was not going to be able to get over this whole ordeal about not practicing driving in Hudson the day of my road test so I went out to see if Darrell was around. I asked him if he remembered telling me about the practice before the road test and he did so I proceeded to tell him what I found out yesterday that since I live in Wisconsin I was being told that was not an option. He seemed surprised by it and had no idea they were not doing that for the Wisconsin students. He told me he would look into it and get back to me. On the first break we got from the classroom he came and found me and let me know that he had talked to Bill and he said they will find a way to accommodate me and make sure I get practice the day of the test or at least get me some driving time in Hudson prior to the test since there are railroad tracks and roundabouts to deal with over here during the test. That was such a relief to hear. I will just have to make sure I check on that and remind them of it as the time gets closer.
The classroom today was about daily inspections and going over the rules and ways to do that along with showing us some videos and things. A lot of it seemed to be similar to info we have gone over before in a class last week even though this was the first time we had this class. During the class, the instructor (Bob) was showing us an infrared thermometer, which is something drivers use to check their tire temperature on hot days when driving out in the desert and such to make sure they don't have a tire fire. He was showing us how it works and took the temperate of his hand. He said that was cold and was only 82 degrees so he asked if someone else wanted to try it and then immediately said how about one of the girls. There were 3 of us at the top row and he came to me and said hold out your hand so I did. I usually have very cold hands but lately in school that has not been the case. So I hold out my hand and Bob takes my temperate and to my surprise he says to the class "95...that's one hot mama there." I just about died. It was so funny to have him say that. What makes it so funny is that Bob is an older gentleman. I am not sure how old, but if I had to guess I would say between 70 and 80. Just the cutest old man and for him to say that just cracked us all up. I think he even surprised himself when he said that because later on he was handing out some papers and I told him he sure knows how to make a girl blush and then he blushed. Too cute and something I will never forget!
I had my last session on the backing range today with the truck and trailer and that was just the same as yesterday, only it was raining harder today but the backing skills stayed about the same. I had hoped to see a recruiter today from Halvor and had even rescheduled my backing time to accommodate this, but they apparently cancelled at the last minute so I did not get to see what they have to offer. I did see Schneider today who I had already seen once before and I think I may just have to apply there as a backup plan in case my first choice does not work out. The recruiter there claims if you put in an application now and get things lined up but decide not to choose to work for them right now just to let them know and have them hold your application on file so that if something does go wrong with the company you choose they can process things and get you in with them ASAP.
I also sat in on the HazMat prep class again today just in case I do want to try to get my HazMat endorsement. I am just not sure on that one yet. It is an expensive endorsement and a bit time consuming due to needing to do the fingerprinting, background check, and an interview of some sort with an agent, plus the test for it is apparently pretty hard. I have heard it is good to get it even if you don't think you will be hauling hazardous materials because if a company is trying to decide between you and another person for a job and you have HazMat and they don't you are more likely to get the job. I guess all I can do is keep studying for it and maybe try testing for it and see what happens. I have already studied for it quite a bit just because I entered into school thinking I was for sure going to get a HazMat endorsement so I hate to waste all of that time put into it and yet it is hard stuff and I still have a long way to go with studying for it.
My last thing of the day was to go to the simulator lab again. Pat was there again and he said he was setting me up with the 6-speed again. He got the program set up where I was supposed to practice starting and stopping and shifting normally through the gears (not double clutching yet) following a blue car around on the screen. He watched me do that for maybe 2 minutes and told me I was good with my shifting and told me he was going to set me up on the 10-speed instead. He got me set up and I went through quite a bit of the program and went through the shifting patterns they were doing and using the clutch to double clutch and a few combos with that. I had just got to the part where they were explaining downshifting and my hour was up so I did not get to try downshifting in the 10-speed yet. They have you sign in with your name and badge number so that when you go back in there you continue where you left off, so I am guessing my time tomorrow in the lab will get me to the point of trying to downshift. I have heard that if you cannot do it, you get stuck on that simulator lesson and have to keep doing it until the simulator tells you that you passed. While the double clutching seemed confusing, I think with practice that will come along. Can't wait to try downshifting to see how that is because it is nothing like downshifting in a car.
After my simulator lab time was up, it was time for me to go home. The weird thing is the pedals on the simulator work your legs pretty good and the pedals have to be pushed much harder to do what you need to with shifting, brakes, and speed and when got in the car to drive home I found that I was being too heavy on those pedals and it just felt funny to drive. I was a complete lead foot and needed to use the cruise to keep my speed under control. I might have to just take a break and relax a bit before driving home if I have the simulator lab late in the day like that again. I can only imagine what it is like getting in a car after being out on the road in a 10-speed for days at a time since this was only an hour of driving a simulator. Anyway...fun stuff. Hope it keeps being fun and doesn't get to a point where I get stuck on anything whether that be backing the bigger trucks or something on the simulator. Time to get some sleep now though. More to come tomorrow.
Day Eleven (Friday)
Backing, Shifting, and Drop & Hook (Classroom), Backing Evaluation in Bigger Truck and Trailer (Outside), and Simulator Lab
Today starts the last day of classroom except for Wednesday and Saturday pre-trip classes. That went so fast. We were taught details about backing, shifting and dropping and hooking trailers and shown videos on it as well. For shifting, he showed us 8, 10, super 10, 13, and 18-speed videos. The chances of us driving anything more than a 10-speed are low but he showed us just so we could see it. Very interesting. At our first break, Bob asked me on my way out of the classroom if I would like to see some roundabout videos when we came back since I will be dealing with a couple on my road test in Wisconsin. Of course I told him yes so he showed us a few. He even showed us a couple of videos of very over-sized loads going through a roundabout. Amazing stuff! We got a lot of details and saw videos on dropping and hooking and the proper steps to doing that. Doesn't seem like it will be hard, just have to remember the proper steps.
I took a short break after class to wait for Alex to come and get me for my backing evaluation. This time I was backing a regular-sized truck like I will be driving for my road test with a trailer (it wasn't a full 53-foot trailer but long enough). He had me do the same maneuvers I had to do in the little yellow truck and trailer. The truck is set up with a walkie-talkie so Alex and I can communicate and he can be outside away from the truck watching and directing what he wants me to do. He also said I had a certain amount of time for each maneuver and I could do so many pull-ups, etc.
We started with a straight back and I did that twice. The first time I hit the pocket just fine and the second time I got a little bit tight on the left but still didn't kill an orange cone. Score!!! Alex explained what he saw while he was outside and where I went a little wrong on it which was very helpful. While I was getting ready to do the offset I noticed a guy had come into the yard with a dump truck that did not belong to the school. It was a person delivering a load of gravel, probably to fill in some of the potholes in the parking lot back there. Once Alex told me to start the maneuver, I didn't pay any attention to the dump truck guy, other than to watch and make sure his truck wasn't going in my path at all. I was able to do the offset okay, though it was a little tight so I had to use a pull-up. A pull-up is allowed on the road test so that would have been maneuver I passed too. Yay!
After that Alex got into the truck and moved it into position and showed me how to do the alley dock. While he was putting the truck back to the starting position, I noticed the guy with the dump truck was now standing outside his truck just watching us. I asked Alex what was up with him and he said he was probably just bored and didn't have another load to deliver. I told Alex I will for sure fail this alley dock if I know that guy is watching. I just tried to pretend he wasn't there and did my thing. That is something I will have to get used to because there will likely always be somebody around whenever I get to places to dock or in truck stops and things. I was able to do this alley dock with only 1 pull-up and I had to get out and look 1 time at the end to make sure the back of my trailer got into 2-foot box, which is what you have to do on the road test. With that 1 look, I got back into the truck and backed about 3 feet and hit the box just fine. The evaluation was over and I hit all 3 maneuvers just fine. What a relief!
When that was done, Alex and I talked about all of it and how I did and he then realized I am taking the road test in Wisconsin and told me the rules would be different for me than what he had just told me as far as the time limit and the amount of pull-ups and even the size of the box that you have to get the back of your trailer in on the alley dock. This time those rules sounded like they were in my favor. I have twice as much time to get each maneuver and more pull-ups and the size of the box is 3 feet instead of 2 feet. He said he has a sheet on it in the office and tomorrow I should ask him for that because I have been told all of the Minnesota stuff in class and they never mentioned Wisconsin so I have been learning that wrong.
He then talked with me about and explained how the backing range for the bigger trucks works so Monday I can do those as scheduled and practice on my own. I will have 1 hour of practicing on those each day and 1 hour of simulator time each day and the rest of my days will be spent studying pre-trip and Hazmat and all of that fun stuff.
The last thing of the day today was simulator time. I was again doing 10-speed which I will be doing all of the time now. I logged in and it took me right back to the part I left off on the day before. It went through the instructions of how to downshift and then took me into the exercise for doing that. In that exercise you have to shift through 2nd to 8th gear up and down and you are supposed to get 4 shifts correct per gear in a certain amount of time. It isn't about just getting in the gear, you have to do it at the correct RPMs, so it has to be considered by the simulator to be a "good shift." I am not sure what the time limit was. I think it was 5 minutes but I really didn't pay attention. I just tried to focus on the moves. I must have done that exercise 20 times and couldn't get through it. I did get a little better by the end but still not consistent. I think it was just luck when I would have a good shift. In order to get past this exercise you have to get an 80% or better. When the lab attendant came in to say time was up, I asked him if the next time I was in there I could have someone help me a bit with it and he said no problem. I also asked him if there was a chance to get extra time in there and he said to check with Dan about it or watch for times when nobody is in there and go down and see if I can use that time.
That was the last thing I had to do at school and then it was time to go home. I was so hot when I got off that machine I felt like I had been on the treadmill running for an hour. That is such a crazy workout and so stressful. I do like doing it though and I can't wait for that feeling of accomplishment that comes with being able to do something that difficult. I just hope it comes sooner rather than later...
Day Twelve (Saturday)
Pre-Trip (Classroom and Yard Practicing Pre-Trip on Trucks)
Today is a repeat class. Wednesday and Saturday are repeats that I will be doing until I get my license. We started out in the classroom listening to the morning message from Bubba and then only the people who started new this week stayed in class and the rest of us went out in the yard to watch Alex run through a pre-trip. It was a very bitter cold and super windy day. I was prepared and dressed for it but it was still nasty and just not worth it to be out there. Brent and I went inside to the lobby and teamed up to do some studying on our own instead of staying outside for that. We were discussing the simulator and downshifting and I was asking him how he does it. He has not passed the downshifting exercise yet but he has gotten closer to it than I have. He has had 3 days to work on the downshifting compared to my one so I asked him to help me understand the guide on the screen and explain where it is that he shifts into neutral and revs the RPMs and then shifts into the lower gear. He drew up a diagram of it so hopefully if I use that on Monday it will help me understand better exactly how to do it. If not, I will ask a lab attendant to help me. I want to make sure I understand exactly how it should be done so I can practice it correctly from the start and not just be guessing. It is all about muscle memory so I need to get the moves right and then just perfect the timing from there.
Once Alex got through the pre-trip demo and helped the class B people with their trucks, Brent and I went back out and I got Alex to show me the Wisconsin truck and any differences it has from the other trucks in the yard we have worked with. That truck has a drop-deck trailer instead of a box and they use it just like that for the testing. It changes things a bit for me as far as driving it, parking it, and even the pre-trip. Since this drop deck has a rub rail on it, I will have to include that on my pre-trip and there are also ramps on the back that I need to mention are up and secured in place. The rub rails stick out a bit from the trailer, so when I am backing I will need to make sure those are inside the cones and not hanging over. Also, the ramps on the back of the trailer change things because the hinges of those ramps stick out past the trailer itself so I will need to make sure they are not over the back end of the box on the backing part of my road test. I talked to Bill to make sure, and he said the furthermost part of the trailer that sticks out is required to make it inside the box and not hang over.
Alex got in and did a full run through of the in-cab and then Brent and I stayed in there and did the brake check a few times ourselves to practice all of the steps. I think I have the inside pretty much figured out but the outside is going to take some work yet. I used my phone and went around snapping pictures of the truck everywhere so I can pull those up and see them at home and practice saying the things required for the outside pre-trip to get used to it. The biggest issue I have is this truck has so many leaky parts that I have no idea how to do that. They are not dripping and there are no puddles on the ground at all, but you can see they have leaked because there is oil and grease all over in that compartment. Some of the instructors all say that is fine and we can still say no leaks for the components and just make sure we mention there are no puddles and there is no dripping and yet another instructor in the yard before said we should mention leaks. I am going to talk to that instructor again and see how he thinks I should do it on the Wisconsin truck so I can practice the wording correctly.
While I was talking to Bill about the drop-deck trailer, I also asked him a couple of other questions and that led us into discussing the Wisconsin road test route. He said the tester over here does not care if we know the route and practice it in our normal vehicle just to get used to it since there are a lot of double left turn lanes and a couple of roundabouts involved. Bill printed up a Google map of the area and gave me a highlighted route so I could check it out. As soon as I got home, I picked up the hubby and we went out riding to check out the route.
When we got home, I decided to put in an application at 3 different carriers. I still am most interested in applying for the company in the town I live at, but I can't apply there too much in advance, so in the meantime I am applying at other companies in case something doesn't work out with my 1st choice. After I submitted each application, I got back emails from them saying someone would be calling and contacting me in the next 24-48 hours so my phone will be a bit busy here the next few days.
My hopes were also to study for the hazmat endorsement this weekend and attempt to test for it this coming Monday morning, but I see on my schedule that I have to be at the school for backing practice and simulator training by 8:30 or 9:00 on most days so that won't work since the DMV here opens at 8:30 and I do not want to attempt to test in the afternoon since the DMV is always packed with people and the testing area is right between the front service desk and lobby and it is only divided by cubicle partitions. There is no way I could concentrate on the test with people walking all around me and hearing all of the noise there. The next chance I will have where I do not have to be to the school until at least 10:30 is on Monday, April 11th so I think I will just keep studying for now and plan to take the test on that day. I also want to get the tankers and possibly doubles/triples endorsements so maybe I study all 3 of those and take them all on April 11th. We shall see...
Week Three - Day Thirteen (Monday)
Backing (Outside) and Simulator Lab
Well I made it through my 2 weeks of classroom so now it is just backing range practice and simulator lab time daily and then just the Wednesday and Saturday pre-trip. I started out on the backing range. There are 2 trucks out there for practicing backing. One of the trucks does straight backing and offset backing only. The other truck is mainly for alley docking. Both trucks are running at the same time and they schedule you for 30 minutes in each truck.
When I went out, the guy in the offset backing truck was just finishing so I chose to do that maneuver first. It was funny because I had never been in this truck before and as soon as I got in I noticed there were 2 shift levers in it, but they were taped together. I had no idea what the heck to do with them, so I waved the guy back that had just been in there and asked him what in the heck the deal was with this truck. He said you only worry about the one lever and showed me that the shift pattern was on the dashboard. He said reverse can be tough to get into and asked if I wanted him to hang around a little bit to make sure I could do it. Of course I said yes. I found out it wasn't bad and I was able to get the maneuver done with no problem. As soon as he saw that I could put the truck in gear to move forward again he waved at me and left. I practiced for 30 minutes and had no problems offset backing either to the left or right so that was good.
I then went over to the alley docking truck to switch with the person there. That was a disaster to say the least. The brakes in that thing were super touchy and I couldn't even get going without it locking up and rocking back and forth. I was getting so frustrated because I couldn't move even the slightest bit without it locking up and jerking me around and I couldn't practice the alley docking that way. I did get it in the slot twice but I was so frustrated and literally yelling at myself as to why I couldn't do it. I finally had enough and about 5 minutes before my turn was up I decided to get out and see if I could flag down Alex to ask him what I was doing wrong or if there was something wrong with that truck. Another guy was there waiting to use the truck and he said too that truck is always like that and I told him it just isn't right so I was going to talk to Alex or somebody about it. I cannot practice in something like that if I can't get it moving a little more smoothly.
Alex was out in the yard and came over and asked what was up so I explained the situation and he insisted I was just pushing the brakes too hard. I insisted I wasn't and that it was super touchy. He said he would check it out so he stopped the other guy and had him move over so he could drive. As soon as Alex got in the truck he knew right away what was wrong. The air pressure for the air brakes was low because the guy before me used the brakes a lot and never bothered to build the pressure back up and I made the mistake of not checking it when I got in so that was the problem. We sat there and built up the pressure, and once that was done Alex tried backing and it worked just fine and he was pushing the brake pedal just the way I had been earlier when I couldn't get it to work. At least now I know from this point forward to watch out for that. Lesson learned! Alex just laughed and said, "welcome to trucking."
I had some time after that to just hang out inside and review things before my sim lab time but didn't get much done there. A few of the guys decided to come in and sit by me so it turned into nothing but a gab session really. Of course, the guy I call the "know-it-all" had to come over and sit there too and drive me bonkers! While we were sitting there, the guy who helped me earlier with the shift lever on the backing truck came out of the classroom and came over and asked me how I made backing that truck look so effortless and smooth because he said he is constantly correcting and turning it back and forth and I am much better at it than him. I told him I wasn't sure other than explained what I looked for in my mirrors as far as the back of the trailer and which way I turn the wheel and that I try not to use the brakes all that much and keep the truck moving slowly but smoothly. Before he could say much more or I could even say anything else the "know-it-all" jumped in and took over the conversation and eventually that guy just walked away. Ugh!!!
Then I went down to the sim lab and got started on the downshifting session again. I re-watched the instructions for it and then went into the lesson where I need to get 80% to pass. I started out not getting past 25% and I did it probably 6 or 7 times like that. On the last time, I really focused and managed to get 63%. I payed attention today and saw that the time limit for this exercise is 3 minutes, not 5 like I thought. The only thing holding me back was 5th and 6th gear. Each time I try to go up from 5th to 6th or 6th down to 5th, the sim is acting like I am putting it in all other gears and the program jumps all over the place so I cannot get a "good shift" to register on it. I had the guy running the sim lab come and help me. He first watched me doing it and saw how it jumped around so he got on and tried it and it did pretty much the same thing for him. It is just too touchy or something. He said it didn't seem right so he thinks I should try the other sim tomorrow and see if that is any different. The only problem with that is he said he didn't think my progress would be able to follow me from one sim to the other but it would at least help me to know if it is the machine or me having the issue. I'm all for it and will for sure remind him of that tomorrow when I get in there.
After the sim lab I just drove home, set up camp in the family room, and watched videos and did quizzes for the school's online program. I did that for almost 6 hours straight and it is now bedtime. I don't have to do the online training but choose to just so I can get the most out of school because once I am done there I won't have access to those videos any longer.
Day Fourteen (Tuesday)
Backing (Outside) and Simulator Lab
Not much to report on today. I went in early and did some studying and then went out to the backing range. Did a little better on the alley docking truck with the brakes though they are still very touchy even with the air pressure at the proper level. On my final try at the alley dock I got in with just 1 try and no pull-up so I ended that session there. I did the offset and straight backing as well and those went fine as well.
I had a phone interview at 11:00 with Schneider and that was just a basic call to go over my info as far as job history and prior addresses for the past 5 years. The recruiter is going to be calling me once a week to check on my status and I am supposed to call her as soon as I know my graduation date if I decide to work for them so they can get the process moving.
I then had to go to the simulator lab and work there for an hour. When I got there, they were working on the simulator I used yesterday and they figured out there is a switch that is bad and that is why it jumps all over the place between gears. They put me on the other sim out by the desk as they said they would and I was able to get through the downshifting maneuver within a few tries and moved on to the next level so I am now driving on streets and following a car to practice turns, shifting up and down, etc. That needs some work for sure. I need to practice not running such high RPMs and downshifting to stop. I have 5 more simulator sessions scheduled and may have to ask for more if I feel I am not making progress. Time will tell.
That's really all there is to report for the day. Spent the rest of the afternoon and evening studying for hazmat again. I was going to study for doubles/triples and tankers and try to take those 2 tests on the same day I try for hazmat, but there are a lot of terms that I am not familiar with as far as the coupling and uncoupling for doubles and triples so I think I will just focus on hazmat for now and worry about the others later. I have the rest of this week and all weekend to study so we will see how it goes.
Day Fifteen (Wednesday)
Pre-Trip (Classroom and Yard Practicing Pre-Trip on Trucks) and Simulator Lab
Today was pretty short and sweet actually. I went in the classroom for the morning instructions/pep talk by the owner and then went out to the yard to work on pre-trip practice on the Wisconsin truck. I got through the engine and cab and then had to leave because it was time for my simulator practice. I was working with Mark and he was going through everything on the truck and I was comparing my list of info that I made to make sure I had the wording the way I wanted it for practice. Since I didn't get to finish that, I am hopeful I can somehow catch up with Mark again later to finish the rest so my list will be complete and I can start really working hard on that.The sim lab ended up being cut short today but that was fine. I was on the sim that has a broken switch so it wasn't that great to work with anyway and they came in about 35 minutes into my hour session to fix it. Rather than hang around and wait I went to the yard to work on the pre-trip practice again. I teamed up with Brent and we worked on the in-cab stuff a few times until he got the steps right. On Saturday we plan to do that again and work on the entire truck from start to finish. Of course from the way the weather looks now, it is going to be another cold Saturday and just nasty to be outside. Just going to have to tough it out especially since when I get out on the road there will be no skipping it due to weather. That pre-trip and other interval inspections need to be done no matter what. That is something I don't want to ever slack on even if there are people out there that think it is a waste of time and not necessary....and I am sure there are a few.
Since my sim time got cut short, I asked Dan if he could schedule me for another session and he had one tomorrow that I could take so I did. Tomorrow is going to be a long day at the school. I start at 7:30 a.m. with my backing practice and then have sim at either 10:00 or 11:00 and then have sim again at 3:00 (which is the extra time that I took to make up for today). I am studying right now for hazmat, tankers, and doubles/triples so hopefully I will have time to do that as long as the know-it-all doesn't come along and start blabbing crap. While I was in the classroom today before class started, I was working on re-writing some notes and cleaning things up and he came in. I didn't even acknowledge him because I had my nose deep in my work and yet he still started blabbing at me and interrupted me. All of us have noticed that he never brings any books or anything with him, he never spends time in the classroom unless there is free time for him to just blab, and as he is talking he constantly looks around after he says something to make sure people are looking or paying attention. I honestly have no idea why he is there other than to socialize. Such a pain!
Day Sixteen (Thursday)
Backing (Outside) and Simulator Lab
Such a long day today!!! I got there early and did my backing at 7:30, then had a break in the lobby where I just studied until sim lab at 10:00. Both went really well and had some improvements so that is good.
When I got done with sim lab, I went back to the main lobby and studied more on hazmat, tankers, and doubles/triples. With as much studying as I have been doing on those you would think I would have it all down by now but not yet. Getting close though. I really think I am going to try to take those tests all this coming Monday.
I sat through a recruiting event today for DLI since I was there. Very interesting because it is a job where you would be driving at night and delivering auto parts to places while they are closed so the traffic would be light on the roads and the parking lots would be empty and I could just go about my business and not have to deal with a whole lot. The only problem I have with it is the pay. You do get home each day and run the same routes so it would be pretty easy once you got it down. The pay is not by the mile though for the first 6 months. You start out and do 9-10 days of training and get paid $132 a day and it is an 8-10 hour shift each day. After your training, that pay will still be daily but the pay will depend on what route you have. It could stay at $132 a day or go up to $225 a day. They have a terminal right here where I live too so that would make it convenient. I just don't know since I really want to get out and travel and see things and put on some serious miles and make better pay. Just nice to know that is always an option down the line if I want it.
After that recruiting event was done Mark came and got me and said he had time to finish up the pre-trip for the trailer that we didn't get to finish yesterday, and since I was going to be there until 3:00 waiting on my makeup sim lab time, I took him up on it. He took me through the rest of the trailer and coupling system and even gave me extra info about things that don't pertain to pre-trip but are part of the trucking business. Very helpful!
It was a long day and I am beat, so I am retiring early tonight and keeping today's post short and sweet.
Day Seventeen (Friday)
Simulator Lab and DMV to take tests for hazmat, tankers, and doubles/triples endorsements
So the only thing on my schedule today was the simulator lab for an hour. I went to school a couple of hours earlier than that appointment though just so I could study some more on the hazmat, tankers, and doubles/triples. I thought about it last night and decided not to wait until Monday to take the tests for these and try to take them today instead. That way if I fail any of them, I will have an idea of where I need to study more and if I passed them, then I wouldn't have to study all weekend on them.
I did my hour in the sim lab and headed for the DMV. While I was standing in line to take my tests I got a text from one of the guys at school asking if I was coming back for my backing range appointment in 30 minutes. I was shocked and had no idea I had a backing appointment and even if I wanted to go back for it, there was no way I would make it there in time. I called and left a message for Dan to let him know I would not be back and to cancel that appointment so if there was someone there who wanted to practice they could.
I get up to the counter at the DMV finally and the guy gives me some paperwork to fill out and says I will need my birth certificate or passport just to see the hazmat test. So now I am a bit frazzled about missing the appointment at the school and now I have to run home to get my passport. It was about lunchtime so I decided to ask the hubby to go out to lunch with me so I could try to chill out a bit and then maybe study a bit more before going to the DMV. I did some practice tests during lunch and also at home again and decided to go to the DMV and go for it on all 3 tests. The DMV was crawling with people like usual in the afternoon so it was a bit louder than I would have liked it for taking a test, but I did it anyway.
The first test that popped up was the hazmat and I didn't get a single question wrong. Then the doubles/triples test came up and I was allowed to get a max of 4 questions wrong which is what I did so I passed that one as well. The final test was the tankers and I didn't get any wrong on there either. What a great feeling! Since I do not have the CDL license yet, I wasn't able to do anything with the endorsements so the DMV will be holding them on file until the day I get my license. Then they will pull them up and add them to the license. I asked the guy if he could print something out or write something somewhere that says I passed all 3 tests since there was an issue when I got my permit and they did not have the results of my tests on file and it was a bit of a pain to get that taken care of to get my permit. He wasn't able to print anything but he did write the name of each test I took on the form I filled out when I got there and behind each one wrote that I passed so I have that for proof. He also said he went oniine and made sure my results showed up there. He also said that there was an issue around the time I got my permit where they had a system glitch and that is likely why my results disappeared.
It sounds like I still cannot do my background check or my fingerprinting since those results are only on file and I haven't paid for them yet or received them on a license. I guess I just wait on those things until I have my license and then schedule the fingerprinting and background check right away so that can get done ASAP. I just don't want anything out there pending when I get on the road training or driving if I can help it. It would be much nicer to have it taken care of while I am still here in case there is an issue.
When I got a chance to look at my paper schedule, I looked at it and there was not an appointment on that sheet for backing today. There are 2 backing appointments scheduled for Monday and I thought maybe that was wrong and somehow today's appointment was showing up under Monday so I called Dan back. He said that I do have 2 backing sessions on Monday so that is correct. He said sometimes that can happen where an appointment does not print on the sheet even though it is scheduled so I guess from this point forward I will have to just keep an eye on the screens to make sure there are no missed appointments. I actually think on Monday I will have Dan take a look at my schedule and compare it with what he shows on the system to make sure the rest of it is correct. I absolutely do not like missing appointments like that.
So that was the kind of day I had. What can you expect when the DMV is involved, right? The best part though is that I got through the tests and no longer have to study for them and can focus now on learning the wording on the pre-trip.
Day Eighteen (Saturday)
Pre-Trip (Yard practicing on trucks)
Once again the weather was just not behaving at all with us working on the pre-trip inspection on the trucks outside. It was super cold and nasty and that wind was just bitter. A few of us teamed up though and we managed to make it through a full truck inspection. The rest of the time we spent in the lobby just going over things. Most of it was trucking related but some was just gabbing.
I found out a few more things about the Wisconsin pre-trip and how it differs from how the one in Minnesota is done. I have more questions about that and the people that work there on Saturday are not the ones to ask. I need to talk to people at the school Monday to get that figured out. I want to start studying the pre-trip really hard now that I have the endorsements out of the way and I need the answers to make sure I am studying it correctly. I have a pre-test appointment Friday, which means I will be going out on the road with the truck and trailer to practice driving with an instructor from the school. This will be the first time I have done this. I am hoping I do well and hoping the instructor will be able to tell me how much more practice he thinks I need until we can schedule my actual road test with the Wisconsin tester. It would be really nice to be able to test in 2 or 3 weeks to get my license so I can start working by mid-May. That is the goal for now but all of that will hinge on how I do driving, if I can get this pre-trip down perfectly, and what the Wisconsin agent's schedule looks like for testing times. I don't have anything scheduled at the school until 10:30 Monday but I am going in at the normal early time so I can try to get the answers to my pre-trip questions.
The rest of my day today was not spent doing any studying or working on anything related to school. I went out running some errands, had some dinner out with my hubby, and we watched a movie. Nice to have time to relax a bit. :)
Week Four - Day Nineteen (Monday)
Backing (Outside)
So today all I had at school were two 1-hour sessions on the backing range. I went in early to go over some things that I had questions on in the Wisconsin manual with regard to pre-trip and was lucky enough to chat with Mark and Pat and got all of my questions answered. I also talked to Dan about my schedule and what happens after this Friday. He said after my 2-hour pretest driving on the road with the instructor the 3 of us will sit down and work out a plan on how many more pretests I will need and then try to get me scheduled for a road test. I told him I am hopeful I can test at least by the first Saturday in May pending how I do on the pretest, of course. He said the guy who does the testing in Wisconsin works full time but that he would email him and hopefully know within a few days what Saturdays he has available for the road test.
I called the DMV today to ask about the hazmat endorsement and doing the background and fingerprinting. The lady said I can certainly do those things now but I would have to pay for the background check and get a new permit then and that will mean I have the 14-day hold on my permit again just like I did when I first got it so I would not be able to take the road test for 14 days. I don't see me taking it that soon but you never know so I am not going to mess with the background check or anything right now. Pat at the school advised just waiting until I get the CDL and then paying for the hazmat at that time and getting the process started on the background check and fingerprinting. I have to go back to the school to finish out the 160-hour course after I get my CDL anyway so there will be time while I am doing that to get the hazmat stuff done. Plus, it isn't like the company I am wanting to work for needs hazmat either so no rush to get it. I guess I was just hoping to get it all taken care of and out of the way sooner rather than later.
Day Twenty (Tuesday)
Backing (Outside) and Simulator Lab
Today started out with simulator lab time. Dan was in there monitoring things today and I was able to get on the simulator that works the best so I asked if I could work on the downshifting 3-minute timed test to practice that and get a better percentage. I was able to get the 4 good shifts per gear usually but Dan was apparently watching me and I didn't know it and he pointed out that I am working too hard to get it. I was under the impression that we needed to be quick and bust out as many shifts as possible and he said that was not the case. If we worked on the technique and got a good shift with each try we could get through the lesson with 100% and still have time left over on the clock. I worked on it a bit and then he asked if he could show me so I took him up on that offer. He did it so seamlessly and with such ease. Of course, he has had years of practice on it whereas I have only done that lesson on the simulator a few times, so big difference there. I kept trying and was able to improve a bit but still not 100% good shifts. The funny thing is most of the time I don't get a good shift it is from the clutch and not the actual revving of the engine. I can downshift better than I can upshift and I tend to either push the clutch in too far or not far enough on it. I have to work on that. I really want to master that practice if I can. This was the first time someone there actually explained it to me and showed me how it works to get a good shift. The only other info I had on it before was from the simulator demonstration and it wasn't as helpful as Dan's advice.
I then had backing range and did some practicing on that for about 45 minutes instead of an hour. There is a guy at school that seems to be struggling a bit and doesn't have anyone that talks to him. He somehow figured out my name and asks me to help him from time to time on the computer to get him going on the internet or open files since he doesn't really know how to run a computer. Well today he was on the backing range using the other truck doing straight backing and watching me as I did the alley docking. He struggles with that and was watching me to see if it would help. I still had 15 minutes left of my time and I was hitting the spot each time on my alley dock, so when I noticed him just sitting there watching I asked him if he wanted to practice some more in the truck I was in. He was thrilled that I gave him that time but then asked me if I would watch him and try to help him do it like I do it. I told him I would try but didn't know if I could really teach him. He tried it and was all over the place and even with a pull-up could not do it with my help. I gave him a few pointers on which way to turn the wheel in certain situations and asked him if he wanted to ride in the passenger seat with me to see how I turn the wheel and he said yes so we did that once. I got it backed in place in 1 shot and explained to him how I did it. Hopefully it helped. He said it was helpful but didn't try it himself after, as the time was over. As we were getting out of the truck, he told me his name was Scott. I told him he should ask Alex for a few pointers if he needs more help but I am not sure he will. I get the impression he is afraid to ask anyone else for help.
Once we got out of the truck, I noticed that Alex (the instructor who does the backing evaluations) had been watching us. I didn't know if it was a bad thing that I was showing Scott how to do the alley dock or not, but Alex seemed fine with it. He called me over to his car and said once I get some time on the road if I ever thought about being an instructor I should apply at the school. In his opinion they need a female instructor around there. I told him I had thought about that exact thing and would possibly be open to it over time. He did say the school requires their instructors have a certain amount of miles under their belt first and that is fine by me. I wouldn't want to even consider being an instructor unless I had some serious miles myself and really knew the ropes, which will be at least a couple of years if not more. Definitely need to keep it in mind. I mentioned to him about me passing all of my endorsements and all I need to do now is get the pre-trip wording down. He said a good way to learn it is to look at random things around the house and explain what I would be looking for if I were inspecting them. He said it helps to make a person think about it and be thorough so they could inspect anything and not miss things. I like that idea. Have to give that a try.
Chalk up another great day at school!!!
Day Twenty-One (Wednesday)
Pre-Trip in the Yard and Backing (Outside)
I started out the day in the classroom even though I have heard the same morning message from the owner every Wednesday before pre-trip. After about 30 minutes, we were outside working on the trucks practicing our pre-trip inspections. I paired up with a guy named Chad who seems to be on the same page as me when it comes to pre-trip. Some of the guys there don't care how they word things and just say whatever and try to get through it. That will not fly with the examiner the day of the road test so I would rather practice with someone who actually cares and wants to get the wording right. I didn't pair up with the other Wisconsin lady who started after me because she is still in the very beginning stages and now has decided to switch to doing an automatic transmission only since she is only 4' 11" and cannot reach the pedals of the standard transmission truck that they use for Wisconsin. That means her pre-trip has changed a bit because each truck is a little different and the trailers are definitely different since one is a drop deck (the one I have to use) and the other is a dry van. Apparently the air brake test is done differently for an automatic versus a standard so it was best if she teamed up with an instructor from the school to learn that, which she did.
I also had two 1-hour sessions of backing practice again so I had to do that in-between the pre-trip practice. By the time I got done with all of the backing there wasn't really anything I could do back out in the pre-trip area because they want new people out there from 1:00 to 3:00 so the instructors can focus on them. I guess I will just spend as much time as I can out there Saturday since I do not have anything but pre-trip to do on Saturday. They do let people on the backing range and in the simulator lab on Saturdays but I think that is mostly for people who have a limited schedule during the week so they can get their time in. I honestly feel like I have had enough backing practice right now anyway.
While I was doing my backing today I ended up getting a bunch of guys standing back behind the alley dock watching how I was doing it trying to figure it out for themselves. Another guy that saw them watching thought it was funny and said they were my groupies. :) Going into this I thought I would be so nervous if people watched me but tried to imagine it like nobody was there and just did my thing. (I feel like I have mentioned what I am about to say before in this blog, but time is limited and I don't feel like going back and reading to make sure so sorry if this is a repeat.) I figure when it comes time to pull into a truck stop or a dock somewhere there are always people around watching so I really need to block that out and just do my job and get that truck where it needs to be. So far that seems to be working, but of course I am on a closed course and know there is nobody walking around near my truck that shouldn't be and if we do hit something it is only a barrel and not a building or another truck. To this point I have not hit a single barrel so that's kind of nice.
The Wisconsin lady started doing backing with the yellow truck and short-tongue trailer and wanted to know if I would go out with her so she could try the alley dock. It apparently was stressing her out and she hadn't tried it yet on her own. I was going to ride in the truck with her but decided I would be no good in there since I can't see what she is doing to help her from there. I stood outside and just guided her a bit here and there and with just a few pointers she did quite well.Chad and Steve ended up out there too so both Chad and I were giving her pointers. She is starting to really figure out the turning of the wheel and how to get herself out of messes and that is all she needs. She was having a hard time with the offset too either going into it too gradual and clipping the corner or going into it too deep and then almost jackknifing to get out of it. I told her to watch a certain cone and to watch the trailer tires on that side and head for that cone and not lose sight of it in her mirror and she should be fine. Nobody had told her that before and once she heard that and understood the concept she got it right away. I absolutely love helping people out there and helping them make sense out of why they are doing what they are doing. Who knows.....maybe once I have enough time under my belt out on the road I can move into a training position to help new drivers. Most companies pay very well for that kind of thing. Only time will tell. For now...I just need to worry about getting myself through this.
Day Twenty-Two (Thursday)
Simulator Lab and Backing (Outside)
Today I had sim lab at 8:00 a.m. and got there a bit early and glad I did. There was nobody in there. I got started right away and worked on some scenario driving while Mark figured out how to get me going on the 3-minute downshifting test. I wanted to work on that some more like I did yesterday. Once he got that figured out, I worked on it the entire time. While I was doing it Pat came down and was chatting with Mark and he watched me for a bit and said he would not hesitate to put me in a 10-speed truck now because i was shifting so well. The key to the shifting is to match up the speed with the RPMs and not shove the shifter into place. It should just sorta pop or slide into place if things match up and I have gotten that almost perfected now. I got up to a 90% on the simulator today on the 3-minute test and had time to spare each time which is a huge improvement. I also did 39 out of 43 good shifts which is much better than I was doing. I still want that 100% even though it is not required to get that. I have more than completed that exercise and almost perfected it, but I really want to see that 100%. Guess that's the gamer in me coming out. :)
I then had backing range later and did well there too. Nothing has changed there really other than maybe I have gotten a little faster at it, but I don't want to improve the speed at all. I think keeping it slow and controlled is the way to go on that. I know some think the faster they can do it the better, but I would rather be slow, steady and keep it safe at all times!!!
That is about it for today. I got done at 12:30 so am home early and plan to go over some materials and maybe watch some more online videos from the school but that's about it. A nice and easy day. Tomorrow isn't so easy. Halvor will have their recruiter at the school at noon and I plan to be at that and then when that is over I have my 2-hour pretest with an instructor driving the Wisconsin truck and trailer out on the streets. First time doing that so I hope it works well. That will determine what my upcoming schedule looks like and when my official road test will be. Gulp!
Day Twenty-Three (Friday)
Recruiting Event and First Road Pretest
I went in early though there was nothing going on until noon. The Halvor recruiter was visiting the school and I was anxious to hear what they had to say. Now I am a bit confused because I think my decision is between them and Wiseway. They are both very similar so I don't think either one would be a bad choice. May have to come down to throwing the names in a hat and taking a pick. LOL
Then from 1:00 to 3:00 I went out driving on the road with the instructor, Paul, in the 6-speed truck and flat trailer that will be used when I take my test in Wisconsin. It went quite well after I got going. The brakes in those trucks are very sensitive and it does not take much to lock them up, which I did once for a brief second at the 1st stop light I got to. I never hit a curb though and did fine starting out on hills and didn't have any rolling back, which would both be reasons for an automatic fail on the driving test in Wisconsin. By the end of the 2 hours, Paul was super relaxed in the truck and didn't seem to have any concerns about my driving. It was a lot of fun driving that truck.
When we got back to the school, Paul and I bumped into Pat from the office and he asked how it went and I joked with him a bit about a crash and told him I was kidding :) Then he asked seriously how it went and I looked to Paul who said it went fine and once again Pat said, "I'm asking you how it went" and I said it went so well and I was ready to do it again. He just laughed and said, "why can't everyone be like that?"
I tried to get a new scheduled worked out with Dan as I was told we would do but that didn't happen. He was busy with another student and said to catch up with him Monday in the afternoon sometime and we would get my schedule figured out, so at this point I don't have any backing time or simulator time or anything planned. What I would like to do is keep going on the backing and simulator a few days each week and also do another 1 or 2 road pretests. I would really like to go out for a pretest with Mark to see what he thinks and if there is anything I can improve on for my road test.
For now, Dan said he would email the Wisconsin tester and see if he could get some test dates for us to work with for me to take my road test.
Day Twenty-Three (Saturday)
Pre-Trip Practice on Trucks in the Yard
I got to school at the usual time around 8:30 and sat in the lobby waiting for the classroom stuff to get over so we could go outside and work on the trucks. As much fun as Bubba is when he does his morning stuff, it is the same stuff over and over and I really didn't feel I needed to sit through that again.
Once everyone came out though, we headed outside and worked on the trucks. We listened to Phil demonstrate the pre-trip inside and out for everyone and then went over by the other trucks and played around a bit working on the wording and figuring things out. I stayed until about 1:00 and helped Arlene go through things to help her get more comfortable with it. I didn't run through a full pre-trip at all but am confident I got the info down so I can just practice at home without a truck in front of me.
That was it for today. Pre-trip days will really be the same from here on out I think.
Week Five - Day Twenty-Four (Monday)
Today was the day I had to get a new schedule to keep me moving. I sat around the house for a good chunk of the morning, which felt very odd to me and I decided to go in earlier than planned. I just couldn't handle sitting around doing nothing and really wanted to get this schedule figured out.
Dan was able to work with me on the schedule within about 30 minutes of me arriving at the school. He emailed the Wisconsin tester to try to get May 7th as my road test date but has not heard back yet. That would be absolutely perfect and keep me in time with being out of school by mid-May so I hope that works for the tester. While I wait for that day, the object is to keep me busy practicing backing and working on the 10-speed simulator for fun. The problem there is that the schedule is worked out a few weeks ahead and is very full already so to find time for me was not easy. While he worked on that, Pat took me outside to the yard to go over a few things about the truck and trailer I will be using for the test, as I had some questions about it. As we were going over that, he mentioned that the Wisconsin tester uses much taller cones than the Minnesota people do so he would see if Alex could set it up that I could practice backing in the evaluation part of the yard and use the truck and trailer I will be testing in for practice and use taller cones. That will be excellent! I am going in tomorrow morning to do my first session of that and apparently Alex will have it all set up for me and show me how to do that. They more or less are making a special practice area for me just so I can continue to practice backing and not be stuck doing nothing until my test. I am very pleased with this!
Pat also said the backing with the flat trailer that I am supposed to use is a little trickier because it is so low and the cones are so high so knocking cones over is definitely a concern so it may require using a pull-up to get it done right. Fine by me as long as I can practice and get a feel for it. Also, that trailer is longer than the others. Since it has a car ramp on it, that extends that trailer out 3 extra feet and that means it is 3 feet past the back tires so I will need to be careful when it comes to putting the back end in the box and not going over the back line which is an automatic fail. I just have to get used to knowing I have 3 feet hanging past the tires and not getting too far past the first set of cones to land in that box.
Pat did say if I find that backing that trailer is too hard and I can't do it, all I need to do is say so and we can switch to using a van trailer for the test. I tend to watch the tires on the trailer so hopefully I can see them in the mirror on that flat trailer and it won't be a problem, but there is a comfort there knowing if I just can't do it that we can switch.
I can say I walked out of the school quite happy about the whole ordeal and love how they are working with me on this. The other Wisconsin gal who is a week behind me called me before I went in and she is certain they are trying to get her and I to test on the same day and that had me concerned. I asked once again Pat and Dan if that is even a consideration and they assured me it is not because she is not as far along with this as me, which is to be expected with her starting later. This is getting so exciting!
Pat also said they are testing over here this coming Saturday and if I want to go over to the dog track to see how the cones are set up during that time that would be no problem. I have pre-trip class Saturday and some other things planned so not sure if I can swing that, but I would sure like to try. It would only take a few minutes to do that so we shall see. I just think anything info going into this test would be helpful just to take away that stress of not knowing what to expect.
When I got back in by Dan, he asked me how early I would be able to go in. I told him I would be there whenever they could get me scheduled. That meant that a lot of my simulator time next week is at 6 a.m. and the backing time is at 7:00 a.m., but that's fine by me. I am not going to let a little thing like that get in the way of me getting my practice in. From the start I have had my availability wide open to make it easier for them to schedule me for things, and I am certain that has been what has helped me move along so smoothly in this process.
I asked about getting more pretest time on the road and apparently I have to do 6 more hours of that, but they don't like to schedule that until the week before the test so once they know the official day of my test they will get me scheduled for 3 more 2-hour sessions of road practice. Makes sense to me. I did ask if I could go out with Mark and do that once to see what he thinks of my driving and if he has any pointers for me, and Dan blocked some time in Mark's schedule to see if we could make that work.
That's about all I know for today. Shocking how I didn't have anything more than just working on a schedule and yet this post because quite long. Geez!
Day Twenty-Five (Tuesday)
So I went to school bright and early today. The only thing on my schedule was the backing practice in the yard with the truck and flat trailer being used on my road test. Alex had it set up and had a few taller cones to use like the ones the tester uses here in Wisconsin. They only had a few of them and are hoping to get some more so I can practice with the taller ones to get used to them.
Alex had me back straight twice and I hit those just perfect. Then he had me do an offset left twice and those were fine too. That trailer handles really nice. It seems to be quite easy to correct when it gets a little bit out of place. Alex then set me up to do the alley dock and I hit that in one shot as well as far as getting into the space between the lines, but getting the back of the trailer into the 3-foot back section of the box was a little tough. Since the ramps of the trailer stick out quite a bit it is a little harder to judge where the very back of the trailer is. With that maneuver, Wisconsin allows 2 get-out-and-looks so if I can get the trailer in the right area, I can just get it close to the back and then get out and look to figure out how much more I need to move to hit the box.
In my opinion, it is harder to judge how far you have moved when you are in a truck versus a car. Even if you have moved a few feet, it only feels like a few inches. I asked Alex how to judge that better and he gave me some good advice. He said the way the truckers do it in truck stops and at docks is to get the trailer back close to the area it needs to be in and then go to the back of the trailer and count out the steps it is from the back of the trailer to the place it needs to be. Then you go up to the truck cab and pick a stationary item on the truck such as the truck steps and count the steps out from the steps back so that you have a point on the ground to look at and measure how far you have moved the truck to hit the right spot.
Once he gave me that advice, he told me to just pull the truck ahead a ways straight and then try to go back some, get out and look and try to measure things the way he said and finish backing up again. It was helpful but would be better if I could have something to use as a marker on the ground. You can't do it during the test, but Alex said some people will use their reflective triangles or some.thing of the sort to use to mark the spots. After that, he had me do the alley dock again so I did it a total of 3 times and each time I was able to hit the 3-foot box after a couple of tries, which would have been just perfect to pass the test. By that time, the session was over and he needed to set the truck up for the next person to practice. I will be doing that again tomorrow but this time Alex said he won't need to be giving me directions at all. I will be fine to just practice on my own.
I went in the lobby to hang out a bit and chat with some people and while I was doing that Dan came out and had a new schedule in hand and asked if I had time to go over it, so I went back in the office with him. He heard back from the Wisconsin tester and my road test is officially May 7th so my schedule now has all of my pretest times on it and everything. On the day of the test they worked it out so that I will be able to practice driving in Hudson for 2 hours before the test. Mark will be coming over with the truck so I will practice from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m. and my test will be from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. They originally were going to have me practice in Minnesota around by the school but worked it out so I can practice right in Hudson. Hopefully we will be able to drive and let me practice the actual route that we will do on the test that day. I am so glad I stayed at school today to hang around and got that schedule. Having an official test date gives me one less thing to worry about.
Day Twenty-Six (Wednesday)
Today was just another pre-trip inspection practice day in the yard on the trucks. The person that I like to practice that with was not there so I went out and did the studying on my own as much as I could. I was at school the entire day but didn't get to practice as much as I would have liked to due to other students who are there to mostly socialize and not do what we are supposed to be doing. I don't mind some socializing, but there are some that come there only to socialize and then leave without doing any pre-trip practice. They punch in so they are getting credit toward the 160-hour course for it, but it is not time spent learning a thing. I don't mind if that is how they want to get through school (well maybe I do mind, but nothing I can do about it), but why do they have to hang on me so I can't get anything done? Why? I'll tell you why...because I don't want to be rude and tell them to knock that shit off and let me go about my business studying! Will it ever get to that point? I sure hope not since there is only another week and a half of school left, but if it gets to a crunch point where I feel like I am not where I need to be before my test then I guess I will have to get rude.
I am to the point now with pre-trip though that I don't necessarily need a truck in front of me to practice. I just have to make sure I get the wording down. It is just much nicer to have that truck in front of me so I can get a pattern down on which things I check first and try not to miss anything. I sure do wish we had a checklist to use for this like the Minnesota people get and not just a picture of a truck. I added the 2 lists on the side of this post so you can see what the differences are if you're curious. They appear at the top of the page next to day one, I believe.
Day Twenty-Seven (Saturday)
So here it is pre-trip day again. With me just getting my test scheduled and having my school schedule redone, it took some doing to get me into some time slots so I had nothing to do at school on Thursday and Friday of this week so I just took that time off and didn't go in at all.
For today's pre-trip, I paired up with Brent (who is the guy I like to go over the pre-trip stuff with because he can stay focused). We kinda buzzed outside and just got going before the others had a chance to follow us. It takes time to wrap up your deep conversations when you are only there to socialize so it gave us quite the lead (SMILE). We went out and found the Wisconsin truck (even though Brent is not from Wisconsin, he doesn't mind practicing on that truck) and we took turns doing a full external truck pre-trip. I did mine first going by the Wisconsin Visual Aid and then he did his with the Minnesota Visual Aid. I think it went very well. I missed a couple of minor things but can't say that would have been enough to fail the test at all.
While we were doing this, the other Wisconsin lady was hovering around but not trying to learn a thing. She spent the entire time talking on her cell phone and chatting with the instructor that was there. We just kept going on with our pre-trip practice and got all the way through it for once. We could have done it a couple more times but it was a gorgeous day out and we decided to call it quits and leave to spend the day at home doing other things. For me, that was yard work. I can safely say, as sore as I am, that I should have stayed at school working on pre-trip.
Week Six - Day Twenty-Eight (Monday)
I am now back to a schedule at school of doing 10-speed simulator practice and backing practice on range 3. Do I need to do more simulator practice? Not really. They are mostly just having me do it so I can keep busy while I am waiting for my road test date to come up...plus, it gets in more hours for the 10-speed practice so once I do have my license I shouldn't really need to do more simulator practice. I can hopefully just go in to do the actual road driving in the 10-speed to finish up my school hours and complete the course.
I was at the simulator lab at 6:00 a.m. and there was nobody there. I waited a bit and nobody showed up so I drove up to the main building and sure enough as I was pulling in Dan was pulling out to go open up the simulator lab door. :) He set me up to do some practice in driving scenarios. He was busy trying to get the trucks all set up at the main office so he set me up and then went up there and I was on my own. A few minutes into my session I realized my seat didn't feel high enough so I tried to go up with it. I pushed the button and instead of the air pushing it up, all of the air let out of the seat and it sunk as low as it could go. Uh oh.....now I'm in trouble. It was pretty funny actually to try to drive like that but I did keep going. When I was about 10 minutes from the end of my session Dan finally came back in and I told him what happened with the chair, and he checked it out and found out the air compressor was not on for that simulator chair so that is why the air didn't pump in when I tried to go up with it. Once he turned the compressor on the chair went back up just fine. :)
I then drove up to the main building and went to the backing range to practice my backing. Alex wasn't there yet but told me to go ahead and get started without him because he was running a bit late. I just practiced the straight backing and offset since I usually practice those first anyway. He showed up about 15 minutes into the session and I kept going on what I was doing and then told him I was ready to switch to practicing the alley docking. I asked him if I should just go ahead and set myself up for it or if he wanted me to follow him around like usual. He told me to go ahead and do it and he would just keep an eye on me. Fun stuff! I get to move the truck around the backyard at school without being in the cone area. Woo hoo! Okay...not a real big deal but more than I have seen them let the other students do so I liked it.
Once I got all positioned to do the alley dock, I decided that I wanted to try practicing it with the tall cone like they use in Wisconsin so I grabbed one from where I was and put it on the trailer to haul back with me. I did the alley dock maneuver like usual and when I got the truck where I wanted it, I took down the tall cone from the trailer and put it in place over the small cone at the back right side of my trailer. Alex was watching and just laughed. I made a joke about it being my cargo. I practiced quite a few times doing the alley dock and even timed myself a couple of times. If I do it at my normal speed, it takes me about 2-1/2 minutes. The last time I did it, I sped it up just a bit to see if I could do it and I did it in only 2 minutes. That was straight in with no pull-ups and no get-out-and-looks. There should be no problem doing that maneuver in a slow and controlled manner on the day of my test since I have 10 minutes to complete it.
The last thing I did today was send an email to my contact at Wiseway just to let her know my progress and ask if she thinks I should wait until I have my license to apply or if I should apply before I get it to get the ball rolling so I can slide into training fairly soon after I complete school. Dan (the scheduler at Interstate) said I should only need to go back for the 10-speed driving and that might take a week to get that in and the lady at Wiseway said she needs about 2 weeks to get things in order to get me started so applying the week before I get my license would be good unless I don't pass my test for some reason. The applications only stay on the system with Wiseway for 30 days, so if for some reason I would not pass my test it could become a crunch to get that license before my application would expire. As of the close of today I still have not had a reply from her so I am hoping she is just on vacation or something and will get back to me soon.
Day Twenty-Nine (Tuesday)
I only went to school today for a couple of hours. I got there at 6 a.m. for my scheduled simulator lab appointment, then did 1 hour of backing practice, then left school to go home. I had nothing more scheduled and didn't feel like hanging around just to socialize.
Day Thirty (Wednesday)
Here it is...another day of pre-trip practice. I got there early to do my simulator lab and backing the same times as yesterday. Alex said he didn't have anyone coming out for backing on range 3 behind me so I could stay out there longer if I wanted to, which I took advantage of. I kept going almost 30 minutes more and then decided I had better stop because my shifting knee was getting pretty sore and tired. He said the truck I was using would likely not be brought down the hill to practice pre-trip on today so I stayed up there in the truck and did an in-cab inspection on my own quick before I let him put the truck away. I didn't have my Visual Aid sheet to use so I just did it from memory and I believe I did pretty well actually.
When I got done with that I went to the lobby and found Brent there so we started working on pre-trip ourselves. Some others were there so we did get side tracked and did some socializing a bit but then headed outside. Holy cow was it a cold one. It didn't feel cold when I was out there backing the truck with the window open but standing in it was a whole different story. We found a truck that Brent could start running through the whole pre-trip on and pretty soon there was a little group around us including one of the instructors, Tim. I have not worked on pre-trip with Tim at all since week one of school and that was only for a short in-cab inspection. As Brent ran through things, there were some things that Tim commented on or would stop Brent and make him change because he didn't feel Brent was saying enough about things. Some of those things were great changes and some not so great. I took notes on the things that I liked that Tim added and pretty much ignored the rest because this late in the game I don't want to go confusing myself, which is exactly what happened to Brent. Once he got done with that, he felt quite flustered with all of the things Tim corrected him on, which is not a good thing since his road test is coming up in just 2 days.
After the full outside inspection we went to another truck to do an in-cab and Brent ran through that with Tim as well. There were some things here that Tim changed too and one of them was actually pretty important. It was in the steps for checking the air brakes on the truck. Tim added in a step that we never did with checking both parking brakes together before checking each one separately. I thought it was overkill and not necessary so I plan to ask Mark about that tomorrow on our road driving appointment to see what he thinks. I mean really...if you check your tractor parking brake and then check your trailer parking brake and each of them works individually, I am not sure why there would be a need to check them together before that??? Like I have said before, each instructor has their own way of doing things and you kind of have to choose which way you are comfortable with and more importantly which way makes the most sense to you and seems logical. There are certain things you have to do and cannot miss and reading the manual and knowing what those are is important (and asking questions if something doesn't sound right) so you can weed out all of the junk and focus on what really matters when it comes to this pre-trip stuff.
After I got done at school, I drove 150 miles to visit my kids and have some dinner and then drove 150 miles back home when we were done. What a long, exhausting day. I got up at 3 a.m. to get to school for my early appointment, then had dinner with the kids at 4 p.m., then visited for a couple of hours, then drove home. Very long day, but I supposed I had better get used to that for when I start working.
Day Thirty-One (Thursday)
This morning I had my driving time with Mark. This was the first time going out with Mark and only my second time of road practice. We were starting the truck they use for Wisconsin for the first time today and it was cold so the truck did not want to start. It was just cold and raining and not a nice morning at all. Mark went and got some starter fluid and then came back. I went outside in the rain and helped him unlatch the hood and things and watched what he was doing. He didn't expect me to do that but I liked doing it to see what it was he was doing to get this thing going. He showed me on that truck where they spray the starter fluid and said there are a couple of different ways of doing it and this was the way he did it. He also gave me a little info about the difference gas and diesel engines which was interesting to hear. Once we got the truck started, Mark drove us out of the school parking lot and down the road a bit and parked the truck. He wasn't sure where things left off with Paul so he went through the steps as if it was my first time going out and explained how I should do things.
He took me on a similar route to the one Paul had taken me on except there were more turns to the right and turns were a little tighter. That was nice practice but I did cut a couple a little too short and did clip the curb twice. Clipping a curb is an automatic fail on the official road test so that has to stop. I am just going to need to exaggerate my turns a little more and give myself more room than needed to make certain that does not happen on the road test next week. He commented on a couple of other little things I did but nothing that would make me lose points. They were just tips that he recommended doing just to make sure you don't give the examiner a chance to think you aren't aware of things while you are driving. Loved the advice. That is exactly what I was hoping for.
He also would tell me in advance which was we were going so would say something like "you're going to turn left on Mickey Mouse Street" and it would be a couple of blocks ahead so I could do my lane changes and things in plenty of time. That is how the road test examiner is going to do it so good practice. Would be nice if we could practice that here on the actual route I will be driving for my road test but that is not allowed, per Mark.
We spent the entire 2 hours driving around St. Paul with plenty of stop lights, stop signs, turns, etc. Just before we got done, he had me go up on the interstate by the school and then back down the next exit just to feel what it was like to be on the ramp, getting it up to speed, and then exiting the interstate as well. Merging into traffic is very interesting with a big truck and I am glad I am getting practice like that now in this truck before I move on to an even bigger truck and trailer with no visibility out the back window. It is amazing how many blind spots there are so you really have to be aware of what is around you at all times so you can be prepared for anything. I have only 2 more sessions of driving like that with Mark before my road test so hopefully that will be enough to make me road ready!
Once we got back to the school and parked the truck, Mark asked me how I felt that went and if I had any questions. I asked him how he thought I did and he said I made his job easy and did very well. Just a couple of things to polish up on but nothing too major and he thinks I will be fine. He said he just wants me to pass that test and is there to help so to ask questions any time.
I then went in the lobby and hung out since a Roehl recruiter was coming to the school and I wanted to see what they had to say. We were all sitting around chatting and Debbie came in from having just taken her road test (class B). She failed the entire thing. She said she was very nervous and the lady who did the testing was a complete bitch. Debbie said the examiner did ask her "is there anything else" if she would miss a step, but she was so nervous she couldn't think of anything more even though she had skipped something. The bad thing is Debbie really needs that license because she has a job waiting for her. They ordered a new dump truck and everything so it is ready for her to start. The next time the DMV has for her to test is not until June 7th. That is a very long time to have to wait (5 more weeks) and she quit her job to do school so that is just not a good situation. I didn't really practice with her on pre-trip or anything since we first started school, as she was working with a group that was at school for class B licenses as well, so I have no idea where she was at. Hopefully that will all work out for her.
David (my husband) came to school to listen to the Roehl presentation with me and he didn't like the way the woman presented it but felt the info she gave was good. Of course, now it has my gears grinding again about who to choose to work for. Time is ticking down here so I really need to make up my mind very soon. With that being said...it is now Thursday and I still have not had a reply to my email to the Wiseway lady that I sent on Monday so I decided to give a call to her. The switchboard was closed when I called because it was after 4 p.m. so I left her a message, just letting her know I had emailed her and went over what the email was about in a short version on that voicemail. I asked her to either call me back or reply to my email as soon as she can so I can get an answer to my question about applying. Hopefully I will hear back from her either today or Monday, that is if she is in the office and gets the message. At this point in time my top choices are Wiseway, Halvor Lines, and Roehl. All three are good companies, just that Roehl is a little larger and a driver may get lost in the shuffle and just be a number. The other two are smaller and focus on keeping their drivers happy and knowing them by name. May seem like a not so important thing but I feel it is. Anyway...have to wait and see how it goes and if I get a call back and can get the ball rolling here soon.
Day Thirty-Two (Friday)
Once again today was just a simple day of simulator lab and backing practice. I did my hour in simulator lab and then headed over to the school to do my backing. The truck for backing practice was running and ready to go but I didn't see Alex and didn't hear from him ahead of time so wasn't sure if I should start practicing or not. I saw Paul out there and asked him and he wasn't sure where Alex was either. Paul finished moving a couple of trucks and then hopped in the backing truck with me to just hang out while I practiced backing. Alex showed up a few minutes after that and Paul still hung out with me for a bit. Once I switched over to do the alley dock and got out to check how I did on the first alley dock, then Paul got out and went over to chat with Alex while I finished out my hour of backing practice. Once I finished my backing practice, I went inside and saw Chad there so chatted with him a bit about how his test went. I had heard he got 100% on the pre-trip, backing, and road driving but hadn't talked to him directly about it. He said he did a couple of small things wrong but the instructor just mentioned them and didn't take any points off for them. He is sure I will pass my test and everything the past time since we worked together quite a bit on things. I think the biggest worry I have about the test is the road test portion of it since you can fail if you simply clip a corner. We shall see...
Day Thirty-Three (Saturday)
Today is another pre-trip practice day. I got to the school nice and early again and waited for them to say we could go outside to practice pre-trip. The time was sort of chopped because while I was practicing the outside pre-trip stuff the instructor stopped me because he wanted to use the truck I was practicing on to do the in-cab pre-trip demonstration for everyone. It was a cold and windy day again so I took the time to go inside and warm up a bit and grab another jacket.I went back outside again and then did some more practice on the outside of the truck and then went in the cab with the instructor and the other Wisconsin girl and let him run through a complete in-cab inspection just to watch it again. I didn't do the in-cab myself but plan to do it on Wednesday to make sure I have that down since that will be my last practice day before my road test next Saturday.
I cannot believe by this time next Saturday I very well could have my class A CDL license. Scary to think how fast this has gone and yet exciting to know I can move into the next stage and begin training soon with a company.
Week Seven - Day Thirty-Four (Monday)
This week is the last week before my road test this coming Saturday. Seems hard to believe it is finally here. I had simulator lab today and backing practice again. When I got to the school, I bumped into Alex who said that his morning had been opened up by someone who canceled so I should be able to practice later. I told him I would be up there when I got done with simulator lab and he should come to the lobby to let me know when backing range 3 was open. He came in around 8:10 to say I could go out at any time because the another person didn't even show up so I got some extra time. During that time though I had him look at the lights on the truck/trailer because at pre-trip Saturday I went through the lights with Phil (the instructor available that day) and there was a brake/turn signal not working and the backup lights were also not working. Alex checked all of them out and even took the time to replace some of the lights but it didn't work. Nothing got fixed. He said it appears there may be a ground issue and he would let the mechanic know so maybe those things could be fixed by this weekend on my test. If they are not fixed, it won't prevent me from taking the test. I will just have to mention it during the pre-trip if I see something isn't working.
While I was in the simulator lab, Dan (the scheduler) was the one over there monitoring things. I took advantage of that time and asked him a few questions, one of them being if I could get a little extra driving time with Mark maybe tomorrow so I would drive Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday before my road test, giving me 6 hours of drive time this week alone. He looked at the schedule and snuck me in with Mark tomorrow at 10:30. Fabulous! That will give me time to get more familiar with the shifting in that truck to get it smoother maybe and really work on making sure I do not hit any corners with the trailer tires. That automatic fail of hitting a curb with a tire could be my downfall (since I know another student who started at the same time as me just had that very thing happen on his test in Minnesota) and I don't want that to happen so I want as much practice as possible.
When I got home today I decided to call the lady at Wiseway since it has now been a week since I first emailed her and she has not replied or returned my call from last week. The first time I got her voicemail so I called back a few hours later and asked the switchboard person if she was there before I got transferred. This time she answered and we chatted a bit. She said she was waiting on her supervisor to get back to her about me training and if they were going to be able to still do that. She said things are a bit slow at the moment as far as loads to transport and they needed to decide if they were going to bring me on during this time as well as if they could find someone who wanted to do the training and she referred to person who usually does the training as a "he." This came as a shock because the first time I talked to her it sounded so for sure. When I talked to Tina (who is a friend of my cousin's who works at Wiseway), she said she was asked if she would be interested in training me and said if she did not do it that there was another older lady who works there that is a good trainer that I would likely go with. Definitely getting some mixed signals here and not feeling so good about it. I drove past Wiseway yesterday and they have a huge sign on the side of one of the trailers in their lot that they are currently hiring. Maybe they just don't want to deal with a student and that lady misspoke when she told me about the program. Not sure. She said she should hopefully know by today for sure what they will be doing. She also said that all companies have been down in loads for the first quarter of the year and it isn't just Wiseway. I honestly have no idea if that is true or not.
I know on their website they say they want 1-1/2 years experience minimum now (I thought it said something different before but not sure) so maybe that is the issue and they just don't want to go through the expense and time taken on a student new hire. If that's the case it would be nice if they would just tell me and not drag it out like this. I just need to know so I can move on and get working soon with someone. Is it their loss if this doesn't work out...hell yes it is because I am going to make an incredible driver (or at least I will die trying to be the best driver and one hell of a dedicated employee --- LOL).
In the meantime, I went online and put in an official application for Halvor Lines, which has been my second choice. Hopefully I will hear back from the recruiter there soon to find out what the routes are that they run and see if I can find something that would be a good fit for me. If nothing else then I guess I reply to Roehl and tell them to go ahead and get me set up for training and start with them.
Day Thirty-Five (Tuesday)
Today was an hour of simulator practice, then 1 hour of backing practice on range 3, and then a 2-hour pretest road driving with Mark. The simulator and backing were just as they usually are so no worries there. I did the downshifting/upshifting exercise today since the best I have had in the past week or so has been 94% 95%, 96%. I was consistently missing 100% by just 1 shift that was not perfect and it was driving me crazy to be so close. You only need 80% to pass that exercise which I did long ago but still wanted to see that 100% and today I finally got it. That was just awesome.
When it came time to go driving with Mark, we had to use a different truck because the other Wisconsin girl was using the Wisconsin truck for her backing practice. This truck was a little tougher to shift and was a van style instead of a drop deck but not bad after I got used to it. I did end up clipping a curb this time around but it could have been avoided if I had paid more attention. It was on a 4-way stop and I was making a right turn but didn't pay attention if there was a car coming from the right or not, which there was and it got to the intersection before I was able to complete the turn so I had to turn sharper than planned and scuff the curb just to get around and not hit the car. This was all at a very slow speed and not dangerous but if I had paid attention before going into the curb it could have been completely avoided. Lesson learned!
When it came time to go driving with Mark, we had to use a different truck because the other Wisconsin girl was using the Wisconsin truck for her backing practice. This truck was a little tougher to shift and was a van style instead of a drop deck but not bad after I got used to it. I did end up clipping a curb this time around but it could have been avoided if I had paid more attention. It was on a 4-way stop and I was making a right turn but didn't pay attention if there was a car coming from the right or not, which there was and it got to the intersection before I was able to complete the turn so I had to turn sharper than planned and scuff the curb just to get around and not hit the car. This was all at a very slow speed and not dangerous but if I had paid attention before going into the curb it could have been completely avoided. Lesson learned!
Before the session ended though Mark did say that he has a tendency to not say anything if a person is doing well and knows that he should be saying something to let them know they are doing okay, so he took the time to compliment me on my driving and said I am doing very well and still making his job very easy when it comes to my driving lessons. That was nice to hear and I'm glad he took the time to say that.
Day Thirty-Six (Wednesday)
Complete day from hell!!!
So this morning I had simulator lab and Mark happened to be the attendant in there so before I got started I asked him if he had time to find answers to my questions from yesterday about roundabouts since there will be 2 of them on my road test. My questions to him were exactly how to handle the turn signal when making a left turn (actually you are turning right to get out of the roundabout but the road you are taking is to the left of where you enter the roundabout) and also if it is a problem to have your tires go up onto the apron of the roundabout as you go around it since it is meant for trucks. He knew what the questions were so I did not repeat the and just asked him in general if he had found the answers to my questions. Well another student who has been there only a few weeks who tends to get loud and think he knows everything got involved and started trying to tell me how to drive in a roundabout as far as which lane to be in and everything. He had no clue what my questions were and that I wasn't asking anything about which lane to be in. I was able to get the info from Mark eventually but it was not easy with that idiot standing there trying to educate me on things that he thought I was asking about. I didn't even look at him and eventually he backed off and let Mark and I discuss it. I know idiot is not a nice thing to say but there just is no other word for this one.
I went back to the main building and starting working on pre-trip on my own in the yard. The Wisconsin truck was not down there but was in the yard so I asked if it would be okay if I went up there to do my outside pre-trip practice on that truck since my test is in just a few days. Brent was at school today to practice backing and even though he passed the pre-trip part of the test at the DMV he still was willing to help me go though mine. While we were up there, the other Wisconsin girl came up and started shooting her mouth off about crap and just annoying the hell out of me. I got interrupted so many times by her that I got completely annoyed and started forgetting things to say about parts on the truck.
Then it seemed that Brent got distracted by her too because even though I was saying things he was saying I forgot to say things and it was just throwing me off completely. I am not sure what happened today but I was off and I am chalking it up to the distractions and not my lack of studying because I have been studying a lot on the pre-trip. It's either the distractions that are getting to me or I have been studying too much and have overloaded my brain.
I managed to get through the entire outside of the truck and almost all of the trailer but then still had questions about the lights on the vehicle. When I originally asked about the lights and how to do them, Chad said that the Wisconsin instructor called the school and requested that the lights all get done at the very end of the pre-trip. He also wants us to point out all of the lights and explain their functions and then tell him which lights will come on with the brake pedal and which are turn signals, etc. Since I had heard this very early on at the start of school I wanted to be sure that is correct and figure out exactly which lights on the trailer of that truck are supposed to do what so I know what I am pointing out. Well....the Wisconsin girl was still up there and creating problems. I told Brent about the lights and that I wanted to figure them out and since Minnesota does not make them identify which lights do what he questioned if I really had to do that and I told him I did. Well...the Wisconsin girl piped in and said that is not true and we don't have to do that and some other BS and I got a bit snippy with her and told her yes we do because I was told that by an instructor at the school. Then she was pointing out the lights on the back of the trailer and calling the ID lights turn signals and all kinds of things to screw me up. There are 3 lights in the center of that drop-deck trailer that are not working properly. The middle one of the set of 3 is the only one that works. The right one is burned out and the other one only half works and when you push the brake pedal it flickers so she was thinking it was meant to be a turn signal when anyone else would know that is just a short in the light and it is not working properly.
Since the day was such a mess and I was having a hard time I didn't argue with her about the lights. I just went down by Mark and asked him if he could come up and help me with the lights. He went in the office first and double checked the info on how the lights need to be checked and if we need to know which lights do what. While he was checking on that, I went back up the hill to wait by the truck. During that time someone asked me a question and I don't remember what it was but my answer was not so nice and I said something such as "I'm just pissed because there are too many hands in the pot." When I said that, Alex asked what was going on and I said nothing. He then again said what happened and I said nothing. I didn't want to be rude and not answer him but by this point I was at the edge of cutting some tears loose and I knew if I answered his question the waterfall would follow and it was just best to say nothing and end that conversation. I can only hope Alex did not think I meant anything against him about it and wanted to cover that with him after my backing lesson but still wasn't feeling back to normal so left it alone for the day. If I get a chance to chat with him tomorrow I will apologize for seeming rude but explain to him that I didn't want to involve him in that mess and how frustrated I was. I am sure he will understand.
When Mark came up the hill to give us the info he had from the office he confirmed that what I was saying was exactly how it had to be done with the lights on the truck. Then we turned on the lights and I was asking him how to identify the lights on the back of the trailer with all of the flickering and things going on and he said I was correct that only the very outer lights on the trailer are turns signals and brakes and the rest are either just running lights or ID lights and the 3 in the center of the trailer are only ID lights and have nothing to do with turn signals and are just flickering because they are shorting.
By this time it was time for me to start my backing practice so I thanked Mark for his help and got in the truck with Alex so he could set me up to start my practice. Now on a normal day I would have stayed at the school longer after my backing practice and tried to work longer on my pre-trip on the truck since there was so much confusion, but that wouldn't be an option today because the truck was not going to be there as the other Wisconsin girl had a driving lesson. I have a driving lesson tomorrow myself and that is the only thing going on with my day and it is early in the morning so I am hoping while I am on that driving lesson that maybe I can ask Mark if he would have time later tomorrow to go through a complete pre-trip with me so he can give me an honest evaluation and let me know how I'm doing. If not, maybe he will have time Friday. There is the option of doing it Saturday morning as well before my test but I would prefer to use that time to drive and get comfortable in the truck.
For the past few days I have not had very much sleep and I am thinking that very well could have been my problem today with getting confused and distracted more than usual from people and being so pissy and on the verge of tears. I just came home and took a nap and am going to try to get a little more sleep the next couple of nights before my road test.
The lesson learned from today is that I had better be prepared and add Kleenex to my list of things needed when i get my own truck because I am sure there are bound to be some very stressful days ahead of me with training and learning to be an OTR trucker on my own after training which will likely end up like today and drive me to tears. Just going to try to do like I am doing now and blog about it so hopefully I can leave the stress here behind me and start the next day all new.
Day Thirty-Seven (Thursday)
After getting a decent night's sleep last night after yesterday's pre-trip practice disaster, I woke up feeling much better and recharged. When I got to school the first thing I did was go up to the front counter and ask Chad if he had time to chat with me about my schedule. All I wanted to do was cancel my simulator lab training for tomorrow morning since he said before I have done way more simulator lab practice than I need and I just wanted to free up my schedule so I could spend more time the day before my road test to practice the pre-trip.
While I was standing at the counter to talk to Dan Pat overhead me and came out of the office and walked over and stood right next to me. I looked over at him and he said,"no...don't tell me." I was confused at first and had no idea what he was talking about and then realized what it was. Dan is the scheduler and if I were to want to cancel my road test it would have to be done through Dan and with Wisconsin it has to be done at least 2 days before the test. Here he was worried I was canceling my road test. I told him no way and not to worry and that it was just to cancel some simulator lab practice and he relaxed. His face was priceless though before he knew what I was doing at the desk to talk to Dan.
Shortly after that, Mark came in to get me to go out driving. That was the only thing on my schedule for today. Mark asked me what I felt I needed practice on and I told him corners were my biggest concern. He took me around a lot of the route we were on the prior times we practiced but also added on some more challenging areas for corners, which was nice. We got to an area where there was an off-ramp and at the end of that off-ramp it was a bit tricky to know which lane to complete the turn in, but I watched the signs and got it just fine. I commented on the area and he said he normally does not take people there unless he knows they are doing well with their driving and he is comfortable with it, which he said he was with me. That was awesome to hear. He also said that most people do not get that turn correct their first time there. These are all new streets to me since I have not been in that area so it wasn't even like I knew it was coming. It felt pretty good to nail it.
At the end of the 2 hours we got back to school, chatted a bit, he asked if I had any other concerns or things and then I left to go home. Kept it short and sweet and got the work done. On the way back to the building, Pat was walking outside for something and I decided to joke with him about what happened earlier. As he was approaching I looked at my watch, looked up and him and said, "does it have to be exactly 48 hours to cancel?" He just smiled, laughed, and kept on going out to the yard. It was fun messing with him.
Day Thirty-Eight (Friday)
The only thing on the schedule today, the day before my road test, is backing practice for an hour. Alex got me all set up and I practiced the offset and alley dock the most. I didn't feel like I did as well as I normally do but at the end of the session Alex said he didn't notice anything wrong and I did hit the pocket on each maneuver so I guess that is all I can ask for. When I got done, I decided to turn on the lights of the truck and trailer and run down them one more time to make sure I had everything down on that.
Boy did that feel weird walking out of the school after my practice knowing that would be the last time I would have backing practice before my test tomorrow. I have done so much practice though that if I don't know how to do it good enough to pass the test by now then I never will.
I went home took a break to run some errands and grab some lunch and then started studying, just practicing the wording of the pre-trip. For the first time I gave a copy of the pre-trip cheat sheets I created for the wording to my husband and just looked at the very basic Wisconsin Visual Aid and tried to tell him everything I knew about each thing while he watched the cheat sheets and marked things that I missed. It went very well and I only missed a few things and they were not super important things so I don't think it would have been enough to fail me on the actual test.
The plan for the night is to go to bed early, get some decent sleep, and then get back up very early tomorrow to refresh my brain and do some last-minute studying before the test.
Day Thirty-Nine (Saturday, May 7th)
Wisconsin CDL Road Test Day...GULP!
Oh boy...it is the day of my road test. Let the fun begin...
I had set the alarm to get up, get showered up, and study at 3:30 this morning. I am meeting Mark at the dog track (where the backing and pre-trip testing is done) at 8:00, then driving for 2 hours to practice, then the test is from 10:00 to 1:00.
Everything went as planned as far as meeting Mark and doing our practice. He doesn't know Hudson very well so he pretty much just had me drive wherever I wanted to and once in a while added on if he thought I should make a turn here or there. At one point he took me into one of the industrial areas and had me pull into a parking lot to get turned around. This parking lot was not really big truck friendly at all. Maybe a box truck the size of a UPS delivery truck or something but not the truck I was driving. I asked him if he thought I should back out or try to get it turned around and he said go ahead and try to turn it around. It took some maneuvering and a few tries back and forth but I got it out of there without him going out and directing me so that was cool. He said he wasn't worried and knew I would be able to handle it otherwise he would have gotten out and helped. Great practice for sure for what the future holds for me. :)
We drove about 1-1/2 hours and then stopped at Fleet Farm to take a potty break since there aren't any facilities at the testing site to use and it was going to be a few hours before we had access to a bathroom again. We got back to the track and just waited. There was a guy before me that was testing and they eventually pulled in about 15 minutes prior to the beginning of my test. We just stayed in the vehicle waiting for our turn. As we sat there we noticed the guy who took the test digging more intensely in his pocket and looking around in the truck and on the ground. He looked a bit frazzled. Turns out he didn't bring enough money to pay for the test and without it the examiner would not complete the test. We watched and here the examiner ended up letting that guy get in his car and he drove him to get the money from a bank machine or something to pay him. I found out after I completed my test that the guy didn't even pass his test. How awful that would be to have all of that happen.
After they left, Mark and I walked up to the examiner in his car. The examiner got my license and permit and started the paperwork to get me started. In Wisconsin there are apparently 3 different versions of the pre-trip and so he had to choose which version I would do. To do that, he uses a deck of cards. The versions are labeled A, B, and C and apparently based on what card he picks it determines which one he will use. Once that was done, Mark went back to my car to hang out while I went through the testing and the examiner came out and we started the pre-trip. The odd part was it felt so weird to be doing it. It didn't feel real. I had run through it so many times practicing that it didn't feel like the real moment where I was being evaluated for real.
I just did was I was taught to do and when I got done with the in-cab inspection, which was the final part of the test, he told me I passed. Not only did I pass but I only missed 2 things. He said he has never had someone do that well on a pre-trip before and then asked me if I wanted to know what it was I got wrong. I told him yes so he pointed out that I forgot to mention the U-bolts on the leaf springs on the back of the trailer and I forgot to mention the header board on the trailer. Not that I expected him to change anything on my results, but I did mention to him that I was specifically told by the school that they do not consider that a header board since it is a drop-deck trailer and that I had specifically asked the instructors at the school if that was a header board and they said it was not so technically I only got 1 thing wrong that was my fault. When the test was over I did tell Mark about the header board so the info could be passed along at school to any other Wisconsin students so they know to mention it.
During the chat after my pre-trip, the examiner told me that he was very impressed by the way I did my pre-trip and he thinks I would make a great instructor teaching others how to do their pre-trip. Very interesting. I thanked him for that compliment and then we moved on with the next part of the test which was backing maneuvers.
He had me pull forward to the backing area and ran through the DMV sheet that described exactly how I was to handle the first maneuver which was straight backing. He rattled off the wording from the sheet which was pretty fast (guessing it is because he has read it a billion times to people) and then asked if there were any questions, which was also part of what he was reading. I told him no and then he said, "now let me give you the instructions in my words" and he went on to explain the maneuver so it was clear to me what was expected of me. That was so helpful just to make sure I had it right.
I made sure I turned on my 4-way flashers (required), put on my seatbelt (also required in Wisconsin when doing your backing maneuvers), tooted the horn a couple of times, and began backing. I got the truck all the way through the cones as directed without using any pull-ups or get-out-and-looks and sounded my horn when I completed the maneuver.
He then came up and said I did a good job and now it was time to explain the next maneuver which was the offset. He again ran through the form and read to me what it said and then did the same thing and gave it to me in his words. Once I understood the way it would work, I pulled ahead into position and did the exact same thing I did on the first maneuver. Since I didn't get out and look during the straight backing my seatbelt was still on and my 4-ways were also still on. Once again I completed that maneuver without any pull-ups or get-out-and-looks, got all the way through it and honked my horn to indicate my maneuver was complete.
He then came up to the truck again and told me I did a good job on that and started to explain the final maneuver which was the alley dock. He ran through things exactly as he had the other two and gave both the form wording and his own and told me how I needed to drive around and set myself up for this maneuver. This is where it got tricky because at school they have cones out that you follow to get you back into your starting position and this was not the case. I had to drive around, bring myself back into the boundaries that he had set up with cones but there were no cones marking my starting position. I was required to figure that out for myself. He did advise not getting too close to the outer cones to allow room for the truck to begin the initial turn. He even allowed me to get out and look at the course before beginning the test to make sure I understood exactly what the boundaries were and where I needed to finish the maneuver.
After I fully understood the rules to this maneuver, I got back in the truck, got that seatbelt back on and moved my truck around the boundaries and came back into them to get into what I felt was a good starting position. All that mattered to him was that I was in the boundary area and the truck and trailer were straight to start and that I got it backed into the lane he had marked as the alley dock and got the end of my trailer into the 3-foot box. Sounds simple, right? Oh boy...it wasn't so simple actually. I pulled around and thought I had myself in a good position but once I tooted my horn twice and got started backing I realized I started a little bit too close to the outside boundary cones along the right side of my truck and trailer and if I went too far I was going to encroach that boundary and lose some points. I went back a bit and stopped and yelled out to him that I knew what I did wrong and could I start again. He yelled back that I could do whatever I wanted to do. Now my nerves set in a bit because I wasn't sure exactly what that meant and if it was a point deduction, if I had failed already or what but I did a pull-up to the left and got myself further away from the boundary cones, sat there a second and took a deep breath and literally told myself out loud to settle down and just do this like I did in school.
Once I regrouped, I started to back again and this time it was looking better and there was no way I was going to encroach the outside boundaries so they were no longer a concern and I only had to worry about the alley cones and that box area at the end. When I practice this maneuver at school I very rarely had to use a pull-up or get-out-and-look until I got to the very end just to make sure that I hit the box correctly so I went into the test prepared to use both of those get-out-and-looks at the very end. That was not the case today. I got almost to the first cones of the box and was not quite sure if my trailer was okay and if I was going to encroach over the passenger-side cone, and he told me if any part of the trailer encroaches that points are lost. This trailer being a drop-deck has rub rails on it and those would count if they went over the line as well. I got out and used one of the two get-out-and-looks just to be sure. Funny thing is I didn't even think about it at that moment that I really wanted to have them both for the end. Once I had determined that things were lined up okay and I should just continue on exactly as I was, I got back in the truck, got that seatbelt back on and continued on with the maneuver. I carried on and got myself into the box straight and now it was just a matter of getting the end of the trailer into the 3-foot box. I backed until I thought I was close and did a second get-out-and-look to see where I was. Had to keep in mind that it was better to stop short and look than to go over because going outside of the box is 6 points and that would be enough points to fail me right there on the backing maneuvers. When I was looking in the mirrors I figured I maybe had 1-2 feet to go yet and boy was that not the case. When I got back there to look, i was more like 4 or 5 feet to go. That is more than I ever had to go back at school and in my opinion a little harder to judge than just a foot or so. While I was looking the instructor reminded me that was my last get-out-and-look I had to use. I thanked him for reminding me of that and went back to the truck. I was looking at the cones along the way and noticed that the front cones were about 4-5 feet back from the stairs on my cab so that was going to be my measure. I took another deep breath and started to back up watching those cones and trying to see if the end of the trailer looked right. Since it is a metal rack that drops down it is almost impossible to gauge that so the cones were either going to be my friend or enemy at this moment. When I thought I had moved between 4 and 5 feet, I stopped and put the parking brakes on and honked my horn to let him know I had completed my maneuver. Now it was just a matter of time before he got himself back up to the cab to let me know if I had passed or failed. Thank goodness it was a "you passed, nice job." He did say I did a great job on those maneuvers even though I was a bit slow. I told him I definitely did not take so long to do those when I practiced them at school but I was advised by the school I have 10 minute per maneuver and it is best to go super slow and just make sure you get it right and don't focus on the speed. He agreed that it was handled correctly and told me it was time to move on with the road part of the test. Whew!
Once again he read the instructions to me from his sheet so I would know what he was expecting of me. He also said that during the test he would be watching my feet, hands, and head movements and that if I caught him staring at me not to pay any attention to it and just do what I had set out to do because he is just observing those things to make sure I am doing them correctly. He also said if I noticed him writing things down on his paper it did not mean I was doing something wrong necessarily and just to keep driving and ignore it and he would tell me at the end what it all meant. We then pulled out of the backing area and headed for the gate to the street. He said once we got past the gate and onto the road the test would begin.
While we were pulling out of the parking lot he noticed a guy up on the overpass that was standing there taking pictures. He mentioned it to me and said that was odd. I didn't notice it because I was not focusing on the overpass. My concern was down there on the road and getting out of the parking lot which was just what I needed to do. He then mentioned the guy had a dark Chevy car. I asked him if it was maybe a dark blue Malibu and he said that very well could have been. I then realized what it was and told the instructor in a sheepish voice that it was likely my husband stalking us to get pictures of me driving the truck. He found that very funny and just laughed. Thank goodness!
He then proceeded for the next hour or so telling me when to turn, when to pull over, where the simulated railroad crossing was, etc. The test really went off without a hitch. I did notice him writing down things here and here and watching me just as he said he would. During the test he also asked me about the speed limit of a ramp exiting the interstate to see if I noticed the sign. I didn't see the sign that day but looked at the ramp and thought I remembered it being 35 and that is what I said and that was correct. Then at the end of the test we went under a bridge and he asked me if there was a sign on it for the clearance height and I told him there wasn't and that was right. I was very worried about that because I knew he would be asking me about what signs I saw and wasn't sure I would know because when I am that nervous it is hard to pay attention to that and remember it.
Just as we got under the overpass and got almost into the entrance of the dog track, he again mentioned a guy siting up on the hill in the grass taking pictures and asked, "is that your husband?" I looked and saw him and laughed and said, "yep, he's stalking us to see how I'm doing." He just laughed and said he thought that was very funny that my husband was doing that. :) Glad he saw the humor in it and didn't think it was a distraction or a bad thing.
As we pulled back to the back side of the dog track where we started, he sat there with a calculator tallying up points on my paperwork. The moment of truth was here. Did I or didn't I pass? I got the truck parked, turned off the engine and waited to hear the news. When he said I passed I was so relieved. He commented on my driving and said only little tiny things he would correct but nothing major. He did mention my blinkers and I asked him what it was he noticed with that. He said it was just that when I changed lanes I could have left them on a little bit longer once I got into the lane, leaving them on until my trailer was completely straight in the lane behind the truck, but nothing major there. He just couldn't comment enough on how well he thought I did and even told me about some jobs with MNDOT that are open and that if I wanted to stay local and apply there they would likely hire me on the spot. That was an amazing feeling to hear that.
We then got out of the truck and Mark came up to find out how I did. I told him I passed and he said there was no doubt in his mind that I would pass. I know he had said that before but I still was not completely confident until the moment the examiner told me I did it. The examiner even took the time to tell Mark that he could tell I had put a lot of work into this and had studied and practiced hard due to how well I did. Mark confirmed with him that I was a hard worker at school and I put through a lot of effort on everything. Mark then told me that if I need a reference for any of the jobs I apply for he would be happy to be a reference for me. Very cool!
So that was my test. How exciting! Now I just have to take the paperwork he gave me to the DMV Monday morning and apply for my class A CDL and get all of the endorsements that the DMV has on file for me added to the license (hazmat, tankers, doubles/triples). I also have to set up the background and fingerprinting part of the hazmat so I can get that done.
I also called Dan on his cell to let him know I passed my test and that I need to get scheduled for 10-speed driving this upcoming week to complete the course. He set me up for 6 hours of training in the 10-speed with the 53-foot trailer. I go in Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The schedule is booked pretty tight right now so he wasn't sure if he could get me more time the following week and said I am not required to do the full 10 hours but if I wanted them he would help me set them up. He knows I am motivated to get the training completed so I can get hired on with a company and start training so I told him I would see how it goes this week and if I felt I needed the full 10 hours I would let him know. I am in a hurry to get done with my training and yet I don't want to miss out on more training for driving a 10-speed if I need it. I guess we will just have to see how this goes.
My priority for this morning was to get over to the DMV with the form from the examiner of my passed test so I could apply for my license and get the endorsements added to it that were on file at the DMV. I got to the DMV office in my town about 10 minutes after it first opened and got right up to the desk. The lady asked me why I was there and I explained and she then tells me that they are having an issue at this office with their computers not working so they cannot process any new licenses and can only do plate or license renewals this morning. She told me it was only the office here though and that I could drive to another town to get it done. The closest office open today was 40 minutes away so I jumped in the car and headed straight there. I was very worried that there was going to be an issue with them finding my endorsements and things like they did before with my permit but that was not the case this time. It all worked out fine. They got the tanker and doubles/triples endorsements added to my license and I paid for the hazmat endorsement so that I could start the fingerprinting and TSA background check and then once approved get that endorsement added as well.
Once I got back home after the DMV, I got online and scheduled my fingerprinting appointment which is done at our local UPS store and I was able to get that done today as well so I scheduled it and took care of that. Now I just have to sit back and wait for a letter in the mail from TSA about the results and what my next step will be. No idea how long it will take but hope it doesn't take too long since it is done electronically.
He had me pull forward to the backing area and ran through the DMV sheet that described exactly how I was to handle the first maneuver which was straight backing. He rattled off the wording from the sheet which was pretty fast (guessing it is because he has read it a billion times to people) and then asked if there were any questions, which was also part of what he was reading. I told him no and then he said, "now let me give you the instructions in my words" and he went on to explain the maneuver so it was clear to me what was expected of me. That was so helpful just to make sure I had it right.
I made sure I turned on my 4-way flashers (required), put on my seatbelt (also required in Wisconsin when doing your backing maneuvers), tooted the horn a couple of times, and began backing. I got the truck all the way through the cones as directed without using any pull-ups or get-out-and-looks and sounded my horn when I completed the maneuver.
He then came up and said I did a good job and now it was time to explain the next maneuver which was the offset. He again ran through the form and read to me what it said and then did the same thing and gave it to me in his words. Once I understood the way it would work, I pulled ahead into position and did the exact same thing I did on the first maneuver. Since I didn't get out and look during the straight backing my seatbelt was still on and my 4-ways were also still on. Once again I completed that maneuver without any pull-ups or get-out-and-looks, got all the way through it and honked my horn to indicate my maneuver was complete.
He then came up to the truck again and told me I did a good job on that and started to explain the final maneuver which was the alley dock. He ran through things exactly as he had the other two and gave both the form wording and his own and told me how I needed to drive around and set myself up for this maneuver. This is where it got tricky because at school they have cones out that you follow to get you back into your starting position and this was not the case. I had to drive around, bring myself back into the boundaries that he had set up with cones but there were no cones marking my starting position. I was required to figure that out for myself. He did advise not getting too close to the outer cones to allow room for the truck to begin the initial turn. He even allowed me to get out and look at the course before beginning the test to make sure I understood exactly what the boundaries were and where I needed to finish the maneuver.
After I fully understood the rules to this maneuver, I got back in the truck, got that seatbelt back on and moved my truck around the boundaries and came back into them to get into what I felt was a good starting position. All that mattered to him was that I was in the boundary area and the truck and trailer were straight to start and that I got it backed into the lane he had marked as the alley dock and got the end of my trailer into the 3-foot box. Sounds simple, right? Oh boy...it wasn't so simple actually. I pulled around and thought I had myself in a good position but once I tooted my horn twice and got started backing I realized I started a little bit too close to the outside boundary cones along the right side of my truck and trailer and if I went too far I was going to encroach that boundary and lose some points. I went back a bit and stopped and yelled out to him that I knew what I did wrong and could I start again. He yelled back that I could do whatever I wanted to do. Now my nerves set in a bit because I wasn't sure exactly what that meant and if it was a point deduction, if I had failed already or what but I did a pull-up to the left and got myself further away from the boundary cones, sat there a second and took a deep breath and literally told myself out loud to settle down and just do this like I did in school.
Once I regrouped, I started to back again and this time it was looking better and there was no way I was going to encroach the outside boundaries so they were no longer a concern and I only had to worry about the alley cones and that box area at the end. When I practice this maneuver at school I very rarely had to use a pull-up or get-out-and-look until I got to the very end just to make sure that I hit the box correctly so I went into the test prepared to use both of those get-out-and-looks at the very end. That was not the case today. I got almost to the first cones of the box and was not quite sure if my trailer was okay and if I was going to encroach over the passenger-side cone, and he told me if any part of the trailer encroaches that points are lost. This trailer being a drop-deck has rub rails on it and those would count if they went over the line as well. I got out and used one of the two get-out-and-looks just to be sure. Funny thing is I didn't even think about it at that moment that I really wanted to have them both for the end. Once I had determined that things were lined up okay and I should just continue on exactly as I was, I got back in the truck, got that seatbelt back on and continued on with the maneuver. I carried on and got myself into the box straight and now it was just a matter of getting the end of the trailer into the 3-foot box. I backed until I thought I was close and did a second get-out-and-look to see where I was. Had to keep in mind that it was better to stop short and look than to go over because going outside of the box is 6 points and that would be enough points to fail me right there on the backing maneuvers. When I was looking in the mirrors I figured I maybe had 1-2 feet to go yet and boy was that not the case. When I got back there to look, i was more like 4 or 5 feet to go. That is more than I ever had to go back at school and in my opinion a little harder to judge than just a foot or so. While I was looking the instructor reminded me that was my last get-out-and-look I had to use. I thanked him for reminding me of that and went back to the truck. I was looking at the cones along the way and noticed that the front cones were about 4-5 feet back from the stairs on my cab so that was going to be my measure. I took another deep breath and started to back up watching those cones and trying to see if the end of the trailer looked right. Since it is a metal rack that drops down it is almost impossible to gauge that so the cones were either going to be my friend or enemy at this moment. When I thought I had moved between 4 and 5 feet, I stopped and put the parking brakes on and honked my horn to let him know I had completed my maneuver. Now it was just a matter of time before he got himself back up to the cab to let me know if I had passed or failed. Thank goodness it was a "you passed, nice job." He did say I did a great job on those maneuvers even though I was a bit slow. I told him I definitely did not take so long to do those when I practiced them at school but I was advised by the school I have 10 minute per maneuver and it is best to go super slow and just make sure you get it right and don't focus on the speed. He agreed that it was handled correctly and told me it was time to move on with the road part of the test. Whew!
Once again he read the instructions to me from his sheet so I would know what he was expecting of me. He also said that during the test he would be watching my feet, hands, and head movements and that if I caught him staring at me not to pay any attention to it and just do what I had set out to do because he is just observing those things to make sure I am doing them correctly. He also said if I noticed him writing things down on his paper it did not mean I was doing something wrong necessarily and just to keep driving and ignore it and he would tell me at the end what it all meant. We then pulled out of the backing area and headed for the gate to the street. He said once we got past the gate and onto the road the test would begin.
While we were pulling out of the parking lot he noticed a guy up on the overpass that was standing there taking pictures. He mentioned it to me and said that was odd. I didn't notice it because I was not focusing on the overpass. My concern was down there on the road and getting out of the parking lot which was just what I needed to do. He then mentioned the guy had a dark Chevy car. I asked him if it was maybe a dark blue Malibu and he said that very well could have been. I then realized what it was and told the instructor in a sheepish voice that it was likely my husband stalking us to get pictures of me driving the truck. He found that very funny and just laughed. Thank goodness!
He then proceeded for the next hour or so telling me when to turn, when to pull over, where the simulated railroad crossing was, etc. The test really went off without a hitch. I did notice him writing down things here and here and watching me just as he said he would. During the test he also asked me about the speed limit of a ramp exiting the interstate to see if I noticed the sign. I didn't see the sign that day but looked at the ramp and thought I remembered it being 35 and that is what I said and that was correct. Then at the end of the test we went under a bridge and he asked me if there was a sign on it for the clearance height and I told him there wasn't and that was right. I was very worried about that because I knew he would be asking me about what signs I saw and wasn't sure I would know because when I am that nervous it is hard to pay attention to that and remember it.
Just as we got under the overpass and got almost into the entrance of the dog track, he again mentioned a guy siting up on the hill in the grass taking pictures and asked, "is that your husband?" I looked and saw him and laughed and said, "yep, he's stalking us to see how I'm doing." He just laughed and said he thought that was very funny that my husband was doing that. :) Glad he saw the humor in it and didn't think it was a distraction or a bad thing.
As we pulled back to the back side of the dog track where we started, he sat there with a calculator tallying up points on my paperwork. The moment of truth was here. Did I or didn't I pass? I got the truck parked, turned off the engine and waited to hear the news. When he said I passed I was so relieved. He commented on my driving and said only little tiny things he would correct but nothing major. He did mention my blinkers and I asked him what it was he noticed with that. He said it was just that when I changed lanes I could have left them on a little bit longer once I got into the lane, leaving them on until my trailer was completely straight in the lane behind the truck, but nothing major there. He just couldn't comment enough on how well he thought I did and even told me about some jobs with MNDOT that are open and that if I wanted to stay local and apply there they would likely hire me on the spot. That was an amazing feeling to hear that.
We then got out of the truck and Mark came up to find out how I did. I told him I passed and he said there was no doubt in his mind that I would pass. I know he had said that before but I still was not completely confident until the moment the examiner told me I did it. The examiner even took the time to tell Mark that he could tell I had put a lot of work into this and had studied and practiced hard due to how well I did. Mark confirmed with him that I was a hard worker at school and I put through a lot of effort on everything. Mark then told me that if I need a reference for any of the jobs I apply for he would be happy to be a reference for me. Very cool!
So that was my test. How exciting! Now I just have to take the paperwork he gave me to the DMV Monday morning and apply for my class A CDL and get all of the endorsements that the DMV has on file for me added to the license (hazmat, tankers, doubles/triples). I also have to set up the background and fingerprinting part of the hazmat so I can get that done.
I also called Dan on his cell to let him know I passed my test and that I need to get scheduled for 10-speed driving this upcoming week to complete the course. He set me up for 6 hours of training in the 10-speed with the 53-foot trailer. I go in Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. The schedule is booked pretty tight right now so he wasn't sure if he could get me more time the following week and said I am not required to do the full 10 hours but if I wanted them he would help me set them up. He knows I am motivated to get the training completed so I can get hired on with a company and start training so I told him I would see how it goes this week and if I felt I needed the full 10 hours I would let him know. I am in a hurry to get done with my training and yet I don't want to miss out on more training for driving a 10-speed if I need it. I guess we will just have to see how this goes.
Week Eight - Day Forty (Monday)
So this is my final week at school and all I have to do is drive in the 10-speed truck. I was scheduled to go in today to drive the 10-speed for the first time but got a call from Dan telling me they had to do some juggling around with the trucks and now the truck would not be available until tomorrow so that got switched.My priority for this morning was to get over to the DMV with the form from the examiner of my passed test so I could apply for my license and get the endorsements added to it that were on file at the DMV. I got to the DMV office in my town about 10 minutes after it first opened and got right up to the desk. The lady asked me why I was there and I explained and she then tells me that they are having an issue at this office with their computers not working so they cannot process any new licenses and can only do plate or license renewals this morning. She told me it was only the office here though and that I could drive to another town to get it done. The closest office open today was 40 minutes away so I jumped in the car and headed straight there. I was very worried that there was going to be an issue with them finding my endorsements and things like they did before with my permit but that was not the case this time. It all worked out fine. They got the tanker and doubles/triples endorsements added to my license and I paid for the hazmat endorsement so that I could start the fingerprinting and TSA background check and then once approved get that endorsement added as well.
Once I got back home after the DMV, I got online and scheduled my fingerprinting appointment which is done at our local UPS store and I was able to get that done today as well so I scheduled it and took care of that. Now I just have to sit back and wait for a letter in the mail from TSA about the results and what my next step will be. No idea how long it will take but hope it doesn't take too long since it is done electronically.
Day Forty-One (Tuesday)
Today is my first driving lesson in the big rig (10-speed). I arrived at school about 30 minutes early before my driving lesson and Pat saw me and brought me into the office to go over my schedule with Dan. Dan worked it out so that I could drive in the big rig 4 times this week, 2 hours per session so I would get in 8 hours of practice time and then be done with school and have my certificate. I have been asking to get that drive time in ASAP because my first choice company I want to work for requires me to not only have my license but also have my school certificate saying I completed the course and they will not schedule the interview until I have that. They said once I have the interview, if all goes well I could be training likely the next week. I sure hope so. I need to keep things moving so I don't have a big lapse in time between school and training for a company. I do have another company I am interested in but have been holding out on this main company first. If it turns out that she starts dragging her feet and doesn't get me in for that interview next week when I don't have school anymore, then I may be forced to go with the other company just because I need to get working.
So for driving today Chad came in to get me and said we will be driving the 9-speed instead of the 10-speed because the shifting pattern is easier. Fine by me. It is still double clutching and driving a big rig so the amount of gears really doesn't matter to me. He drove us out of the parking lot and over to the industrial park area so we could go around a big block section a couple of times to make sure I could do the shifting. Once he saw things were fine with that we moved on to driving on the interstate and all over the place. We went into a vacant grocery store lot and he had me do some straight backing to see how that feels compared to the trucks I have been using for backing and it was so much easier. Then he asked if I wanted to try backing up to a dock and I was all for it so we went around to the other side of the abandoned store and backed up to the dock. He told me what to watch for and how to set things up and then I started backing. I got it in there with one try without pulling up at all. He had me go all the way until you could feel the contact between the truck and the dock. Pretty neat!
He had me continue driving for almost the remainder of my time and then we headed back to school and he worked with me to couple and uncouple the trailer. He had me crawl up in the catwalk area, unhook both air lines and the electric, drop down the landing gear to a certain point, pull the 5th wheel release arm, drop the airbags (this is because of the chrome fenders over the tires) and then pull out. There it was....I was bobtailing in the yard. He had me go around in a big circle and then come back and try to line up so I would be able to back up to the trailer and couple it again. It was weird to back without the trailer for sure. You get used to having that trailer there and turning the wheel the way you would with a trailer and then all of a sudden you are backing it just as you would a car because you aren't connected to a trailer. Dang!
Well I got it lined up and backed up and got it hooked on again no problem. Then we went back out and I raised the landing gear and hooked up the air lines and electrical line again. Just like that...we were done. I only had one more thing I wanted to do and that was to have him take a picture of me by the big truck. I don't like pictures of myself but couldn't resist. This is a cool moment indeed that I have worked very hard to get to.
Day Forty-Two (Wednesday)
I got asked by another student if I could go in early today to help her with her pre-trip. This is the very student who pissed me off to no end on my last Wednesday pre-trip practice before I took my road test. She has her road test this coming Saturday and is starting to feel the pressure and is realizing she has not put in as much time as she should have this whole time. As much as I should have said no to her I didn't. I went into the school to help her. By the time I got there she no longer had access to the truck she needs to practice on because it was going out for a road lesson and the other truck she could use was being used by the students who are new this week so there was nothing outside we could work on. We could have practiced in the lobby just on the wording but as usual it turned into nothing but a gab session. This time it didn't matter to me since all I was doing there was waiting to go out on my second driving lesson in the big rig, but she really should have been trying to study and work on that pre-trip wording. I can safely say I will be completely surprised if she passes her test this Saturday.
Chad came and got me for my driving lesson and we took the same truck out as yesterday. We went on a road trip and did a lot of freeway driving and things and did some turns in the industrial area as well. I asked him about going to a scale to weigh and he said definitely we could do that so we went to the new Kwik Trip in the area by school to do that. He instructed me to go through the pump area since there was nobody there and then swing it wide around to get back to the scale area. He instructed me how to get up on the scale, push the call button, told me what things to say when they came on over the speaker, etc. When we were done, we pulled up into the fuel area again and parked there since there still wasn't anybody back there. We went inside and he showed me how you get the ticket and pay and things.
Once we were done there we went back to the truck and he showed me the ticket and explained it all. It was raining and not an ideal day for it so we didn't play with moving the tandems at all on the truck so I could see how that works. He told me we could do it tomorrow when we go out for our next driving session. I have one more session with him and then Friday I go out with another instructor and then I am done. My school training will be complete and I will have my certificate. I cannot believe this time has finally come.
My Last Day of School - Day Forty-Three (Thursday, May 12, 2016)
I went to the school bright and early this morning for what I thought was my second to last scheduled driving lesson in the the 9-speed. Chad and I went out and within the first 30 minutes of my 2-hour session Chad asked if I was sure I wanted to have another lesson Friday or if I just wanted to be done after today's lesson because he felt I was ready to graduate the way I was driving now. I thought about it a bit and decided I would cancel the lesson for Friday and just graduate today since he felt so strongly that I was ready to go. He messaged Dan at the school while I was driving so when I got back there would be a diploma there waiting for me when we got back.
For today's driving lesson we stayed more local to the school and didn't go out on the interstate as far because he wanted to test my skills on a pretty neat hill down the road from the school to see how I could handle it. It was a winding road that had quite a nice incline to it and in the middle of the hill there was a 4-way stop where you had to start out in 1st gear on that hill. I had a car behind me and everything but I did very well. I didn't roll back, didn't stall the truck and didn't even have an issue shifting at all. He said he does not take all of the students he trains on that hill and only does it for the people he knows do well with their shifting and can handle it. That was good to hear!
We did some more driving after that and I asked him about the Jake brake and what that is like so he had me go out and get the engine speed up and try it. That was really neat to feel what that is like. Then we went back to school about 20 minutes early so he could show me how to slide tandems since I had asked about doing that as well. Chad also told me that after I get some time on the road if I wanted to consider being an instructor at the school I should call Bill (the owner) and ask if there is an opening for an instructor. He feels that Bill would probably hire me on the spot based on my skills. Bill does not hire just anyone off the street and he also does not hire people who have not had experience driving over the road for at least a year or a set number of miles. Something to keep in mind if driving over the road does not turn out to be right for me.
While Chad and I were walking into the school, I noticed my husband was at the school. It was just luck that he was there because he had my car at the shop early this morning for an oil change and he was just stopping in quick to maybe see me driving the truck. He had no idea I was going to be graduating when I got done since I didn't even know myself until I was in the truck. It was nice that he was there so he could share in the moment with me.
Once we were in the building, Chad got my diploma, gave me a hat from the school, and gave me a form to fill out if I wanted to about my experience at the school. I wrote up a very nice review for the school and then gave that to Josh who took me outside to take my photo in front of a truck. The photo will end up on the monitor at the school and on their Facebook page and they will also post it on the school's website along with the review I wrote. While I was hanging out a bit after the photo, Josh came back out and asked me if I would be interested in doing a short video interview for the school to use as well. As much as I dislike having my picture taken and hate being on video even more I decided to do it because the school has been such a great experience for me and I want to pass that along to others who may be considering doing it but just need a little extra confidence to jump in with both feet and give the school a try.
I got a call from Arlene while I was at the school and she wanted me to help her run through her pre-trip since her test is this Saturday and apparently she did not have a good time doing it with Mark on Wednesday. She said Mark was stressing her out and telling her wrong things which I find hard to believe because Mark has been so good this entire time and that is the main person that got me through the pre-trip and driving practice. Anyway...I stayed at the school and helped her out once she got permission for us to be out there by the truck since it was not a pre-trip practice day.
We practiced for a couple of hours and then I decided I had enough and she was starting to get it much better so she really needed to just keep running through it in her head and get the wording down.
It was then that I made my final walk out the doors at school and it felt so weird to know I would not be returning there for more training. As exciting as it is to know I can now go out and start a new chapter in my life by getting a job and actually driving for a paycheck, it is sad to know the school part is done since my experience there was so positive and really a lot of fun. I will miss them all but promised Alex when I drive by in my own truck up on the interstate I will be sure to toot the horn to say "hello" as I go by. If I have the chance to do it, I would really like to bobtail to the school at some point just to bring my truck in and let the students get a good look inside and maybe help get them excited about the new career they are pursuing. I can't believe I am saying this, but this completes my CDL training blog.
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