Trucker Forum - Trucking & Driving Forums - Class A Drivers - New Members

I'm a "green'e". Ya, brand new to this fourm/blog/posting board, new to the scene of big rigs (aside from living in/around ATL and the 285 derby), and you guessed it - nada CDL permit or otherwise. I probably could have made that choice back when I was getting out of high school and saved $$ for a few years while researching, but a decade latter... well read on my new friends.

Let's cut to the chase, shall we?

I hail from Columbus, GA - moved to ATL in the spring of 92 (Blizzard of the decade) for about two years and then moved to Canton, GA and have been having mail sent there since. I've worked just about every line of customer service: Apprenticed with my father in photography (he's been doing it about 37 years now) and we've ran a small family biz for the past eight years. Movie theater popcorn pusher/seller/ & ticket shredder/dispenser (First actual job I've ever worked cause it was just outside my old H.S. and they let me leave from school early if I told them I had to 'work'). B.S.A. Counselor ('Trained')('Over Trained') and ya, rank Eagle too. Joined active duty at 19 and became a chair jockey with an electronics background; discharged later for having an incompetent boss who was replaced by a more incompetent 'cross trained/cross over/cause the 'man' has made cutbacks to your field and combined it with another - 'we said so' boss which was replaced with another boss not even a month later and looked at my sorry Arse as now 'tainted' - even though I busted my B@llS and worked overtime for almost two years in a career field that was undermanned/understaffed by 4:1 when I got my first DIY to 'Moody patch' on I-75 in GA (even though my 'dream sheet' had everything from Alaska, Colorado, Tenn., Even 'Why-not-MY-NOT' North Dakota, and then ++ oversees... nope back to GA for me. Became an electrician (closest thing to my ability since the FAA doesn't allow my field to transition without four years OTJ) worked for a company who hired me because I'm green (attended their 'approved' school for my journeyman while working 55+ hrs a week) - slave labor rate - but I got my feet wet till the contract was complete. Jumped to another Electrical contractor and drove from AL, GA, TN, and NC for them - fired after that job/contract was done. Moved to another electrical company... stayed a month - nearly killed myself at the job site for a jerk who only knew how to point a finger and say make it work even though he wasn't supplying the necessary materials to even get things partly complete on a weekly basis. Jumped to another electrical/low voltage alarm company and was fired before I knew what happened or why (like a week, seriously). Got a job with a temp agency and found myself stuffing envelopes (120 thousand nightly) for a decent wage - to be canned cause they only had three openings for nine people and I was short about three months in fourth place - though I almost broke the record 12 on 12 off seven days a week shift at the end of the year with more than 165 thousand stuffed in a single shift (only about 25 thousand short from the record) - mind you the pace is that way for about eight weeks straight. Married a (seemingly) nice girl. Got a job with Saturn - moved from New car sales to Service in two months, stayed for about eight - had a service related problem with parts screwing it up so bad (forgot to order for three days), then my co-workers multiplied it three times worse in service/technicians confusion while I was out sick playing put the part in and pull it back out X3 (because the guest lied about authorizing the other parts that we also didn't have and had to order), only to have the part that was forgotten for three days fail and cause more damage/aggravation - and that was the only other one in the system or warehouse; just to be replaced with another 'lack of communication' from parts at the check out counter about the price of the 'finally, miss, we'd like to get our loaner you've had for nearly three weeks & sorry we had our head in a hole and thumbs up our... ' while I was on my day off at the OB/GYN and looking at my third trimester pregnant wife going 'Huston, we have a problem'. Now that I look back at the whole thing -- Saturn closing and GM biting off that whole 'bail-out' 'keep America rolling - 0%, 0 down, 0 payments' bull-crap... And I hear that Pontiac is so to be a shadow too, so... count my blessings?? Jumped on with Cornetta Enterprises just to make ends meet, greeting my new prospective 'guests' with a black Johny Cash outfit day in a day out - just to bring home only enough to barley wash the dust from all the product sitting on the shelf off my only three completely black pants/shirt/shoes/socks while I was continuously harassed by staff, management, and the occasional 'guest'. In fact I even used a line 'keeping the wives happy at home with this while your gone, Mr. Trucker/Police-man/two time earner/corporate traveling executive.' - 'I like to think of myself as selling you and yours a happiness - that will have you thinking of one another in their absence' - and - 'It works for your lips mam, those lips too. I works on your hands, finger tips, and his tips too.' haha really, I got to talk about anything - mostly staying away from religion (for obvious reasons) and politics *cause I hate talking about it*, but everything else was fair game; sold the hell out of some fine glass 'smoking' accessories and vaporizers (my favorite). Moved on from that to CutCo (cutlery) - still 'employed' there, "FOREVER" guarantee on all their products. Worked at GameStop cause I couldn't find work elsewhere - holiday temp to fire(d). Worked at more theaters somewhere in between exiting the A.F. and stuffing envelops, and tried to again recently - credit is sooooo screwed up they won't even give me the time of day. Time to turn a new page.

My hands are tied at this point - verge of homeless - wife and I have split (she went loopy from a prescription 'Reglan' and has tried to do harm to myself and our two children) is now somewhat stable with our third child while my folks have custody of the older two. Moms got vertigo, diabetes, and (unrelated) migraines from a child-hood accident forcing her into early retirement from a $85k/year salary w/benefits; Fathers at risk of extreme depression because of the mess he thinks he created with 'not giving me what he could have', the economy, and photography isn't what it used to be with everyone now becoming there own dark room/print lab/photo guru - sales are starting to slip with the economy and other companies are bidding in on our long term clients with the promises of signing bonuses (and forcing contracts for those who take it) while delivering crap with second/third rate 'student' paying positions and ruining the reputation of the established seasoned photographer. I am going to lose everything - so I might as well beat it to the punch and go OTR.

My new page to turn. ***First and foremost*** I expect to get a bit of razzing from my (paragraph or two) long intro.. and I don't care if you read it/half way read it/or just skipped to the beef. I know where I sleep - and if the bed isn't made the way you want to before you get in it - that's fine by me - I have to sleep in it, ok? [What's the point of making a bed anyway if your the only one who sees it and your just going to get back in it at the end of the day anyway? Not alluding to anything - actually talking about real life there. I'm not saying don't change the sheets weekly or as they soil - that's just gross.]

I've been researching, and will continue to research even after I become accepted/orientate corporate 'school'/manage training while learning O.T.J./and even after I get my CDL and have paid back into the system - I'm still going to research. It is paramount and something that I have learned through countless phases of my journey to this point. You should never stop learning.

Yes, I plan on getting into a company 'SPONSORED' program - I wish I had the $$ for school, unfortunately Uncle Sam took my benefits. I don't have the time at this point (kids need clothing/food/home school supplies) and I have some support at home to allow a bit of wiggle room for me to 'train' for about a month and a half. I'm selling my car - or what's left of it for the food money, supplies, D.O.T. physical, C.D.L. permit, and 'a one way ticket back' should all else fail at the lucky 'mill'/'slaughter house' that I chose after much CAREFUL [ya I know - a bit of an oxymoron statement there] consideration. I'm not about to half-attempt it though... recorders for conversations over the phone, e-mails with specific details, e-mails to their boss confirming that they can/will back it up... I'm even looking into finding my lawyer friends to have them look over anything I can get sent to me in writing. I'm currently working at this research like it is a full time job - trips to the library for book smarts, blog digging, BBB.org/ripoff report.com, google, friends that are already CDL qualified and making a living, and here I am with my first blog. I am very thorough (many bosses have complained before that I might be a bit too much) and already have a background in cars and electronics and I LOVE to drive.

I had a friend pay my way from ATL to Seattle for his household goods to ship on a 24' U-haul. I drove the entire trip with co-pilot [who at the last minute tried to have his license reinstated only to find out that another county had a hold on him and he needed another $700], sometimes 16 hours straight, slept in the cab with my feet on the dash over the steering wheel (cause buddy didn't trust us to use the couch in the back of the truck), and saw the west for my first (and only) time. Did I do pre-trip inspections? You bet. Stop when I was tired. Absolutely. Made the trip from Atl to Nashville and 40 West on to OKC. Stopped once there for the night - woke the next morning and had the rig in the shop for it's scheduled (ya, I checked the log book) maintenance - which it turned out that it was due at the time we were driving through and it was also it's home terminal so they had the records on it already. Two big thumbs up there from the rent-a-company and we were back on 40 in two hours flat. Drove till Flagstaff and stopped again for sleep and nothing else. Drove over the Grand Canyon - got out to sight see but not walk around - and back in the truck till Bakersfield.. stayed in the truck cause buddy forgot to tell his wife to watch the funds and we weren't told to go any specific way (just because I went this way for it was fall and the snow was already four to five inches in Colorado - and I wasn't taking the northwest route from IL over through WY with the blizzard like weather) but no complaints from me. Woke early the next morning - like I had a choice cause sleeping in the truck cab isn't exactly sleeping) drove over the golden gate later that day and up the coast on HWY 1... Freaking AWSOME!! I'd seen the gulf from FL, LA (LOWER ALABAMA), Biloxi MS (Training in the A.F.). I've seen the Atlantic from Maine and Mass. as well as NC, SC, and GA. Driving up the coast across 128/253 to HWY 101 for an unscheduled stay in Ukiah (out of gas for a day till he got paid) and another night in the cab at a local soup kitchen we found and had a meal for free. Next morning up and at the Western Union at open and back on the road 20 to Cedar Lake and up HWY 5. Freight unloaded by midnight and as far as I remember - nothing broken or damaged. Turned the truck in the next morning and hopped a plane with one connection a week later back to ATL.

I was once on the road from Biloxi to ATL to Valdosta (stationed as I mentioned before) in a single day. Drove once from VLD to ATL and back just to take my g/f at the time back the next day to ATL and come back to VLD for duty the following day (About four hours one way - considering I lived in Canton, GA; forty minuets north of ATL). I've driven from ATL to Columbus, GA to Biloxi and back to Valdosta, GA in a two day period. Driven from ATL to St. George's Island, FL in a day with a friend who didn't want to go and wouldn't drive at all.

So, just so that it's clear I could sit in a driver's seat and be more than happy. If you could find a way to put a port-a-potty in the camper of a regular sleeper rig I'd almost never leave; I've been camping more than enough to know how a ho-bo bath works with wet wipes.

Now: I do want some feed back -- been typing for well over an hour.
I've checked into - been accepted to 'ORIENTATION' at CRE. I didn't say yes or no (still waiting from the dmv for my 'c' class to be renewed and it's in the mail next week or so)
Applied to Swift, Millis, and I'm looking into CRFT. I've been to several blogs that claim fraud/ripoff - I'M NOT LEASING NO MATTER WHAT THEY SAY OR DO... I'D rather the gun toting folks at CRE just try and shoot me before I sign on that contract to be responsible for EVERYTHING>TAG?INSURANCE?QUALCOMM?TAX?TAX PREP?LICENSE PLATE AND REGISTRATION? just to find out I'm getting someone else's old worn in shoes and be stuck in shop after shop with techs guessing and drawing straws? So far it looks like Millis has the lowest student:teacher ratio and puts limits on class size - however I may be dq on DMV history from my class c. It's not terrible - no dui/dwi ever. Just a moving violation/ticket and an accident within three years. Credit might DQ me at millis as well as employment history. I'm not too worried about being/having home time for the first six months - kids are all under four and they're gonna flip out when they find out that I'm driving 'MAC' from Disney's 'Cars'. Mom's got Skype and I'll get a air card and plug it into my laptop and we'll all be just fine. Mom's full time at home anyway and I've got to send the majority of the check back or loose my kids and/or be forced to pay child support (or jail). I'm not even trying to let it get to that point. I've been reading about food tips and taking free test on the internet to prep for the written exam... I've found some company's 'PHASE II and III' pamphlets and booklets as well - d/l them for further reading. Basically I've dumped more memories like I did in my tech training in the A.F. for the use of 'sponging' my brain on anything I can get a hold of - the youtube vids on pre-trip, in cab inspections, yada, yada...

I'm in overall ok health - I plan on exercising (walking before my morning pre-trips) at least thirty minuets to an hour every other day, and calisthenics on the off days from that. I'm pretty much already on a diet of sorts - thought I'd had I.B.S. and now I'm finding it's more likely a wheat/gluten intolerance... forcing me to stop eating like a garbage can. I stopped drinking sodas a long time ago - those things are just bad news.

I'm more than stoked to get the ball rolling and I know - there's going to be those days that you know the rain and the cold are just going to do there worst and seep into your skin and make the bones ache... so life has already shown me the brutal truth about getting bent over and 'Assuming the position' - hell the A.F. didn't even offer foreplay or lube.

I've got some other questions - like who out there is running HHO systems to combat fuel prices? How do you determine that they've (DM's and FM's) got you working stupid and your not going to make the run in the amount of time -- traffic for certain cities, tolls that won't be repaid? I've seen something about knowing how much fuel NOT to put in so you don't over load on fuel and take from your pay? What is the average amount ($$) of tools required to be 'company' status and what of these things are they going to determine that your paying for (like reflective/rain/cold gear)?

My grandfather ran trucks from Calif. to Alabama before there were sleepers, so he's told me some things - usually every other sentence is 'as far as that's concerned' or he's stuck to the same story for about a month or two before the next part of it comes about.. but he's also seventy something and just about done, so.. he's loved and been a great inspiration to me from as early in my childhood memories as I can remember - knows no limits to the amount of tools that he can put his hands on and has seen almost every trade there is in housing with those hands. He taught me about the basics of auto mechanics before I was out of grade school. He still amazes me to this day with things that I'd never guess about and have only begun to discover at my point in life.

Well I should probably stop at some point a get the feedback going - who knows the system here has probably logged me out for inactivity.

Thanks ahead of time - I do appreciate what everyone here does for me and my family - cause I know what you put on my plate every day and where I live thanks to you out there on the road... I'm always looking out for you when I drive - telling those who listen with my lights - warning - and some look to see I'm saying you've got a flat or you've got chain running the ground or just get over and I'll stop with you and show ya... sometimes I beat myself stupid trying to figure out why the soccer mom in all her hurry has no idea that the tire is about to bust and it's on the driver's front! How do you not see it lady? You just like taking other people down with you, hun? And for those trucks out there that flash the runners to let me know 'hay! thanks for letting me in or thanks for signaling me to move on in/clear checking me.', it makes me feel a whole lot better to know that you're paying attention to me too with the thank you that you blink back.

Check ya'll later