Thank for the encouragement. As I get closer, I'm excited but also doing a "heart-check". There was a driver renting a car today at Enterprise and I asked him if there were one piece of advice he'd give a rookie driver and he said - "Make sure your hearts in it".

My heart is in it. I did Basic training in the army in the dead of winter at Ft. Leonardwood Missouri and I made it through with flying colors. I'm figuring the 6 weeks of my OTR training is another "Boot Camp" and I for one plan on taking it one day at a time to completion, then onward and upward.

I've also been told by plenty of drivers that I've met that the hardest part of the test is the pretrip - so tomorrow, since I have the day off - I'm going to spend the day at Starbucks and break down the components into something that is logical, such as "Starts the Truck", "Stops the truck", "Keeps the truck going", "Keeps the combo together", "Keeps the truck safe in case it quits", so instead of 100 points to remember, I now only have 5 to remember. Am I missing something? - I'll find out when I study tomorrow and take notes. Then I will have done it at least twice before I go to school and do it again for the third time. I've read the CDL once already. (I will be reading it again before I go, all pertaining to the CDL - I'm not going for any additional endorsements until after I've ascertained my basic CDL. I do not want to convolute my focus with anything other than getting in the door. I still have time afterwards to add my endorsements.) Next read through I'll be taking notes and highlighting the pertinent information and organizing the pretrip into negligible bites before I go. Then I'll repeat that a third time, while I'm in school.

I've passed the California Real Estate Exam and the books were much thicker with a lot more details. I also passed my AIT first time, so I know I will be able to do this also if I dedicate myself to it.

T.....I think you'll find the exam isn't all that hard, not nearly as hard as the real estate exam. Know your brake functions (kick-in and dropout levels, the different systems i.e. service, parking and emergency, and the maintenance), know your haz mat rules, general rules and you'll do fine. It's really little more than a test to see if the person knows how to read and comprehend the matter................I know people who have read the CDL book once and passed with flying colors who never stepped inside a truck before..........your PT is really nothing more than going through the components over and over and over.........the main thing is to do it the same way every time, let each area lead you to the next section..........it's really just rote memorization. Your schooling will prepare you for the road and skills test.

I think what the other driver was telling you when he said "Make sure your heart's in it," is simply that driving is like nothing you've ever done before. It's not so much a job as it is a way of life, kinda like ranching, farming or raising thorough breds. It's 24/7/365 days a year with a few breaks thrown in. When you're out on the road, your in your own world, many times cut off from family, in some place you don't know, going to some drop you'd never even want to know where it's at in any other life, headed to some other place where it's all the same again...........one TS starts looking like every other TS, one meal starts tasting like the last one you had and every highway starts looking the same........trees are usually the only difference other than topo...........if you're not careful you will find yourself slipping into what I call the road zone...........you start functioning merely out of repetitive responses and that's when you fall into the danger zone..............so what's the answer? You exercises routines that keep you out of the zone..........you find things that keep your mind focused, sharp and rested. I used to keep a couple of camp chairs with me. Every chance I got, I'd set them up and get away from the truck.....if nothing else, I'd sit and watch the sun rise or set and just meditate on the world around me................once, I had a visitor, a doe ease out of the woods and eventually shared a granola bar with me....talk about a recharge............it helps to keep things in perspective...........

You'll find your niche..........just keep in mind when you're out on the road that the job last in 14 hours segments..........it's up to you to make the other 10 hours your rejuvenation process.

Thanks for helping me keep things in perspective. I'm a workaholic and once I get to a job, ANY job, I work hard and forget to smell the roses. If you've followed my posts a little, you may notice that I was a "stay-at-home" dad for 3 years. The reason? I got sick from nonstop work work work for the better part of 12 years. I get caught up in what I'm doing til I drop.

I see a lot of complaints about the HOS rules, but for me it will force me to reset ...and smell the roses. I hate being idle though. I went stir crazy for 3 years but when my wife (and my physical health) slapped that OOS stamp on my forehead, I was forced to.

I strongly agree with this point!!

I talked to Swift before I went through the CDL mill, and was thoroughly unimpressed with their operation. While I was attending the CDL mill, a Swift recruiter came out to talk to us, and spent a considerable amount of time talking about how wealthy Jerry Moyes was, and how many jets he owned.

At the time, they were offering 22 CPM, and promised an average of 2200 miles per week in a truck that was governed at 62MPH.

GEE!! The thought of making Jerry Moyes richer seemed like a driver's dream!! :P