I will be the first to tell you, get a USB internet card. My mentor, who has been a driver for 5 years, dont park in truck stops at night, because he cant back. Think of how hard it is for me to get a shower every other day or get internet on my wireless.

As far as the TV goes, if you got a good laptop, screw the TV. Besides, if you have some down time at a truck stop, why not go for a walk or strap a bike to the back of the truck, and go for a ride. No wonder half the drivers on the road are FAT. ...oh wait...i'm fat. =) but I will NOT be watching TV getting fatter. I'd rather go for a 30 min ride or a walk, then come back for a shower and hit the sack.

I drove 9 straight hours from just north of Iowa on I-35 to just inside OK. and i was ready to crash.

my question is, how can a newbie driver learn to get some sleep in the sleeper when the truck is bouncing all over??

And this is the guy who's teaching you how to drive? :?

In time.

Try a pair of earplugs.
Try sleeping on your stomach.
Keeps yer innards from shakn' all over!
Worked for me!

Jeff, I KNOW I KNOW. The first time he tried backing into a spot at Love's on I-55, i had to get out, and see how much room he had on the right side. HE HAD LIKE 4+ FEET !!! Then he came so close to the JB Hunt truck on his left, the trailer side BARELY touched (if it did) the fish eye mirror on the fender. He waived me up to the truck, and he said, "...that spot is too tight, let someone else have it."

I went to the Swift school in Idaho, and they taught us the 45* "alley dock". My mentor had a little more room than that, for that parking spot at the truck stop, and he couldnt park it. I was so needing a shower, i almost asked him to move over and let me park it.

I know the right way and the wrong way, thing that sucks is that I'm getting no experience doing much backing. If there was a poster around, saying how bad swift drivers cannot back, this guy would be on the cover.

I am currently reading " a confederacy of dunces" I highly recommend it. it takes a little while to get into it, but it's a great book