Day One of Orientation with Davis Transport 07/09/07
I did not sleep too well last night. I think it was a combination of sleeping in a “strange” bed, a little too much late night coffee, and maybe a little bit of excitement about getting started on my 2nd career.
There are a total of 6 of us attending orientation. 2 of the guys are experienced drivers and the other 3 and I the “newbie’s’. They all are very nice guys and I have made 5 new friends today. Speaking of nice people, today we met several of the employees’s to include the owner of the company, and EVERYONE seems so nice and genuine. I also got to finally meet my recruiter Pat. Now Pat is more than a recruiter to me, she has become a true friend as we have been in communication for about 6-7 months now. Sometimes we would just chew the fat about everyday life and nothing to do with Davis or the industry. So it was an absolute pleasure to finally put a face with the voice/emails.
We filled out and signed a few papers and met several of the company staff as well as conducting the required pre-employment drug test. We spent a good portion of the day outside going over vehicle inspection. This was much more detailed than what we learned in school. In addition to the normal pre-trip inspections, Davis requires a though inspection of the tractor and trailer at least once a week. This includes greasing any and all fittings as well as many other things which are too numerous to list. All in all though, it really wasn’t too difficult. I got the impression that they want us to develop “good” habits in order to prevent a lot of headaches later on. This was not a new concept to me as we conduct similar inspections in the Navy.
After lunch we had to take a road test. Even though it was emphasized that they wanted to make sure we were safe drivers in that we did not follow too closely, speed management, lane management, proper turning and backing techniques, etc, they also said they a failure could result in being sent home. I got the impression that it was more of a “Take this Serious” tactic than anything else, it was still a little nerve racking because here I have my boss evaluating me on my driving skills in a truck I have never seen the inside of much less drove. Needless to say I passed.
Davis operates KW T800’s and I was in a 2007. I was amazed and shocked at how it handled compared to the 1995 KW T600 I drove while in school. The new T800 was like driving a Cadillac.
Anyways, we wrapped up the day with some load securement and will continue with it over the next couple of days. I don’t have our “Orientation Schedule” in front of me, but if I recall correctly, tomorrow promises to be yet another jammed packed day.
Oh yeah, one last thing. In the morning, Pat had mentioned we were going to have Prime Rib for lunch. We knowing pat, I assumed she was joking of course and was I dead wrong. They provided us with prime rib, french fries, bread, and a salad!!!!!! That’s what I call a good lunch