Glad to see you following your dream. I'm a retired Coast Guard Chief myself and been driving 7 months now. Life is good.

thanks.....doesn't matter if one is Navy or CG, once a Chief always a Chief!!! So who are you driving for?

Day 6 of CDL School 6/9/07:
Today ended up being a somewhat short day. Our classroom hours are usually from 8am to about 5 or 6pm (7days a week). But today class let out at noon because the A/C in the building went out. Now if you are familiar with south Texas heat, you’ll understand why we called it an early day.

However, in the short 4 hour day, we did manage to cover Basic Controls, Cornering, Shifting, and Speed Management and as usual, a test after each subject. I am continuing to do well on the tests which tell me I am retaining the information, “knock on wood”. The unfortunate thing about getting out of class early today is that we have a ton of homework. Not to mention that the wife expected a bigger dent in the “Honey Do” list that is currently a mile long.

Day 7 of CDL School 6/10/07:
Getting out of class yesterday was great in the fact that I was able to take care of several personal things. However, it did come with a price in a sense that we had a lot to make up for. We went over Backing, Coupling & uncoupling, Visual Search, Communicating, Space Management, Night Operations, and Extreme Driving. All of these topics had between 1 & 3 videos in addition to the instructor’s presentation. The normal tests followed each subject. Whew…….what a long day. By the time I got home, the last thing I wanted to do watch TV….LOL.

Over all though it was a good weekend of training as I felt I walked away with a little more knowledge, and that is the goal.

That's why I'm not rich. I have a soul, while I have yet to meet a successful salesperson who did.

Congrats Devildice... I am in the same boat. I had planned on being on the road last year, but life is what happens while your making other plans. So a major setback has pushed my dream off to next year.

Like you I have been reading and researching this for years. This forum is amazing and it really helps the prospective career changer know the ups and downs of this job and career choice.

I think you did it right by taking your time and learning all you could before taking the plunge. It is no wonder so many people come on CAD and have just jumped into a fleece purchase or signed on the line with a company that is nothing short of a slave operation. So to hear that the recruiters really spin it up is not surprising.

Like you I have a pretty short list of the companies I would be willing to drive for at this point. I just continue to absorb as much as possible. I am looking forward to your recommendations as you complete this process on things that those who are going to make this move can do to make preparation easier and the transition smoother.

Keep the posts coming! I love it!

Longsnowsm

Thanks Longsnowsm.....I am glad there are a couple of people that enjoy reading my post. As I stated in the begining, i am doing it for 2 reasons.....1) for those that enjoy reading these types of post, and 2) maybe it can help easy any anxiety of those that are thinking about getting into the career.

I wish you the best of luck and would like to hear of your endeavors as well.

Day 8 of CDL School 6/11/07:
Today was yet another very productive day. We went over and tested on Proficiency Development, Railroad Crossings, Hazard Perception, Emergency Maneuvers, and Vehicle Systems. It appears that all the research I have conducted over the years is paying off as I feel I understand the material very well. In a sense, it almost seems like a lot of what they are teaching us, is actually reinforcing what I have already learned. I know this is going to sound really corny, but every day in class I feel hungry and the “food’ I crave is the knowledge to learn how to become a safe and professional driver. In any case, I feel like the choice to attend this school was a wise one.

On a side note: a student from the class ahead of mine made a comment about how much he enjoys the course but was not so thrilled with the 7 day class schedule. One of the instructors chimed in and just said "welcome to trucking.....driver".....I got a chuckle out of it.

LOL, complaining already about a 7 day work week! Not even a 14 hour day to boot. That is priceless!

Longsnowsm

I drive a nightly dedicated between the bay area and Sacramento for United Stationers supplying product to a couple different Staples distribution sites.

I'm gaining experience and getting a solid year under me before I decide my next step. There's so many options out there that need to be explored that I think you need to find a good place to sit back and take it all in while you work through the bugs.

Day 9 of CDL School 6/12/07:
The day started off with a rather LONG test on U.S. DOT Regulations. Although it was a little time consuming, I actually enjoyed it because it made us use the FMCSR to research the correct answers. It reminded me of how we do business in the military. Everything we do is always “IAW” (In Accordance With) some sort of governing regulation. So using the FMCSR was right up my “alley”. We also had one recruiter come in and speak to us about 2 different companies.

Besides those to things, we spent the rest of the day outside. They (the school) call it a “Lab”. First half of the day was spent on pre-trip inspections. When you read the pre-trip inspection process in the books, it can seem confusing and overwhelming to say the least. But when you actually do it, it all comes together and makes more sense. At least that is how I felt. I am one of those types that can read something a 1,000 times over and I may or may not comprehend it. However, if you let me feel, see, smell, and touch it, I will learn it on the 1st shot (most of the time).

After lunch, we went over slack adjusters and we actually adjusted them on one of the trailers. In fact, that particular trailer was having problems earlier in the day when one of the tandems would periodically lock up. When we checked it out, sure enough, the set that was locking up was so tight that there was no slack in it what so ever. So we got “real world” training so to speak by adjusting it and the other 3. That is the kind of training I enjoy the most……hands on.

There is only about 4 days left of the classroom portion then its all “behind the wheel” training. Not sure what is on the schedule for class tomorrow, but after class I will be running down to the DPS office to take my Hazmat endorsement.