[samael9]

Gee, it feels nice to have something to post on this board again!

After a bunch of twiddling around, having finally settled in Neosho, MO, I have decided to get back into trucking. In using the generous resources available on this site (thank you very much), I applied to CFI again, Melton and Arrow.

Because I've been out of the seat for a while, I know CFI would require me to run with a finisher for 4-8 weeks. Bummer for my dog; can't do it to him again..... Melton wanted me to have some more experience before taking me on and Arrow has been on the phone with me at least three times a day making sure I furnished them with all the required information necessary to satisfy the Good Ol' DOT.

Looks like I'm going with Arrow......

I am looking forward to pulling a flat bed and learning all the joyous exercises needed to secure things. Love chains and shackles. Call me crazy, but here we go.

I had to do a visit today. I am enrolled in orientation for this coming Monday, but I didn't want any surprises. So off to Tulsa I went.

I saw the training facility and the shop. Very well kept. Nothing like the Grand Palace at Chateau d' CFI, but it seems to be a very well organized organization. And natch, everyone was very friendly.

I did a search to see if anyone else has written anything about Arrow and didn't come up with anything. Anyone got some skinny on these guys????

Clint :twisted:

[tootie04]

Hi,

My DH drives for Arrow and he is happy MOST of the time!! He dosent like to sit....so he gets antsy in the winter. Arrow and most ALL flatbed company's are slow right now. It usually picks up in the spring....March or so...Anyway Arrow has a really good training program. Hopefully you have enough experience that you will not require the 4 weeks with a trainer. But if you do be warned SOME of Arrows trainers are NOT that great!! All I can say is suck it in till ya get your own truck. Debbie is really cool though and you need to let her know if you are having any problems and she will do everything she can to help.

I am going to Central Tech in Jan to GET my CDL and then DH and I will truck together. I have spent 2+ years on the truck with him and know what to expect as far as OTR trucking.

If you have any more questions about Arrow just PM me if ya want.

tootie

[samael9]

Hi Tootie,

Thanks for the info. These people seem very good so far. I have a little (3 months) driving experience from Watkins/Shepard. I started a rather long-ish thread about my newbie adventures about a year ago with them.

I have been told that when all goes well with my road test and physical on Monday, I will move right into orientation and load securement class. The length of the class is only a few days, so I should expect a truck assignment and a load out before Friday of next week.

It's hilarious. I couldn't sleep last night dwelling in memories of shifting, backing, logging and everything else that comes with the job. I reviewed lists of stuff that I will need to bring, thinking about making sure my XML subscription is current and wondering about Internet access. The trivialities......

I got my bus ticket down to Tulsa today. I'll be leaving Joplin, MO this Sunday afternoon. The show starts at 6:00 am on Monday morning. WooHoo!

[coalregion]

The best of luck to you, and I hope everything works out great for you. :wink:

[tootie04]

are you staying at the tradewinds?? If so I think you have internet access there...let them know you need access when you get there cause it may only be certian rooms.

I am sure the driving will come back to ya. also make sure you bring a blanket or sleeping bag cause some trainers dont always idle their trucks. Dont be afraid to ask your trainer questions BEFORE you leave. Make sure you bring clothes for ALL types of weather!! Dont forget at least 1 set of gloves. Make sure you have your black notebook DONE when you get off your trainer truck!! You will not get a truck unless it is done. and please make sure you bring money to survive the first week!! Oh and DONT go to the bar at the tradewinds....this has been many an arrow students demise!! I dont care how much your buddies eb you on to go there. It just aint a good idea...

that is all i can think of for now.

tootie

[Crackaces]

Clint!

There are a couple of postings .. one is the Arrow Adventures from Ranger1 that I guess is now in the archieves.

I found an excellent post from another Arrow thread ..

Originally Posted by PhuzzyGnu

I can't relate any personal insight about NYC- but I would count on at least 2 or 3 weeks out from there.


As a newbie you haul whatever everyone else hauls. Down here, it was mainly pipe, some coils, pipe, sheet metal, pipe, HVAC units, and more pipe. Pipe is not fun. You really have to take our time and do your due diligence on securement. It'll kill you if you are lazy. Coils are probably the most dangerous- after all, they are round and can and will roll away. The least fun of all is the "Spaghetti pipe" loads- pre-fab pipe of all shapes and sizes and bends. It is seemingly dropped on the trailer at random and you really have to take your time to get it secured right. On top of that, a lot of it is pre-finished, so you have to put burlap sacks under every strap. Don't even ask how often you have to adjust your straps after travelling the cratered wasteland that is 1-10 from Lake Charles to Houston....

Most of the new trailers are 48' aluminum Utility spread axles. You generally get a trailer and drag it around for a few loads before you end up having to swap it at a drop-and-hook. I pulled steel and aluminum, flat and step-deck, double-drop, tridem axle, whatever. Some oversize as well.

Tarping was the exception down here- most steel commodities simply don't require it, although just about everything out of Lardeo was tarped- Actually tarped twice. It comes across the border with Mexican tarps and those are taken off by crazy fast little Mexicans. You then re-tarp with yours.

Arrow's orientation is very thorough and the load securement training is excellent. I've called Dave Turner a few times since to let him know he had an unsafe load on the road.

Look, flatbedding is hard work, and can be dangerous. You'll sweat more than you thought possible tarping and strapping and chaining down loads. I would get into the truck after securing some loads completely drained. I vomited under a trailer from heat stress in Baton Rouge.

I saw a driver use up 8 of his nine lives at the port of Houston when some 30" pipe rolled off while he was strapping- he ducked under the trailer and missed being crushed to death by inches. I've seen a driver go kite-flying off the truck with his tarp across the yard in windy Laredo. I saw drivers fishhook themselves with bungee cords, do amateur dental work with cheater bars, pinch off the end of fingers in ratchets, crush their feet under steel beams while waking on a trailer being loaded, and crush hands placing dunnage under loads. You MUST be safety-minded at all times.

You will make some decent money by newbie trucker standards- maybe $1000 a week take home depending on your deductions if you run HARD. But you will earn every penny.

[geomon]

Welcome back Clint.....good luck and happy trails!!

[samael9]

Ummm, gulp. Thanks CA. It wasn't enough loosing sleep over the range-splitter last night..... ops: And thanks to the diligent author who composed the marvelous description of the work involved. Come what may; this is what I am doing.

It is for all the aforementioned which draws me to flatbedding. Having years of experience aboard sailboats and an equally deep appreciation for mechanical things in general, it just seems like a perfect fit for me. We will just have to let time and experience take its due course.

Geomon; delighted to see that you are still here and posting. Rest assured, my good fellow! Yours truly will be blabbering up a storm. And thank you Coalregion for your best wishes... From the sound of things, they will come in handy :shock:

Bob just had his one year check-up. All is OK with him. He's going to be staying with a friend while I go off to orientation. This time, we will only be separated for one week. Here's a couple fresh shots of the pooch:
http://www.pbase.com/ckapp/image/71707683
http://www.pbase.com/ckapp/image/71707685

Sooooooo....... At least the weather down 'round these parts is beautiful. Nice way to get started in the new job. I'm just crossing my fingers and toes for the road test.

Best to all!

[Thankyou]

Because I've been out of the seat for a while, I know CFI would require me to run with a finisher for 4-8 weeks. Bummer for my dog; can't do it to him again.....


Correction.....2 weeks not 4-8...

[samael9]

Originally Posted by Thankyou

Because I've been out of the seat for a while, I know CFI would require me to run with a finisher for 4-8 weeks. Bummer for my dog; can't do it to him again.....


Correction.....2 weeks not 4-8...

Thank you, thank you :lol: Had it not been for one minor preventable on my part, that would have been the case. Because of my accident, I had *special needs*, which, BTW, was perfectly OK by me. My feeling was that the extra time with a finisher would have been very productive. And I would normally have welcomed the opportunity to learn from a Master; especially one with CFI.

Still, the downside would be the need to kennel my dog in the interim. Bob and I were separated for two months during my probationary period with Watkins Shepard, and it sucked. Macon let me take Bob aboard one month early due to my performance, which was really cool. Too bad I nicked a parked car in the Bronx with my trailer towards the end of my time with W/S. Otherwise, I would have had a spotless record.

Today will be spent getting organized and separating what I'll need during orientation and the stuff I'll come back home to pick up once I get my rig. I got a bookkeeper at a local CPA firm to handle all of my bills while I am out on the road. This is possibly one of the Kindest things I have done for myself, with regards to lessening my stress-load for my new departure.

Gotta make the obligatory trip to Wal-Mart and check out some cover-alls, hard hats, etc. I already dug out my motor carrier's road atlas and other front-of-the-cab goodies. I figure I will wait and see what tractor I get before buying any appliances, although my inverter and CB are right where I left 'em. I gave my daughter my 15" powerbook for her birthday and replaced it with a 12", which has no PCI slot for the Verizon wireless card. So I think I will be subscribing to the Flying J WiFi network for the short term. Anyone currently using it?

Arrow runs FL Columbias, Internationals and KW T-600's. All mid-roofs. Having driven the Columbia, I would prefer not to get assigned to one, especially after running a Volvo. Any feedback on the International vs. KW?

The nervousness I felt is waning quickly and excitement is taking its place. I've been talking to a friend of mine who pulls a flat bed for W/S and getting his perspectives on things. And I must say that once again, I am jazzed. Despite my first, rather short experience in OTR, the "driving bug" has never left my system. Every time I get out on the road, I look up at the trucks and I think "ya, buddy; get 'er done". And I think the decision was made more real after having just come home to Neosho after taking a 4400 mile road trip from here to San Diego, San Francisco, Aspen and back. 3 weeks, lots of friends, amazing weather and 1000+ photos later, I am ready to hit it again.... :lol: