Last week was pretty busy for me. But things are starting to get a bit repetitive at truck driving school. We’re mostly alternating all day between backing up in the yard and driving truck out on the road. My road skills are becoming quite refined and I’m starting to feel very comfortable driving trucks now. I know I still have a ton to learn and I’m looking forward to getting on with a trucking company and going out on the road with a trainer. I’m sure I’ll be overwhelmed once I’m out there.
We did manage to get out onto the expressways last week for a little bit. While I didn’t find it all that challenging compared to busy city driving, I enjoyed the change of scenery and it was nice to get on the road where most of my time will be spent as a trucker. It was also great practice on being completely aware of what’s going on around the truck. Using the mirrors is even more important on the expressway. Things change around you so quickly that if you don’t constantly pay attention, you might lose sight of a car that’s in your blind spot and not even know he’s there. We were doing 55 around the Chicago expressways and people in Chicago drive much faster than that. So besides the other tractor trailers on the road, we were being passed constantly with cars cutting in front of us, etc. It was nice not having to worry about shifting or making turns, but all the attention must be spent on constantly being aware of the cars around the truck. Things change very quickly all around you.
We should be taking more of our cdl test this Thursday, but the weather forecast doesn’t look all that great. We are supposed to have some mixed precip all week and possibly a significant snowstorm moving in on Wednesday into Thursday. So I’m not too sure what will happen if the weather is bad. I’d really hate to be delayed even further. So hopefully the weather will give me a break and I’ll be able to take all of my road tests and get my CDL by this weekend.
Practicing out in the yard
Since I already have my pre-trip exam out of the way, there is really no more studying I can do at this point. The only CDL exams left are the yard skills test and the road test. So I’m going to start studying for my HazMat endorsement this week and get that test done. I don’t really want to haul dangerous materials, but there are a lot of HazMat loads which aren’t all that dangerous. For instance, paint is considered HazMat. When I’m out on the road, my HazMat endorsement could mean the difference between waiting on a non-HazMat load or getting the load right away. So it seems like a pretty good idea to get that endorsement.
Applying to companies has been a tough road. Many companies are on hiring freezes and others are being very selective on who they hire. I am set up with an orientation date in early March for a company already, but I’m currently working on other options too. I should get some decisions this week on a few of my top choices, so wish me luck!
I’m starting to get anxious about getting my CDL and finally hit the roads with the big dogs. Hopefully that’s only a few weeks away!
Until next time, drive safely!
TruckerMike
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Hey MIKE!…
umm.. I think most companies that require you to have a HazMat endorsement only haul serious HazMat stuff…like ROCKET FUEL, NUCLEAR WEAPONS, COMBUSTABLES: propane ,gasoline ,diesel, NITRO etc etc etc
I never had to worry about HazMat endorsment until I started pullin’ fuel tanks.
Unless things have changed.
Which could be after all change is in the air…
Keep up the great work Mike. Get all your endorsements whether you think you’ll use ‘em or not since like you said it “could mean the difference between waiting on a load [that needs an endorsement] or getting the load right away.” I’m up in Maine and we’re set to get a storm Wednesday into Thursday too, as is NY state. Keep putting in your usuall effort. I’d still keep up on the pre-trip stuff until you’ve been driving long enough to have it engraved into your mind.
Excellent, Mike! I had the HazMat endorsement on my license as well, but I only needed it for ONE load during my ten years. Of course, at the time, we had a refrigerated trailer and we were in big demand for the produce (ugghh) and the swordfish (yuckier ugghh). You never can tell when it might come in handy. Just be sure to brush up on your HazMat education from time to time because the laws change every year.
Keep up the good work!
Hi TruckerMike!
You will do just fine as you have already proved that. I used to have hazmat too and that was no big deal at the time. Then when I moved to Arkansas and went to get my license switched from Iowa to Arkansas, I missed the deadline by one day for being grandfathered in for hazmat. If I still wanted it I would have to be “treated like a criminal” and get fingerprinted, investigated and just so much more fun and spend a lot of money too. I dropped it as I refuse to be treated that way.
Untill ALL WORKERS AT EVERYJOB have to go thru it, I refuse to let the government do that to me. Why pick on trucking? Can we trust the people who work in resturants/food service? Department stores? Car dealers? What about the workers who work at the shippers/recievers? Anyway that is my point and there are carriers who do not require haz-mat.
Hope everything goes well for the testing this week. No more delays for you as you are ready to move on to the next step. Looking forward to many more stories.