Profile For Brian H.

Your diary has been helpful and interesting reading I'll be sure to subscribe to your youtube channel

Here is a quick update on my transition into the trucking industry. I'm planning on exiting my 40-year career in the printing industry next month. There are two local trucking companies that I have set up interviews with this month. I'm anxious to get into a truck and begin building my skills in a new career. Will update more as it comes.

Good job. And thanks for the detailed sharing.

Well, I'm excited to say I successfully passed my CDL exam yesterday. I would have thought at my age I could not get so nervous. But the sweaty armpits and dry mouth showed otherwise. I got an 84 on my pre-trip. Zero points on the skills test. And on the road test, not sure of the points I had no incidents and the examiner said I did great. So now I'm working on getting my endorsements before I go to the BMV for my license. I have not fully engaged in looking for a job yet, to the point of filling out an application. I'm still in the process of selling my business. But I have started re-reading the articles about How to evaluate and choose a trucking company. Will update more later.

Old School, nothing wrong with automatics. I find the shifting can be an added degree of difficulty. That I chose for myself, so I would not have any restrictions on my license. Hoping to make me more marketable. And if I'm more than likely to end up in an auto-shift transmission, I question my decision. And by missed shift, I mean panicking and keeping the tractor out of gear for longer than allowed. If I pass Monday it's all water under the bridge, I'm just overthinking things. We go out this coming weekend to run the road course to become familiar with it. And then get back on the skills pad, it's been 3 weeks since I've done any backing. I feel that will settle my nerves a bit. Thanks for the comment update more later. Back to pre-trip memorization.

Errol V. Thanks for your comments and insight. This past weekend we each got 5 hours behind the wheel. Things have started to come together more. I test next Monday at 12:00. I sure hope having a CDL with no restriction is worth it. Id hate to get an immediate fail because of a missed shift. An then only end up in an Automatic

I was back in class last weekend. We had Memorial Day Weekend off. We've begun our on-the-road training portion. Saturday all 4 of us spent the day taking turns hurting the transmission. Going straight up and down an empty section of State Route 40 in Ohio. Running through the gears as instructed. I've driven manual transmissions before but never double-clutched. I felt pity for those that had no experience and needed to stare at the gear shift before shifting. And cringed during the gear grinding sessions. By the end of the day Saturday I felt more comfortable upshifting as long as I remembered to flip the splitter when going from 5th to 6th. My instructor told me to get into the habit of flipping it up as I go into 5th from 4th gear so it would be ready when I needed to go into 6th. That helped a lot. I just need more seat time to get the downshifting. I end up holding in the clutch when I rev the engine to get the RPM's back up, during a downshift.

Sunday we each took a 2-hour turn at the wheel driving through small towns navigating left turns and right turns. The amount of distance you travel into an intersection before you begin turning feels abnormal. I've begun practicing with my personal vehicle, going a little farther than I normally would. Well, I've got to go now and work on my pre-trip memorization.

I'm not much of a storyteller but here's mine. This year my 2 siblings/partners decided they wanted to sell the family business. I was reluctant at first, I was hoping to step aside in the next 5-7 years. I was concerned about what I would do now. I have been in one industry all my life, 47 years. The industry has matured to where there is little growth and technology has impacted it so that my skill sets are no longer valuable. And to be truthful I'm burned out.

But how did I end up here?

Last year 2020 covid canceled our family vacation to Disney. After 2months of lockdown, we decided to rent an RV and travel out west. While doing my self-education on youtube I stumbled onto trucker vlogs and became obsessed. I reminisced about my childhood dream of being a trucker. Having grown up watching “Movin On” with Chet Atkins and Frank Converse and then “BJ and the Bear”.

I did not connect the dots immediately to go into trucking after the realization that I would need to make a career change. Again I was doing some googling for jobs for those in their 50’s and trucking came up. So I spent the beginning of 2021 researching truck driving and Trucking Truth was a part of that.

Where I'm at now:

I enrolled in May at a private CDL school. I go to weekend classes and while I'm still working in the family business every day. I have passed my CDL permit and have my Tanker and Combination endorsement. I'm in the process of getting my Hazmat endorsement. I've been through the 40 hours of classroom instruction. Just got into a semi-truck for the first time last weekend. Did straight line backing without any difficulty. The offset backing was OK but needs polished. There are 4 of us in class so I should get plenty of time in the seat. I'm using Daniel B's pre-trip inspection guide to help me on the pre-trip portion. This weekend we're going to keep practicing the (Straight Back, Offset Back, and introduce the 90degree back) Thanks to all those that share their knowledge and advice. I'll be back with more updates and questions I'm sure. Brian