Profile For Travis

The ERG was covered in the course as optional for drivers but recommended. If/when I ever do haul a hazmat load I'd probably have already purchased one at that point.

Definitely don't plan to do the work right off as I don't want to be doing actual learning to drive and the day to day minutiae on top of hauling hazmat.

Tuesday and Wednesday May 17 & 18 2022

Drove Tuesday and backed Wednesday (today). Confident in my abilities to pass the CDL exam. Everyone is coming along for the most part. Of course each of our problem points isn't always the same across people.

Did a school and CDL pre trip practice in the afternoon and only missed a couple items on the school list(more comprehensive than what the DOT requires)

The school's hazmat course paid off as I also passed the hazmat endorsement exam this AM.

Travis;

It sure sounds like you are doing AWESOME!!! I'm always following, sometimes even with the fat head (hubby in my avatar) along, or over shoulder, haha!

Seriously; sounds solid. He says so, so.. there's that too!! He went private school in 2003, as well. Worked .. and still is; just took us a while to pay off the loan note, LoL.

Anyway..re: the HME .... did your school provide you with an ERG (Emergency Response Guidebook) from JJ Keller, for HZ endorsed drivers? I'm just wondering. Tom's always kept his up, although not currently needed, and his company reimburses us the seven bux for the book; Dennis (diary nearby) at Prime, just hauled his 1st HZ load (and maybe 4th altogether?) without that book.

I really DON'T KNOW (miss ya, Rickipedia!) if it's a requiem, or a suggestion, but you might want to look it up and look into it, having the endorsement, good sir!

Sorry to derail; I'm always following! CONGRATS, from us .. on ALL !

~ Anne & Tom ~

ps: Please, if you have a moment, reply to Dennis' recent thread, about if/when you got an ERG book.. thanks!

Congratulations, safe flight and best of luck over there. gf/wife there iirc isn't there? She isn't one of the ones panicking about the recent election results is she?

Got my airline ticket and my first days hotel room....I depart on July 1st @ 12:30 pm outta LAX 13 hours to a 3 hr lay-over in Seoul, Korea. Then 4 hour flight, to land on July 3rd @ 1 a.m. @ Cebu/Mactan airport

Just couple things to do, to have everything needed, to depart without issue....Antigen neg. test, travel insur. And an exit, throw away ticket to Singapore, since I bought a 1 way ticket. Have to have those last things, or they won't let ya even board the flight.

Just gotta play their stupid game, better than them 😂😂😂😂

Tuesday and Wednesday May 17 & 18 2022

Drove Tuesday and backed Wednesday (today). Confident in my abilities to pass the CDL exam. Everyone is coming along for the most part. Of course each of our problem points isn't always the same across people.

Did a school and CDL pre trip practice in the afternoon and only missed a couple items on the school list(more comprehensive than what the DOT requires)

The school's hazmat course paid off as I also passed the hazmat endorsement exam this AM.

Just knocked both of these out. Still need the fingerprints and check done and actual CDL to get hazmat "on" my license but the course and exam are done.

Looks like I should have my CDL tests done around ~ June 9 so I'd hit the DMV the day after and make it official.

Honestly given that they have to enter the data in as a training provider registry certfified school it'd be easier if you could just pay online if your address and everything else is the same. Save us and the DMV employees time.

Oh yea, not worth the risk. I even got pickier with supplement companies once I decided to start CDL school.

Problem is though most of the larger carriers like Freymiller will keep a zero tolerance stance on it regardless of what regulations come. So you are trusting your career that where ever you decide to buy this cbd you are trusting that it will not have enough to cause you to pop on a drug test. And if you do as most of us know your career is in the tank. It’s playing with fire.

This is a case where some small government regulation might help. Require all CBD to meet certain FDA standards of THC. Make it well below what even massive intakes of CDB products would make someone test positive. The current hodgepodge of state laws and allowed THC % is a mess.

I'm not saying force States to legalize CBD just require a very very tiny THC % if the State does legalize CBD.

So than obviously this driver didn’t just take the basic form of cbd with no thc. If he did nobody would care because he wouldn’t of popped on the drug test. He consumed thc. Whether knowingly or not is irrelevant. Can’t blame the fmcsa for having the stance that they do if a driver can’t even differentiate whether the cbd product is going to have thc or not. Taking cbd for a tooth ache is not smart at all especially when you have a drug test coming. Take a Benadryl.

So i went back to freymiller last week. One of the drivers in class with me was planning on teaming with his wife after she got off her trainers truck. Well his drug did not come in when the rest of ours did. He admitted he took cbd for a tooth ache. Found out to he failed the oral drug test. This is going to be on his clearing house for a good while.

New upcoming drivers. Your opinion of cbds does not matter in the eyes of fmsca. If they say no dont do it

This is a case where some small government regulation might help. Require all CBD to meet certain FDA standards of THC. Make it well below what even massive intakes of CDB products would make someone test positive. The current hodgepodge of state laws and allowed THC % is a mess.

I'm not saying force States to legalize CBD just require a very very tiny THC % if the State does legalize CBD.

So than obviously this driver didn’t just take the basic form of cbd with no thc. If he did nobody would care because he wouldn’t of popped on the drug test. He consumed thc. Whether knowingly or not is irrelevant. Can’t blame the fmcsa for having the stance that they do if a driver can’t even differentiate whether the cbd product is going to have thc or not. Taking cbd for a tooth ache is not smart at all especially when you have a drug test coming. Take a Benadryl.

So i went back to freymiller last week. One of the drivers in class with me was planning on teaming with his wife after she got off her trainers truck. Well his drug did not come in when the rest of ours did. He admitted he took cbd for a tooth ache. Found out to he failed the oral drug test. This is going to be on his clearing house for a good while.

New upcoming drivers. Your opinion of cbds does not matter in the eyes of fmsca. If they say no dont do it

Monday May 16

Today was backing for my group. Finally to the point where I feel I'd probably pass the CDL backing. Might not come near not hitting any cones but I'd probably pass.

Backing is 100% something I see me improving on for months and years to come 😂😭

The school actually has a really long wheelbase tractor and old tanker that pulls to one side we need to back in for the "school test". It's averaged out with 2 other vehicles and 4 types of backing so unless I improve a lot between now and week after next I'll be needing to bank points from the other vehicles and events.

The instructors offer letting us come in at 0600 for backing practice so I will start doing that and trying to use that combination.

It poured rain a bit so we did a tiny bit of trip planning and we each did a pre trip in the afternoon before leaving for the day.

This was more my point in responding about Tylenol and PackRat's comment. For me it isn't so much the "drug" classification but more "intoxicant" and also "how addictive" something is.

For example: if I were to put in a massive chaw of tobacco I'd probably be more intoxicated and less fit to drive than if I was at 0.04 BAC. I'd be sweaty, shaky, probably vomiting uncontrollably.

The addiction aspect is also important. Even if someone never actually uses while driving but their addictive behaviors can lead to lifestyle changes that may affect their driving or personality and lead to destructive behavior.

I'm just not happy with the US' drug laws.I definitely don't want rampant and open drug use a la California and the Pac NW but our current strategies are also failed. Again, 0 tolerance for use of any intoxicant while operating and even a safety buffer of time to sober up and get any hangover effecte gone IMO.

Personally I back cbd and even thc to help w certain ailments etc. However, if the product can impair ones ability to properly operate machinery, car, big truck, f$&&ing chain saw, dont use it. And it defnitely does not belong in trucking. Even if "pot, weed, marijuana" were to be made legal one should not be allowed behind wheel of commercial vehicle under the influence. I myself stopped driving a time or two because I drank too much coffee and/or red bulls. 80,000 lbs people. Clear head. Clear mind. Hammer down. God bless!

So no Tylenol and driving? Or just no intoxicating drugs? CBD with no THC has no intoxication at all so aside from contamination, which is entirely possible, it would be no different than Tylenol (which actually functions via the endocannabinoid system that CBD and THC use)

Anybody that ignorant or just plain stupid has no place behind the wheel. New driver, experienced driver or anything between: Drugs and driving never go together. Ever.

Well OP says the truck was parked by the other driver in a wet spot and was thus stuck when they went to move it. ie night shift parked in mud and it was stuck in the AM.

Is the jist of this story, the OP got his truck stuck in mud, the safety manager tried to pull it out and broke something on the truck, the OP got a preventable and now wants to sue the company? I would assume the OP got a preventable because he got the tractor stuck requiring a pull out, which resulted in something getting broke.

I needed to hear this lmao

So, as an offshoot thought, here is something I wish I had known, before I was sent out with my TNT trainer.

I was trained on the pad at Prime Pittston. Perfectly laid out, controlled area, etc. I never once struggled to get it right, besides trying to chase the passenger side of my trailer.

Without the struggling, I never learned how to "Fix it!" So when it came time to back up in the real world, I was making correction mistakes that just made the situation worse.

So, if you are struggling on a training pad, just remember, you are learning how to fix it, just as much as you are learning to get it right the first time.

I actually like the idea of hair tests for hard drugs and despise them for marijuana.

I'm still kind of curious why both parties haven't used marijuana legalization as a major "centrist" voter draw. Republicans aren't going to lose their base if they push for it but may pull some mid-left voters in, especially right now. Democrats could possibly pull some center-right people who have strong "liberty" desire on issues and hate seeing government bans. Who knows, it will be interesting to see what the DOT does once it's federally legal. Also be interested to see if the feds or states ban private companies from testing for it or something else.

Hair follicle tests can kiss my A$$. That being said most of the big players seem to be in love with the idea. Better to plan on them doing it and be surprised if they don't.

I am going to get righteously stoned out of my mind once I retire. Not the least bit ashamed to say so and if some ******bag doesn't like it........well tough. In the meantime......DOT says it is a no no so I will leave it be.

Best of luck to you as you go forward in your career.

Just finished the last week's exam and overall exam for the HazMat course and got a 94 on the final exam. It was pretty in depth but having read and done the daily and weekly exams it wasn't too bad. Definitely will read it all again before I sit the actual DMV endorsement exam.

Update

My dumbass somehow tapped "dark mode" on my mobile's Chrome browser and I could barely read the site.

This past week my driving training was good and we did more mixes of country, city and small town(beach this time, Topsail Island) driving. Backing finally clicked but I'm still struggling with the tanker. It's an older tractor and tanker and pulls to one side. Obviously for the CDL test it doesn't matter as we use newer trucks and vans for those but the school requires backing with 3 different vehicles before the CDL test. I can easily see how people take a long time to perfect backing.

I took the option HazMat course and completed it today(Saturday 5/14/2022) and got a 94 on the final exam. I think my overall average is probably around that as well for the hazmat course. My "theory" portion of the regular CDL class average is around 97.25 and they haven't started grading our practical/driving yet so we'll see how that goes.

There is one that does the TWIC and afaik the hazmat fingerprints too. I need to go walk in and do the TWIC paperwork/documents show with them and will ask when I go.

Gonna google where the locations are too just to see.

I signed up for the online HazMat training with my school as apparently you also need to pass an approved HazMat course before you can sit the state/DOT hazmat endorsement exam at the DMV.

Not certain, but I think you also have to be fingerprinted for Hazmat. There's only a couple places in NC that are approved to do that. Maybe check into it, if you haven't already.

Days 12 and 13

Both days were driving. Everyone drives on Fridays so we aren't split half driving and half backing.

My truck on Friday had 4 of us students and one of us was only on their 3rd time shifting due to delayed urinalysis results. They struggled comparatively but relative to where we were at the same point they seemed to be at a "normal" point. It's probably frustrating for them to see other people seemingly so far ahead though.

I signed up for the online HazMat training with my school as apparently you also need to pass an approved HazMat course before you can sit the state/DOT hazmat endorsement exam at the DMV.

Day 11

We each got to drive about 1.5-2 hours straight today. We drove the school test route as well as the CDL drive test route. They're about 80% the same streets minus a small extra bit on the CDL route that adds some extra turns, heavier traffic and a couple other things.

I had a couple small issues, biggest I'd say was forgetting my selector when coming back on the road from my emergency stop. I started off in 7th 😬

The other guys did about the same. Each a couple issues here and there. As we rotate groups it's harder to judge how each person is improving as some people I still haven't driven with at all and others only once the first couple days.

Friday everyone drives, no half the class backs on the range and half drives.

Congratulations! I'm in a "students pay for the school" training and we've had maybe 4 out of 22 drop/leave/have to leave and we're on day 10 so far (37 total days I think - Mon through Fridays)

Stay focused and sleep early assuming you've got any self study or homework done. I'm in good shape and the movement patterns of climbing around trucks and especially feathering the clutch to back is all new. I'm mentally and physically tired after my days so far.

Excuse the CDL Permit exam

Day 10

More straight line backing but also 45°, 90° and parallel.

The parallel was with a tanker and day cab but I only did it twice before rotating. I'm not sure if me getting it in the second time was luck or me actually knowing what was going on.

The 45° was in a long tractor and 53' trailer. Fairly easy and I got both attempts relatively well. I felt like I was in control of what was going on.

90° was another day cab and what they called a pup. Very short trailer. F that trailer 🤣. Very different and I felt like I had no idea what to do. I'd move the trailer where i felt it needed to be and could get it square into the alley but the tractor would be all cattywampus. I'd try smaller movements and for less time and the trailer wouldn't be where I could get it in. Then pulling up I'd lose sight of the cones. Out of 8 or so total attempts I got 2 in very nicely but felt like it was just movements lining up and immediately repeating the same never yielded the same result.

I think one issue is the 90° was more "free practice" as the instructors were mostly focused on us as we did the 45 and parallel. I'm thinking next week or in the coming weeks they'll walk us through 90s and the shorter trailer.

My group drives tomorrow and everyone drives Fridays. Honestly I'd personally rather practice backing Friday but that's just my feel at this point.

Finished all coursework/online work for the week already minus the weekly test which isn't available til Friday at 1700.

Day 9

We had a group of 3 and after the instructor did a quick "basic" upshift and downshift check he had us each do about 45m-1 hour drive around NC 53-NC11, up through Burgaw, back up US 421, up I140 to US 74/76 to US 421 again. Felt like some good experience actually having to shift as needed and less on command.