Profile For Jimmy P.

Jimmy, every time I get a run out west I see May trucks all over the place. I love it on the west coast - it's wide open spaces with friendly people - completely opposite of the eastern parts of this great land.

Maybe I'll see you out there one of these days !! If all goes well I should solo out in about 30 days ! Thank you for all of the help along the way even if you didn't know you were helping !

Well I pulled the trigger and started orientation with May Trucking in Brooks OR. today . I was pretty nervous when the morning started and they wasted no time within 20 minutes we were out in the yard starting the skills test . There are only 5 in this group and 2 are experienced so it went pretty fast I did pretty good I almost hit one cone but the tester said no big deal . Then came the road test and mind you I have never driven a 53ft. or a 13 speed so it was all kind of new to me the only problem I had was on one shift when I was going into 5th and tried to put it into the spot where 5th was in the school truck , well it wasn't there needless to say but I recovered and overall it was good and everyone there are pretty laid back and seem to truly want you to succeed . So as of tomorrow morning I am on the payroll and I should get my trainer by the end of the week . The adventure continues !!!

TruckingTruth.Com Great People , Great advice and just don't hit anything !!

Just thought I would mention that Pilot has the Rand McNally TND 720 LM with free lifetime maps for $299.99 reg price is $399.99 . $100.00 off not bad I picked it up with the 2015 Deluxe Motor Carrier's laminated atlas the total was $329.98 not bad and I really like being to make notes in the atlas with a dry erase marker then wipe them off when done !

I don't know if it will help you but here is what helped me ! I was having trouble especially on the down shift and found what I was doing was holding the shifter from the right side , I started holding the shifter from the top with a light grip and found it was easier to feel the rail and I had less trouble with the wrong gears as well as I felt that I had a better feel for when it would want to slide into the hole ! Hope this makes sense !

Last Wednesday we tested for the school and Thursday was the " Big Day " we tested for the state examiner . I lost 4 points on the pre trip then on the backing I lost 0 points on all 3 backs ( nailed it ) then came the road test and I will admit I was really nervous by this point but when all was said and done I passed with a 94% on the road test . I didn't get home in time to get to the DMV but first thing this morning I went to DMV and I have my CDL-A !!!! Thank You All for this site and support !! I am scheduled for orientation on the 15th and then hopefully off with a trainer !!

Well today was the last day of school , yesterday we tested for the school and today was the " Big Day " we tested for the state examiner . I lost 4 points on the pre trip then on the backing I lost 0 points on all 3 backs ( nailed it ) then came the road test and I will admit I was really nervous by this point but when all was said and done I passed with a 90% on the road test . I didn't get home in time to get to the DMV but first thing Monday morning I will have my CDL-A !!!! Thank You All for this site and support !!

To clarify not my wife just a trucker I read about and found it touching so I shared !

God speed, driver. Our thoughts and prayers are with you.

I am a driver for CC Jones produce trucking in North Little Rock Arkansas ... last Sunday my codriver and wife of twenty eight years Angela Deaton Johnson died suddenly in her sleep while we were unloading in Riverside California ... if everything goes as planned I will be leaving wlth her remains from Perris California heading for her familys hometown of Ashdown Arkansas tomorrow before noon ... we literally met on a rising fast truck 28 years ago and will finish this one last run together .... just the two of us and our dog Sally .if you see us along the way honk and waive for her . We will be traveling l 10 to I 20 to I 30 taking our time ... CC Jones truck #24 .blue Volvo ...

Thanks guy's makes me feel better to know that I'm not alone !!

It's not all about money , you have to enjoy your time or there's no point in being out there ! Stay safe .

So we left the yard today and I was having a pretty good drive I made a couple little bonehead mistakes but recovered quickly and after an hour of driving we took our break . When we got back on the truck and I started driving again I did ok for about 15 minutes then we got to shifting uphill and I could not get my shifting right I had to stop twice because I could not recover after my mistake . At this point I was so flustered and down on myself that I continued to make mistakes the rest of my drive ( forgetting the range selector , wrong gear ) and at the end of my drive I was exhausted ! Then we did backing in the yard and I was having a lot of trouble there but I got it by the end of class ( those 28 ft trailers suck ) The instructor say's I show improvement every day but today was not my best day ! Tomorrow the adventure continues !

We are driving a 1999 International 10 spd. and she's a little used . One of my biggest problems is remembering which gear I'm looking for on the downshift but it's getting better after I missed my shift today I took a couple deep breaths and got right back into it . We are only pulling a 48ft weighing in at 54,000 lbs. Tomorrow we switch trucks I think it's a 2004 Freightliner Columbia also a 10 spd. !

Well shifting was a little better today smoother up and down learned to skip gears down shifting but then we got into a little in town driving and I missed my shift and got flustered I had to come to a stop in the turn lane when I should have been able to make the turn without stopping . Overall a better day and hey its only my second day with a whopping 15 miles under my belt . I will get better everyday . Pre trip is going good a lot to remember but I keep going over it when I get a break or on my lunch . I have 2 pre hires so far should be seeing a few more in the next couple days . Tomorrow the adventure continues !!

Well they put me behind the today !!! My first time ever in a big rig they took us out in the country , small narrow roads and we did some shifting up and down a few left then a few right turns only about 5 miles but what a rush !! I need to learn to watch my tach and work on throttle control but overall the instructor was pleased with both of us ! Tomorrow the adventure continues !!

You may also try putting an open can of coffee on the passenger floor the coffee will absorb tobacco smell and the coffee smell will help mask the smell also !

Agreed with OS.

Don't get anything but a Koolatron. Avoid the cheap ones like Coleman and Igloo.

This is the one I have. Remember, you don't want to go too big with it, you won't have as much room as you think you do.

This one is perfect. Holds everything I need and keeps milk/yogurt and other temperature sensitive products good for a while.

My Koolatron Cooler

Thanks Daniel the milk and yogurt is my main concern I like to have a bowl of cereal in the morning !!

Thanks for the input 3 of the companies I'm considering only allow small inverters so 12 volt appliances would have to be used !

Old School what size do you use I was looking at the 42 qt,

Sorry for the day you had but glad you had the camera and that it wasn't a lot worse !