Comments By Jimbo

During the Blizzard of '77 I was 6 years old. I remember watching my dad shoveling a family out of their second story window. I was standing eye level with the traffic light on the corner. They say this last blizzard was worse in some ways than in '77 but I haven't found anyone that agrees with that. Nothing compares to '77.

Well now I definitely feel old...lol. You're right.....this last storm was bad in the snow band areas. But the Blizzard of 77 covered everyone and still takes the cake as the storm of storms in Buffalo.

Omg, Jimbo I had to drive to Grand Island with 40k of scrap cardboard in a trailer last week. I HATED going over those bridges!!!!!! Maybe OK in a car but not a fully loaded truck!!!

Jolie.....funny you say that. I cross them daily and always wondered what it would be like to drive a rig over them....not alot of room for error...thats for sure!

Yeah, my ma could still see the grass in her yard in Amherst and I couldn't see my truck! And this picture wasn't after the storm, this was during the storm. We had another foot after this and all you could see of the truck was the side mirror.

Not that I haven't lived through my share of lake effect but no thanks. Today was actually the first decent amount of snow up this way. About 8" since last night. I had alot more fun during the Blizzard of 77....was 16yrs old and out pogying when it hit! lol

HaHaHa!

You ain't kiddin! This is the heart of one of the most severe snow belt regions in the country. We had like 7 feet of snow in the last storm. The town of Bennington (next town over) recorded 88 inches. Not bad for like 3 days! LoL!

You really don't want to venture South of I-90 in Western New York in the winter. Even I-90 and North isn't safe, but much safer than the South where I'm at.

Glad you survived it!

Funny Brett....I'm on Grand Island and we had about 3" while you got the several feet! Glad I'm north of those famous belts!

Sorry sir, you aren't coming far enough east. I'm in buffalo ny tonight myself!

Heavy...your in my neck of the woods. Enjoy the snow...drive safe. Would love to meet up with you but I'm in the over 50 club....I'll be prepping for an exploration of my colon cavity tomorrow...lol

I haven't even started school yet but reading your post I find it hard to believe your trainer gave you a hard time on any of what you mentioned. Curious to see what the exp. guys say.

Hi, has anyone out there undergone surgery for a mild rotator cuff tear? Just wondering how long it would take to heal so that l can pursue my dreams!!

Well...I had my left shoulder overhauled in 2011. Rotator tear w/ torn labrum. Now mine was a pretty good tear, with some smaller additional tears in other spots. So maybe a little more damage than yours.

Surgery was on Dec. 15. Wasn't allowed to do PT until early Feb. When I started PT, I couldn't raise my arm enough to get deodorant on. PT lasted until end of May. Alot of pain and alot of hard work following the exercises but by May I had just about a full range of motion. 3yrs later have full range of motion....not a problem at all. But it does take a full year to heal completely.

So I'd have to guess if its the arm you use to shift, you'd be out of service 5-6 months.

The tester failed me.... he said I ran a red light. I was 2 truck lengths from the light and it turned yellow and went red when I was less then 1 truck length from the stop line. I had no way to stop safely.

The tester even wrote down I could not of made a safe stop and wrote down that I showed "good technique in shift turning and backing".

My mentor said it was bullcrap and he was looking to fail me cause there are no trucks at that terminal.

So you could not have made a safe stop but you got an "F"? Hmmm...that makes no sense. So what now?

I'm not sure I've had it happen quite like that. I've gone to pickup loads that my company didn't know was cancelled or that another driver had already taken, but I don't think I ever delivered one that wasn't supposed to be delivered.

One time at a company I worked for we had a team haul a load from Atlanta to Seattle and figured out when they arrived that they had grabbed the wrong trailer. They had to take it back. That fuel money came out of their pocket. Not good!

Holy crap....out of their own pockets? Not to change the subject on this thread but Brett...how easy is it to actually grab the wrong trailer??

"...with all due"...

Don't worry RT...I understand your grammar!

Yeah...I'm not really sure where things got crossed up here. I can see both sides to this and hey...we're all entitled to our own opinions.

I do have to agree with TCB on part of their post. I think it's obvious the trucking industry has changed/or is changing, and the OTR lifestyle is not going to be for everyone. Now with that being said, it's all going to come down to your personal preferences as well as what type of trucking positions are actually available in your area. I'm fortunate, there are local positions around here for new grads. So I have the option if I choose to stay local. I think that a lot of companies are trying to provide more hometime options in order to appeal to a larger audience of potential drivers.

I look at trucking as a career...more so that just a job. There's a lot more to it than meets the eye...requiring a much higher level of dedication than just showing up, punching a clock, and doing what you have to do to get through the day. We all do what we have to do to make things work....

now if you Don't need to take the pain meds "DONT" ,,if you medically NEED them ,,,then dont tell the Co's ...if you can drive w/ the meds in you the that up to you ....

Ok so let me get this straight. You're saying if you need to take narcotics that are deemed illegal for commercial driving just do it and don't tell anyone, right? Well thanks for that Jon. If we're lucky that advice won't actually kill anyone, it will just land some people in jail or ruin their careers.

Buddy, this isn't the 80's anymore. You gotta get with the program. I started driving in '93 and there is a long list of things I used to do that would never fly in this day and age. Times change and you have to change with them. I know the history of this industry very well. I know how it used to be. But this is almost 2015 and you have to go by today's rules. Not to mention, you're not advising guys and gals that have driven for 25 years. These are people who are brand new to the industry, most of which haven't even started school yet. You're going to tell someone before they even know how many wheels are on an 18 wheeler to take narcotics and keep it on the down low? Yeah.....let's not ruin people's careers or lives like that. Let's come up with a better solution.

Cheyenne, speak with your doctor about getting an alternative medicine that is legal for commercial driving. Then do whatever it takes to get your career underway safely and legally. If you have to wait, you have to wait. I'm not sure what the legalities will be but I would speak with your doctor about how long it takes the current medicine to safely leave your system. Speak with different companies about their requirements. Be honest with everyone and do whatever it takes to get your career off to a great start. It might be out of your system safely within 30 days, it might take longer. I have no idea. So look into that.

Believe me, if you think you're struggling financially now wait until you see what it takes to get a job after failing a drug test or getting caught falsifying your medical paperwork. You have to think long term. Don't make risky decisions because you want to drive a few weeks sooner than you can legally. Do it right. You'll be glad you did. In this day and age it would be a miracle to find a decent paying job being offered as a "second chance" to someone who screwed up. Don't put yourself in that position.

I agree with Brett on this one. I've spent the past couple months reading, learning, studying, and asking questions about this industry. Not to mention I see at least two commercials a day from an attorney mentioning "Big Trucks" and lawsuits. The rules are in place not just to protect the public but to protect the insurance companies and the trucking companies. The penalties, like Brett said, for lying about something, or for getting involved in an accident when you're taking something you shouldn't be are not worth taking a chance. Especially when you said quitting the meds is no big deal.

Do it the right way or give some thought to another career field that might get you moving in the right direction. Its only three months...

Just wanted to take the time to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone here on TT. I may not have alot to say but I'm checking in on a regular basis and have learned alot from you guys/gals. Getting closer to starting CDL school...Dec. 22nd is coming fast.

Hoping you all get to have time with your families and have a safe and spectacular Thanksgiving Day!

Welcome, Congrats, and Good luck Mark....wishing you the best!

MG...definitely have missed your posts on here. So sorry about your brother...losing family is the WORST. Keep your head up....I am positive just knowing you through your posts that you'll do great on your new venture!! Best wishes for success!

Funny...I live about 15 minutes North of Buffalo and we have 2" of snow...gotta love Lake Effect.

Congrats Jolie!

Well I'm going to be taking a 10 week program, PTDI certified school, and its going to cost me about $8k. The reason: I want the best training I can get and I want my choice of where to go when I graduate. Now $8k is alot...but the school is an approved school for just about everyone I've looked at and I've heard nothing but good things from grads and companies out there.

Its all about what you want, and what you can/or can't afford I guess.

James...without knowing what kind of shape you're in...if you have access to a treadmill or elliptical...start moving on it. Get the heart rate up and maintain it for awhile. When I haven't worked out in awhile my heart rate always runs higher. After I'm back in the gym and back at the cardio..the heart rate gradually comes down and stays at much lower levels. Give it a shot. Not just good for the job, good for you at the same time.

Perfect man for the news! Keep up the entertaining work you're doing Anchorman!

Finished up my first week today. For you guys that went thru this training I got an 8 on my final test. I've already talked to my TE for next week and he sounds like a really nice guy. He's got a 2015 cascadia evolution that's about 2 months old. And I can't wait to go trucking in that bad boy! I couldn't be happier with the choice I made by choosing them. Trainers are excellent, patient and highly personable. They want to see you be the best you can be. Any questions about Schneider feel free to ask me. Stay safe out there!

Nice Jeff....Schneider ranks ups there in the list of companies I'm looking at. I just may reach out to you in the future....thanks!