Profile For Stevo Reno

Yeah I also got a 1 year card for BP 142/89 no meds.....Told Doc I drink tons of coffee n smoke and my home tester always shows me @ normal ranges.....No matter which of the 3 settings I used....I can sit there drinking coffee and smoking and still show as normal B.P....Maybe this home medics tester isn't as accurate?

Got interupted lol Also found out by having my DD-214/Honorable discharge US Navy papers, I should also be getting a $500 bonus, and higher CPM than $0.30 ;)

Now to just, "Git 'R "Dun !! hahahaha

Week2 is nearing an end times flying by.....Been driving city streets and local freeways, I'm loving these auto trucks! Yesterday was an in training center orientation day. CHP officer came in for couple hours of videos and talking about safety things to learn and know.

This has been a week of parking manuevers, straight backs, offsets , then parallels....All were very easy once shown how they do it here @ ASD. Man whatta huge difference than the last crappy school by far.

Next/final week hopefully, is Mon-Weds Orientation here at the training center, then final CDL testing at the school. So only 1 more trip to the DMV once we pass this , to turn in papers from the school for the hard copy CDL .....

Met a couple "friends" here and some really cool drivers.....And have seen (heard) a few of the the "Terminal Rats" /Drivers that have been here a few days, or a week or 2 for whatever reasons. Haha I just steer clear, once I overhear some of their whining to each other...

Tuesday I heard 1 guy was cut out of the whole program,and sent packing, for getting caught on the "Practice test" in newest class ,,by having all the answers written on his hand pffffft really? Cheating on a test that don't mean a thing lmao

Well,my 1st week is done and in the books ! CRST contracts with Advanced School of Trucking in Fontana. Glad to see they have plenty of training trucks and plenty of state DMV certified instructors here

Not much the first week, basic stuff, classroom videos, pre-tests etc. Tuesday drug and physical day (lost a couple before they even TRIED drug test, they wouldn't passed anyways!) Class was around 50 or so, lost 20+ the first 2 days.....

DMV Permit test Wednesday, probably half failed that (I flew thru those easy enough) Thursday / Friday were air brake/In cab practice with instructors, rotating people thru 4+ tractors since there's so many of us

Also lost 2 more today , failed drug tests of course. Next week the real fun begins, yard manuevers,Monday-Wednesday then stay here at training center for I think 1 day of 4 for orientation. 3rd week will be 3 more days of orientation.... So am spending weekend time in dorms studying their style air brake/in-cab inspections.

Ok the time has arrived ! Leave for their dorms tomorrow and get this party started RIGHT lol just to sort clothes I'll take, less is more for it all ! Sleeping bag only plenty socks gawd even few pairs of jeans lol Been in shorts mostly the past 5 years, since after my 2 right leg injuries its more free movement in shorts

Going into this restart, with my eyes n ears open my mind fresh, no expectations, other than be finally actually to get to the driving! hahaha Time to pay my dues and move forward, and not look back. What struggles that came along are but a faint memory......

Anyways, will try and keep a diary on this leg of the adventure, hopefully they'll have good wi-fi lol Like the old Toyota t.v. commercial ..............."Life is but a journey,,,,,Enjoy the ride!"

Heck, then I might have-ta blame our So. Cali higher humidity on the Hurricane off the east coast!

James, you might surprise yourself, getting out of your comfort zone.....Think of it like this, how much training/college is needed for IT certs? Mechanic work? You can't get trained and earning more, as fast in much anything these days....Where as in trucking, IF it fits, you could start out a LOT faster, earning more, sooner....And not be saddled with huge college/class debt years down the road!.....Like they will tell you in here, it's a lifestyle,not just a J.O.B ( Just Over Broke )

I really got out of my comfort zone in kind of a big way !!....I made some facebook group friends, researched for a few years, about the Philippines (as well as trucking) on my idle time from turnin' wrenches....Finally, in October 2016 I got my passport, and hopped a plane 7,500 miles across the ocean, to the Phil's for 3 months, and LOVED it ! lol Everyone I know here, told me i was loony, to do such a thing,, flying off so far to a foreign country alone.....lol I told em "hey I'm grown, and ain't skeered !!

In a few years I plan to retire there !

Reading that story O.S., I was waiting to hear the guy had "fell" between the gaps, just to prove his point ! Maybe he might have down the road given more time OTJ lol

No Brett lol I have not paid attention to any negative, from anyone around me or online. I have gleaned and learned soooo much by being here the past 5 years. That's why I don't listen or pay attention to negative people, who most, have NO clue about the "lifestyle" of trucking. And I decided long ago this was something I wanted !! Have no one here to be "home" for really.....

I ended up with this private school here thru the WIOA program, which had a budget loss and were only paying $3,500 not $5 k anymore. Roadmaster, wouldn't budge lower, and turned out my EDD worker is long time friends with this schools owner, hmmmmm, and got him to take me. so he did her a "favor" I found out later, accepting only me from their program @ that rate.....2 others from the same EDD office I met @ school came out of pocket for the $1500 difference

Lol so NO I have never ignored ANY advice I've learned here, I have kept it all in my mind the whole time.....And back then it's what made me realize I actually WANTED this more than I knew!

LOL Rick, Yes I am well aware of the team thing, but at this juncture I'm out of options, and resources ... This was my Last option, unfortunatrely. But I can handle it or at least give it my best shot to get thru it, if only long enough for the 1 year mark. Where I will have saved up $$ and in a better position to move forward........Believe me I really didn't wanna do teams, but oh well, 10-12 months wont be that long in the big picture of things lol

Finished up today with recruiter there online.... Well, since that private school was a waste of too much time for nothing. I have bit the bullet (team driving) and signed up with CRST Can't believe the bad reviews out there, will have to go see for myself. I'm out of options, so it is, what it is now lol. I'm gunna just stay at their dorms, makes more sense, since I'm tapped out $$ and car needs tires......

I Start on 9/9/19, which is my mom's 79th birthday, if she were here. So an easy date to remember The private school won't help me out, other than them "trying" to gain more funding ($1,000) from the local WIOA/EDD program (not gonna happen!) Again, proof that private schools ain't all that great in the big picture! (20% pass rate, most need 2-3 tries, because of a crappy truck)

Yes I messed up my 3rd DMV test last week. Surprised me, since the lady examiner let me go thru the whole dang In-Cab spiel. THEN, she tells me she heard 20 psi, when I told her 55-75 psi on low-pressure warning devices !

And here I thought to myself during in-cab, "ok next is parking maneuvers, you got this!" Boy did she burst my bubble! I for the life of me don't get why she even let me continue on with the in-cab portion if in her mind I had failed air brakes???

Well, thru the course of the day sitting at DMV observing others, I noticed she and another female failed EVERY tester they had that day! hmmmmm Interesting lol. Well, to end this I will do my best to go thru the whole time with CRST, keeping in mind there's a rainbow at the end of the tunnel (maybe) Besides, I'm not 1 to just tug my tail and whimper off, and my buddy and his wife here are such Negative Nellies, it's ridicules.....I'm constantly tellin em they need a better attitude with positivity thrown in!

Telling me I should just quit and do something else HA! Not after I invested 6 months of time and effort into this whole enchilada! Hindsight IS 20/20

A common occurance here in So. Calif lines of rigs on the on ramps, exit ramps, rest areas etc Especially along I-40 E/W bound

Well, John I rebuilt a few of them old Cummins 400, @ 750k-1 million milers and they were work-horses for sure! Easy enough to rebuild and last back in the day......GMC Brigadere was probably the model after those Generals (time period). The 2 Pepsi bottling plants I worked at ran a few dozen of em back in mid '80's-'90s....

They had an issue cracking frames, where the clutch pivot ball/rod attached on the frame. LOL I found them cracks prior to their CHP annual inspections, turning hard right in the yard, the truck would go into neutral as frame crack opened in the twist. When I told em they needed fixed shocked them, no one else had found them cracks before......The welding vendor did surface welds just to pass inspection, but of course, they cracked right afterwards in use

Lol so happens our "training" trucks (3) are Volvo's .......total P.O.S.'s I would have invested the $$ spent on them to have the couple of dead Pete's made road worthy again instead.....

And when taking the test, if you run into a question you need to think on, skip it and go forward, it will comeback at the end of test(s) California, throws in 18 questions from the class "C" license (4 tests in all) 50 questions on general knowledge , 25 on air brakes, 25 on combo's, 18 on Class "C" (all I took)

Lol Rick S, yes and the dumb thing of not fixing the equipment,,,,is,the owner has multiple businesses,,,, aside from this "school" An Indian restraunt, a KFC or 2 , a part of Landstar truck outfit, to name a few...... recently he bought 1 of his daughters a 2019 Corvette, which she did not want, so he kept it for himself. She wanted n got a Beamer lol

Yet put in a new windshield ,,which wasn't really wasn't critical, and the clutch is now near top of the pedal engaging (needs adjustment) I've told him numerous times this truck used for DMV just needs a new governor on it... When max air psi "was" 115 last week, now it's 110 He was agreeing, then he says "Oh it's a Volvo, I can't change it" pfft ANY governor is replaceable DUHHHH

Same for mechanics Bobcat Bob, I had to condemn a car or 2 in my day at the Ford dealer.....Customers bring in cars with NO brakes left, after a quote (not that expensive) They'd decline to have repairs made, so the only way their car's left the shop were on a tow truck !! I'll be damned I'd let them "drive" it out,,, and then me being liable if n when they crashed, I don't think so ! lol They weren't too happy but oh well!

Seeing how Prime Inc. began in 1970, and Amazon Prime began in 2005 Kinda easy to see who "should" win this fight.... lol

Pending, whoever has the "patent pending" / TM lol

Congratulations Jamie!

Thanks Jim,..... yeah I have a new DMV appt next Thursday the 22nd.....Soon as I was done, I called the office to tell the girl to set me up again, ASAP.... Thursday was earliest.....True this truck is the ONLY 1 of 2 thats being used, the other has clogged DEF filter, and only does 5 mph, so its being used in the yard....Heard it needs cleaned again lol seems it lasts about 2 weeks before it peters out again....I said, maybe its time to replace it duhhh 600k+ miles (guessing) as test trucks turned over the 500k mark now. Think owners buying used and sure aint keeping up maintenance!

Yard trailer has both inner tires, without tread basicly wires flapping around....Has plenty of parts trucks in different stages of salvage.... Not my problem, I could fix stuff but am not there for free labor/repairs lol

Well, as far as what next? I plan to stick this out, too far into it to give up now! Besides I never give up on anything hahaha.....Maybe the planets weren't lined up just right yet. Tomorrows a new day to move forward....And I always say "Winners never quit, and quitters never win" Wasn't raised to give up, especially over trivial things thrown at us....

My "worst" case scenario, is if I have to, I will just suck it up and go with CRST, stay in their dorms, do my 10 months driving teams at minimum, and go from there..... My CLP is good til mid-December, so that kinda puts me ahead somewhat....

First is get 1 more DMV appt, and THEN I SHOULD, PASS lol Seeing at least while at the DMV thru the days, how each examiner does different things on the pad and each 1 has their own things they do.....