Comments By Pepper

Make a list of all of the questions and concerns that you have and then call a recruiter and ask them. Best of luck! I am currently in school, myself and although it is hard, I know that it will be worth it if I push through and get my CDL.

Hugs, Pepper

End of Week Two.

Well, a lot of things happened this week, so I will try and share them all here.

We got a new cook for our weekend menus. The staff at Quality Drivers (That is the training division of Celadon) takes all of our comments on the weekly evaluations pretty seriously. A lot of people have been complaining about the food that comes to the hotel on the weekends. The staff in the office tried it and they were really disappointed. So, a new cook has been retained and this weekend, we will learn whether it is feast or famine. UPDATE: The salad is AMAZING. I will update about other stuff later on.

That is all I have to say about the food.

As I mentioned above, the weather has been really cold, one warm day and then cold and rainy. Friday, the rain began and it looks like it will be raining all weekend long. That dampened the spirits of a lot of people. I wish that the weather would have been nice for longer, but it is okay. We were all pretty excited for the weekend, no matter the weather.

We had more cuts this weekend, some people failed various things or had other issues. One of the drivers failed his Celadon test, which is the test you take AFTER you pass your CDL to get accepted with Celadon and then go forward to orientation with Celadon.

Our team lead for the training department handed out the evaluations on Friday, but then he took a moment to impress on us how important it is to cover our brakes at all times when we are stopped. For those of us that are new, we are still learning, but this is the most important thing of all. 80,000 pounds is a huge responsibility, and if you cannot remember to cover the brakes, then you will fail the CDL and not even get to go and take the Celadon test. You only get the job offer after you pass that test. I would have liked to have known that. Speaking of which,

Here are some things that I would have liked for my recruiter to have shared with me:

1. Orientation is NOT when you first get to training. First, you complete training with Celadon, then you get your CDL, then you go to Orientation. That would have been nice to know.

2. The Pre-Trip inspection needs to be memorized as well as the 4-step brake check.

3. Know the parts of your engine before you get to school. If you are not familiar, take the time to learn them.

4. Some people are like Lego's. You can snap them together with any person, any truck, any situation, and they will do really well. Other people are like a clutch going into gear. Everything has to sync up really well for it to all come together. I wish I were a Lego, but I think I am more like a clutch.

5. There is a lot of information to process!

I am doing okay, but not great on my clutching. I wish that I were doing better, but, as my dad said, I am building on a foundation of nothing to become a truck driver, so the process might take a while to sync up. I really am wanting to get all of the skills that I need to be a holder of a CDL.

I appreciate everyone's kind words and reaching out to me when I was really frustrated. I am going to hopefully go to church today, get my studying going and get caught up on some odds and ends.

I have to say that the laundry facilities here are excellent. 2.00 to wash, 1.00 for 30 minutes in the dryer. I had my laundry all done for the week in less than 2 hours.

My roommate is currently ill, so we are using extra precautions in the room so that I don't get sick as well. Wipe down everything, wash everything thoroughly and keep safe breathing distance from one another so I don't get the terrible cold/flu that she has. (Please, God, let it be a cold and not the flu! She doesn't need to be sick in class!)

May God continue to richly bless each and every one of us, keep you safe and in the palm of his hand.

Much and Many Hugs,

Pepper

Well, thanks for the words of encouragement and support.

The weather down here has been unseasonably cold for Laredo, and the cold weather has made for some short tempers here. Additionally, our rooms were consolidated without notice, so we came home to find that a good number of us were in rooms whose keys did not work. When we went to the office, we were told that we were now sharing rooms or had to move room, etc. It was a bit upsetting after a long day of being stuck out in the cold.

I did not want to share it on Monday as I was really tired and grumpy.

Thanks for the words of encouragement and support.

I am still trying to do my very best, and before anyone writes it, I am well aware that in other parts of the United States, weather-wise, they have it worse. Please continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I am going to finish a little bit of work on the computer and then I am going to head to bed. It has been another long day and I am really beat.

Hugs, Pepper

Today was not a good day.

Pepper

I, too love the information here, but yes, section 14 can be a bit of a shock if you have not been reading the Texas CDL handbook. Good luck on school, I am about to start week 2 tomorrow down here in Laredo, Texas!

Pepper

First, Happy Anniversary!

Second, I am SO PROUD of you! You did great and I know that your family is so proud of you as well!

Tell us what happens next as it happens! You are one of my sources of inspiration!

Many, Many Hugs!

Pepper

First Day Off--What a Dream it has been!

Today has been my first day off since we started class. I told my family that I was probably going to sleep in until 10 or 11 AM. My Dad said I would probably get up an hour or two after my normal wake up time and then not be able to go back to sleep.

Dad was right. I woke up before 8 AM, got dressed and went down to breakfast. I had a great breakfast-cereal and it was terrific, and then I came up to my room, caught up on a lot of email and went back out to see a couple of my friends from school. Did you see what I just wrote? I have friends from school!

There is a big parade in town today for George Washington, but I won't be going to it as I have a list of things that I want to get done before the weekend is over. Kids from a local school in Mexico come across with their band to march and play in the parade, too! I really wish that I could go and see the parade, but it is far more important that I get through my list of chores.

I am really looking forward to going to church tomorrow, getting my laundry done, getting some studying done and being really well rested for the week ahead of me.

Some of the things that I am noticing about myself and my classmates that I will try to work on are:

We all seem to get really stressed out before we have a test. Then, when we pass the test, we all laugh or joke about how stressed we were. I want to work on being less stressed by knowing the information better before the tests and challenges. I think that I will be more comfortable.

Different trucks perform differently, and the drivers and students who have been there before me give good advice, if only I listen! I was warned about the red Internationals that the school uses. I was told that the clutch "springs up" really solidly. I got told this after I drove, and it was something I wish that I had known before. I was also told that the Freightliners, which you have to "work up" to getting to drive shift a lot smoother. That will be a relief, but I would much rather learn on the hardest thing and then switch to the easier things as I go.

Driving a bobtail versus driving a truck with a trailer is totally different from one another. I only drove the bobtail Friday, because I had never driven a truck before. I was really happy to get to drive it, but I was also frustrated at the moment that I was not getting to pull a trailer. However, I was also nervous that I would get to pull a trailer.

Don't track progress by comparing it to other students. There are students in my class that are already on backing up trailers because they have experience. Just because we started class at the same time does not mean that we all started with the same experience level. I have to keep this in mind because I don't want to place myself ahead of my learning curve and fail because I miss learning key steps.

End of things to learn and work on.

I got the email last night confirming my appointment for my DPS appointment! I am scheduled for March 18th, which means I have a little less than a month to get everything learned that I need to in order to get my CDL. I am nervous, excited and looking forward to a month of solid learning and driving. It is very exciting to me, and I cannot wait for the fun, adventures and experience that this next week will give me!

All the very best of luck to each and every one of you who are going to be learning or are already learning. Y'all are all my source of inspiration. I read your entries when I have spare time, and I appreciate each and every one of you.

Have a wonderful, blessed and joy filled weekend.

Hugs,

Pepper

A tiny stick of gum made all the difference.

Isn't it wonderful when someone does something nice for you and it makes you feel like a million bucks?

I am so glad that you got everything solved and everything is going well!

Pepper

Ok, Back from Wal-Mart and Goodwill. (There is a Goodwill across the highway as well, so I went there to get some T-Shirts to get me through the week without having to worry so much about getting the laundry done.) Wal-Mart did not have the gloves in stock, so I will be doing a little shopping this weekend to get some.

I spent $31.00 on 3 pairs of really great jeans and 3 shirts. That is pretty awesome, because I also got a present for my Mom and some new watch bands for my watch.

The guys and I are really getting along great. There are some really nice people here, I am really impressed with everyone so far.

I want to be honest about something. I have had my moments of doubt. I have had moments where I have wanted to throw in the towel. I was convinced that I was not going to pass the tests this morning, but I did. It was a large part due to this website and the friendships that I have made here, the CDL study guide and the knowledge that if I did fail, I could get back on here and look at the things I was trying to learn. (At my own pace made it a lot better. )

There were times when I really only wanted to sit in front of the television set and stare ahead and do nothing. Again, I am being completely honest. Yes, I wanted and still do want my CDL. But when you put stress, worry, nervousness and fear all together, it can do strange things to your mind and mindset. I have been so grateful to get on the computer and put updates for all of y'all, knowing that I was charting my PROGRESS. Yep. I put that in all caps. My progress. I have slowly moved forward from where I was before Christmas, which y'all can look at all of my posts. It has been a thoroughly tough climb for me, but I have learned a lot in the process.

Here are the things that I have learned so far that I want to share with you all:

1. You cannot do this alone. You need either distance from those who don't support your decision or support from those that do. If you don't have support around you, make friends here, in class, and elsewhere so that you have someone to be in your corner, pulling for you.

2. If you have a faith base, lean against it. Don't be afraid to find time to worship, pray, meditate or whatever you do in your faith to bring you strength and courage.

3. Study. Study before you even leave home. Study the CDL preparation here. Study your state CDL. Make sure that you can answer all of the questions. I am so lucky, because one of the guys in my class is a former tow truck driver. He explains things plainly and simply. When I have a question, I hunt him down. I have made it a point to tell him how grateful I am that he is in my class.

4. Thank people when they help you. I thank people all the time and it helps me remember that I cannot do this on my own. It reminds me that I am so lucky to be here, and finally, it reminds me to be grateful that there are people around me who want to help me, want to see me succeed and makes me want to do good so that their efforts will not have been in vain.

5. Make loads of notes. Write things down. Concepts that I was having a hard time with, I wrote "lines". You know, the thing that some of us had to write as kids. I don't know how many times I wrote 4/32 and 2/32 down for the different tire treads, but it was tripping me up. Different things may trip you up. Don't let it get you down. Understanding how things worked made it a lot easier for me. I made illustrations on graph paper, I recorded my voice reciting the entire CDL, I made up silly songs, all sorts of things to make sure that I was getting the concepts nailed down for when I took the tests. Don't just make notes. Review them. Read over practice tests. Read the CDL. Study. Study hard. Without preparation, you are preparing to fail.

6. Drink water. Drink lots of water. Even if you don't like it, you want your brain to have resources to draw from. You want your brain functioning at optimum levels. Flushing out toxins with water will help you to do better.

7. Take a multivitamin. I take a Zyrtec for allergies, a supplement to help my brain, D3, and do it every single day so that I will perform at my best.

8. Set a go to bed alarm as well as a wake up alarm. I set an alarm for 15 minutes before I needed to go to bed so that I could get my process of bedtime started. I set my morning alarm for when I needed to get up, with no snooze feature set in place. I put the alarm at the edge of the room so that I would have to get up to turn it off. Because I did not want to break the phone, I also had to turn the light on. At that point, I was awake and ready to tackle the day.

That's all I have for now. I am off to a well earned shower and some television!

Pepper

Well, what a long week it has been. I look back at Sunday and it seems like it was years ago!

I took the final three tests today:

General Knowledge- Passed

Pre-trip Inspection-Passed

Air Brakes- Passed!

It's official! I now have a learner's permit!

I collected hugs and congratulations from everyone. Not everyone was as fortunate as I was, however. There are a few who will have to re-test on Tuesday. I wish them all the best and hope that they will do well then.

The hotel is located right near a Wal-Mart and a bunch of other stores. That is awesome!

I will be spending the weekend getting caught up on my studies that I will do in order to retain the knowledge that I have, watching some videos on the computer and completing my CDL test here so that when I take the Celadon final, I will be able to pass it as well.

After we got back from the DPS, I went with my 3 other classmates who passed and we got to go to the range. It was so awesome and scary at the same time. Everyone was really nice to me. I got to drive, y'all! I got to drive a big rig! It was the best feeling ever ever ever. I stalled it out the first time, but my instructor was really nice about it and said that it was to be expected. He was really patient with me and then he got down from the truck and made the guys disconnect the trailer for me.

I got to plug in the air connections and the pigtail. I did not do a great job, but that will come with practice. I am now on my way to Wal-Mart to get some gloves.

I got to drive all the way to 4th gear, down to first, reverse, and then do it all over again. How awesome!!!!! I will write more later, but I want to get to Wal-Mart before it gets dark!

Hugs, Pepper