Comments By Rob T.

I was reading through the high road manual but maybe I missed the section of the pre trip I am guess and would like to study it so I am ahead of the game...

Use this

• Pre-Trip Inspection Study Guide
• Daniel's Pre-Trip Inspection
• Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist
• Pre-Trip Inspection Practice Questions

Apparently it's called The Red Giant. Wheelbase 430 inches, 92 feet with trailer. Wow!

Taking my 30 at Petro in York NE and came across this truck

apparently it's the "xp3 world largest semi truck". imagine the turn radius needed to maneuver that. Next time I'll snag a pic NOT aimed at the sun

Glad to hear the great news for both of you!

Shouldn’t you be in bed sleeping right now?

Funny you should say that! I just finished brushing my teeth and crawling into bed now! Big day, 632 miles out to Grand Island NE!

Glad to hear the great news for both of you!

Key is timing IM (APPARENTLY NOT SO) HO

???? Please don't tell me you're going to turn into a drama queen like others we've had alot of lately. The other thread that has you flustered isn't a personal attack, it's meant to help others see why the route you took is discouraged and why. Marc I got nothing against you but I've seen this a couple other times when somebody has stated they disagree with what you're saying.

Marc is correct about the timing. Hopefully you don't get stuck going through during rush hour. What is the toll on skyway and is it much faster? Only drove through Chicago once and that was in my P.O.V.

I’m thinking these have been new trucks from the factory, and they haven’t realized they’re set too high

Your company shop sets the governor by hooking a computer to it. Atleast at my company this is done when they put the decals and DOT numbers on the new truck. Doing a couple MPH more isn't going to make a big difference. It will create an illusion of turning more miles but how often will you get caught behind a slower vehicle causing you to slow down with too much traffic in left lane to pass. I'm governed at 70 mph and I was running low on hours for getting back to the terminal. My buddy and i left minneapolis headed to des Moines (250 miles)at the same time. I tried to maintain 70 and he cruised at 65 the whole way. As I backed into my spot he was entering the gate. In 3 and half hours roughly I got there 5 minutes faster and had a much higher stress level than he did by needing to pass others. If you want to get all bent out of shape over a couple bucks be our guest but I think you've been hanging around the terminal rats too much. Insurance fraud? Seriously. C'mon man. Like Gtown I typically run lower than my governor to allow more speed to pass as needed, and keep more distance between myself and cars. The only time I run against the governor is in the overnight hours IF traffic is nearly non existant AND I have a 620+ mile day as I'm expected to return back to the terminal daily.

Could be like Schneider where team drivers and bulk drivers can go 65 but OTR solo can only go 63. Owner operators can go 68 to 70 depending where they the truck.

That very well could be, or maybe it could be something to do with pedal vs cruise? I can't recall the company but there was a company that allowed 63 on cruise and 65 on the pedal.

Others please chime-in here; I personally know of no company offering Paid CDL Training Programs that send a student packing after one, or even two failed attempts.

I believe Avatarr had failed the road test 3 times at Roehl before being sent home. I've seen many posts here that say prime allows 3 attempts for each section before sending you home.

I’ve actually never heard of the 1 Day CDL programs until now, that’s likely the route that I’m gonna take because I found some in my area. Thanks for that bit of information it was very helpful.

hopefully not having a 160 hour certificate doesn't prevent you from finding work. I'm not sure how construction companies handle new cdl holders but hopefully they will have some sort of training period. Keep in mind this plan may backfire if you can't get hired anywhere and need to go to a mega OTR carrier where they may require you to go through their school as you lack the certificate until Roehl is paid and many companies want you there after school anywhere from 30 to 90 days.

Rainy that one looks fun! This is street view from shoprite

If it were me I'm thinking the way I'd approach it is pull straight in and go to the right of the dock along the building, then back up along the other side of building and pull out the way you came in and blindside it in. Still not a ton of room but that's best I could come up with. I looked at overheard of entire shopping center and if there are cars at staples (other side of mall) you can't just drive around it. Also some of our stores get fined by the property management if we drive through customer areas.

Not sure if you'd consider my job delivering to grocery stores local because we cover quite a bit of miles most days although I'm home 99%of the time daily. However In the diary I made the stores I've shown due to delivering them have made it look like a simple job. While most backs are pretty straight forward we must have the skill to get it in there regardless of what we face. This is one I delivered to about a month ago.

the portion I blacked out was a greenhouse and patio furniture for a sale they had so that space became useless. If that wasnt there It would've been a slight offset on the blindside. Of course Google's satellite view didn't show me that when I checked to have an idea of what I was facing. The dock is the corner of building with the 2 yellow lines near "ATM" with yellow concrete poles about a foot - foot and half off to the side of those. I didn't see it until i had hooked a right onto 1st from Rochester and needed to come up with a game plan nearly immediately as it becomes much harder the longer you wait and cars get inpatient and more unpredictable. I'm not saying to rush yourself and get into trouble by not GOALing or trying to relax. What I came up with being the best option is backing in off the street and do a blindside 90. I had so much to focus on...parked cars, street lights, fire hydrant, moving cars that will pull out in any little space given. This particular store is our drugstores which tend to be in heavily residential areas. I drove 4 miles navigating residential streets and taking up the whole street trying to make turns while avoiding cars parked on streets due to following my PeopleNet GPS.

I don't know how drinking works in the trucking world, but I would only drink on home time.

Big no no anytime you're responsible for the rig. This includes 34 hours off on the road. Some companies even don't want you doing it at home if the truck is in your possession as you may need to move the truck and now you're intoxicated while doing it. DOT will put you out of service for 24 hours if they detect even a trace while you're driving. Many companies will also terminate you for even a trace on your breath. Where I work they surprisingly won't terminate us, it will instead result in a 30 day unpaid suspension. 2nd occurence I believe is termination. I never drink even 1 beer and get behind the wheel of my car, and never drink at a minimum of 24 hours before reporting to work. I'm not working tomorrow so I'll be having a couple long islands and play cards with the wifey tonight. Alcohol and drugs are one of the fastest ways to find yourself black listed in this industry.

Thanks Packrat! Today I had a 1 store run to Iowa City, then 2 contract stops in Newton. 250 miles and put in 10 hours. I clocked in at 1am for a 2am depart time. My load wasnt ready yet so i went out to hook up to my trailer in the door and pretrip both. We receive an automated text message when our load is finished, which came through at 1:58. Since I'd already done my pretrip except the rear of trailer I did that as I closed my doors and ended up leaving the yard at 2:20, 20 minutes late no fault of my own. Mondays and fridays are our heaviest days so it's normal for the loads on those days to be ready around when you're supposed to be out of the gate especially if you have a 2 or 3depart time as that's when they have alot leaving. Fridays I believe we have 84 loads and mondays around 78. The store is one I've been to a couple times so i didn't need to search for anyone for Instruction and the dock is pretty easy. Well, normally it is but today i had to do it differently.

Typically I'd pull into dock using the cut-a-way near the x, get straight and back it in. However, they had a roll off dumpster, catering van sitting back there and a trailer in the door closest to the road. I was about to pull in then at the last minute opted to use the parking lot Instead. I felt it was a much better way given that there were only 2 cars in that area as it was 4am. Had I been there much later with more cars and traffic I'd have slid tandems all the way forward and wiggled my way into the dock the way i usually do. This stores dock sits at an angle compared to the store which occasionally trips me up but the dock plate went in so I was happy. Everything went into coolers in the back however it took me 2 hours to unload because they were on the complete other side of the store. Due to night stockers doing their job they had pallets all over the back room so i walked across the sales floor to save a little time. It makes me happy I work the shift I do compared to the other shift that starts between 2pm and 8pm. Some of these stores would be nightmares getting in to. This will be the last day I make an entry for but will gladly answer any questions anyone has (including the future). One thing about Hyvee is they first started like 80 years ago. They started in these real small towns and bought out other stores. Many of these stores are still there and haven't been remodeled to make them larger. I delivered to one that only had 3 aisles. Here is one in Corning. A town of 1400 people

I delivered here when the roads were icy and snow banks made it difficult to get in. I was heading north (up) and pulled directly Into the lot and whipped a u turn. The parking lot was empty otherwise I would have backed in off 148. The x is where I needed to deliver to which was a scissor lift outside, then the in store staff took the pallet to the sales floor. They have an extremely small backroom and couldn't store much there. Another small store is Bedford Iowa, a population of 1200 people.

with this store to hit the dock i pulled straight in then whipped a u turn after realizing I didn't have enough space to use the cutaway in front of the dock. I had to pull back out towards parking lot and do a site side 90. The ground there has since sank a little since the store was built so they have wooden boards you back up onto that allows the trailer to sit level with the store. This one has a scissor lift Inside. When I delivered there I was the first truck in and 3 other trucks (produce, freezer, general merch) all showed up minutes after I set my brakes. They only took 2 pallets so I was done quickly but it was a challenge getting out with so many trucks scattered around the pretty empty parking lot. Unfortunately they had no where else they could sit except coming into lot. We also have one old store that the driver needs to pull pallets to the back end before going to this store. I haven't delivered it yet but they don't have a dock or scissor lift. Instead they feed you a roller ramp (think dollar general type) and you down stack the pallets send the roughly 400 cases into the store that way. I don't go to small stores often because the mile and stop guys make alot more delivering a bunch of small stores compared to 1 or 2 big stores. Most small ones are only getting a couple pallets but they're still making the same stop $$.

Did you fail Roehls final test, or the DMV test? If you passed all Roehls testing but only failed the state exam were you still given a 160 hour completion certificate?

It's highly unlikely you will find someone who is able to do that here. Most drivers here are company drivers and it's not allowed. The O/O will lose quite a bit of revenue to do so. Have you looked Into "1 day CDL" type things in your area? We have a few north of Des Moines that charge I believe $350 for 6ish hours of practice then allow you to use their equipment for the test.

We should start a thread just for meetup photos lol

i think i hold the overall record tho lol

But we didn't take a picture

Rubber duck while I agree local isn't the best option for a recent graduate to get started you're spreading bad information in that post. I got my start unloading a pup trailer in downtown Des Moines and got through my rookie year accident free. Yes Des Moines is much smaller than Pittsburgh but the challenges are similar. If someone has had so many accidents that they can't be hired on elsewhere why has the current company kept them on? Surely Insurance has a say if they'll insure someone. To say that all those guys do is go home and put a gun in their mouth and try to find the courage to pull the trigger? You need help. Not once did that thought ever cross my mind. It's simple, if you don't like the job find one you do. Not every local job is unloading by hand. Yes the food companies pay a pretty penny but you earn every bit of it. I made 85k my first year doing it and I felt it wasnt enough for the work involved so i found something i enjoy more for similar pay that allows me to work only 4 days a week.

Today I clocked in at 1130pm, after roughly 11 hours off duty. I took a 2 store load to Robbinsdale and Brooklyn Park, both suburbs of Minneapolis.

the mileage was about 520 and was just over 12 hours. For some reason today I was more tired than usual so after I finished my last store at 615am I decided I'd take off for a flying J south of minneapolis (north field i35 MM 69) and take a nap there. I originally thought of just taking my hour break at the store but figured it would be better to get out of town before traffic started picking up even though its Sunday. I made it to flying J with 20 minutes before I needed my 30 minute break. I couldn't sleep due to idiots cruising around the lot with their Jake brake on high so i went in and got a coffee and took off after my 30. I started getting tired south of Clear Lake/ Mason City so i pulled into the large rest area in Dows (i35 MM 159) and parked as far from building as possible and napped for my other 30 minute break. It was much needed and I felt a ton better.

The first store, Robbinsdale is still a pretty new store. So much so that in Google satellite view was not complete in it which made it a little more difficult to spot the loading dock.

I came down the road on the top and hooked a right into 36th. Looking at the satellite view I believed the loading dock was where the black x is (which it was) but I noticed a loading dock where the red x is so I pulled in. As soon as I was there I noticed on the door it said "PRODUCE DELIVERY ONLY" because it went directly into the produce cooler. I went around the back of the store onto France and went over to the black X. I was able to swing in then get mostly straight to back in

everything here (along with the other Minneapolis stores I've been to) went on the sales floor as they had staff coming In to stock the shelves. That's the other reason being on time is important. The stores schedule staff to put a truck away and if we show up late that's money they're wasting on staff to stand around.

The Brooklyn Park store was also easy to hit the dock.

looking at the satellite view I could tell there were 2 different docks. I ended up pulling in towards the loop to go inside and see what door would be easier for what I had. I was told the one by the loop, next to the brown compactor. Turns out I should have taken the one facing other way (94th ave) next to the trailer staged in the door. It would have saved me a little time but it all worked out ok. Everything here also went on the sales floor. What I really liked about this store was on the dock door it had directions for us. Meat goes in cooler, dairy on floor, kitchen goes in dairy cooler except Tuesdays etc. It was a nice thought but they have since changed it and everything goes on floor. What stuck out to me though at the bottom it said PDI Drivers thank you, we appreciate all you guys do. If you have any questions, or suggestions on making your job easier please don't hesitate to address it. I don't expect to be thanked or told I'm appreciated for doing my job but it's always nice to hear. I have heard it much more in the 4 months I've been here than the year and a half I did foodservice, from customers and management. Management is genuine when they say it. On memorial day our management and upper management were all at work. They felt if we were working no reason they shouldn't be. Everywhere else I've worked management was spread very thin on holidays. Not going to lie, it SUCKS waking up at 10pm to get ready for work but atleast I'm usually done unloading and headed back by the time everyone starts waking up. I wake up 2 hours before my depart time. 30 mins to get up and dressed, 30 to drive to work, atleast 30 for hooking up to trailer and pretrip then try to get out of the gate 30 minutes before depart time. If I have a choice I prefer going north as i grew up in Minneapolis area so I'm familiar with how to get around without needing navigation too much. I don't like going out west unless its Sioux City or Sioux Falls because there's no hours if I run to Omaha. Out east to Davenport isn't much better. I Also have only gone south towards Kansas city 3 times and that was enough for me. The last time I was there it was 5am and traffic was VERY heavy. I've been wanting to take a load to KC on a Saturday or Sunday so I can get familiar with those areas without as much traffic out and about but they've all been gone by the time it's my turn to pick a route.

Getting nervous as the time gets closer? Maybe I missed it, but how long of a bus ride is it?

-1 now you only have +1 Just kidding marc, you'll do great and we're all pulling for you.