Comments By Troubador222

Thanks for the replies folks. I plan to GOAL. When we came home, my co driver lived about 150 miles north of me, so I would usually drop him off then deliver and often pick up a load before I picked him up. So I have done it. It's funny, the ones that concern me the most are the easy ones, because it is easy to be over confident. I resolve not to do that.

Yeah truck stops are tough because when ever I end up parking at a truck stop, it usually the end of a long shift and I am tired. I have also parked in a few that had poor lighting, and early on, one that way in Wy with almost no lighting in the middle of a pretty bad snow storm.

I've done a few 90s, and only when the situation required it. It was always at a shipper with a small yard and limited space.

Believe me, when I can, if I can turn pull up and then back straight in, I will. We pulled a lot of loads for Conway, and a lot of their yards are huge, and that was often an option. I'm too old to be a showoff. That straight back in works!

I am guessing right now, you are also just in a bobtail. Once you get in one with a trailer, the weight of the trailer makes the tractor work and drive more smoothly. I still hate bobtailing. Because the tractor is designed to pull that load, everything just works better including the shifting.

It is just like they said, some days you do it all perfectly, and some days are like you just started. I float pretty much all the time unless I am under a heavy load going up or down hills. Then I drop back to clutching. On our Cascadia, there was an engine brake control on the steering wheel and it was right where I liked to hold the wheel with my right hand. When the jakes are on, it will slow the truck down and make shifting difficult. Even what is normally a simple shift, from 9nt to 10th at highway speeds all of a sudden would grind.

Heh, wait until you have been in the truck a while and then get back in a car. The other night my wife picked me up from the airport and I drove her car home. She started laughing at me, and I had no clue why. Well, I pulled up to a stop light and turned into the next road really wide to make the right turn. She said, "Honey, you dont have a trailer behind you, you can take those turns a little tighter".

Let's review that! Bretts high road system gave me the tools I needed to make the money I needed to save my house. I will be supporting this man and this system to the day I die. There aint no games out here. It is about making it or not making it. I was desperate when I found this site, and no one here ever told me a lie! This site gave me a hands up in learning a new career. I will never forget that

I did Bretts program and the stakes were high. I had a house to lose. I saved my house by getting the work. These people here have nothing but the best intentions in mind, and have helped a lot of people to get into this industry, and just as important Help people who this does not work for, and that is really important in the scheme of things. If you cannot cut the life style, you have no business out in a truck, simply because it will chew you up and spit you out fast. Now...... I am thinking there was some humor meant in your post, but please remember for a lot of us doing this, it was never a joke, and a lot of us had a lot to lose if it did not work out.

Aw, ......... let me tell you right here, you will never find anything on line that does what bretts program does, which is give you EVERYTHING you need to do the written test. I have some road experience now, and even though I went to a good school, I also linked some of the instructors to Bretts high Road program and they told me to stick with it, simply because it was the best damn thing they had ever seen. If you cannot do what it takes to get your CDL through that program, you probably have serious issues of feeding yourself or even maybe breathing.

http://vimeo.com/58228159

Has set back my orientation with Werner by 3 days, but there is no sense in going there and being sent home. I have not had a chance to get to my DR in the last 9 months. I had my wife check my BP last night and it was bad. I have lost 45 lbs since I have been out with CRST, and hoped that would do it. But it did not. I checked in at 160/80. So I am back on BP meds. My recruiter gave me no problems, and I will moniter my BP through the nexy couple of days to be sure. I wanted that 2 year card, but......... I may never get that at my age.

From what I have heard from drivers, Shienders turnover rate is not as large as others and they have some long time happy drivers. My situation with them was they will hire me out of SW FL, but fly me to trucks somewhere it is needed and then I would do 3 to 4 weeks out ,and then fly home for home time at their expense. It would actually be a better starting pay than the job I ma taking, but the job I am taking has a sign on bonus and theirs did not. In the long run, the sign on will be the same as the pay.

One thing i have learned is that the big companies are mostly alike, and your choices are between team and solo. I seriously want solo. I want my life back a bit, which I cannot do running teams, which is where I started through CRST. Any of these companies will work you if you want to work, I told my FM when I started at CRST that I was out here to work hard, and they believed me, and I never suffered from lack of miles. It will be what you make it.

.....going from team to solo is going into shippers and backing. With the team situation, we always had other eyes. My co driver and I would always get out and help to back, through our entire 8 months. Now....... I have experience backing with no help, and so does he. The easy spots when the other guy was asleep and we just did not require the help. Bottom line is. I will GOAL. To date i have not hit anything and I want to keep that record.

Backing is funny. Some days, I can do the most difficult shots like the best pro, but there are also those days when i am in late and am exhausted and it takes me 20 minutes. 3 or more pull ups. Now as an accomplishment, I dont care. I just care that I do it without hitting something. I will miss my co driver when I do this on my own! Folks that wonder about team driving, well those other eyes and ears will help you

Hey Bob, best of luck to you, and let me tell you, I was desperate when I found this site. I did a complete career change at over 50, and became a truck driver. I followed the advice of people here and it has worked really well for me. I even live in Florida where options are more limited because of availability of freight, and it has still worked for me. You can do it. Take the time to go through all this site has. You will not find a better tutorial for getting your CDL and getting through school and the period you have to work to pay off the school. The best thing is, Brett, the guy who owns this site will support you and will never let anyone here be negative about your choices. You are in the right place! Listen do the work you need to do to get hired and you will have a life changing experience. The people here care and will help you every step of the way. The resources are here for you to be successful. Bretts High Road study program will take you through the whole thing, and I have seen nothing better to give you the knowledge you need to get this started.