Comments By classA

I experienced the Lumper Fee at a grocery warehouse just North of French Camp, CA during my training with a TE while in Company Orientation. After waiting in line behind several other drivers, we were notified that the Lumper Fee had to be paid before they would do anything with us. We had to return to the truck for a Lumper Check and call the Lumper Hotline Phone to get an approval number. Once we got back to Receiving, they were closed for lunch! We had to stand there for 30 minutes waiting in order to not end up behind more drivers. In the end, we'd cut our 14-hour clock down to moments and had to request permission to sleep in the truck onsite. In this industry, like anything else, time is money!

So, in my limited experience (6 days with a TE and 6 days Solo), I can easily see that if there is ever a chance you might have to pay the Lumper Fee, then have the payment (check, card, or otherwise) immediately available right when you check in at the delivery location! It can save you time and money.

I just completed 6 days on the road as a Rookie Solo Driver. And I've already had to slide the tandems several times! Errol V. painted a good picture on the weight distribution!

Thanks Errol and Ricky,Brett's book was very helpful.having read it now I really think otris the way I'm gonna go.I'm really glad I found this site.

If it weren't for the information I've gained from Trucking Truth (Brett, Errol, and all of the other excellent representatives of the trucking industry), it would have been much more difficult to make it through CDL school. And through 6 days on the road!

One more thing to add (from personal experience) is when you do begin training for your CDL, learn as much as you can every moment. I've only been driving for 6 days and at least once I've experienced most every situation I learned about while in training. Slide the trailer axles, utilize the engine brake properly, get the most out of cruise control (especially in the orange trucks ....), back inside of tight places including blind-side set ups (little room for the tractor while you steer the trailer into an even smaller place that you literally cannot see without getting out to look), coupling/uncoupling, paperwork, time management (especially in the hours you can work each day as mandated by the DOT rules, and log books (although it will be most likely on a computer, but the same concept).

Get the most out of every moment. Then, when suddenly the situation calls for it, the time you spent in training will enable you to rise to the occasion!

And a big accomplishment it is! It's actually a lot of work to get the CDL, then it keeps getting to be more work once you get it! But work equals money, right?

Congratulations!

Great stuff! You got a great deal of variety to test you while driving. Keep up the good work!

Indeed Bleemus.

Great job! Drive safe and keep the rubber side down!

That is a primary goal each travel through the Grapevine, Donner's Pass, or multiple places on Highway 97!

I've only driven 6 days, Jessica M. And I will be the first to admit ...... I'm exhausted at the end of each day.

I did it! I just completed Schneider Orientation in Fontana, CA!

First, let me say that I appreciate the fact that other trucks run much faster than the Schneider rigs. Recently I was on I-84 in Nevada running along at 60 mph (maximum speed) while most every other truck on the road blew by me at 70 - 80 mph. Eventually I would end up being at the same place were they were and go right on by. Of course, they most often would once again overtake the truck I was driving. However, one such rig did not. In fact, it appeared to have been involved in a horrific accident at the bottom of a grade not too far down the road. So, in that case, the governed 60 mph seemed to be the best place to be at!

There was a little breeze circulating at the Greyhound bus depot in Spokane on a quiet Sunday morning at 0125 as I handed the bus driver my boarding pass. After releasing my suitcase to him I got on and sat in a window seat close to the front.

Have you ever taken a trip on a Greyhound bus? There is something almost exciting about the journey! Or maybe it is more like the first settlers traveling across country in covered wagons with the challenges of the unknown ahead. Yes. That is it.

After 38 hours on 4 different buses with a couple of uneventful layovers at terminals across Oregon and Northern California I finally arrived in Claremont, CA on Monday afternoon at 1430. Another new hire called the hotel shuttle for us and soon thereafter we were checked in at the Best Western Ontario Airport Hotel. I took a shower then walked nearby to get something to eat. After that it was time with my wife on the phone and then I went to bed.

Week 01 - Breakfast was at 0500 with new hires and others who were on their third and final week of orientation. By 0525 we were loaded into vans and a bus on our way to the Los Angeles Operations Center in Fontana, CA. Everyone sat around the lobby which also served as the cafeteria area until promptly at 0600 when each group was called to our respective classrooms. Basic introductions and new hire paperwork was the order of the day along with an overview of the Schneider history and philosophy. And 3 chapters of homework.

We were given details on logbook expectations, had to complete Physical Abilities tests, and were introduced to our respective Yard Trainers (2 new hires to each Trainer). Later we proceeded to the Yard where we began to learn the Schneider Pre-Trip, Trailer Integrity Verification (TIV), Coupling/Uncoupling, etc. And were provided basic set-ups for backing maneuvers with practice. Next we were taken out for Road Drive Time in an industrial park and outlying area. Later we learned the Schneider Post-Trip along with more TIV.

Had time training on the Simulator (much like a high-tech video game with simulated sounds as well as steering wheel and seat vibrations).

More Pre-Trip, TIV, Coupling/Uncoupling, Backing, Driving, Post-Trip, TIV, Logging.

Received official Driver numbers, EFS cards (Schneider Fuel Cards), and given contact information for the upcoming week of being on the road with our assigned Training Engineer.

Went to OC after class and did laundry (free at Fontana). Spent 6 to 7 hours completing CBTs at OC.

Week 02 - I met my TE in person, had a brief conversation, completed some initial paperwork, loaded my belongings into the assigned truck, and began to learn the way of the Schneider Driver. Let me sum up this week quickly (because it was so much detail in such a short space of time that it literally has become a blur in my memory). And know that during this week, my TE showed me how to record all of this in the Qualcomm (electronic log). I drove over 2500 miles on the I-5 and I-84. Hauled 4 loads across Donner's Pass and the Grapevine (3 at 14 - 25000 lbs and 1 at 79500 lbs). Drove in torrential downpour for hours on I-84. Experienced hailstorm, strong side-winds, and flooded roads. I ate one sit-down meal and had one shower in 6 days. Scaling loads, weigh stations, toll roads, use of the engine brake, control braking, cruise control, My TE said I did really well in all of the different scenarios we experienced.

Did anyone ever say that truck driving was easy? It's demanding work! I literally could hardly walk once I returned to the hotel late the following Saturday night for my 2nd shower in 6 days. Sunday morning I got enough strength after another shower, went to the OC and washed my clothes again.

Week 3- Breakfast at 0500 and back to the OC for 0600 classes.

More backing, more driving, and then later in the week, completed final CBTs, and Orientation completion!

Finally, after 3 weeks of intense experience in the Schneider way, I only spent about 33 hours on Greyhound buses to get back home! I have been home 2 days and just now feel myself coming back to some sense of normal. But I'm not getting used to it. Because now I get back on Greyhound to the Portland, OR OC where I meet my DBL, have some enhanced training on handling loads in the system, get my assigned tractor, and head back out to the I-5 corridor for 7 to 14 consecutive days on the road!

Many thanks to everyone here for helping me to be at this point in a career that is going to fit me well! I'll check in as I'm able, but for now I must focus on learning how to succeed in this highly unique and skilled trade!

FYI -

The time has come for me to travel to Orientation for my first CDL driving job! I'll be leaving shortly and most probably will not be back here often over the next month.

My focus is going to be on becoming a safe and reliable class A driver. Once I have completed this short transition, I'll gladly provide details of my experience. It has really helped me prepare by reading here about the "real" experiences of others. There are so many things in life that books cannot teach you. Many thanks to those of you who have offered so much insight into this industry.

Always remember, regardless of who you are or what your situation is, today is the beginning of tomorrow and the end of yesterday. So make the most of every moment!

Congratulations.

Medical.

Thanks for the explanation, Errol.

You are correct. Massage is considered medical ...

And I must say I appreciate your posts!

For hazmatyou are supposed to check all tires pressure with a gauge every time you stop. How many of us actually do this? I would spend half my day just checking tire pressures as I typically make 4+ stops per day. I do check them once a week with a gauge. And thump them every morning on my pre trip. But its pretty obvious that I cant spend half my workday each day checking tire pressures 4-5 times a day. My boss would go through the roof.

Phil

I always wondered what that was like in the "real" world. It seems that my recent CDL training was so ....... "unreal".

Thanks for the info!