Comments By Renae S. (Angel)

Well today was kind of a pretest day. We went on the road so the instructor could see what we need to work on out there and i dont think i did too bad i made some noob mistakes like cutting corners and i kept forgetting about the dang splitter. But it was also my first time pulling a 53 ft trailer and i didnt hit anything so that makes it a good day. We also took a mini test on trip planning and it was rough because im still learning thier way of trip planning. In the sim lab i did better they simulated a couple of construction zones and the only thing i got in trouble for was cutting a corner too close and forgetting to use my turn signal. One of the other guys got popped for speeding, it was actually kinda funny.

Well done! I don't know if my school uses a simulator. Never thought to ask. The process you're describing reminds me a lot of Driver's Ed. when I was a kid, only we didn't split bookwork with driving back then. At least you have been driving on the road before and don't have to wonder if the semi you just pulled in front of is going to squish you! (That day's trip was cut short for me.) Does this mean I should review the regular driver's manual for oh, I don't know, road signs, traffic signals, and knowing where the turn signal is?

Renae (Angel)

Just to let you know i am reading this and i find it very interesting just to compare experiences. I also was a pack rat and had to leave almost everything behind in the care of my future wife. Lol im not even sure how much is going to be left when i finally get back home.

7-16-15

Thanks Jake! I wish you the very best of luck. I don't think I'd be brave enough to try to do this career and lifestyle if I had to leave a significant other at home. Maybe if they were going to be joining me on the road, but it takes a lot to handle long distance relationships. Technology makes distance seem smaller, but Skype can't give you a hug when you need one.

I've thought about doing this since I was 18, but I got married and shortly had kids. I couldn't even consider it until they were adults. I did always tell them that I was going to run away from home one day. Good thing they believed me.

The only things that's really going to take adjusting to not having while on the road are my books and my computer. Sure, I like the 4 pillows that sit at the head of the bed and the quilted comforter and crocheted blankets I've bought or made. I like having artwork on the walls, jewelry in the boxes, nick-nacks, furniture, and kitchen stuff. I like having my own bathroom, and washer and dryer. I like all of it.

The packrat keeps saying, "It's all mine! I can't leave it." The future over the road trucker says, "Meh. It's just stuff. The kids need it more. Adapt."

One of the interesting things about the process is that I'm realizing I haven't really utilized all that much of the accumulated crap I've surrounded myself with all these years. There's a refrigerator box-size pile of clothing I won't be needing. There's 5 bookshelves filled with books. (Many belong to my mother. She's in a nursing home so she's not using them either.) If the furniture, nick-nacks, shelves, and a lot of kitchen supplies disappear in the time it takes my daughter to settle in here, I'm not going to miss them.

CD's and DVD's I might miss a little bit, but I plan on purchasing a laptop at some point. If I can't get my music from that, an MP3 player or iPod will work. Books on Kindle or Nook are compact. I don't wear a bunch of jewelry so it just sits there in the boxes. I hate dusting, so the nick-nacks would be better loved in a yard sale or donation box. Clothes will wear out. I don't need 15 pairs of jeans, 5 coats, 8 pairs of shoes, etc. It's just stuff. If I can't live without something, it can be picked up when I finally make it home or purchased again. Even the car could go bye-bye and I wouldn't have difficulty letting it go.

Even as little as 2 weeks ago, I don't think I could have said that or felt this way. I think I'm already planning my future truck driving life, getting into the mindset that will allow me not to miss home. I'll see my family once in a while, but I already see them once in a while. Nothing will change, except maybe me. I'll even have better stories to tell and way cooler pictures.

WOOHOO!!! Congrats on that first step, geting your permit to learn! :)

Very interesting about the 14-1/2 age to get a DL... I'd never heard of that.... always heard 16 as pretty much the universal age for driving privelages in my time. Got my DL at 16 around 1987 I think... but that was in Illinois.

There were restrictions, like I said. Driver's Ed was required, Daytime only, no required hours with licensed driver. Now, it's still Driver's Ed., Daytime only, and you must have 100 hours with a licensed driver. Without Driver's Ed it's 16 with licensed driver hours, 18 without Driver's Ed. or licensed driver hours. Idaho is just weird. We even have 2 different time zones and laws on the books from the 1800's. "Rule of Thumb," for example. You cannot beat your wife with anything bigger around than your thumb. Not making this up!

7-16-15

I guess it's been a busy day again.

Heck, I don't even know if anyone is interested in all the pre-trip adventures I've been having, but I'll keep documenting. As the link is called "Diaries Category," I'm just trying to fulfill my own expectations of what a diary entails. If that's a bunch of boring stuff too, I'll get to the school stuff when I arrive. It's likely to be a bit more sporadic since I'm going to be relying on the computer lab they have available at the school.

Going through all the papers, junk, and general crap people accumulate through the years has taken a lot of time today. I found a bunch of stuff I'd thought I'd lost and things I'll be bringing with me. Basically, because I'm turning my house over to the kids, I'm looking at what is going with me to school as my sole possessions. My whole life has been whittled down to 1 large duffle, 1 small sports duffle, a purse, and a pillowcase with 2 throw pillows stuffed in it.

Yes, I packed everything already. Why?

* Will it fit?

* What's missing? If it's missing, can I live without it? Do I have everything on the school checklist from the welcome packet? All the necessary paperwork?

* What else can I do without? How can I make this smaller? Lighter?

* What will I need to get while I'm at school?

* What will I need to get or get rid of while I'm on the road with a trainer? Can I reduce my bag to 1 small duffle, purse, and pillowcase for this time?

What I've found so far is that reducing my bags to 1 large duffle, purse, and pillowcase is doable. Reducing to 1 small duffle? Not so much.

Honestly, I've been a packrat my whole life. Like just about everybody, I accumulate stuff. Stuff. STUFF. Do I need it? No. Is it nice to have? Sometimes. Can I leave it behind and not miss it? Don't know yet, but I'm going to do it anyway. As all the reading and research, all the trucker testimonies say, this is a LIFESTYLE not just a job. My home will be in my truck. I need to prepare for that. Preparing for that lifestyle change means trimming the unnecessary accumulations of years!

Sure, I'll still technically have my house, household items, furniture, decorations, yard tools, car, etc., but I'm not going to be using any of it. I don't plan on being here. All of it will be there for my kids to use as they need it. They won't have to start from scratch the way I did.

The whole process sort of feels like going on an extremely effective weight-loss plan. I just lost more than pounds and inches. It actually feels pretty good.

Renae (Angel)

Wednesday - Day 3

By the end of the day, I was dizzy and had a splitting headache from sunstroke, by face, neck and arms were stinging with the pain of severe sunburn. I had made up my mind, This wasn't for me and this would be my last day here at the swift academy.

After getting back to the hotel and resting for a few hours, I started to think about where I was going to go from here, and I started to realize I don't have very many other options, I need to make this work no matter how hard it is, no matter how frustrating it is, no matter how much it hurts. I decided I wasn't, rather couldn't give up, I walked to the dollar store and picked up a straw had, solarcaine, and some coppertone 50 spf spray. I am going back for more punishment tomorrow morning.

I am Sofa King tired right now...more tommorow...

I feel for you Joel! Sunburn on top of everything really stinks. Hang in there!

Hey adam i would suggest going thru the site and just researching everything. The High Road Training Program was a huge help for studying for my permit and im still working thru parts of it while im in orientation. Brett's Book and Truck Driver's Career Guide are other good articles to read on the site.

Thanks. I've been looking around and finding an insane amount of information and knowledge on here. This is a great site and I know it's gonna help far into the future.

Hi Adam!

We're both set to start on Monday. It's been a crazy few weeks for me getting everything set up to go. I completely relate to driving myself a little nuts with the excited/nervous and what the heck am I doing?/what the heck do I need to do? issues.

As soon as I made the decision to go into this business I started researching. Trucking Truth has been an amazing resource and Brett and Michael really did a great job setting it up to give us the best information. High Road really made it easy to learn what I needed to know to get great scores on my permit test. I'm definitely going to continue to utilize the resources they have given to us! I'm not looking at endorsements of any kind yet, because I honestly don't have the money.

CR England required me to get my permit and DOT physical before they did the pre-hire and school enrollment. Honestly, having that much out of the way beforehand made some of the nerves settle. There's also the fact that all that research and studying for the permit gave me a lot of information I will need when I get to school and eventually on the road.

I'm going to be going to CR England's partner school Premier. It takes about 3 weeks to get through the school and get to the point I can test for my license.

As soon as I have my CDL in hand, I have a job with CR England. There's a month of driving with a trainer and then about 5 months of driving with a teammate. I'm a bit divided on how I feel about that. I'm a loner for the most part and forced into close quarters is going to be a big adjustment for me. I'll adapt. I can do anything, especially if I KNOW there's an end in sight and a goal to be reached.

There's a commitment to the company for 9 months but I'm absolutely okay with that. Having a company behind me while I'm still basically using training wheels makes it much less scary for me. I DON'T want to be an owner/operator. Even thinking about being out there without a parachute gives me hives. That's just me, though. I'm sure for someone else that would look really attractive. Buying fuel, paying for repairs, payments on the truck, etc. Just not my cup of cappuccino.

I'm going to concentrate on each step and give it my fullest attention and best effort. Get through school. Get my CDL. Get my training and company commitment out of the way. Then, and only then will I think about if I want to stay with this company or a different one; or, try to purchase a truck. I really don't think that option is right for me, but that's just how I feel right now. A year, two years, three years down the road I might feel differently.

Good luck at school!

Renae (Angel)

7-15-15

After stressing a little about no callback from MR yesterday, I received a call early this morning. I gave her my permit number and she bought a bus ticket and sent confirmation numbers for the ticket and the school. YAY!

Come to find out "the grey dog" takes 20 hours from where I am to where I'm going. So I have to leave Saturday. I'll have almost a full day of hanging around on Sunday before starting school Monday.

The closer it gets to GO time, the faster time seems to run. I keep thinking, "What is going to be left not done?" I guess all I can do is all I can do.

7-14-15

I would just like to start today by saying, MY FAMILY AND FRIENDS ARE ROCK STARS!

When I did my physical last week, I passed everything. As I mentioned before, my eyesight is legal but I'm pushing it. So what do I do to make sure I don't get sent home when/if they recheck "stuff" at school? Well, duh. Go to the eye doctor and get glasses BEFORE leaving for school. Just a tiny little issue. I have no money, no medical insurance, and have already hit up two different sources for help; my aunt and my older brother.

Luckily, I have another brother. He's my twin. (Weirdly, or maybe not, we've never really gotten along. We communicate on separate channels. Think AM trying to talk to FM and you have a good idea how it works. I adore him and have always been proud that I have such an awesome brother, but we take each other in very small doses.)

I called up and got down to business. (Don't ask why I call him Bones because I don't remember. I just know I'm the only one who calls him that and have since I could talk.) (My nickname was given in the hospital where I was born. Angel)

Me: "Hey Bones, how was your vacation?" Him: "Long." Me: "I bet you were glad to be out of cell phone range." Him: "Not really." Me: "I was wondering if you could help me out." Him: "What do you need?" Me: "Glasses. I need to get my eyes examined and get glasses before I go to school. Can you help pay for them?" (I should NOT have used the words help pay for them, as this implied that I would cover some of the expense. This caused me to have to clarify by text later on when he asked how much I could cover. ) Him: "Sure. Set up the appointment and let me know what it will cost." Me: "Okay, Thanks. I'll text you."

*All of my phone conversations usually last between 1 and 2 minutes. I'm not making this up!

So, anyway, I set up the appointment and we worked out the details. Then, the fateful question came. "How much can you cover?" Uhhhh... Can being broke and having to ask for help be any more embarrassing? I texted back that I had $3 in my account, went to the food bank for food, and had to ask our older brother for food money at school AND to cover house expenses for 2 months while I was at school until I started making money.

A long pause later...."Okay, go to the exam and order your glasses. The more basic they are, the faster you can get them. Let me know how late they're open."

That was it. I didn't need to beg or humiliate myself, justify the need for help, or get down on the ground and kiss his feet. A simple Thank You and paying him back later is all he needs from me to be willing to stand behind me and make sure I have what I need to make this work. Of course, he'll also get a backbreaking hug and I love yous before I leave.

Why did I go over a personal conversation with my brother, expose my pathetic financial situation, and reveal how much help I'm already getting from other family members?

BECAUSE GOING TO SCHOOL ISN'T JUST THE COST OF SCHOOL. Yes, there's however you pay for your school, be it a credit card, cash, loan, company school tuition, etc., but it's also making sure that you have food money, toiletries, clothing items, school supplies, bedding, medications (if you take them), phone and chargers, laptops, etc. It's making sure you have a place to come back to if things don't work out. (God forbid!) It all adds up.

I know there will be a very limited amount of space in the dorm room and on the truck so I'm taking the absolute bare minimum of what I need to survive. * This minimizes the cost of clothing items. I don't need to go out and purchase a wardrobe, I just have to utilize wisely what I already own.

I don't need to purchase school supplies. Yay! I have a ton of leftover stuff from when my kids were in school. A notebook, extra paper (cause I take a lot of notes when I study), some pens, a straight edge (for logbook charting), phone has a calculator (not ideal and may pick one up later, but it will work in a pinch or god forbid putting pen to paper).

My required document are present and accounted for. Don't have a social security card? Get one ahead of time. Don't have a birth certificate? Get one ahead of time. Make sure you have all paperwork needed. Double check. Triple check. Then check a few more times. Almost everyone who goes over what happens at school has mentioned people being sent home because they don't have something they were told to bring. Some documents cost money to get and take time to reach you. Allow for that time and expense.

My credit stinks. I'm lucky I have family who have jumped in to support my efforts. I couldn't do any of this without their help. I know it, acknowledge it, and thank God every day for them.

(BTW finished the required stuff from yesterday. The test wasn't as bad as I thought.)

Back to more studying,

Renae (Angel)

Honestly, I should note that Idaho is a big farming state. They set up the driving age originally for farmers to get their kids licensed to help on the farm. That said, of course they couldn't just pick the farmboys and girls to give the privilege. As I mentioned above, the rules were for only DAYTIME driving until 16, but...da da da duh...you didn't have a required number of hours with a licensed driver in the passenger seat either. Get your license and boogie!

I posted on my thread, but hey, I'll tell you here too... PASSED FOR PERMIT TODAY! I want to friggin' shout it from the roof!

I like the steps you set for yourself to manage the team/training issues. Usually, getting along with people isn't a problem for me. My ego is pretty secure and I don't have much of a temper. If the trainer or my teammate has an issue with me, discussing it isn't difficult. I just don't like being yelled at or treated like I'm a moron. I qualify for Mensa for cripe's sake! I'm teachable. Teach me.

The ultimate goal for me is surviving school, surviving close quarters with someone who may have a personality clash with me, and going SOLO. That's all I want. I almost asked, "How hard can that be?" but that's just asking for trouble.

Congrats on your decision Renae! Please be sure to keep us in the loop on your progress...

But I have to ask this question.... Where in there world do they put a 14 Y.O. in Drivers Ed? I've always been under the presumption that 15 was the earliest you could begin since you cant test for your license until your 16th birthday....

Idaho. I don't know if the rules changed too much since I got my first driver's license in 1985.

You can't drive at night, but if you take Driver's Ed., you can get a driver's license at 14 1/2 years old.

Of course, I got my license and had no car or insurance and my mother wouldn't let me borrow hers. So, I spent almost 3 years before I could actually do any driving. But danggit! I was legal!