Comments By kayakngal

There is no fifth wheel lock some do pull ur fifth wheel although very uncommon BC they are mad at ya they hear of old schoolers doin this back in the day so like any lil kid they want to be like daddy so to speak.

Now crazy stuff cars do well I witnessed what a breast pump does at 65 MPH, Companies give ya fuel stops and a Rte but do learn how to read an atlas ,low bridges are everywhere and do a pre trip everyday or before starting ur clock,I have to stop there my tablet is low on bat.and acts like a fool when charging.

Too funny now that is multi tasking - got to feed the baby! I guess it would be in any truck drivers best interest to check that fifth wheel everytime you get out. Has anyone seen or experienced someone releasing a fifth wheel for spite?

I don't think I would be comfortable going into Mexico. Not with the stories I've read about lately.

GA Rookie you're the one going to crete on the 19th or was that someone else?

Gods, BRETT......would ya PLEASE get an EDIT button on here ???? I'm getting afraid to type....and yes, I know I should read before submitting....And I should also make sure what I'm aiming at when someone breaks into my house...but its just so much fun to keep pulling the trigger til I run out of shells !!!!!!!!!!

I second that...and edit button is a good idea.

I meant "an"

^^^^ exactly what I mean - can't fix it lol ^^^^

Gods, BRETT......would ya PLEASE get an EDIT button on here ???? I'm getting afraid to type....and yes, I know I should read before submitting....And I should also make sure what I'm aiming at when someone breaks into my house...but its just so much fun to keep pulling the trigger til I run out of shells !!!!!!!!!!

I second that...and edit button is a good idea.

Well Engineer you've had quite an interesting career path. The airforce was something I contemplated once too but, took a different path. It seems like you've done a good job raising two engineering men too. Kudos. I know there's nothing more precious to a mom than her sons or, kids in general. I too have two sons (both grown and doing well).

Oh and I would like to have a white night on a horse - it's just that I end up with a horse full of bull instead, giggle. So, I'll go off and drive that steel horse solo (yep stole it from BonJovi). It'll be an interesting time for sure. And afer reading the posts from the ladies who are already driving I think it's going to be an interesting career for certain.

Now there's an interesting topic Star. What is on your ladies bucket lists? That'll be fun to see if there are any similar interests amongst us - who knows where that could lead? So, do tell please :)

Why the heck would ANYONE pull a fifth wheel pin on another persons rig? What would be the point? Is this considered a funny thing in the industry? It doesn't seem a bit funny to me. Also, aren't there fifth wheel locks which would make this impossible? I thought I heard someone mention a lock? I know there's a king pin lock because I'm supposed to buy one so, am I getting my info mixed up?

Yikes. Share your notes please. I'm curious what mistakes this guy made.

Oh My God!!!

I would love to say that's unbelievable. I'd love to say I've never heard of such treatment and a total lack of professionalism. But sadly, this is far more common that anyone would care to admit. In fact, it was only two days ago I received a private email from a former student at a company-sponsored program who went out on the road with a trainer that would not only scream and cuss at him constantly, but was even pulling on his ears and slapping him in the back of the head while he was driving.

I'm gonna send you a private message later this morning. I want to ask you a couple things.

Wow, I figured it must be common to some degree for him to believe his behaviour was humorous. If he had ever laid a hand on anyone I truly think things would have gone to another level - I don't think the men in my class would have tolerated anything physical. We had a very hard time dealing with the verbal. I would have called authorities if I were physically "reprimanded" by a trainer. Crazy. There were some people, who I never met, from prior classes that were said to find his behaviour funny. Again, I never met those people but the men I went to school with were decent, hard working family men for the most part and, we definitely did not find any humor in the radical training method. I'm not prone to drama. I am prone to a sensible methodology and it's never sensible to treat others, especially who are paying your salary, in such a manner.

With that said, and on a positive not, I did attain my CDL although I had to fight to get the training I needed to get it and, I think I'm going to enjoy exploring the country so I'm excited to move on to the next chapter. That one was bad but it stilled opened the doors I'm getting ready to step through. They say "it takes five positives to neutralize one negative" so, I'm on number two - three more to go and the experience will be forgotten. :)

Kathy - falling for someone doesn't mean your not strong. Being heartbroken doesn't mean you're not strong either. It means you're going through a rough patch. I was such a whiner for a long while after my split so, let yourself know it's normal and you're not expected to live up to anyone's standard except your own. There's not a limit on how long it takes for a broken heart to heal. This I learned through a ton of reading, therapy and talking with people who had went through a similar breakup. It hurts like hell sometimes but it will go away - unfortunately there's no specific time frame. I found being social to be the best cure. Also, hiking, biking or any kind of exercise will help. I know that sounds silly but I promise it's true. I think taking care of yourself is really instrumental in healing.

Pebbles - it sounds like you're going through some similar emotions. You should join an activity group with people who have kids. There are a ton of them if you go to: meetup.com and search for things that interest you and get involved. I started going to meetups for hiking, kayaking, etc. and it was a blessing to get the socialization. Not to mention you'll meet new friends. The hardest part is just doing it. But, it get's easier each time you go and you realize there's many people who are looking for similar things as you. The worst thing is staying home alone all the time - I found that to be torture at times. And, once you're driving a semi you'll have new experiences to keep you occupied. Oh, and there's tons of dating sites - I'm willing to bet there's some for single parents. You could alays have a "play date" with the kids? Just an idea. How old are your kids?

I'm not sure how old you are Pebbles but, without mentioning my age I'll just say my eldest son is 28 years old and dating now is so drastically different then dating when I was in my 20's. You understand Kathy because we didn't have the internet back then, lol. The dating scene is very sterile and routine nowadays. Maybe I'm just not into it because it seems like it's just not that fun. I enjoy going out with girlfriends and doing things through the meetup groups and those keep me busy. This weekend I went to a dinner/theater where the audience participated in the play - I was the Queen of Hearts, lol. It was fun.

Anyway ladies my weekend has been consumed with HazMat studying so I've mostly stayed home and I've been checking the forums and posting randomly. I appreciate everyones openness by sharing your lives with us and I hope one day we meet on the road. That would be cool. Pebbles when are you going to CDL school?

As I skim through some of the hiring requirements I am seeing same/similar lists like 10 year address history, 10 year work history, etc, etc. I am also seeing that a lot of document lists include "State Certified Birth Certificate."

I was born in the Ukraine and family came to the U.S. when I was 3. I do not have my birth certificate and neither do my parents. I have a U.S. passport and my social security card. Will I really be required to get my birth certificate?

If you have a passport, drivers license and social security care you should be fine. If they say that a BC is required let them know your situation and all the documentation you have. As long as you're legal to work in N America then you should be fine.

When I decided to make the life altering choice to drive a semi I put a lot of thought and planning into it. I was working two jobs (1 full, 1 part time) so, I had very little free time to do anything more then research schools, financially plan and get prepared. My two weeks notices, finances, house/animal sitter and make sure I had all I needed to get started on the the new journey. Because of the school I chose I also needed to find a place to rent, for the duration of school, that was economical. I spent the majority of my free time doing all the necessary planning so, I was not able to do much studying regarding my CDL training.

I chose the school I did for a few reasons some of which were how professional they were on the telephone, the information provided on their website and the cost. I had never been to the school before the day I started training - it's 5 hours away from where I live. Anyway, what I wanted to share was my experiences there.

Not only was it my experience but the experience of all the trainees in my class. I wondered at the time, and even now, if it was a normal/typical experience of CDL training school. And, I'm not going to be able to get into any lengthy examples or stories because it would take up too much time, and I just want to share what really became an issue for everyone I was in class with - some more than others (7 out of 9 to be exact).

From our first day in the yard until the day we graduated we were screamed at and, I don't mean yelled at - I literally mean screaming. He would jump into the drivers window and scream at the driver who had made an error backing up, who hit a cone, who couldn't figure something out right away, etc. He didn't seem to understand that we were clueless and literally had no idea what we were doing. He would ask (while screaming) someone repetively "why did you do that?" to which they would usually answer "I don't know" because we didn't. That's why we were there!

I almost quit the second week when the trainer jumped in the cab, screamed while spitting, at one of the students for doing something stupid in the yard. Not life threatening just stupid. Had I not already invested money in the whole planning, rental and training I would have headed home due to the total lack of professionalism. The verbal abuse was beyond what I can describe in a posting here. I was the only female so I was actually treated a bit better then the men however, he did scream at me twice for purely ignorant reasons. All the screaming did was create an atmosphere of fear, defensiveness and doubt. Everyone there had invested their money in this training so they couldn't leave. But I guarantee not one person from my class would recommend the school oh, and a few from the class before us who didn't pass with their classmates, so were in our group until they did.

During the entire training I can honestly say the screaming trainer assisted me in a calm and professional manner TWICE because, I requested him to calm down. TWICE in over a month! And, sadly I was the only person he did this with while everyone else endured the screaming. Some men he was much harder on than others - it was dependent on skill, if someone needed a lot of guidance they were humiliated, screamed at and discourged from asking for assistance, because help came in the form of the above. The two men who had a level of skill that didn't require a lot of guidance weren't treated as poorly. It was truly the worst training experience of my entire life. I attended trade schools in the 80's and college was usually professional - the worst would be an instructor who didn't show up for classes. Yes, it happens even at reputable accredited colleges.

The CDL school had two trainers. One yard and one road. The trainer for the road was professonial, calm and assertive with the students. He let us know when, how and why we screwed up. He was the only saving grace of the entire experience. If it wasn't for him and a few of my classmates, who had prior knowledge and experience, then there's no way I could have learned anything at that particular school (I'm so grateful to my classmates). I'm sorry to report negatively but it's true (I'm still in contact with all classmates and I'm certain they each agree).

We spent a lot of money to be trained in a professional manner and I regret the training experience. The screaming was entirely unnecessary. I would recommend, if I could, that the trainer who screams remain in the office and hire a new trainer for the yard. He sincerely should not be training students in the yard however, from the aspect of the business office, and over the phone, he displays a professionalism that makes it hard to believe he's the same person when he's in the yard training students. What's sad is that he finds his behaviour funny. It's not. Truly - it is not.

Can I say anything positive about my training? The "road trainer" was great and would answer any questions. The cost was decent compaired with other schools however, if that's the only reason you choose this school you need to study and get some experience in a semi BEFORE you attend school there. That way all they're doing is providing you with the truck to accomplish the task. Well, this was a bit of open journaling and I appreciate the opportunity to share. Now, I'm just excited to start a new career. Best of luck to all new drivers!