Profile For Gerald H. AKA Doc

Barry, I believe the way the rule is, is if you go to a school that teaches you in an automatic then there will be a restriction on your license starting that you can only drive automatics. When I was going going to school for my cdl we had a guy come in for retraining because he went to a school that taught on automatics. If you were to get on with a company that only had autos then it wouldn't be a big deal but if they changed their fleet you might be in trouble.

It has been 8 weeks now since I took the job with Dot Foods. The job itself is exactly what I had expected it to be and now I get out of diapers and into big boy pants. the job is very demanding with forced dispatch but I like it that way. The hard work of unloading my own truck at this point will start paying off. Also it breaks up the time of driving. With the exception of this week there has been no down time what so ever and the down time this week is because of the holidays. I will start my new carrer as a solo driver tomorrow morning at 6 am headed for Vidalia Ga. for a drop and hook. From my understanding, drop and hooks will be the norm for me for a few weeks. After that I will be doing drop and hooks and unloading my own trailer combined. That is when the good money starts rolling in. I have learned a lot in a short period of time and still learning as I go. one of the major things I have learned is how many idiots there are on the road today. I never gave it much thought untill I was in a big rig going down the interstate at 70 mph having people cut me off within inches it seems in front of my bumper. Or haveing people pass on the right as I am turning on the on ramp to enter the interstate. I now have a new outlook on big rigs on the road and give them all the respect they deserve. I have also learned how to use the horn quite well and started a new collection of middle fingers. lol. As far as my family is concerned they are adjusting well to me not being home and I cherish the time I am at home. This company isn't like most where I am gone for 3 or 4 weeks at a time. I have been home every weekend except one sice I have started and I realy dont see that changeing to much as time goes on. To Trucking Truth I have to say thanks for all the training programs and to all the people that post on here that are full of information. It has helped me tremendously. Although I dont post much I read a lot and the information is incredible. Any ways I want to wish everyone a happy new year and safe days and nights on the road. God Bless. Doc

seems like a pretty nice tool.

cool Brian sounds like you are on your way. It won't take long for your schooling to get under way and before you know it you'll have acdl. congrats. Doc

HI Lisa, don't give up. Get on the phone and call them and just remind them that you have applied. Those folks deal with a lot of people on a daily basis. Remember that the squeaky wheel always gets the grease.

welcome Eric, as far as gong to deep, these trucks only need to have the clutch pedal depressed about 1 1/2 inches to get them to shift right. if you are going to deep you are activating the clutch brake and if that's the case it will never shift right while it's moving. these trucks can be shifted without the clutch at the right RPMs but that's not till later on with more experience. As far as stopping, I would try to go to a lower gear if you feel the truck is lugging. just start downshifting a little sooner to give your self more time to get into a lower gear. if you coast longer then the length of the tractor and trailer it's considered not being in control and you could fail your driving test for that. It takes some time getting used to it but you can do it. it just takes practice. Doc

Nice job Train. I hope all works out good for you.

Thanks to all. This isn't the ordinary driving job. I will be unloading my own trailer and that's a lot of hard work. I'm no stranger to hard work because it's what I have done my whole life. It pays very well and has a great benefit package. I will be home on most weekends and it is a very family oriented company. I can't wait to get started and I will keep T.T. posted as to how it is going. Have a great day and move safe. Doc

Brian I'm not sure how it is in your state but here in West Virginia you can't get the hazmat endorsement until you go to get your actual license. if that's the case then you have a little while to study. Then you can take the test the day you go to get your cdl. also you have to get a background check and finger printed before you can even take the test. just something to check out as it may be different in your state. Doc

I got the official call today that I am being hired at Dot foods inc. I sign all the paper work on Friday and start Monday at 8 a.m. with the orientation. I have worked long and hard to get on with this company and it finally paid off. can't wait till Monday.

welcome Daniel and good luck with your schooling. I hope all works out for you in the trucking industry. although I'm not a vet. my dad is and I would like to say thanks for your time in service. same to all the other vets out there too. have a great day. Doc

yes it is true. we had a guy come through our school doing a refresher because he learned on an automatic. it would be nice if those schools with automatics would let you know up front.

I did both, manual and high road. What I found was that the manual to me seemed kinda confusing. with high road and all the little tests you do will really drive the correct answers into your head because of the refresher questions. the more you do the more refresher questions you get. repetition here it's the key. with the endorsements, if you wait till you get your license there will be a fee for a duplicate license. it's not much but it's money you can save by doing it at the time of your permit. also for hazmats you have to do a background check and it could take a couple of weeks to get that back. don't get caught up in having to wait for that to come back before you can take the test. what I mean by that is if you get the background check done, the day you go to get your license you can take the hazmat test and it will be put on your license from the start. most companies today require hazmats so it's best to get them out of the way as soon as possible.

congratulations on passing your test. you need one of those shirts that says " I'm having a great day, watch some idiot come along and screw it up". lol

Martin, I just have to give you big big credit for even wanting to get off of disability. In my mind that is a very good first step to doing anything you want to do. Only trouble with this career is it is regulated by the feds and it seems to get more regulated by the year. Good luck and I hope things work out for you. Doc

Steven, for me the test was simply the nurse coming in and whispering " the sky is blue"and me repeating back to her what she just said. I have had two of those physicals now and both hearing tests were the same just different phrases.

Hi Steven, the reason people are forbidden to use marijuana is although it is legal in many states, it is still not legal by the federal government. everything truck driving is federal government and in reality drugs and 80,000 pounds just doesn't go good together.

well the answer to the question is yes you can become a truck driver at 18 but you will only be allowed to drive in your home state. so unless you get with a local company who stays in state, in order to use your license later on when you turn 21 you may have to spend more money to take a refresher course to get hired on with a company. good luck with your decision. Doc

I am at the DMV and just passed all of my endorsements. Can't thank Brett enough for the learning material that makes all of this stuff seem so easy. Thanks to all that may be involved. Doc

Steven, the only way they can make you become a resident of Pa is if you decide to move to Pa. as a permanent resident for six months or more. just b because you work in a state other then your home state dosent mean you have to become a resident of that state. as is in my case I'm a resident of west virginia and have worked in Maryland for the past 25 years.