Comments By George A.

So far, being a flatbed driver, the worst thing is finding a place to stop for my ten hour break.....always full....I usually start my day now around 2am.....easier to navigate and that allows me to get my pickups lst thing in the am.......I usually have a four hour drive time to my pickup therefore not wasting clockage....damn clock...not enough hours for me!

Well they threw me to the wolves and I became the pack leader......Oh yea...mistakes were made plenty of them ...my first two days...wow....almost out on clock...less than a minute to spare, got stuck in a sewage field...oh yea...that smelled.....a winch job there, was late to a delivery due to a flat.......at least I watched someone change my tire for a a change...... I actually am learning to drive and navigate truck stops.....crikey's!!!

Now to get to a Walmart and get the gear I need to avoid bad food and whatnot......

Most folks were nice, some even helpful, others love to watch the world burn and you screw up!!! be careful out there.....over 2k in miles this week.....rockin' on.....

I am working for the flatbed company Melton. So far they have been very stand up. I have had the opportunity to watch many of my fellow recruits....we started with over thirty, finished the 8 days of orientation with 13 and I am not sure who made it thru otr training......My trainer told me out of 2000 that apply maybe only a handful make it to their own trucks and six months. Not sure about that but I am older guy 50's and a lot of the pups perhaps have more distractions than I. The driving, loading, eating sandwiches, sleeping cramped are not that big of a deal to me...yes I would prefer finer things but nothing that I have gone thru is anywhere near a deal breaker for me.......now do not pay me and I am gone!

Certainly there will be a huge shift from being with a trainer and then on my own....but everyone has said how much better it is on your own......except for the tarping.....:)

After 4 weeks otr in a 3 week program....lol....I am back in the terminal.....on Monday it is time to get my new truck....will it be the T680 or T660?

Valuable lessons learned from the trainer.....yet when chatting with other drivers ...they do things differently.....certainly food for thought Also different values.....my trainer likes to get his fuel savings bonus.....which others could care less.......Now how will I drive when I am in command????

Like perfume, doing things my trainers way will certainly linger.

The company has put me up in this fancy hotel while waiting so I am doing the necessary things...laundry, getting grub, tools and things I need for the road, catching up on correspondence.

The rhythm and flow of things in the trucking world is certainly different.......... Cobra or Uniden? Garmin or Rand McNally, which truck stop has the best variety of coffee?

I will shoot another message after my first week solo.......

Thanks for the vote of confidence........I really enjoy getting out there (mostly) and getting a good work out and then driving....... I just wish the training was a bit longer maybe by a couple of weeks just to cover more of the ins and outs of each situation......

I just want people to know that they should not give up and not take things personally .......life continues and if you can smile then you can do it......flat bed or box..........life is an adventure

of drivers training!!!! Okay so I drove up and down twice a mountain range over 11,000 feet.......I went through rain, heat, a little snow...meh!........and some decent miles and loads...tarped and secured.....did paper logs and electronic logs

M...x M.....dows A truck stop along the way...you can fill in the blanks, almost got into two wrecks there....some truck drivers are the nicest folks and then there are the ones that hate life and everything in it......Well he almost ripped the nose off my truck....had I not been able to back up..he would have, he just did not care...glad I had a camera in my truck and my trainer who was like Dinah......Blowin that horn....but the dude did not care.......be careful out there.......

did I have fun?? yes, did he teach me how to shift and back up?...yep did I shower? yep...maybe every 2-3 days, did I freeze?...yep did I sweat ?? yep....did I drive my trainer nuts with my bad jokes and singing?? yep.......that is why I get my own truck he got real tired of me.......:)

Will update periodically, rubber side down and sunny side up....

geo

Well along with those saggy baggy sweats I am sporting an amazing mutton chop beard..... I am going to have to look into those silk pajamas tho.........

In my transition to becoming an experienced truck driver I found the best clothes for driving....no not shorts....but cheap 6 dollar sweat pants......easy to store, clean and if destroyed cheaper than the blue jeans.....:) Now when pulling into a stop....well lets say you are not in the top ten best dressed. Sacrifices must be made........

Bring lots of material to keep you occupied....lots.....books, videos games, etc.....the down times are unpredictable and waiting for the next load will teach you patience.

Have more than one pair of gloves (I am a flatbedder) those things get wet fast, and get cold.

Do daily stretching, it helps work out the kinks and allows me to rock it when I need to.

I sleep on my back with my legs up....boy did that help the ol' calves and my endurance in the seat is good.

Speaking of seats....I put it down so that my legs are not held up by the front of the seat...that way they can relax naturally without restrictions.......too bad for my trainer...but he can handle it.....

I think I would have a porta potty if I could......do not really know what others do....right now I just hold it

enuf for now....

Well out of 30+ folks that started we were down to about 12 or 13......for various reasons did not make the cut. I had a hard time believing it but then I saw it ...so..... I have now been on the road several days with my new trainer....nice guy, helpful and years of experience....He does his best to lighten the my stress and explains things in sufficient detail so that even I can follow along. The flatbed is a lot different that a box truck....and it is physical which I need....sitting all day in a truck seat without any movement is hard on the bod. It is a bit more spartan for me because I am sharing a truck...pb and j sandwiches, fruit and coffee are my mainstays...I am trying not to spend money on food at stops...too spendy......My trainer springs for showers....self protection I think....lol...and so far the road has been kind to us. My biggest worry is not learning enough in the time we have available....since flatbeds go all over you never just get a slot to back into...speaking of which my backing up skills need work....sigh.....ok electronic logs are easy but then I am doing practice paper logs also so that when the electronics die....oh...yes...they will die....I can stay legal. I am just beginning to realize what a money target we are.......ok enoug for now....when I get another chance in a week or so I will update....take care all...this can be done and it is fun!!! ok Ice snow wind.....but it will not last forever.......take care....