Comments By J Johns

Any words of wisdom for getting invited to the accelerated program?

I'll share what I was told, what I've guessed, & what has worked for me. (1st) It depends on how many openings there are in the program between the end of your orientation class & the entire following week, as there can only be so many people in this class, around 18 if I remember correctly, all learning & "evaluating out" at different speeds. (2nd) You must show yourself to listen carefully & catch onto things quickly, as the Accelerated Program graduates may have to pass the driving portion of the exam with as little as 3 hours of total previous driving instruction, & it seems that they look most closely for this quality in your time in the Sim Lab. (3rd) I hear again & again that of all the promising students, they choose among those with the best attitude. They're sick of explaining themselves to embryonic super truckers, I think.

Small tip: before coming to Orientation, watch shifting & pre-trip inspection & driving & backing videos to open your mind to some of these things if you haven't already.

During these night classes you'll have to take extra care with your health -- I don't know if you've ever had to work graveyards, but it's a common problem. Rely for this time on melatonin to aid your sleep pattern change to their 7pm to 7am schedule, get at least 20 minutes of facial sun per day but as little as possible before bed time, use a good multivitamin, & I think I've seen that you have an excellent handle on nutrition otherwise so I'll end my rant here.

My best advice to myself recently has been this: trust the process.

I have, & am thriving.

I think there's more computer-based training & Simulator work when you come back to the Campus Inn to upgrade. I know 'Rainy D' can give a better answer, she upgraded a month ago.

I can't answer your question but my humble suggestion for the future: think of a dashcam or two as an insurance policy, & replace or upgrade them as necessary.

I just hope I don't suck.

Oh you're gonna. In fact I wrote a *FUN ARTICLE* about watching people learn to back up at school from an experienced driver's perspective:

The Backing Range At Trucking Driving School - It's Like Clown Soup For The Soul

(dyinnnng)

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I decided instead of sitting on my thumbs for a month I enrolled in the community college CDL program. It's one month long, so I'm hoping I can get the CDL and get back to Prime right on schedule and not have lost one month with no income. Hopefully I can then go into their fast track program and go TNT almost right away.

That is so super-proactive!! I think they'll love you for it.

Not sure what to say -- I'm new & weary but I love it! My adventures so far are in this ... umm, exhaustive ... diary. Good luck with your choice, there are some great options out there.

By the way, thanks for your support ladies & gents. I haven't always responded but I have always been grateful.

I like most others am looking forward to reading your diary, & add my well-wishes to those above! Sucking is learning, so how much did you expect of yourself anyway?? Haha.

I'm glad you got into the accelerated class like you wanted! It was perfect for me, hopefully it's great for you as well. One thing to keep in mind though ... they're training you primarily for the test. When you go out on TNT you'll need to trust your trainer to teach you how to drive appropriately for the job. Example: in local PSD when driving an empty flatbed & they tell you not to use your brakes until you're completely within the off-ramp, that won't fly when you're under a heavy load. So I learned it their way, and now I'm learning some things another way, being adaptable. I bet you're doing great. Cheers!