Comments By J Johns

Thanks for all the awesome info. I start prime on the 21. I can't wait. For the permit test how many questions is it? I've studied the high road but what sections should I study specifically? My recruiter said the email I receive on Tuesday will have all the info I need as far as supplies and studying etc.

Let's see. I can't remember exactly what was on the test, but the following is what I studied in the High Road program that stood me in good stead: Rules & Regulations, Driving Safely, Transporting Cargo Safely, Air Brakes, Combination Vehicles, Tankers, Pre-Trip Inspection, Driving Exam.

We received some excellent advice on test-taking methodology from Brooke Mosely which I wish I had followed more closely. She said that if we are at all unsure of the answer we should hit 'skip' & move on. She said it was difficult to explain why it worked, but the wording of one question might jog your memory or clarify one that you skipped, & you would definitely test better. What she didn't say but which I learned at the DMV: if for example the section is 25 questions long and you get nearly all of the first 21 correct, even though you had to 'skip' four questions, the program will simply forgive you the remaining questions BECAUSE you cannot possibly fail even if you get them all wrong. It will grade you on the questions you DID answer, & forget about the rest. Pretty cool, huh? This only applies to the Missouri DMV in Springfield so far as I understood things & I reserve the right to be mistaken, haha.

Congrats on your excellent choice!

Damn, that's kinda jacked up.... "I'm gonna take home time, you stay in a flea bag hotel." (At least that's how it sounded)

Naww, it was an okay motel. He paid for it & I had the choice of eating at the truck stop across the street or a few very nearby restaurants. As it turned out, I ordered a pizza the first night then lived off of that and my dry provisions for the next two. I never left the hotel, did some laundry, stretched, rehydrated, read a good book. It was fine :)

I was just wondering how you were making out.

I'm doing great! I didn't get around to writing up the latest adventure referenced. Trouble is, we occasionally get loads that we're not supposed to share details about. On the bright side, these runs pay very well and though I'm only paid a flat rate while in training, I'm learning to do these great runs & our fleet manager is learning to trust me little by little. It's an interesting immersive-learning experience that it's difficult to convey. I'm glad I didn't let my fear of the unknown keep me from making the move into this industry. There's a lot to learn but that won't be a deterrent.

My trainer keeps a close eye out for my safety at truck stops which is a relief for a cutie like me ;j and for my partner who misses me terribly & worries. I hope that people looking into this career take into account how disconnected from family they're going to feel & to BE out here (mentally toughen dear self or prepare to waste a lot of time & wallow in Pure Human Misery)

Surprised!! But I agree with the post above. I hope this won't create a financial burden for you, the jobless month. I'm glad I can still expect to meet you someday at the terminal.

Finally gonna get paid to be a gypsy ;-)

RIIIGHT??

Home time is over. We picked up a load of frozen goods in Erie PA and now we're driving to Bethlehem PA. Here's how it went.

We packed our junk in the truck whose APU had been running all weekend so that the fridge wouldn't kill the batteries & waited to be given a load. Around 11am we got one, punched it into our Qualcomm navigation, filled up with fuel & drove the roughly 40 miles to the trailer wash-out nearest to our lane of travel. It's like a gigantic car wash, and there was a 2hr line to get in. Yikes, we were on a far tighter schedule than would allow for that wait so we checked it out & determined that a sweep-out would 'do', so we 'did'. Off we went to our pick-up location or as I'm learning to call it, "our 01" which was very nearby. We found it after a few misleading street signs & wrong turns, checked in at the gate as usual, sent in a Qualcomm macro (message) that we had 'arrived at shipper', changed the reefer temperature to -10°F as told, then waited to be informed of an open dock. We waited 30 minutes or less, backed into the dock which locked us in (cool), waited maybe another 30 minutes for the first forklift & less than 30 for the last. I went in for the paperwork while Greg pulled away from the dock, then I sent a 'departing shipper' macro & did a live-loaded call. We've been freeway driving since 5 minutes after that point; four hours & 15 minutes now, 2 hours & 45 minutes to go.

I'll try to update this after we've completed our delivery. I'm trying to get at least one load documented here.

During my time on the road I rarely know the hour or even the day. It's difficult to dredge up the details of my days for this blog when everything is unfamiliar & yet rather mundane. This is as near as I'll come to apologizing for this shortcoming, haha. Anyway, my trainer dropped me off at a motel. He'll take home time with his new grandbaby so I just have to stay here until monday morning & not get into any trouble. I'm across the street from a Flying J ... I could go there for groceries, but I'd rather just skip the delightful company of truck stop lurkers. I decided to order one pizza & make it last with everything else I have -- trail mix, dried mango, jerky & an orange. Then the pizza delivery man slipped me his number with the receipt. Oh, dear. Yay me, I've still Got It *urm*

The reason I'm bothering to write tonight is as a public service: if you're in a motel room and you begin to get The Feeling, PLEASE DO NOT put on your headphones, watch a porno, AND WHIMPER AND GROAN WITH WILD ABANDON FOR AN HOUR AT A GO, SEVERAL TIMES IN ONE NIGHT, and then start tapping on your neighbor's wall (mine) when you notice that you can hear their music through the paper wall, playing at a very modest volume. You imperil your own life by ignoring this advice. Watch for me in the news -- Ohio near Lake Erie.

I'd much rather do that than try to type out the entire previous 24 hours.

Let's see. First you stood in pairs before a doctor. She would ask you to (can't recall the order) put your arms straight & level to the front, then to the sides, then sweep them straight up, then one down & back to try to touch fingers behind you. Arms at a square to the front & elbows in "Don't let me push your hands together", "don't let me pull them apart", "squeeze this". Get down on one knee, stand up, repeat with the other knee, squat as far as you can go, and that's all I remember there.

Next, the obstacle course!!!!!! Kidding. You lift one box with (weights approximate) 20lbs above your head, then one with 40lbs to your chin, then if you're doing flatbed then one with 80lbs to your chest. Take one medium-heavy box back & forth between two points -- 4 trips -- and lower & lift each time using proper technique. Then the flatbed people lifted an actual tarp to a shoulder-high shelf, and everyone finished with 4-6 trips up 2 rungs on a ladder. This is to my best recollection. I'll try to encourage a friend to look this over & fill in the gaps if any.

I'm with C.S., ask those questions. We'll be here for you.

I know that worry. My partner & I are homesick for each other, but doing just fine. Check out some fun apps to keep in touch. Of course there's text, but there's also a video option on facebook messenger, there's a sort of video-message app called Glide(?) that my trainer uses to talk to a friend as he drives which is fun & easy. Also, you'll probably be too busy to do much agonizing. It'll get to the point where you just drive & sleep & a few little tasks in between, no time to miss anyone, haha.

Well let's see. I've put this off & now things are kind of running together.. In Bethlehem, PA we checked in & waited & checked & left a contact number & waited & checked & when we explained "we've been waiting all day now" were told "this is the first time I'm hearing of you" had to resist replying "no s***, because you just got here" but instead nodded mmhm mmkay mmhm & 20 minutes later they were handing us paperwork. We left Bethlehem around 1600, got me in the driver seat just before the freeway, caught some rush hour, DROVE THROUGH D.C. which was wild with apparently vibrant night-life, ugh, switched seats when we were 30 miles from our destination in Dunn, NC, & bedded down. Next day, on time for our appointment, we were told that the PO is not supposed to deliver there. We contacted our fleet manager, learned that we read the paperwork correctly but it's just that Purchase Order numbers isn't something we are responsible for checking. So we drove back to PA just barely missing D.C. rush hour, slept at a truck stop, & arrived this morning for our appointment just 152 miles from Bethlehem, in Greencastle. My trainer got paid more to bring the load back than to take it away in the first place so he's not mad, but what a costly mistake for the shipper! Being unloaded now. Bump bump bump.