Comments By tripletdad

Just an update. I went to cartersville, GA to take my Cdl test, and I passed. I’ve got 13,000 miles in with my trainer, so I should be finished with my 15k later this week and into my truck next week.

Sorry I’ve not updated in as couple of weeks. I went out for my first day with my trainer last Tuesday, the 14th. So far, I’ve driven 3,681 toward my 15,000 mile requirement. I’ve been in 7 states, had a DOT inspection in St. Louis right after leaving Budweiser, has a tire blow out 98 miles in on my first day, and gotten way more confident in my backing. Currently sitting at a Pilot in Rochelle, Illinois, waiting for a 6 am appointment in lacrosse Wisconsin, and then on to Memphis, then Smyrna, Georgia. I should have done this a long time ago.

I came across this place online. Transportation alliance bank, supposed to be a bank for people in trucking. They used to be in flying J truck stops, but note they have a physical branch, as well. I’m thinking shoot opening an account if they’re as convenient as they say, but I can’t find a whole lot of reviews.

Well y’all. I finished CDL training school with Millis. Orientation next week, and then out with my trainer for 15,000 miles. It’s been a fun few weeks of class and driving, and I feel ready to go out on the road with the trainer to put everything together in the real world. If anyone has been keeping up, backing was my biggest concern. I’m happy to say that it wasn’t much of an issue. I’m far from perfect, and I’m slow, but I can get it where it needs to go. This page has been very helpful to me.

Hey, nice to see someone else from Ohio. I live in Cleveland, but I’m finishing up training right now in Trenton, between Dayton and Cincy.

I did it! This will be my last update on my training. My 3 weeks of classroom, range, and road with Millis transfer in Trenton are over. Tomorrow is a very short day, just paperwork. Then next week I have a couple of days of orientation, and then I go out on the road with my trainer on the 14th for 5-8 weeks. Idk, but I think at this point, I can call myself a trainee, rather than a student, right? By end of October, I’m hoping to have my full cdl, and my own assigned truck. Thanks again to this door for all the helpful tidbits and encouragement. I’ll still post here and will look forward to some dancing bananas when I get my purty new Kenworth next month. :)

Well, our class of four is now a class of three. One of the guys just wasn’t getting it. It got scary a couple of times. So that was that.

Otherwise, yesterday was a pretty good day of driving back from Wisconsin. Today I drove first. Mix of city, state route and interstate. Finished up with parking between two trucks at the TA, which we’ve never done before. I nailed it, but was nervous as hell. Big difference between orange barrels and two trucks, lol.

Millis is 15,000 actual miles. You’re dispatched as solo truck. Supposed to be around 5-8 weeks. The biggest concern for me is that he doesn’t normally take home time when he has a trainer, so I’ll be going at least a month and a half without seeing my wife and kids. Not a big thing in the grand scheme, but It will still suck. Once that is done though, I’ll be able to go home every 10 days or so. There’s my plan, anyway. Home every 10-12 days and during the summer, take a month on the road and then come home to take a vacation with the family for that same amount of time.

I think you’ll have to take a refresher Cdl course since you’re off likely to be considered stale. I know prime is a tough carrier to get hired with. I’m not sure how they’ll view your circumstance. Puking sucks, but it seems like PAM would have been willing to put you up in a hotel somewhere for a few days until you got better and then had a new trainer pick you up. Good luck, and definitely try. Someone will hire you, even if it’s not Prime right in the beginning.

Good Tuesday morning! I feel like in update this diary too often, but it’s my diary, so.. here I am.. Alright. It’s week 3. The final week. Yesterday morning at 3:00am, we left Trenton on our way to Black River Falls. About 11 hours later, we arrived and got the trailer unloaded. One thing I want to say. Truck driving is great. Truck passengering is not so great. I feel I could have driven the whole trip and been fine. But sitting in the back seat got boring. Luckily, I’m not getting trained to be a truck passenger lol. Anyway, I’m sitting in bed in the comfort Inn in BRF now, at 4am, which is actually 5am Trenton time. Slept well, and we will be leaving about 6:30 am to go back. Nothing else to report. My driving is getting better, I’ve now parked and backed in truck parking areas, and I’m ready to start getting the miles with my trainer once I get done with this week and then orientation next week.

I was in your same position. I had a job that paid me a six figure income, but it was mind numbing, and I hated every minute I was there and half of my weekend because I knew I had to go back the next day. It was a long process, but eventually my wife and I decided it was best for me to go to truck driving school. I am now in my last week of school, left my job on somewhat good terms, and have as job with the company in training with lined up. I have no regrets other than that I should have done this long ago. If trucking is something you’ll like, in fighter funding a company that will train you and prepare to go OTR for a bit. Good luck

I’m watching. Looks like we will be finished about the same time. I just finished my second week at Millis.

Well, I’ve got two weeks down now. One week left until I go out with my trainer.

As we thought yesterday was a day of city driving. Right turns are intense. Will I ever get used to swinging out like that on a tight turn? Also, why do street engineers make concrete medians in the middle of a street? Sheesh. My armpits were getting sweaty from driving. Did great, though. Made the turns like I should, and all was well.

Now I’m back home for the weekend and we leave Monday morning at 3am for a long drive to Wisconsin. I should have done this a long time ago

Week 2, day 4

I forgot to update my diary yesterday. Another day of range driving. We were tested on the backing maneuvers, and I passed them all. Today was our first day out on the road. We left Trenton at 6am. At 6:01, we were stopped and waiting for a train, which is really common with the Trenton terminal... Anyway, a little later, we were on our way. Another student drove first, 91 miles of two lane routes. Through some small villages and towns, up to Celina, Ohio. We stopped at a mom and pop truck stop, and switched drivers. I was #2 driver. The first few minutes, I was nervous as could be. 40mph felt like 110mph. The truck seemed like it was WIDER than the lanes I was in, and forget keeping the trailer in the right lane. After a few minutes, my nerves calmed down some, and I realized that the trailer does stay where its supposed to, and I was taking curves and stuff just like I was taught. Left and right turns take up a LOT more space than I was expecting, but as Bill pointed out, every other semi truck turning at the same place takes just as much space to make a turn. Overall, I did well, and finished my 91 miles ready to keep going. Drivers 3 and 4 did the same up and back route that we did, with the exception of stopping for lunch at a TA at I-70 and SR 127 with driver #3 where we experienced the "joys" of parking a semi. It was rough for the student driving at that time, but he got backed into a parking spot eventually and we went and got lunch.

Tomorrow is gonna be another driving day. Bill won't tell us where, so we are expecting it'll be less enjoyment, more figuring out tight spaces, so we are collectively thinking Downtown Cincinnati or downtown Dayton. I guess we will find out tomorrow. For now, I'm back in my hotel room, and getting a little hungry, so I'm thinking of ordering a pizza and staying in the rest of the night.

Idk of its state specific or not, but at least in Ohio, 2 DUI convictions would be a lifetime ban from a cdl. Expungement may be an option as the guy above me said.

Week 2, day 2–

Today we started at 6:00am again. I got to do my first pre-trip. I did pretty well. Forgot a few things like brake chambers on the trailer and didn’t mention 105psi for the tires, but overall I did pretty well. I’ll get plenty of practice. After that, we did more backing exercises. The blind side parallel park and the offset lane change. Everything just sort of came together today. Tomorrow will be a full day of all the maneuvers and then Thursday will be the first day out on the road. We got out of there today at 5:00. I came back to the hotel, got some dinner and I’m exhausted now at 9:30.

Week 2, day 1–

Today was pretty intense. Alley dock and parallel parking all day long. By the end of the day, I was hot, tired, and ready to take a nap, but I was alley docking like a guy That’s been alley docking for a day. Same with the parallel parking. I will say this. Backing was my biggest fear with coming here. I’ve never been in a truck before last week, and I’ve not backed anything. Today, I’m setting up for my alley dock, and I’m straight line backing without a second thought. If anyone is nervous about it, just know it’s doable. You won’t be perfect, and I’m still learning how far 53’ is, but I’m getting it done. Just a couple more days of range tricks, and then we are road driving only the rest of class. Tomorrow morning is my turn to do the pre-trip on the t-2000, so I’m gonna study and then get to sleep. We had a test in Friday for the first week, all four of us passed.

Have a great night!

I fully expect this to be the toughest week. Long as I get the hang of it, I figure my trainer will get me plenty of practice to get better at it, right?

Bill is an excellent instructor and a great person. I didn't go to school in Trenton but chat with him when I get to the terminal and the opportunity arises. This next week is the tough one. I'm not trying to scare you, just want you to expect the stress, don't add to it yourself by expecting perfection. Welcome to Millis, may run into you sometime and I can congratulate you in person.

Congrats and good luck!

I’m in Ohio. Although, how would I even know if someone is from here and anywhere near where I am?