Comments By Traffic Jam (SunnyWalker.net)

I am off tomorrow (9/15/13) to join Averitt Express. First hurdle is get through DOT physical and orientation. I am anticipating a good time and hope to have lots of good news to report to you. I am flying to Cookeville, TN tomorrow and will enter their HQ on Monday 9/16/13. Take care and I hope to have good news to report to you all later in the week. Thanks for reading along and don't get into a

-Traffic Jam

I leave tomorrow (9/15/13) to go to Averitt Express. I have appreciated all that TT has helped me with and the encouragement. As I have my CDL now and etc., this will be the last post on this thread. I will now go to General Categories and continue on as "Traffic Jam and Averitt". Take care. I am on my way to Averitt Express and hope you don get caught in a

-Traffic Jam

I leave for Averitt Express at Cookeville, TN this Sunday. I'll remember your words Brett and make it through. Thanks again to all of you for the encouragement and assistance on this journey. You have helped bring me to this place where I can take this opportunity. I will try to post from Cookeville. After the orientation I will fly back home and then meet up with trainer. See you down the road and watch out you don't cause a

-Traffic Jam

Thanks you guys. Yes, as I read Bretts comments I instantly knew he was right. In the past few days I have felt myself come to a conclusion in the form of, "This is probably my last chance so I need to see it through and do it right" type of thing. Thanks and I didn't mean to say the trainer was abusive, although I used that word once. I like Brett's words, "less than stellar" might be a more apt description. OK, though-another complication! I had Averitt Express call me! I had applied for a "dedicated/supply chain" out of Amarillo (50 miles from our home). I have an interview scheduled with them tomorrow at 8:30 am. Here is the kicker, the bus for Steven's/Dallas leaves out at 11:25 am tomorrow also! So after the interview I am going to have to make a pretty fast decision which company I wish to go try to get on with. Averitt I could get home each week. Stevens out for 3-4 weeks at a time. .34 cpm Averitt, .26 cpm Stevens (both, after the 5 weeks of training). $400 wkly during training with Averitt, $350 wkly with Stevens. Both have five(5) weeks of training with a mentor in the truck. Deliveries in OK, TX and NM with Averitt; with Stevens all 48 states. No Reefer with Averitt which means no early morning loading up and late night driving required. $25 per stop extra with Averitt. $40 for unloading. Most loads are on roller carts. Averitt truck trailer has lift gate and Steven's regular trailers. I think I am leaning towards Averitt. Averitt has automatic trans while Steven's has the usual trans in their tractors. I don't know if that would hurt me in the future. However, I am 60 and don't know how long my "future" will last anyway! Ha, ha! Comments? Thanks! Oh, and it's nice to have more than one option right now.

I decided as I stated earlier to re-apply and try again. This was because when I got home and had a couple three weeks to think it over it began to dawn on me that my real problem with the other company I originally stated with was perhaps my trainer and I had a personality conflict. To be sure, I was not a perfect driver but that is the point of the training right? The fellow was a nice guy, but I got yelled at a lot and finally at the end I felt pretty bad. Could not doing anything right and seemed like my former confidence was gone. I see this now looking back. At the time I did not want to rock the boat and hurt the guy and all. I was scared too and so did what I did. This time I see this as this training time in the truck "is my time" and I have to make sure my agenda is fulfilled, so to speak. That is get trained, TAUGHT the stuff instead of being told to just do it and then get scolded or yelled at. Of course I have the CDL, and "know how to do it" but the company has its own SOP on each thing pretty much and so "teach it to me!". I don't know if any of this is making sense. I do not want to be a difficult student but this time if I am taken for granted, or mistreated, or anything like that I am going to try to speak up instead of just quitting. Another thing was we would be driving along and the guy would make personally real negative comments and all about my performance. OK, enough whining! Thank you! This is a new company, different trainger . . . and . . . different student driver. Amen.

OK. Things are working out and I report to Steven's Transport this Sunday for Orientation. It's great to be on-board again and I am looking forward to meeting them all in Dallas.

Well, I am back and have thought it over some more and want to give it another go. I am trying to apply locally in the oil fields but so far no luck. I don't know where this will take me right now but wish to use my CDL in some form or fashion. I have some local farmers wanting me to drive their "corn" in for them. But that is weeks away and I don't know if I wish to wait around for the corn to ripen, ha, ha. So I have applied with Crete and Schneider and etc., and we will see what develops. It would be neat if I could get an oil field position with Schneider. Thanks for all the encouragement! I looked back over my decision to leave Conway and it was more complicated then I let on. I guess I didn't want to hurt anyone and all, however I know I was not the perfect candidate. Thanks for the encouragement.

Thanks Brett! Well, it is now 8/6/13 and I have returned home. I was out on the road for my 10,000 miles of training in truck with a trainer. CTL calls them a "Finisher" and my finisher was a very fine fellow named, Rick. After a week with Rick I told him I was not cut out for this and wished to return to Joplin and eventually sign out and go home. He was disappointed but very good about it all. Conway was also real supportive and just great, to tell you the truth. I found that while in heavy traffic going 60 MPH I could not overcome my fears about navigating this big truck safely. So . . . better to beat a strategic retreat at this time I felt. However, I still have the CDL with all endorsements and will continue to seek some type of driving job. Tomorrow, right here in my own town I have an interview to be a Hot Shot Driver. I live in an area that is very big on gas and oil right now and has been for many years. So there seems to be opportunity here I may be able to tap into. As far as Conway I had a good experience with them even though my time was short. The training was very good and they offer so much support for their drivers. Plus they make it as easy as possible out on the road with the electronic Qualcomm and PrePass, Pike Pass, and etc., etc. The equipment was excellent and I regret the separation but sometimes that's the way it goes. I will tell you after this experience I sure do hold combination truck drivers in a different light! Wow! So all in all it was a great time and I have no regrets. Now, I'll forge ahead and see what life offers. Watch out now in your driving and stay out of any,

-Traffic Jam

OK. I spent the day at the Conway HQ here in Joplin. Wow, what a setup. The day started off with the President of the company coming to talk and share with us. I really liked that and he talked mainly about safety and Conway's commitment to safety. We were put up in the Holiday Inn the night before. This afternoon we were transported to Neosho, MO to attend a week of training ("honing our driving skills"). It's probably more like they want to scope us out and our abilities out before they put us in a truck with a trainer for a month or so. Man, I don't blame them and I'd do the same thing especially if I am concerned about safety. We are put up for the week in a real nice motel here in Neosho and all meals are provided and they even gave us $100 bucks for today's "training" at the HQ. I was kind of nervous and wanted to get the morning physical with the Doc over with so I could move on to the agility test. I knew pretty much what the agility test consisted of and knew I would be ok there. On my physical I was worried about my medical history and BP. All was OK though and this went smoothly. The rest of the day was routine paperwork one would expect when being hired into a new job. After our week here in Neosho we will go back to Conway HQ on Mon (received $300 bucks) and there I will find out if I am actually hired. Exciting day to look forward to! I went to Church on Sunday at Northside Assembly of God here in Joplin, MO and it was wonderful. Great worship and ministry and worthy of your visit if you are looking for a Church. Take care and if you are going out driving be sure you don't get into a . . .

-Traffic Jam

Dear Brett: Thanks! I plan on doing just that and withhold any rush to judgment. I know I will be able to survive financially and so that will be ok. I mean, sure, I do wish to make $1,000,000.00 first year but I know I probably won't. At any rate I'll be ok in that dept., as I am retired from State of TX and have some nice benefits. So . . . Thanks! Now, this will probably be my last post until I am in orientation/month long driving/training. We are pretty busy getting ready, and doing chores around the place here in Texas. Did I ever tell you that I live in TEXAS?!?? Greatest country in the world. Well, I gotta go rope some steers, and brand some cows, and dehorn some bulls, and . . . (please don't believe that!). Much thanks to all you who have helped me: Brett, Old School, Tim L., and Roadkill. I'll be talking to you in a few days until then watch out you don't get in a . . . .

-Traffic Jam