Comments By Kemo

There are, Target: Locking lid crockpot looks like you're supposed to be able to carry it by the handle as well. Design wise that would work for what i think you want, what kind of quality we are talking about as far as how well it cooks and durability i have no idea :( I'd still be careful with it since the lock tabs are plastic and not carry it like that if it's full but this could be pretty handy. When scoping out a product I try to see what reviews are from multiple outlets and ofc what the return policy is if I decide to buy it and from where. I like finding somewhere local to buy from too instead of online if I possible. Good luck!

I've always been curious about cooking with a crock pot. I just never tried or owned one /gasp!

You and your fellow student wouldn't be alone in something like this happening (screw up by dmv on cdl permits). IMO your DMV should fix the issue and you should get your updated permit. I don't think the school would know if there was a problem with your permit. I still wonder to myself on my almost dmv permit mix up story:

Got my CDL A Permit from DMV Ended up taking a Class B road test instead - passed. Went to the DMV to get my Class B CDL. They revoked and confiscated my Class A Permit although not expired - computer said I never passed the Combination Written Exam. They removed me ever having a Class A permit from my records. I passed the combination written exam same day to get a new Class A permit.

So what would have happened if I had passed the Class A road test at the time? I'm not even sure I want to know but I often wonder. Either way if the written test "examiner" did not enter in the exam results and/or the dmv "teller" wrongfully issued a Class A instead of B it was a dmv mistake but either way dmv personnel didn't seem to care.

I wish you luck on getting your permit straightened out. I kind of don't see why they couldn't of resolved your issue the same day or why they say that you need to retake the written exams. Maybe this differs per state but as far as I know of the written exams are valid for 1 year. If possible I would recommend contacting CDL Driver's services (if any of your nearby dmvs has one) or maybe a different manager. When you add endorsements an updated permit should be issued to show the added endorsements and your old one confiscated. Unless your current (or old permit now) reached its' expiration date then you would need to file paperwork for the renewal.

Thanks again nancy :D You can do this too, all you have to do is start. Whether it's simply reading your states CDL Manual or looking at schools. Good luck Nancy! I hope to see a diary from you soon too :D One step at a time, I'm sure you won't try to hit the ground running like I did hah.

It feels like a good day today. Yesterday afternoon we went to the test area and I got to practice the backing maneuvers with our 3axle side dump. I "self tested" the straight back, offset right & left and an alley dock with 1 ding for a 3rd pull up on the offset left. Then I spent a good portion of time figuring/feeling out the parallel park driver side. I didn't want to mess with their cone set up so even though the test area was maybe 5' short for the parallel I figured if I can get this thing in there with 5' of area missing I can definitely do it whether or not they give me the extra 5' (you get the length of your truck trailer plus 15' in the parallel). I don't even know how many tries I took to get it right. But once I finally did, I kind of like to do it correctly three times in a row as a rule of thumb. I do, each one actually looking better. I go ahead and go to do the alley dock again. First shot was perfect, second shot I think I did 3 pull ups (1 ding), third one was good 1 pull up. I go to try the offset right again, somehow I managed to totally fubar this pass. I probably could have recovered by pulling all the way up to the test boundary again but the sun was setting, I was getting hungry and home is about an hour away so we left.

I feel pretty good about the backing. Granted I passed on my first road test and seem to have it down, that last attempt at the offset right reminded me "don't get too ****y". Keep practicing all of the maneuvers they might test you on whether you ace it in practice or not. Need to get some more practice in on the downshift double clutch. Hopefully we make time for dry runs. We're both still shocked that we are still hauling gravel at this point in the year. Makes it hard to get practice in but it's okay, it might just go to pay for how many tests I might have to take since less than ideal practice is my reality ha ha ha. Of course I plan on passing the next time I take the test, but I did plan on that the first time too :P I'm prepared for the reality that I might make other mistakes and have to keep retesting until I can pass. This will probably be my last training diary entry, at least until I pass my road test.

Thank you to anyone who has read it. Now maybe this wasn't the typical diary for TT. But maybe someone might think about trying to train the way I did, read this and then have a better idea as what it might be like to not go to a school for training. In hindsight, I think we both would have preferred to send me to a school. In the past 3 years the work that I could have gotten with the Class A that I didn't do would have more than paid the heavy school fees. It's easier to fully dedicate yourself at a school and regular life doesn't get in the way. I look at it like this, the money that we thought we were going to save by not sending me to school, we've lost in potential profits.

Anywho thank you all for reading. I'm hoping some dancing bananas will be in my near future he he.

Thanks! we can root for each other! :) The support alone and to know that someone is reading these entries other than me is really helpful on it's own :D

I have to be the worry person. If I'm not who will be! he he. What is odd but seems like a good thing is if I am not worried about something than my guy is. And vice versa.

We plan on test driving which set up I want to practice in and use for my next test today once the sun comes up. It's 5:10am here. Woke up bout 3:30am due to nightmares le sigh. Maybe now I can catch a few more Zzz's.

GOOD JOB to the both of you!! I wouldn't think you would need to wait as your paper permit is usually active for quite a decent amount of time. Maybe someone from home would be able to send you both your "hard copy" permits after they arrive if you've already been "shipped out". Good luck to you both :D

Hehe thanks for being the first person to reply to it! I feel like a bit of an odd-ball round here.

I have to wait a minimum of 14 days since I had to renew my permit, to take the pre-trip, backing skills and road test again. I will have to pass all 3 of those although two I had passed on my first road test. If this is what you meant. As for the written exams they are valid for one year and only apply to getting the permit. So say you pass your airbrakes written exam but you fail your general knowledge and combination tests O.o! It's ok, that airbrakes one is good for a year, so just retake your other two tests until you pass (one attempt per day [in AK at least] last I checked). I sure hope I got this! I will so long as we get out there and practice! Then it will be in the bag.

Somehow I deal with immediate stress way better than impending stress or past tense stress. I may have already mentioned this somewhere in my diary but, it's true. I stressed out WAY more before my test than when I was actually taking it. Or like when I go to work, I stress out on my way to work pretty bad but once I am on the job it usually goes away and I just do what I need to. Of course there are days that stress me out while I am behind the wheel but those days are special cases lol, a few in my memory come to mind instantly and it usually involves working with guys who like to haul ass.

Hah Nancy that's great. I know I'll be looking at the Knik underpass different every time I pass it now too. Will probably point it out to someone if I have a passenger and we go by it. Might even flip it off as I drive by lol.

Don't worry MC, you're definitely not alone. Heck I failed my road test just this Monday to a curb. I know plenty of guys who wouldn't be able to pass a CDL road test today if they took one after having CDLs for years or decades even. Especially those who don't do alley docks, like...ever. I think waiting for the retest is almost just as lame as the fact of having to take a retest! It wouldn't be as bad I don't think if there wasn't a one week waiting period minimum. Especially for guys who can not practice in the meantime. I've got a 2 week minimum but it will probably be another month before I can retest due to availability of certified testers : ( Hope to hear from ya next week with a pass!

Well yeah. Stranger Danger for real. And with OTR you can be all over the place. It makes sense even though that is a small percentage of truckers who were serial killers. That is a large percentage of serial killers who were truckers.

Well, to skip a couple of parts, I left the DMV with a new Class IA permit yesterday afternoon with a Passenger endorsement/restriction.

The best part of the story, is going back to the DMV. Grabbing Timothy from CDL Services (guy who had been working with me all day), going straight to the one of the "teller" people up front without waiting. But then, the teller hit a block in the system where it would not allow him to continue processing my permit paperwork. His manager and the CDL Services manager end up verbally duking it out again I am told. I go take a seat, I'm waiting for awhile. They are still going at it somewhere in the building. I decide, eh screw it while they are arguing I will go take the passengers endorsement written. I pass. I go sit back down. This fiasco started at 9am that morning and it was now almost 4pm. I'm like "man I am STARVING!". So I head to the vending machines, only to discover both managers doing their verbal duke out right in front of the vending machines as poor Timothy leans against the wall...waiting for a verdict. I jokingly pretend as if I am trying to sneak by without being noticed not sure if I am not supposed to hear this conversation. Timothy notices me and starts laughing like "it's okay come over". I tell him I am just starving and just wanted to use the vending machines. I hear them arguing over the passengers endorsement (essentially for some reason there was verbiage in two different areas in the regulations that were conflicting, one on my side, the other against me). I tell Timothy, "you can tell them I passed my passengers endorsement just now so....they can probably stop arguing".

They are like "oh...well okay then. So that fixes that then". They start discussing that they NEED to fix the conflicting verbiage as the against me manager was trying to split.

Somehow it happens all the time where I am the person that becomes a "learning experience" for people in different areas of service. Funniest thing for me was that for some reason "against me manager" didn't believe him when he told her that I had passed my gen, airbrakes and combination exams the same day she ACTUALLY went and checked the computer like "oh....i guess she did then". And that whilst they were arguing.....I went ahead and passed another. I'm half expecting that she is going to check the cameras for when I was taking my tests ppfftt.

So now.....this is the plan since my permit is renewed. Stay on the waiting list with NIT for a road test. Practice in our side dump in the mean time (now that I know how to do the backing maneuvers, what the test route/pre-trip entails and how they expect me to double clutch.

Just remember folks out there, who want to skip school and try to "fast track"...go to school if you have the opportunity! So you don't end up like me : ( ha ha. This has been quite the grueling process. 9/3/2013 is the issue date of my first commercial learner's permit....just wow...still hangin in there :D