Comments By B Team

Thanks Susan. New update coming by the end of the evening. We’re very excited about returning to the biz. Only about 18 more class days. We both will test out on November 30th.

Sorry that I haven’t updated our progress for a couple of weeks. We have had a lot going on as we get closer to hitting the road. We had a yard sale two Saturdays in a row and eliminated a lot of junk that we didn’t need. I discovered that if you call it “stuff” instead of “junk” that you can get a better price for it. CDL training has been progressing well. Since the last update, we have spent a lot of time working on pre-trip inspections and backing. If you are not familiar with a pre-trip inspection, it requires you to identify almost every engine part, suspension part, brake part and all rims and tires. They must be inspected and you are required to verbally verify their condition to the inspector. This safety inspection is a critical part of the CDL testing. To do this for the entire vehicle and trailer can take over a half hour. You must also do this for the inside of the vehicle as well. That part is called the in-cab inspection. It includes a complete brake system check. No mistakes are allowed on any of this portion of the test. Following the pre-trip, you must perform three backing maneuvers, and if you pass all of that, you get to do the driving test. We have also begun practicing driving on the test loop, which is the route that we will take when we are tested for our CDL. Our in-class work has centered primarily on trip planning. You have to figure the time required, fuel use and rest periods for hypothetical trips. We have also had a couple more recruiters come by to encourage us to consider working for their companies. On Friday of this week we took our mid-term exams. Mrs. B & I think that we did okay on them. We’ll find out next week. We have about twenty more class days before we hit the road. We will continue to update our progress in class, and we’ll let you know what company we plan on driving for pretty soon. We’ve narrowed it down to three or four at this point. Keep us in your prayers, another update on the way soon!

By the way, HOV should be HOS. Hours of service. Autocorrect can reall do some silly things.

My wife and I studied the High Road Training for about 3 months prior to starting CDL school. I cannot begin to tell you how much it helped us. We aced all of the elements and endorsements when we tested at the DMV. In our classes, we have been able to tutor the other students on HOV rules as well. If you complete and pass the High Road Training, you will not have any problem with these areas in school. You can concentrate on your driving skills (shifting/backing/pretrip). The videos and checklists on pretrip are also invaluable. Thank you to Daniel B for that one! And thanks again to Brett and the moderators for all that they offer!

One word of caution about cleaning glass with razor blades. Be sure to wet the window before scraping with a blade. Doesn’t have to be soap, water will do, but scraping dry glass is asking for trouble. I was a cleaning company owner in a previous life. Trust me on this one!

Love the new menu. Great job!

It is hard to believe that we are almost half way through with CDL training. Week 4 was an interesting week. We had a visit from a recruiter from Wiley Sanders Truck Lines. He is also a driver, and had a fun and interesting presentation full of stories from the road. We continued our trip planning and logging training. We were given an imaginary tip that started in Montgomery that had a specified time to unload in Huntington, WV. After unloading in Huntington, we deadheaded to pick up a second load at a specific time in Lynchburg, VA. That load was to go to Cleveland, TN. You guessed right, it had a timed appointment as well. After delivering in Cleveland, we picked up another load that brought us back to Montgomery. And yes, it also had a specific time to deliver. We were told that we had to perform pre-trip inspections as required, average 50 mph, take a 1 hour break after every 5 ½ hours of driving, and follow all DOT requirements regarding 14 and 11 hour rules. After figuring out the most efficient routes to make sure that you could make the appointments on time, we had to log the trip on driver logs as if we actually completed the trip. By the way, this was a 5 day run. On Wednesday and Thursday we took the trucks out on road trips. Our class of 10 was divided into two teams of five. Mrs. B and I were in different trucks. (Our instructors want to ensure that we’re still married at graduation time) On Wednesday we drove from the school to exit 79 on I-85. (About 75 miles) We parked at a shopping center, grabbed a fast food supper, and drove back to Montgomery. I drove from exit 64 to exit 79, parked for supper, then drove back to exit 64. Mrs. B drove from exit 64 to exit 26 on the way back. The total trip was about 150 miles. On Thursday we drove from Montgomery to Sylacauga, AL and back on 2-lane rural roads. I got to leave the training facility and drive through Montgomery traffic during rush hour. That will humble you real fast. Mrs. B's turn was from Clanton, AL to Rockford, AL on Alabama Highway 22. That’s like a rollercoaster ride. It’s an adventure in a car, it’s more like a thrill ride in an 18-wheeler. This route was about 225 miles long. It was a great experience and brought some reality to the adventure that we’re about to begin. Friday was spent on the backing range. Lots of practice on the alley dock maneuver. As most of you know, it’s the most challenging backing move, and the one that we’ll probably use the most once we’re on the road. It’s also one of the three required on the road test. Again, we cherish your prayers and good wishes as the big day looms closer and closer. Can’t wait to give you the next update!

Week 3 of CDL training at Trenholm Community College is complete. It's amazing how fast time flies when you're having fun. This week we worked on trip planning, logging, and driving skills. We actually got to take the trucks out on paved streets for the first time; and we finally made right turns! The trip planning required us to create drivers logs from theoretical trip narratives. We had to make sure that we observed all of the 11 hour driving and 14 hour working rules as well as show all of our required pre-trip inspections and breaks. The trips required correct routing to make appointments for loading and unloading on time. We also had to do pre-trip inspections on our school trucks at the beginning of class each day and grade each other. This is one of the more intensive parts of training because you have to memorize this routine and recall it on cue. It's a challenge to learn every part of your tractor and trailer and their respective functions without missing any of them. Daniel B's Pre-trip checklist has helped us tremendously! Once again, Trucking Truth's CDL Training provides a way to help us reach our goal. Thanks to Brett (and Daniel B.)! We have also learned the required backing maneuvers; straight line, offset, and alley dock. We'll keep practicing them daily as we work closer to our final exam. Lots of jack, jack, jack, and chase, chase, chase. Gets easier everytime! Again, kudos to our instructors, Kent & Chuck. These guys really love this business and want every class member to master the skills and knowledge required to be successful truckers. Mrs, B & I promise to keep you up to date on our progress and we appreciate your good wishes and prayers. Seven weeks to go!

Well, week 2 of CDL training is in the books. Lots of shifting practice on the range, straight line backing, and last night we started learning the 90 degree alley dock. We have a couple of fantastic trainers that are really dedicated to making sure that our class learns how to do things right. We are all getting more comfortable in the drivers seat. Our classroom time has been centered around trip planning. If you are going to be successful in this industry, as we've all read over & over on the TT forum, time management is probably the most important area to learn. Trucking runs on a tight schedule, and the gubment regulations make it tough to get things done efficiently. With Murphy's Law factored in, it can be a challenge. As I said earlier, our instructors do everything that they can to get us up to speed. We have had visits from a couple of recruiters from trucking companies. It's interesting to compare the different approaches as they try to get us to want to join their respective companies. Mrs. B and I are really excited about this lifestyle and career change! We really appreciate your prayers and support. Thanks! Stay tuned, we'll update again soon.

Guys - Keep it up! The High Road Training will ensure that you will pass the CDL exams with ease. My wife and I completed the High Road about a week before visiting the DMV and we passed all of the elements with no trouble. We took and passed everything except school bus. By the way, don’t listen to the whiners complaining about the repetitive questions. They are there for a reason. You’ll remember the info much better that any other method of study. Good luck and study on!