Comments By RandyinNC

Absolutely! I don’t intend on taking on anything like that for a couple of years, if ever. He just has a good deal delivering trucks around the country.

Today was pretty interesting, the trainer had us driving around Winston Salem and some pretty tight traffic. Little bit on the stressful side but myself and the other trainee both managed to survive. I’m starting to zero-in on a couple of companies and one of them is CFI. Big Scott, I’ll take a look at some of your older posts and see where you posted information about the company. Thanks to everyone for all the advice and information that I’ve gotten so far, it’s been a huge help! Now if I can just stop grinding those lower gears

Back at it today as all that snow finally melted away. One group of three hit the road and the remaining three of us practiced the "obstacle" course and coupling/uncoupling. It is surprising how fast you get the hang of it after doing it a few times. So far no major blunders... although once I forgot to stop the tractor while it was still somewhat under the trailer during the uncoupling process. Also had a lot of time to pick the trainers brain today. He is a huge advocate of owner operator and a lot of what he said makes sense. We will see and time will certainly tell. For now, I am more than happy to have a few pre-hire letters from some reputable companies.

Another recruiter is coming in tomorrow and then it is our group's turn to hit the road.

Hi Grandma Day, I’m at DCCC (Davidson County Community College). We lucked out with a really small class and get plenty of one-on-one. The in-state resident tuition deal works out nicely as well. We’ve been out since Wednesday because of the snow, but the weather is looking pretty good this coming week.

Thanks PackRat. That is one thing the trainers emphasized; slowing down early on. It's funny... as a rookie, there is a different sensation with speed when slowing down. It feels like I am going much slower than I actually am when approaching a stop sign - you know you are going too fast when the instructor says, "slow... slow... SLOW..." Anyway, we are back at it on Monday after getting pounded by snow recently and that gives me six weeks to get this down before graduation. I already have three hire commitments from trucking firms so needless to say I am excited and remaining realistic with my expectations. Thanks again!

Hello all! I will be starting my second of eight weeks on Monday. Interestingly, the recruiter at the college told me to act quickly before the class fills up. So, in about one week I did my DOT and CDL permit and paid the college 1800.00 - which, from what I have seen out there is pretty darn good. First day at school was just an overview and it was then I realized that there are only six students - with three instructors. This too is a good thing as we get plenty of seat time. he instructors said that the lack of students is due to the economy being as good as it is and that people tend to put "truck driving" on the bottom of their list of jobs they would like to have. I have already ground through all ten gears on I40 and some back country roads in North Carolina. The three instructors have 70 years combined experience and are good at what they do. My biggest concern is down-shifting when approaching a stop sign/red light. Any ideas that will help it "click" would be greatly appreciated because I cannot simply put it in neutral as that will be considered as "out of control". We have recruiters coming in on a regular basis. I will be posting twice a week or so to keep it up to date.

Sitting it out today as we are getting hit pretty good with some snow.

I just did my DOT a few weeks ago (early December 2017) in preparation for my CDL training at a local community college. The Doctor gave me a three month card because my BP was elevated. Instead of taking it when I first walked in, they waited until all of the other testing was complete, which probably elevated my BP a bit as some of it was a bit stressful.

He said to get a "note from my primary care physician stating that my BP is okay and my meds do not need to be modified." He said if I do that, then to bring the note back to him and he will issue me a card for a year. I thought cool - no problem. So I go to my Primary Care Physician, get my BP checked (which was fine) and get the note and bring it back to the DOT physician. Come to find out that his DOT certification had expired during that 10 day period since I last saw him! Therefore, he couldn't give me the newer card. I tracked down another DOT physician within the same state-wide medical practice and I told her about the note. She said that she wouldn't accept that! At that point I simply fell on my sword, accepted my fate, and asked what it is she needs from me in order to update my medical form to a year? She told me that I need to do is go back in and have her check my BP again.

One thing I noticed and found a bit concerning was that during the "forced whisper" part of the test, the physician stood about 20 feet away. I could swear that I read somewhere that this portion of the test was to be done "no less than 5 feet" from the person. Also, it was actually kind of funny. When she did the whisper test (20 feet away), she covered her mouth with a notepad. So I'm looking at her like, "what did you say?" Ah... had to be there to appreciate it :)

I guess like any new system there will be a time where folks are not yet on the same page.

I am not a driver yet... But did get my CDL permit today! Whooa!! Anyway, one go-to solution for me over the years has been a program that some of you may have heard of. It is the NHS Couch to 5K program. When I lose the weight, I have a bad habit of remembering where I lost it and putting it back on again! This program however, will get anyone - no matter what their weight is, running for 30 minutes straight within an 8-week period. Burning calories is key. The program only takes about 30 minutes every other day. Here is the link: https://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/c25k/Pages/couch-to-5k-plan.aspx

And of course a healthy diet. For that I would suggest you take a look at a video on Netflix called "forks over knives."

Hope you give it a look and good luck!

I thought this is pretty cool. I am buying this fireplace insert from a friend of mine. My plan is to clean it up (refinish and polish the brass) and insert it into my fireplace. I move from Maine to North Carolina and, don't get me wrong, I LOVE NC! but some of the homes have insulation the just doesn't cut it. I miss my old Oil Burner and now I have to deal with a heat pump. Well, this insert is gonna turn things around fer sure!

Not being one to wait, I went and got my DOT medical card today and started calling some companies and "spilling my guts" so to speak. Wow! many were very positive about my situation. I made sure to stress that I did not want to jump on the greyhound only to get there and be thoroughly humiliated by HR saying, "thanks, but no thanks." All of the folks I spoke to assured me that a complete approval would be provided before they brought me down to their location for orientation and training. Thank you Fellas! What a relief.