Profile For Ohioman1972

Been a while since I’ve posted. 10 months in. I still feel like I need a mentor sometimes. I wish I had more flatbed securement training. But I’m getting there. Still can’t understand 60% of CB chatter. Are y’all speaking English? 3 lot lizard encounters. None got me to open the door. Getting more kids pumping the arm for me To sound my air horn, so that’s satisfying.

All in all, I like regional OTR. I like the freedom. Seeing neat stuff. But I don’t get any home projects done. I see my kids a few hours a week. Not too many dating opportunities.

So I have an interview tomorrow with Pepsi. I’ll see how that goes and what they offer. It’s amazing insurance, but I’d need to know the compensation

Sounds like you are doing great!

Keep it up!

If you use a Medtronic pump and Humalog and are paying a lot for the stuff... you may want to check with me I no longer use either and have stashes of both!

I’m having issues with the sensors. Can’t get them to work for any amount of time. Had better luck with Dexcom. Talking to a rep from Omnipod now about making the switch, but if you have supplies just sitting there...

No sensors. Which were / are you using? Not using Medtronic pump either! Have a ton of such supplies. Which insulin? Out of pocket costs?

I’m still using the Medtronic 670G No complaints about the pump but the sensors are terrible for me. Some people have no problems.

The omnipod is tubeless so I’m researching that now

Sounds like you are doing great!

Keep it up!

If you use a Medtronic pump and Humalog and are paying a lot for the stuff... you may want to check with me I no longer use either and have stashes of both!

I’m having issues with the sensors. Can’t get them to work for any amount of time. Had better luck with Dexcom. Talking to a rep from Omnipod now about making the switch, but if you have supplies just sitting there...

Ok so I’m driving out of Chicago at 2am Saturday. I went over the skyway bridge. After the toll booth, a double goes wizzing by me. In the slush. In the high wind. I see him down the road, his back trailer on its side, on the 2 lane with no real shoulder. Looks like a car may have hit from behind. Triangles are up.

Few more miles down the road, still no real shoulders, a blue car is speeding to pass in my left. I’m doing 45mph. She’s a young girl, I can tell because when her car went into a skid, and she was facing me, I could see the look of horror on her face. I did a controlled brake, no stab needed. She skidded back into her lane and lightly tapped the concrete rail.

So I hope that’s all I have to report this winter

Ok so I’m driving out of Chicago at 2am Saturday. I went over the skyway bridge. After the toll booth, a double goes wizzing by me. In the slush. In the high wind. I see him down the road, his back trailer on its side, on the 2 lane with no real shoulder. Looks like a car may have hit from behind. Triangles are up.

Few more miles down the road, still no real shoulders, a blue car is speeding to pass in my left. I’m doing 45mph. She’s a young girl, I can tell because when her car went into a skid, and she was facing me, I could see the look of horror on her face. I did a controlled brake, no stab needed. She skidded back into her lane and lightly tapped the concrete rail.

So I hope that’s all I have to report this winter

So I’m still in the early phases of learning the capabilities and limitations to the tractor trailer. And while I still haven’t driven in snow or ice yet, there are some situations that get my tension levels high.

I’m happy that I’m losing anxiety for backing in at truck stops. Yeah it’s still there but I’m calmer. However... driving down mountains with lots of curves. I don’t want to encroach the other lanes and don’t want to tip. Especially in construction zones with narrow lanes. Example I-40 at the TN/NC border. I’m the one that has the line of trucks behind him...

Also high winds especially with an empty trailer. The videos of the trucks turning over due to winds is etched in my brain. I don’t want to learn the hard way...

Speaking the last post I made, I didn’t proofread it.. I have absolutely no idea half of what I was trying to say. Anyway, I’m not really sure if this pertains to all companies or if I need to just keep looking for a new play after I’ve got a few months under my belt. From what I’m understanding, dispatch used to run like clockwork, but now it’s a nightmare since we got a new backhaul dispatcher. Basically, I was complaining about being told to wait for a day for a back haul, rather than heading back. I’m still on 90 day probation, so I don’t have the luxury veteran drivers have of telling dispatxh they knew where he was and should have had something ready by now. The company pays the same for fully loaded, deadhead, or bobtail miles. I know that my expectations were way different than what it actually like but being very new to this industry, I had a large buffer zone.

So... here I am. Contemplating my choices. At the same time, overly fatigued and falling asleep on the toilet in the shower suite. There were 5 AvaIlable and it’s like 9 am. I think I’m still in Haegerstown MD... Adjusting to the “You will start Your day When we tell You to start You Day lifestyle because sometimes they know how to work a couple loads all over the country like a heavy night at LaGuardia Airport... Then there are times like these... leave Wilmington OH.at 7pm, Have the wrong paperwork from the shipper that’s not your fault, be told at 4am that you can’t unload until 6... so I’m done unloading. I’m in the shower suite. I think I remembered clean underwear but there is no deal Breaker If I didn’t. Half of what I hear is like a dream....

So after 7 days training, I was given a truck. I feel good that they had that much faith in me. No accidents. But I’m learning that the camaraderie of Truckers isn't what I thought it would be, or at least not as I understood it as a kid... Been looking for places to shut down at hour 9/12 instead of the lady hour... Truck stops and rest areas don't seem to have rhyme or reason on what time they fill up and I already got a 3 minute violation...

So much to learn!

But I want to be proficient as possible in shifting with the time I have

It's quite possible you are as proficient as possible. Give yourself a break man! Your post says you're on "Day 2 of training." Nobody shifts a big rig smoothly during their first few weeks. Lighten up - there's way more important things to be proficient at than shifting gears.

I get that. It’s getting better. If I get into a standard it’ll come to me.

Backing is getting better. I feel very comfortable in regular driving conditions on the highway. And that’s a lot better than while in school!

Today a loader yelled at the trainer who was spotting me while backing up to a metal forklift ramp. He didn’t have time to wait while I was being trained lol I cant wait to have a handful of stories to tell.

Day 2 of training. For the first week I am training with a local dry van driver/trainer. He said I am progressing "ahead of schedule" and he used the term "impressed". I really needed to hear that after all the negatives. Now - reality check. I still struggle on downshifts. Upshifts a little - but I'm learning to float. Downshifts I tend to hammer the accelerator and miss the gear, and slow way down til I get the bailout gear or coast to a stop at a red light. I backed into a tight dock, and a tight space at a busy rest stop, hauled an empty trailer in high wind with nothing hit, and jammed 17 gears. I have the rest of the week to work on shifting, then I'm going to a flatbed. Likely an automatic. As most of the tractors are automatic in this leased fleet.

But I want to be proficient as possible in shifting with the time I have

Ok... today was my last day at Lowe’s. I will be in Orientation starting Wednesday at Sewell Motor Express out of Wilmington, OH. My Little brother got His CDL in March of this year and they’ve already bumped him up to $0.51 a mile and he’s a trainer. But he’s naturally good at anything to do with vehicles. So I know what to expect. He’s almost always home by Saturday morning. Sometimes takes his reset on the road But not often.

As of Tuesday, I now have a Class A CDL with all endorsements! I’ve applied at 3 places. It was down to 2, but someone in my class told me about a local position that seems really good. Home daily, Monday through Friday, 10 hours a day, great insurance... and paying about the same as the other two regional jobs with not-as-good insurance.

Thanks again guys and gals. Really excited to take the test.

Ok.... I took the school’s test and got a 97 on maneuvers. Nicked a cone on the lane change... but the alley dock I got. Still need to make sure I have a good supply of pull ups on my state test in case I get blind side parallel... don’t have that one mastered yet. Need some practice on downshifting and right turns, narrow ones I still get really close to or hit the curbs.

All good points. I had just made an assumption that there were a few carriers that allowed it.

First day of classroom time yesterday. I'm surprised to see I was one of the few that already had the temps in hand. So the first week will be refresher course for me. Happy about that! Still anxious to get out there and get hands on...

I have been researching. I'm not asking opinions on carrying a firearm, nor asking about the legality. I'm fairly well versed on the areas in which I can and can't carry. But what I have found is that most major carriers prohibit drivers from carrying a firearm. Are there any large carriers that do allow it? My searches have come up empty so far.

Update... Temps came in the mail yesterday. Going to get my drug screen and start school Monday. I'll be going full time. My family is gonna help with finances over the next month. So in 5 weeks I should be testing. Gonna schedule that now. Really excited about this.

Congratulations Ohioman! That's great news!

Figured out how to backup pump settings... the interface is actually the Contour Next Link 2.4 meter.

I figure I'll be doing OTR for a couple months. Gotta get back on track, but then I'll see what regional options I have. Excited and a little nervous. Been watching pre-trip inspection videos and trying to commit to memory early before I actually start doing it.

Update... Temps came in the mail yesterday. Going to get my drug screen and start school Monday. I'll be going full time. My family is gonna help with finances over the next month. So in 5 weeks I should be testing. Gonna schedule that now. Really excited about this.