Comments By Phantom 850

It appears our friend Donald has created yet another name

He does that. He'll ask a few questions, then once we figure out who he is he'll sign up again under a different name. It's comical because he has a very distinct way of speaking, which gives him away every time. When we call him out on it, he'll say, "Who is this Todd guy you're referring to?"

No one knows his real name, but he made himself famous under the name Todd here, so we've stuck to it, even though he won't. He's let his guard down a couple of times and blatantly revealed that he just likes trolling forums. He's likely either in a low-security prison or his mom's basement, we can't be sure which. Fortunately, he really does ask a lot of good questions.

Brad, whatever you do, please don’t drop the ban hammer. He amuses me.

Donald, I hope you heal soon and go on to have a great career. I think you may run into some problem with trying to circumvent your past, but I hope you do well.

He wont need a career he is waiting on a old lady to kick the bucket to get a inheritance.

Friend of yours, Bobcat?

At the end of the day, you do you.

Gerald, stick with it. I toured a prison once that had a CDL school for the inmates. Keep fighting the good fight and hold your head up. Someone will give you a shot. This is the land of second chances.

Donald, I hope you heal soon and go on to have a great career. I think you may run into some problem with trying to circumvent your past, but I hope you do well.

Ever see The Mothman Prophecies? This is the bridge. I swear those red glowing eyes weren’t there when I took the picture.

I’m not even joking. Those seriously weren’t there, and I didn’t even notice them in the picture until I sent it to my wife.

Ever see The Mothman Prophecies? This is the bridge. I swear those red glowing eyes weren’t there when I took the picture.

Ive been out of prison for 10months obtained my class b cdl 8/6/19 And getting doors shut in my face.wht road should i take

I have a couple non-violent/non-sexual/non-drug/non-vehicle-related misdemeanors on my record but I'm now in the legal process of getting my name changed by a local law firm. Here in Oklahoma the courts don't even run background checks for name-change petitions or ask about criminal history. Just can't be a registered sex offender in Sooner State for name change. I'm certainly not one of those creeps. Basically years ago I entered a plea deal for making verbal threats over the telephone to two bureaucratic college professors and leaving them on their answering machines like an idiot. The police claimed they had voice-print ID technology because I had disguised my voice . The other was for trying to shoplift Walmart for $97 in groceries. Covering the meat up with reusable blue Walmart shopping bags in the shopping wagon and saying "I forgot to pay" didn't cut it in one red state I was in. My lawyer said that case would have likely ended up as a conviction had it gone to a jury trial. In California maybe, but in any red state not. It's tough to plants the seeds of doubt in the minds of jurors in conservative states. They'll darn near hang you for spitting on the sidewalk. The loss-prevention women claimed she saw me cover the stuff on camera and then started to follow me around the store. I suspect that they stated to follow me as soon as I came in the store with a bunch of empty blue bags. This red state, being a red state, is not very environmentally conscientious and I'm perhaps the only person they ever saw using reusable shopping bags. Yes, I'm guilty on all counts. I was caught after all.

Why the name change?

You're a man of few words!

We knew you would get it done - Congratulations!

I wouldn’t say that. I just like to stick to a theme. Thank you all for the congratulations. Those of you that have been following since day one know that it’s been a tough row. Trouble with my med card, wrong turns, failed tests, the works. Now the real work begins. Now I can drive a truck. Time to learn to be truck driver.

Aaaaaaaand... I passed.

Aaaaaaaand... Failed again. Got the backing this time, failed on the road test. I take my turns too wide and I had a traffic light turn yellow on me in no mans land. I chose poorly and got on the binders hard. Ever since I got back I’ve been asking any trainer I come across if they want to go for a ride. One took me up on it, he said I did great. Already back to playing “Hey, mister”. “Hey, mister, wanna go for a ride?” Retest on Wednesday. I’ll be ready.

I’ll take my chances hitchhiking first. It’s safer.

Don’t worry guys. I’ve hit the pad hard for the last 2 1/2 days. I took an hour to sulk and cuss after I failed, slapped myself in the face, and got back at it. I’m not the kind to lay down. Besides, if I quit I have to ride the greyhound back to Florida, and I’ll never do that again.

You could choose to look at it the way I do. Training sucks, but there’s a lot of money to be made out there and this is just a means to an end. You want to make real money, you have to survive training. I got lucky. My trainer and I hit it off right away. That doesn’t always happen. Also, try to put yourself in his shoes. If he is a lease guy, he’s not chasing miles, he’s chasing loads. He also has a truck note that has to be paid every week whether the loads are there or not. If you had an $800-$1300 note due every week you’d turn and burn too. As students we tend to get in a hurry. Slow down and get your learn on. During my D seat I learned as much or more sitting in the right hand seat. I’d observe how he handled situations and pick his brain endlessly. That’s the beauty of these company sponsored programs. You’re not just learning to drive a truck, you’re learning to be a truck driver. And at the end of the day you have to realize, this man has invited you into his place of business. That truck is how he feeds his family, and he was kind enough to not only let you in it, but let you drive it. That’s a big deal. His livelihood is resting on your shoulders. How would you feel if you’re mortgage payment was in the hands of a green rookie that’s so wet behind the ears he drips? Is he compensated for taking you on? Yes, but in my opinion it’s no where near enough. Hell, I may have cost my trainer money my first week. He turned down a load that would have netted him around $2000 because he wasn’t comfortable rolling through NYC with a student.

Retest on Monday. There’s a 48 hour rule. Whipped through the pretrip, hit the straight line and offset back no problem. Then I died and went to blind side parallel hell. Made a stupid mistake and guided off of the wrong cones. Couldn’t recover, and tried to reset. Ran out time. After throwing my hat and cussing for about an hour I went back to practicing. Nailed it first time out. I’m still pretty upset, and could make a million excuses, but at the end of the day it’s on me. No one to blame but myself. But I’m not the kind to lay down. I’ll rally and get it next time.

Aaaaaaaaand... I failed.

Sorry the posts have been so infrequent. As most of you know, life on the road can be a little hectic. We’re back in Springfield so that I can get a couple days of pad work before my test which is Thursday. I’m not going to lie, I’m a little nervous. I feel like now is a good time to reflect on what I’ve seen during my first two weeks on the road. I’ve driven through 15 states, crossed the Mississippi, Ohio, Missouri, and Potomac rivers, been to the home towns of William Faulkner, Mark Twain, Abraham Lincoln, and the lead singer of the band Surviver. I’ve seen the Gateway Arch, the capital building, the Washington monument, and where the national anthem was written. I’ve shut down in Amish county and across the street from a horse race track. I’ve met all kinds of people, some good, some not. I’ve had someone unhook my trailer air when I walked in to get a scale ticket. But by far the coolest thing I’ve done is let a little boy blow that air horn on the truck. If you were asleep in the pilot in Whiteland around noon last Saturday, I’m sorry. But be honest. You’d have done it too. Now the next step is to pass that test and earn the coveted title of Driver.

My personal preference is Wilson Logistics (Wil-Trans/Jim Palmer). But I'm a little biased in that regards.

I’m in the same boat as Dave.

Maybe I’ll see you sometime when I swing through the prime lot to grab a load.

Nothing really special to report. Had a 34 hour cut short by dispatch so my trainer is down to three minutes on his 70. Grabbed a load up in New Jersey, and had to flog it pretty hard to get it to Indy. Now here’s the fun part. We shut down about 1:00 pm, and we get dispatched at 3:00pm. The load was 40 miles away, and had to be picked up by 9:00pm. Yea. No good. My trainer calls dispatch and explains the situation, and we’re laid up until 7:00am. The good news? There a race track across the street and they were running.

I am still a permit holder, and he was sitting next to me. What happened was I followed the gps when he wanted me to take a different rout that would have skirted the city. He gave me a good five mile warning, but I was locked in on the gps because I’m new and haven’t learned to follow alternative instructions or think for myself. When we hit the ramp he saw what was happening and said something, but I couldn’t get over. He took it in stride and said, “Well, tonight lesson is about tunnels.”

The accent means nothing. I have the Appalachian-American vocal ability, too. I also have an associate's, two bachelors, an MBA, and a PhD in American history. I'm more educated than I sound. I use it to my advantage when someone attempts to match wits with me.

Oh PackRat. Sweet and gentle soul. What you are describing is the hillbilly accent. It’s a derivative of the British accent and is very lyrical and pleasant sounding. I sir, am a flat lander. I speak dirt southern.