Prime, Springfield, MO WITH CDL

Well, I've finally found the time to start this diary. I've seen a ton of great diaries on here talking about coming here to get a CDL , but not many about coming here WITH a CDL. Luckily for you, I've never been normal in my life, so why start now?!

Saturday, 14 JAN 17

1955: Bus departed the station in Lafayette, LA. We stopped a short time later for a quick pickup in Opelousas, then again in Alexandria enroute to Shreveport. One of the riders we picked up in Alexandria sat next to me. It didn't take long for us to start talking. He was heading to Kentucky to start with PTL. Not long into my journey and I'm already meeting a driver!

Sunday, 15 JAN 17

0005: Arrived in Shreveport. This was the end of the line for this bus, everyone off! We had an hour layover here, plenty of time to down a Yoo-hoo! (It's like legal cracking to me!)

Also met another driver here, he was heading to Joplin to pick up a truck. He was also former oilfield trash!

There was some talk about not being able to complete the trip to Springfield due to weather.

0115: After some discussion, the bus driver agreed to let us go to the next stop and let us try our luck from there. At this point, I found out there were four other guys heading to Springfield to work for Prime. That makes 5 future Primates on the bus. Off we go again on Tastebuds great adventure!

0300ish: We stop in Texarkana for another hour layover. And to have the person behind the counter to snap at us for coming this far KNOWING we couldn't make the entire trip. There were threats of rerouting us back home. The bus driver came in and talked it over with said snapping person. After much discussion, we convince snapping person to let us go onward and take our chances in Little Rock. FINALLY, the adventure is allowed to continue. ONWARD!

0530: We arrive in Little Rock for a scheduled 5.5 hour layover. I run, well I am a fatboy, so take the "run" how you want, to the counter and ask the person behind said counter about the possibility of completing our adventure. I was told the bus is scheduled to run. I KNEW IT! At this time, Tastebuds and his fellow Primates disperse amongst the crowd of weary travelers. I'm sure snoring was heard at this time.

0830ish: I'm awake, for some reason, when I hear "All travelers heading north of here, please come to the counter." DRATS! We were told the bus would, in fact, not be heading to Springfield today and possibly not tomorrow. MAJOR snow and ice storm has hit the region, cancelling the bus ride.

My fellow Primates and I form up, now 7 strong. We all start working our phones. Prime tells us we can either get a hotel in Little Rock and complete the bus ride when possible OR rent a vehicle and drive the rest of the way. Whichever we decide to do, Prime would reimburse us. Nobody else can afford either one and I'd rather drive there than stay in Little Rock and wait. I call different rental companies until I find one that's open and has a 7 passenger van available. SCORE! I take a cab to the airport and drive back to pick up the other 6 Primates. We start loading up and then it hits us, the van will not be big enough for all of us AND our luggage. Then I realized we were now up to NINE Primates. Long story short, myself and 3 other Primates take off. The adventure CONTINUES!

1100: We stop in Little Rock to fill up human fuel tanks. That was easily the most expensive Golden Corral I've ever eaten!

1145: Follow me, FOLLOW ME to Springfield! We're on our way again! It's really foggy, but easily drivable.

1330: Tastebuds eyes are starting to get heavy and I am the only one who can drive, so we make a pit stop. I found a new snack: Welch's Freeze Dried Grapes. Surprisingly, they taste like raisins... Onward!

1600: We arrive in Springfield! Now, I know I'm from south Louisiana and we don't have much snow and ice on the ground, but they didn't have it here EITHER! Seriously, the temp never dropped below 40 the entire drive!

To be continued after a hot shower and a battery charge...

Glad you made it safe, fellow Primate! Have fun, God bless and God Speed!

Looking forward to more of your experience

Glad you made it safe.

Looking forward to reading more.

Awesome! Glad yall made it. You're in for a great experience. I'm looking forward to reading about it. Good luck!

Tip #1- Use the practice trucks in the parking lot for learning pre-trip

Tip#2- When classes are not in session, you CAN use the Sims for practice. The instructors will be happy to set you up, and it looks good if you put forth an effort. "They" are watching.... Oh, and don't treat the sims like video games, "they" don't like that.

Tip#3- Hit up the Whole Hog cafe, down the road across from the Steak n Shake. Get the cheesy corn. O......M........G........ Good stuff!

Have fun!

I just realized you said you already had your cdl. So forget everything I said about practice lol....... but don't forget about Whole Hog :)

Yeah, I know, I said I was going to continue after a hot shower and battery charge like a day and a half ago... life happens!

After we got here, I met my roommate. He was a PSD holdover from the week before waiting on a trainer. Once all the luggage was out of the adventurewagon and the meet and greet with the roommate was over, I decided it was time to hit the town.

Springfield is the home to Bass Pro Shop and let me tell you, it's not just a store, it's a destination! I went there for two reasons, to see it and to grab some last minute cold weather gear. They didn't have the hoodie I wanted, not that I would have room for it in my bag, but the did have a brainsock and insulated gloves.

With that done, it was time to do what I do best, EAT! Enroute to the Bass Pro Shop, I spied a Jersey Mike's Sub Shop. I've never been there, but heard it was good, so I decided that would be my dinner destination. As with any adventure, sometimes you come to a fork in the road, other times you get forked in the road. My fork happened on my way to Jersey Mikes when I spotted a New York Style Pizza joint. I was torn and fraught with this decision as I LOVE me some New York Style pizza! Cooler heads prevailed as I decided to go ahead with the plan. On a recommendation, I tried the philly cheesesteak sammich and it was delicious! If I ever go back, I have got to try the Italian.

Once I made it back to Campus Inn, I took a hot shower and got ready for bed. For some reason, all PSD (students here to get a CDL) and lease drivers started on Monday while company drivers started on Tuesday. Knowing I had the day off, I didn't set my alarm when I finally laid my head down for a much needed sleep.

Monday, 16JAN17

0535 RING RING RING *answers the phone* This is your wake up call! *WTF?!* I wake up my roommate thinking it was for him. It wasn't. Seriously, whiskey tango foxtrot, over! I'm asleep in like 0.25 seconds.

I woke up again Monday morning around 0700. The adventurewagon was scheduled to be returned by 1100 at the airport, but I needed to run a couple of errands before I did that. My first priority was putting food in my belly. I've eaten at Cracker Barrel before (I like eating at new places on my "adventures"), but it's been a while and it was close, so hunger crisis diverted.

After eating my morning kibbles, I was off to run my errands. Nothing like taking a shower the night before to learn you forgot to pack shampoo. And mouthwash. Oh, not to mention it would be 75 cents per load for laundry detergent. My bag was stuffed before, oh my...

The adventurewagon needed to be returned on a full stomach, so I decided to top it off before going to the airport. I stopped at one of the ODDEST named gas stations I have ever seen: Kum and Go. Yes, you read that right! I even took a picture of it and sent it to my friends. I go about my business, trying my best to hold back the chuckles. I open the fuel door to see a big bright yellow cap and see E85 fuel printed on the cap. Puzzled, I turned around to find a second pump that was bright yellow, labeled E85, and a price tag of $1.699 a gallon! Ha, I figured that out easily, my trucking career is off to a great start! After filling up the belly of the beast, (a half tank of gas for roughly $20, SCORE!) I ... Kame and Went! (Forgive me, I couldn't resist!)

On to the airport! I wisely Googled "airport" and sent it to the maps app. It starts taking me out of town, but that's fine, most airports are out of town. "Turn right in 200 feet" Huh? Why would the airport be located in a residential area? Google, this makes no sense! "Turn down gravel road" ... Umm, no! Went back to Google and typed "airport". It responded that Gardner airport was just ahead. I verified it with the rental card: "return to Springfield/Branson Airport". I Google "Springfield/Branson Airport" and find out it's 22 minutes away, on the OTHER side of town. Yeah, my trucking career is off to a GREAT start!

I finally arrive at the correct airport with plenty of time. The return was done by 1000. I figured I would call the handy dandy shuttle and have prompt service and enjoy the rest of the afternoon. When the shuttle driver tells me he'd be there around 1130, I had to chuckle to myself "so much for promptness!" (In all actuality, it's on an hour and a half route and I had JUST missed it.) I start wandering around the airport lobby viewing the various pieces of art they have displayed. (I LOVE art!) Some works are really nice and others are ... meh, but that's how art is.

Once I was back at Campus Inn, I put my stuff away, chatted with the roommate for a bit, then went out for lunch. They provide your meals here, but where's the fun in that?! It's around 1230 and with no vehicle, I had to resort to what was close. Just down the road is a fast food chain called Culvers Butterburgers and Frozen Custard. I make it there and place my order. I have to admit, that was some of the best tasting cholesterol I've put in my mouth in a long time! What makes it a "Butterburger" is simply toasting the bun with butter on top. That alone wasn't what made it so good. I think it was the overall combination of flavors and freshness. I wanted to try the frozen custard, but I was stuffed!

The rest of the afternoon was rather uneventful as I unwound a little. It was some much needed downtime. About 1900, my stomach done had enough of this downtime! I spotted a restaurant across the street called "Whole Hog Cafe". I've never eaten there, so there I went. It was a little difficult getting there as I had to go in the other direction to get to a crosswalk. I was kind of disappointed when I got there as there was only 2 vehicles in the parking lot at the peak of dinner time. I went in and ordered the pulled pork sandwich with potato salad and baked beans. It was really good! I liked the fact that they had a wide variety of sauces to try.

After dinner, I walked back to the room, took a shower and ... CRASHED!

Yeah, you gotta love the "Kum and go". Sorta like"hit it and quit it."

Sorry, couldn't help it.

If you feel an urge for taco stand type Mexican food, check out Pancho's. It's a few blocks down From the campus in. Rolled tacos, California burrito, or Carne Asada burritos. Closest you can get to San Diego, with out being there