Doug F., I think I am getting these great, long runs because I asked for them. When I picked up my truck, I sat across from a load planner/supervisor as it was late in the day before the truck was ready and I was at a different terminal than my DM is at. He asked if I wanted to start with a few shorter local runs. I said that in training we did mainly long runs and that is what I preferred. So that started the ball rolling.
As far as the winter storm warning, I grew up in northern WI, and have lived many years along Lake Superior in the Upper Peninsula of MI. my rule is to park before needing to use chains. I will put them on to get me out of a problem, never to get me further into one.
I am really enjoying the experiences. I look at each day as a puzzle that you need to get the pieces all together to work. It's thinking and making changes on the fly that keeps this job exciting. And, some days are a piece of cake. Like today.
Finished the run on this load today and the consignee personnel were great. Got checked in at the gate and given a map of where to park loaded trailer and the location and number of the empty. Went down the row and there was a trailer all ready parked in the spot I was assigned. So I parked in the open spot next to it, wrote down the company name and trailer number, and started to walk back to the gate (needed the exercise) when the yard tractor driver pulls up and said just unhook there as she was going to put it into a dock right away. Then she used her walkie talkie to tell the gate personal the information.
Dropped that trailer, the empty was in the correct spot, hooked, did inspection, sent in macros and back to the gate to check out. On the road quickly. Went into the Indy terminal. One of the local drivers had picked up the loaded trailer as the shipper would have been closed before I could get there. Its my first time at this terminal and as I start to back the empty trailer, another driver comes over and spots me so ge that done quickly. Get the trailer unhooked then begin the hunt for the loaded trailer. The good luck continues, it's only 3 spots down. Hook up, inspection, everything looks good except no trailer registration in the nose box or tube by the landing gear.
So I ran inside terminal but they don't have any night driver mangers at this terminal. Since I was down to ninety minutes on my duty day, I decided to head out to a truck stop about 30 minutes out. Got there and called night dispatch and they faxed a copy of the registration to the TA and I am set for the morning.
All and all, a pretty good day. Did have a few other pesky problems. Blew a right front turn signal bulb and had to replace it. For some reason the right high beam headlight problem is back. And I ocassionally get a fault that the tracker rear parking lights are not working, but every time I stop and look, they are working fine. Just keeps me looking forward to my New Year's present.
The customer the freight is being delivered to. Also referred to as "the receiver". The shipper is the customer that is shipping the goods, the consignee is the customer receiving the goods.
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Sandman,
Glad things are looking up for you. Reading through your experiences with your training I think alot of the success you had is as much a credit to you as it is to Knight's program. Just illustrates having the right attitude and taking it serious from the start is the key to success.
Thank you for the detailed account of how its going for you out there. Would you mind if I PM you with a few questions specific to Knight's policies ? I got a date set yesterday to attend the training in Olive Branch in January and you seem like the right person to get honest answers from.
Look forward to your updates here, best of luck to you for your continued success.
Doug
Doug F., you can pm with any questions you may have. It may take a bit to get back to you. Otherwise, you can pm me your phone number and a good time of day to call. Sometimes easier and a lot quicker to get questions answered that way
Hey Sandman I been busy, but following your experiences. Your doing great Sir!!!!!I get picked up by my trainer today.....Keep it up my friend and have a great Thanksgiving where ever you are!!!
Operating While Intoxicated
Hey Sandman,
Kudos to another talented writer from the great State of MS! I reasonate with a lot of what you write, but must admit (happily) that I have not (yet) experienced as much of Murphy's Law as you have in your driving adventure. Thanks for making the time to give us your updates and, oh yes, happy Thanksgiving!
Dave
Thanks Sandman !
PM sent, I look forward to speaking with you. What a great website full of great people ! Hope all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving.
Doug
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Man, it has to get better soon I would hope. I have been following closely as I am considering going to Olive Branch in January for the CDL training. Your training seemed to go very smoothly which is an indication Knight does a good job with that portion.
Your experiences solo also seem like they could be typical day to day issues you have been able to handle with some patience and thought. I am concerned about how this last issue was handled by your DM. Its my impression from reading the Squire Training information that this DM only handles solo drivers who are in their first 30k miles. After that you get assigned to a regular DM ? I would think they would work a little harder to not put you in a situation like this since you are still technically training for the first 30k.
Testing you to see how you handle real time issues is one thing, this just seems like a real failure when its the DM's job to help finish your training.
Like I said, I have followed your posts closely because I have basically made Knight my choice. I will be very interested to see if it gets better or if this continues to happen to you. Best of luck and thanks for the great posts.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated