TMC CDL (in-house) Training Day 1

6am: Bus to training pad

7am: Go over pre-trip of a TMC trailer

8am: Some of us were assigned to 1 truck w/ 1 driver trainer, while others were doubled-up with a trainer and we headed out to our assigned trucks. We pre-tripped the truck with the trainer and hopped in. The first thing he asked us for was our log books, permit, and DL.

830am: Trainer takes us off the property and WAY out into the middle of nowhere USA (Saw my first bald eagle in the wild and it was cool as heck) and the other trainee hopped into the driver seat and drove for about an hour practicing tight turns up/down shift, narrow bridges, etc and then drove us to a truck stop. We swapped seats and he went into the berth, and I drove us out of the stop and basically around the same loop (I was smooth as a babies ass on any and all up-shifts from anywhere in the pattern...can't downshift to save my life. I really got down on myself about this) and yes, we did finish by going down SUPER narrow Ankney blvd. Those crosswalk/curbs literally stick out into the right lane. Get back to the pad and straight-line back her in and shut her down.

11am: Lunch (all of their breakfast, lunches, and dinners (while incredibly fattening) have been good. I wouldn't say one of them was "bad" or anything negative.

12p: Load securement for 4 straight hours. We were grouped up with the week 2 guys (we're week 1) and put into teams of 4. There were 2 loads on 4 or 5 trailers inside the shop bay and 2 teams of 4 working an assigned load. We had to break the securement down, and then the instructor worked with each team while the other teams watched, to show us how to then properly secure the loads. Load securement itself can kill you...nevermind the load. #snapbinders (we used them in training, but don't use them in the field. We are issued ratchet binders)

4p: Left for the hotel.

Tomorrow week 1 and week 2 groups will head out from the hotel at 7a for the training pad and will work all of the other loads that we as a team didn't work today until 2:15p.

Turtle says :

"It isn't nearly as physical as I'd hoped however."

Plenty of jobs in food service.......

Touché

Maybe someday...

Day 6:

7:30 am - The bus took an hour to get to us due to getting 5-7" of fresh stuff overnight, so we didn't get to the training pad until 815am

8:15 am - When we arrived, there were 3-4 snow plows and 2 bobcats doing their best to clear the training pad because there was a small group that needed to work on their backing maneuvers, but try as they may, they couldn't keep up with the pace of the snow.

8:30 am - the rest of us continued to work through various securement techniques on pre-loaded trailers. Each increasing in complexity from basic strapping, belly straps, x-straps, x-chains, snap binders, ratchet binders, and so on and so forth

12 pm - We cut for lunch

1 pm - Another trainer arrives to let us know that a Qualcomm message was sent a few hours ago and that it stated that all TMC vehicles needed to be off the road (if they were within the storm). Our trainer decided that we could do 1-2 more securements, and then call it a day. We headed out to the bus to be driven to the shop.

1:15 pm - Our trainer comes out to the bus and decides to make a command decision and call it a day, so we drove over to the shop to collect our belongings and he drove us back to the hotel as the storm had stalled and we were now expected to get double the forecasted snow, and he didn't want to be driving the bus on potentially bad roads, when there wasn't an immediate reason to do so.

2 pm: Hotel where some left for the bar to watch the NFL games, while others stayed to do laundry and study for the load securement test Sunday pm.

Tomorrow (today) we will finish the loads we weren't able to complete yesterday and then take the load securement test this evening.

Tomorrow (actually tomorrow) we begin driving on the pad and going over pre-trip.

Today Day 7:

8 am: We arrived at the training pad to complete the rest of the various securement loads (greasy bars, Steel plates, Shotgun Coil, Suicide Coil, Roof Shingles, Palleted coil, and I'm missing another).

12 pm: Lunch

1 pm: Took 75 question Load Securement exam (most earned an A, several a B, and 1 guy a C. Nobody received a D or F.

5 pm: Home

We lost a former NFL player (Steeler) today. He received a call last night from his agent and was offered a coaching job for an NFL team, though I'm not sure which team or as which coach, but I'll be sure to look him up. Nicest stranger I've met in a long time. I'm sure he'll be a-ok.

Tomorrow we start pre-trip and backing maneuvers.

Day 8:

7 am: We start pre-trip before being split into 2 groups; 1/2 working on backing while the other 1/2 was out driving around Des Moines. I was on the backing pad for the first part of the day and was nailing the maneuvers out of the gate.

11 am: Lunch

12 pm: The group's flip-flop and I was lucky enough to land the guy "Pre-trip John" who has been driving for over 30-years. Taught CDL school at the local college for 22 years. Used to teach 1-DAY CDL CLASS for 2 people per day for 6 years...and I believe he could do it. The guy is a fantastic teacher. Incredibly patient. I drove in and around Des Moines for 4 hours and stopped at 3 truck stops and parked 4 different times.

4 pm: Return to training pad

5 pm: 4 of us were made to stay late to continue working on backing; 1 guy was made to stay late to do a 3-hour night drive, while the rest were sent home on the 5 pm bus. I was 1 of the 4 held to work on backing (They rotate us each night through this week).

8 pm: We head back to the hotel.

Day 8:

Same start as always

630 am: Arrive at training pad and go over in-cab inspection and form A, B, C pre-trip.

8 am: I set out with a trainer for 3 hours to drive around Des Moines working on Up/Downshifting, tight turns, slowing for stop signs, running through town with several lights making sure to not run yellow. No right on red, etc etc. My downshifting was MUCH MUCH MUCH better than yesterday, and worlds apart from last week, so that was very motivating.

11 am: Lunch

12 pm: Backing maneuvers until 4 pm

5 pm: Head back to the hotel. Some were made to stay over to continue working on backing and another had to stay tonight drive. Presumably, that group will change again for tomorrow night.

Above should read "Day 9"

Day 10

Same start as always.

630 am: Arrive at training pad and go over in-cab inspection and form A, B, C pre-trip.

8 am: Practice 45 degree backing for 1.5 hours.

930 am: Back to the backing maneuvers pad

11 am: Lunch

12 pm: I set out with a different trainer again (they try to get you with a different trainer each day, so that when test day arrives you are with somebody new...it just happens to be a DOT inspector, but you're used to not having the same person in your truck day-after-day. We drove around for 4 hours where I learned that I can row from 1st to 6th gear without ever touching the break. This teaches me a few things...I can have my foot on the brake at every stop ensuring that when I take off, I won't roll back and the truck has enough TQ to not stall out. Even more important is that I can bring the truck to a stop at a light in 6th gear w/o trying to downshift too quickly and get locked out (automatic failure) or coasting more than 1 length of the truck/trailer (automatic failure).

6 pm: Head back to the hotel

Solo, a lot of people are reading this stuff. Don't let a lack of responses discourage you from writing these diary entries. We have a ton of people coming in here wanting to know about training with TMC. Your diary will be an excellent piece to link to when we try to help them.

Thanks Solo for the detailed write up! I was in particular shocked when you said you lost more than 1/3 of your class thru the physical. What are people thinking before they travel all the way to training? Yikes!

Keep up the good work!!

Thanks Solo for the detailed write up! I was in particular shocked when you said you lost more than 1/3 of your class thru the physical. What are people thinking before they travel all the way to training? Yikes!

Keep up the good work!!

People fail the physical for many reasons. Blood pressure too high, sugar in urine (diabetes), perhaps they have a hernia they weren't aware of, or even have medications they use that aren't approved by the DOT. Unfortunately some are also failed drug screens. Some conditions require you to see your primary doctor or a specialist and write a note saying your condition will not affect your ability to safely operate a CMV. Some company's also have a lift test (tarps) that they cant safely lift.