Knight Transportation, Flatbed

Why are you spending money on showers? If your trainer is using a truck stop chain rewards card at each stop for fuel, shower credits for both the driver and co-driver are free with 50 to 60 gallons of diesel purchased. He didn't tell you about this?

If you don't have your own cards yet, ask for one at the major stops: Loves, Pilot, Sapp Bros., Speedway, Sheetz, Husky, Holiday Stop. For a TA/Petro card, you need to apply online. All these cards are free.

So your saying I get credits for showers on his card? He didn't tell me that, even when I joked about how expensive showers are... I do have a Pilot and Loves card but he is using his cards when we fuel. Said when I go solo I can use my own cards.

What packrat said. You should have your efs card by now. Set up your login on it, you should be fueling on your card by now, not your trainers. Most of the time, your fuel solution will be pilot or loves, with an occasional TA. Part of the training requirements are that the trainee has to be able to do all the messages, paperwork and routing by himself in I think the second week in. Part of that includes fueling.

I have a Knight daily procedures list and a fueling procedure list from my trainer. It helped me a lot in the beginning.

Also, your expenditures will be able to be cut down a lot once you are in your own truck.

Reach out to people here as well as you DDM and DM in terms of weather. My first winter too. I'm not hesitant to shut it down before something bad happens.

I do have my EFS card and using it to fuel. My trainer is using his rewards card instead of mine. I was given a daily procedures list bit he has never gone over it with me. When I asked him about it he said it's not important. He has shown me how to fuel and do paperwork, routing kinda but not the messages part. This is part of what I'm saying that he's not showing me everything, it's like he is doing the bare minimal. Just training for the money and not to actually show me the ropes of driving in whole...

Day 11. Nov. 28th On the road at 8am. Take 70 East to 71 North through Ohio and take 271 to 90. When I got to 271 around Cleveland there was light snow covering on the grass. I'm hoping at that point this is the worst I will come across. Get to 90 East and the snow starts coming down steadily. Nothing covering the roads but enough to limit visibility. Get to Pa around Erie and the sleet comes down hard and the roads have maybe an inch of slush on them. Getting a little nervous, I wake up John and ask what should I do in this situation? He asks if I watched the training videos in orientation and I say yes. He then says I suggest you watch them again... Really dude, when, right now? I'm doing about 35mph and I ask him what he would do in this situation, he says drive slow. Traffic is backing up and up ahead there is a Swift driver doing about 15mph. John starts cursing and says get off the road lol.

Get passed the Swift driver and traffic opens up. The sleet lasts until Buffalo and then back to light snowing. Roads are still slushy and there are some hills so I know not to use the Jakes. I ask John how to use the manuel shift option and he doesn't know. So I decide to play with it a little to figure it out. I try and remember what Banks said in a post about being in the correct gear before going downhill. Seems to be working, nice slow pace and the truck feels to be handling nicely. Only applied the service brakes when the rpms got a bit high. Hope I'm doing it the proper way cause it could be disastrous if I make a mistake. I'm going to watch more YouTube videos to learn more on the manuel shift when we park. Decided to leave it in manuel mode for the rest of the ride. We parked it for the night at a Petro off 90. Parking lot was clear with no snow or ice in it but It's freezing here, a different type of cold than Philadelphia lol. I already miss the 75 degree TX weather. Drove 489 miles today and got a feel of winter driving. Also backing is getting better, I chose to back into a tight kinda difficult spot and only needed one pull up.

Day 12. Nov. 29th Headed out around 8am. Parking lot is icy and there is snow on the truck. Put it in my mind that I have to take it easy today. Back on 90 East for the whole drive into Massachusetts. Thought I wouldn't be doing any mountain driving the rest of the way but came to a 6 degree downgrade for about 6 miles. Played with the manual option, put it in 9th gear and rode that all the way down. The road is dry and I maintained a speed of 35mph. The YouTube videos last night were helpful but I could only find videos explaining it for manual transmission and not for autos with manuel option. I just transferred the info like I was in a manual trans and kept it in 9th.

Got to the place around 1pm and did the usual drop and hook. I'm getting a lot of practice with drop and hooks and I think I have that part mastered. The only thing is when I go to back to connect to a trailer I turn the truck like I'm still connected to a trailer. I'm doing that a lot and have to pull up and reposition myself again.

Our next pick up is in Ayer, Massachusetts at a pepsi distributor about an hr away. It's a live load scheduled for tomorrow but John wants to see if we can get it done today since it's only 1pm. We get to Ayer, check in and they have us out of there within 40mins. Cool, 42k lbs of pepsi product going to another pepsi site in Indianapolis. End up making it to Willington, Connecticut at a TA off I84 where we will stay the night.

I have to mention the one major thing I am learning from John's actions is to always position yourself for the next load. He hasn't explained that to me but it is something I have noticed since day 1. Very helpful and helps get you moving faster.

Day 13. Nov 30th Woke up to leave around 8. Needed fuel and only 3 pumps were open. Took a while to get fueled, ended up on the road at 930. Hopped on 84 West to 81 South to 80 West. Starts to lightly snow getting close to Scranton PA and the roads are wet. I have to drive through the mountains again... We stop at a Petro near Scranton off 81, I took my 30min and prepared myself mentally for what's to come. Not thrilled about driving mountain roads in the snow but at least I'm getting the much needed experience. Get to Wilkes-Barre and the roads have to much snow for my liking. Looks like a winter wonderland out here, snow everywhere. Feeling extra nervous right now because I'm still not fully comfortable with the truck going downhill on dry roads, now I'm thrown into downhill driving in the snow.

I did the same routine as before, put it in manual mode and took it slow. The roads clear up when I get on I80 but are still noticeable wet for a few miles. Temperature is below 32 so this is a possibility for ice, have to be extra aware in this situation. Definitely not taking it lightly. Relieved when I got out the mountains and proud of myself that I made it to Ohio like I planned. Could have stopped earlier while still in PA like John wanted but I made it my goal to get to Ohio tonight and I did. Very satisfied with that. 518 miles driven today and an hr left on my recap for the day. Here at the Pilot in Youngstown, Ohio off 80.

Why are you spending money on showers? If your trainer is using a truck stop chain rewards card at each stop for fuel, shower credits for both the driver and co-driver are free with 50 to 60 gallons of diesel purchased. He didn't tell you about this?

If you don't have your own cards yet, ask for one at the major stops: Loves, Pilot, Sapp Bros., Speedway, Sheetz, Husky, Holiday Stop. For a TA/Petro card, you need to apply online. All these cards are free.

So your saying I get credits for showers on his card? He didn't tell me that, even when I joked about how expensive showers are... I do have a Pilot and Loves card but he is using his cards when we fuel. Said when I go solo I can use my own cards.

Yes, he gets a shower credit for himself and one for a co-driver.

I'm still following as well, 2 sides.

Man, I KNOW you'll be glad when this is OVER, for sure. Eh?

Yes, most trainers DO give that extra shower to their 'co.' Kearsey has a video on it.

Truckin' Along ...

Best wishes; you're CLOSE!

~ Anne ~

Yes, he gets a shower credit for himself and one for a co-driver.

Lol. I'm not even going to get upset with that. I think I would be if he actually took showers, I will be happy the day he does... Its crazy how we are using my fuel card, he his using his rewards card instead of mine and didn't even bother to share that information about the co-driver....What a stand up guy he is smh...

Yes Mama Anne, I will definitely be glad when this is OVER. I'm just going to learn as much as I can while I'm out here...

Day 14. Dec 1st Hit the road at 830am. Stayed on I80 to 76. Then got on 71 South through Columbus and 70 into Indy. Started raining, heavy traffic and fog going into Indy. I was thankful the rain stopped and I didn't have to unhook in the rain... This place didn't have an empty for us, they were located at a different yard 2 blocks away. John decided not to grab an empty and told me to bobtail to his terminal so he could check on his truck.

Our next appointment is a pickup from Avery Dennison in Greenfield, Indiana going to Avery Dennison in Quakertown PA. Quakertown will be the closest I've been to home since I started. I really do want to go home right about now... We leave the terminal and pick up an empty on the way. The load we pick up is 9 big rolls of paper 36k lbs. On the way out we ran into bumper to bumper traffic. It's around 8pm, traffic and stopping at the terminal ate my clock. Got as far as Spiceland at a Flying J off 70 east.

Day 15. Dec 2nd This Flying J has a Dennys but it was closed this morning. John teases me and says I guess you won't be eating there today lol. No I won't be, so I load up on granola bars, pretzels and chips. Leave around 830ish taking 70 east and back through OH, HI, YO! There was major back up right after exit 1 from a burned up tractor. Doesn't look like it was an accident situation, the tractor must have caught fire somehow. Traffic clears up after we pass the scene and continue on 70 through Columbus once again and onto 470. Stopped at a TA in Wheeling, WV for a much needed meal.

Drove into western Pa and was surprised at how beautiful the landscape is. The sun was setting and the orange glow in the sky was a nice sight. Now on 76 east and I was terrified. The sun has now said goodnight and I'm driving through pitch dark mountain roads. After going through the first tunnel, the immediate corner is posted at 45mph. I was going no more than 43 entering the corner and it felt like the truck was going to turnover. At first I was keeping up with the flow going the speed limit but decided to slow it down. Even slowed to 35mph at a point with 4 ways on. Every turn felt as if the truck was going to flip. I couldn't believe how other truckers were flying by me and taking those turns with ease. For about 40 miles, maybe more it was complete darkness. No freeway lights at all, I couldn't see ahead to judge the turns so I played it safe and took it slow. My stomach was in knots the whole drive. After that nightmare stretch of road came regular freeway driving. Made it to the Carlisle terminal where we will stay for the night.

I gather some clothes to do laundry and John asks if I was leaving. I say no. He then asks if I wanted to leave and I responded saying if he wanted me to I will. I thought that was weird but whatever, I know he wants me out the truck but he isn't getting ride of me that easily lol, I'm not quitting. I take a free shower, wash clothes, then hop in my car to go down the street to the iron skillet at the Petro. A waffle house is also across the street from the terminal and I plan on breakfast there tomorrow. Delivery time is 10am tomorrow in Quakertown at Avery Dennison so I plan accordingly.