Week Two With Celadon, Laredo Texas February 2015

Today was not a good day.

Pepper

Some days aren't, and I'm sure that we have a few more of those to face as we pursue our goals. But let's not forget the many good days that likely await us.

Do you care to share more? I hope you wake up to a nice day tomorrow.

Pepper! What happened to make your excitement & enthusiasms evaporate so fast?

We all get our bumps. Share it, let it out among your friends!

Well, thanks for the words of encouragement and support.

The weather down here has been unseasonably cold for Laredo, and the cold weather has made for some short tempers here. Additionally, our rooms were consolidated without notice, so we came home to find that a good number of us were in rooms whose keys did not work. When we went to the office, we were told that we were now sharing rooms or had to move room, etc. It was a bit upsetting after a long day of being stuck out in the cold.

I did not want to share it on Monday as I was really tired and grumpy.

Thanks for the words of encouragement and support.

I am still trying to do my very best, and before anyone writes it, I am well aware that in other parts of the United States, weather-wise, they have it worse. Please continue to keep me in your thoughts and prayers. I am going to finish a little bit of work on the computer and then I am going to head to bed. It has been another long day and I am really beat.

Hugs, Pepper

End of Week Two.

Well, a lot of things happened this week, so I will try and share them all here.

We got a new cook for our weekend menus. The staff at Quality Drivers (That is the training division of Celadon) takes all of our comments on the weekly evaluations pretty seriously. A lot of people have been complaining about the food that comes to the hotel on the weekends. The staff in the office tried it and they were really disappointed. So, a new cook has been retained and this weekend, we will learn whether it is feast or famine. UPDATE: The salad is AMAZING. I will update about other stuff later on.

That is all I have to say about the food.

As I mentioned above, the weather has been really cold, one warm day and then cold and rainy. Friday, the rain began and it looks like it will be raining all weekend long. That dampened the spirits of a lot of people. I wish that the weather would have been nice for longer, but it is okay. We were all pretty excited for the weekend, no matter the weather.

We had more cuts this weekend, some people failed various things or had other issues. One of the drivers failed his Celadon test, which is the test you take AFTER you pass your CDL to get accepted with Celadon and then go forward to orientation with Celadon.

Our team lead for the training department handed out the evaluations on Friday, but then he took a moment to impress on us how important it is to cover our brakes at all times when we are stopped. For those of us that are new, we are still learning, but this is the most important thing of all. 80,000 pounds is a huge responsibility, and if you cannot remember to cover the brakes, then you will fail the CDL and not even get to go and take the Celadon test. You only get the job offer after you pass that test. I would have liked to have known that. Speaking of which,

Here are some things that I would have liked for my recruiter to have shared with me:

1. Orientation is NOT when you first get to training. First, you complete training with Celadon, then you get your CDL, then you go to Orientation. That would have been nice to know.

2. The Pre-Trip inspection needs to be memorized as well as the 4-step brake check.

3. Know the parts of your engine before you get to school. If you are not familiar, take the time to learn them.

4. Some people are like Lego's. You can snap them together with any person, any truck, any situation, and they will do really well. Other people are like a clutch going into gear. Everything has to sync up really well for it to all come together. I wish I were a Lego, but I think I am more like a clutch.

5. There is a lot of information to process!

I am doing okay, but not great on my clutching. I wish that I were doing better, but, as my dad said, I am building on a foundation of nothing to become a truck driver, so the process might take a while to sync up. I really am wanting to get all of the skills that I need to be a holder of a CDL.

I appreciate everyone's kind words and reaching out to me when I was really frustrated. I am going to hopefully go to church today, get my studying going and get caught up on some odds and ends.

I have to say that the laundry facilities here are excellent. 2.00 to wash, 1.00 for 30 minutes in the dryer. I had my laundry all done for the week in less than 2 hours.

My roommate is currently ill, so we are using extra precautions in the room so that I don't get sick as well. Wipe down everything, wash everything thoroughly and keep safe breathing distance from one another so I don't get the terrible cold/flu that she has. (Please, God, let it be a cold and not the flu! She doesn't need to be sick in class!)

May God continue to richly bless each and every one of us, keep you safe and in the palm of his hand.

Much and Many Hugs,

Pepper

Tap the clutch twice and don't use the full travel unless stopping. If you push the clutch in too far you start to engage the clutch brake and will grind gears. Just takes practice.

Tap the clutch twice and don't use the full travel unless stopping. If you push the clutch in too far you start to engage the clutch brake and will grind gears. Just takes practice.

Thanks! I will keep that in mind!

Hugs,

Pepper

Tap the clutch twice and don't use the full travel unless stopping. If you push the clutch in too far you start to engage the clutch brake and will grind gears. Just takes practice.

Thanks! I will keep that in mind!

Hugs,

Pepper

On the clutch, as XCEL says, push less than all the way. (Don't worry, that skill comes easy.)

When you're stopping, and your putting the gearshift into the starting gear, that last time you clutch, then push the clutch all the way. The spinning gears will stop quickly and you can move the lever home. Then let off the clutch just a bit, to move back from the clutch brake.