On My Own

I have been driving a truck on my own for the last two weeks. I have pretty much done the same run everyday. I pick up a load at a plant in Jacksonville at 0600, take it to a plant in Brunswick. They unload the tanker, then reload it with another product that I take back to the plant in Jacksonville to be unloaded. My day starts at 0530 and usually ends by 1500. Monday, I am supposed to pick up a load in Brunswick, take it Jacksonville, then go back to Brunswick and pick up another load for Jacksonville. I'm getting pretty familiar with I-95 between Jacksonville and Brunswick.

October 19 - October 23

Monday, I arrived at the terminal at 0630 to meet my trainer and to drive a straight truck with at tank on the back. We will have five stops to make in Jacksonville to fill tanks in those locations. My day ended at about 1630. Tuesday, started at 0430. We hooked up to a trailer that was at the terminal that had already been loaded and then headed to Brunswick. We arrived in Brunswick at about 0600 and went to the tank for us to unload. We started unloading and notice the product was not leaving the tanker. My trainer did some trouble shooting and found out there was a clogged filter on the tank. We located some tools to get access to the filter to clean it. We finally cleaned the filter, unloaded the tanker and left at 1100. We arrived back in Jacksonville at 1230 and had another load waiting for us. We picked up an empty tanker, drove to Brunswick, loaded and then drove back to Jacksonville to get unloaded. We arrived back at the terminal at 1830. Wednesday started at 0630, We hooked up to a tanker that was already loaded and headed to Port Wentworth, Ga. where we unloaded and headed to back to the supplier in Jacksonville to re-load the same trailer for Thursday. My day ended at 1830. Thursday started at 0430 with another trainer. We hooked up to a loaded trailer and headed to the same location in Port Wentworth, Ga. When we got close to Brunswick, we started to hear a noise from the engine and the tractor started to lose speed. I pulled over to the side of the road and the trainer called road breakdown service, this was about 0600. He also called the trainer that I had with me yesterday to have her pick me up on her way to Port Wentworth. She arrived two hours later. I left with her, we delivered the load and headed back to Jacksonville to get loaded again. While driving back to Jacksonville, the trainer I was with called the other trainer to check on his progress. He said the tow truck, arrived at about 1100 and that his transmission was shot. Oh, by the way our trucks have automatic transmissions. Friday morning started at 0430 and we made the same delivery that we did on Thursday. I also talked to the safety department, who gave the terminal manager the OK to release me on my own which will start next week.

October 12 - October 16

I received a call from the terminal manager at about 1100 to come into the terminal to get with my trainer. I got about three miles from the house and received a call on my cell phone from the terminal manager. He said the load had be rescheduled and for me to come in Tuesday morning at 0700. So I turned around and went back to the house. Boy, this sure beats sitting in a truck stop. I arrived at the terminal Tuesday morning at 0700, met my new trainer and he told me we were going to a stop in Jacksonville to get loaded and then take the load to a stop in Mulberry, Fl. We will then go to the terminal in Mulberry where we will pick up another tractor for me to drive back to Jacksonville. We arrived at the stop in Jacksonville at 0800 and did not leave until 1030. We drove to Mulberry, arriving at about 1500. It took the receiver four hours to unload the trailer. We left the receiver at 1900 and drove about five miles to our terminal in Mulberry where we picked up the tractor. We then drove about an hour and a half until our 14 hr clock ran out. We stopped for the night in Lake Mary, Fl. The company let me stay in a hotel since the tractor I was driving did not have a sleeper.
We left Lake Mary at 0800 and arrived back in Jacksonville at about 1030. We then hooked up to an empty trailer and drove to Brunswick, Ga. where they loaded the trailer. We then drove to a stop in Jacksonville, where they unload the trailer. We then drove back to the terminal to end our day at about 1700. My trainer had a doctors appt for Thursday, so the terminal manager placed me with the trainer I had last week. I spent Thursday and Friday driving back and forth between Jacksonville, Brunswick and Jesup, Ga. I am supposed to ride with yet another trainer Monday morning. I think next week will be my last week in training.

October 5 - October 9

I went to the Jacksonville terminal Monday morning to pick up another piece of equipment and to find out when I needed to return to meet my trainer. The terminal manager told me to return Tuesday morning at 0415. Tuesday morning I arrived at 0400, met my trainer and did a pre-trip inspection of the tractor. My trainer explained what we were going to do this week. We will be leaving every morning at 0415, drive the tractor to a factory in Brunswick, Ga., pick up a loaded trailer, then take it to a paper mill in Jesup, Ga, unload the trailer there, then return it to the factory in Brunswick and then repeat the same thing over again with another loaded trailer. We then drive the tractor back to the terminal in Jacksonville. My day started at 0415 and ended around 1530 or 1400 every day. I am supposed to ride with another trainer next week to learn other processes.

September 28 - October 3

Drove to Mulberry, Fl Monday morning to begin orientation at CTL Transportation. After arriving in Mulberry, they took me out on a driving test, which I passed and then sent me to get my physical and pee test. That was all I did Monday. Tuesday through Thursday was learning their policies and procedures on safety and the handling of the products they carry. Friday and Saturday was spent learning how to pump the products on and off the tankers. I called the Jacksonville terminal Friday afternoon to find out when I am supposed to report. They told me to come in Monday morning. So my new career with CTL will start Monday.

September 25

I got up at 0215, paid for my shower and left the truck stop at 0315 to drive to the receiver. I arrived at 0330 and was unloaded and left at about 0530 to drive to the next shipper. I arrived at 0545, dropped my current trailer and hooked up to the new one, I received the bills and left for the hump at about 0630. I arrived at the hump at about 1430, turned in the paper work for my current load, took all of my personal items out of the truck, turned in the truck keys and other items and left for home at about 0415. I will now start working for another company driving tankers and being home everyday, plus making more money. I attend a five day orientation starting Monday morning in Mulberry, Fl.

September 24

I left Troutville at about 0630 and drove to a truck stop on I-285 in Atlanta which is about 10 miles from my stop for tomorrow. I received my load to get me to Okahumpka. I am supposed to pick up a load about 5 miles from where I take my current load and take it to the hump. This pickup will be a drop and hook.

September 23

I slept in this morning till about 0730. I decided to call the shipper to see if I could come over early to pick up the load, they told me yes. I left the truck stop at about 0900 and arrived at the shipper at about 1400. They loaded me and I left for Austell at about 1530. I drove to Troutville, Va and shut down for the night.

September 22

I’m still sitting, still no load. I contacted the recruiter to see if she received my application and she said she did and she would let me know something this afternoon or tomorrow. A couple of hours later I received a call from the recruiter wanting to know when I could come to orientation. I told her it all depended on when I could get home. She asked me if I thought I could be at orientation, Monday 9/28 I told her I would try. Orientation for this company is in Mulberry, FL. which is near Lakeland. I called my DM and told her I was resigning to accept a position in Jacksonville and that I needed to get home as soon as possible. My DM understood and began looking for a load to get me home. I received my load information late today. I am supposed to pick up a load in Chambersburg, Pa.tomorrow at 2300 and deliver it to Austell, Ga Friday morning at 0400. So I spent another night in the same truck stop

September 21

I left the truck stop at 0345 and arrived at the receiver at 0415. They gave me my dock assignment and told me that shift change was at 0500, so it will be after that before they will start unloading me. Yesterday, I received my Pre-plan for my next load. I am supposed to pick up a load in Greensburg, Pa and take it to St. Paul, MN. When the actual load information cam in it did not show when I am supposed to deliver the load or a pickup number for picking up the load at the shipper. I sent a message to my DM at about 0600 requesting this information. I left the receiver at about 0615 and drove to Greensburg, PA. arriving at about 1000. It took me awhile to find out where I was supposed to go, because I had not received an answer from my DM. I called my DM and after about an hour she sent me a name of someone to ask for. I went into the shipping office, they told me where to go to pick up my load. I drove across the street and backed into a dock. My DM still had not sent me a delivery date and time, so I asked her again. About a half hour later she sent me a message, saying that I was to drive to a truck stop about 15 miles from here and swap this load out with a truck that has a team. This load is due to be in St. Paul by 1000 tomorrow morning. They finished loading and I looked at the paperwork and saw this load weighed only 6000 lbs. It barely fills the front part of the trailer. I think the company will be losing money on this load. I left the receiver at 1200 and arrived at the truck stop at 1230. I found out the team that is supposed to meet me, will not be here until 1730. They arrived at 1830 and we swapped trailers, one problem though, they have a load, I don’t. So here I sit AGAIN waiting for a load assignment.

September 20

I left Harrisonburg at about 0800 and drove to Lamar, Pa. This is only about 30 miles from my destination. I shut down for the night and went to bed early. I have to be at the receiver at 0500.

September 19

I left the truck stop at about 0545 and drove to Harrisonburg, Va. arriving at about 1330 where I shut down for the night. I only have about a four or five hour drive tomorrow to get to the receiver. I spent the night in a nearby hotel. This hotel has a business center, I was able to print out the application, fill it out and fax it to the recruiter.

September 18

I finally received my next load at 1200. I left the truck stop and drove 5 miles to my pickup in Greer, SC. I am supposed to take this load to Mcelhattan, Pa by 0500 Monday morning. I left the shipper and drove back to the truck stop in Duncan and shut down for the night.

While I was sitting at the truck stop, I was browsing job ads on my Iphone I saw an ad for a local driving position in Jacksonville. I called the recruiter and she told me it is for a local job driving tankers. I have a tank endorsement on my licenses. I asked her if they were hiring drivers out of Jacksonville, she said yes. She asked me how much experience I have and I told her about six months. She e-mailed me a copy of the application and asked for me to send it to her she would see if they could hire me

September 17

I left the truck stop at about 0800, arrived at the receiver at about 1030, they finished unloading me at about 1330. I drove to a truck stop in Duncan, SC.and parked to wait for my next load. I spent the night at the truck stop.

September 16

I slept in this morning, I then had Lisa take me to the truck at about 0900. I left at about 0930 and drove to Bowman, SC, arriving at 1400. I shut down for the night here, I only have about a 2 hour drive to the receiver and my appointment is at noon tomorrow. I’ll get a good nights’ sleep and leave at about 0800.

September 15

I arrived back at the hump at 1030 to wait until it was time to leave to go to Umatilla. My DM called me at about 1130 and told me the shipper called and said they will load me if I got there early. I left right away and drove the 25 miles to Umatilla. This was basically a drop and hook, I dropped my current empty trailer and backed up to a trailer that was in the process of being loaded. I was in and out of the shipper in an hour and a half. I drove to the rest area by my house, shut down and went home for the night.

September 14

I arrived at the hump and went to the truck to see if I had a load waiting for me, no such luck. I waited around the hump for most of the day until a load came in at about 1630. I am supposed to pick up a load in Umatilla, FL. Tuesday afternoon at 1500 and take it to Greenville, SC by Thursday at noon. This is a long time frame for a short distance, I’m not going to make much money on this load. I decided I would go home for the night instead of staying in a hotel in Leesburg.

September 11

I left the rest area at 0500 and arrived at the store in Bradenton at about 0900. I talked to Kenny on the way down and he was able to meet me at the store and we had a nice chat while the store employees unloaded the trailer. I left the store at about 1100 and drove to the distribution center for my next load, arriving at about 1230. I was told my appointment time was at 1430 and to come back then. I drove to a truck stop, bought some fuel and drove back to the distribution center, arriving at 1345. They let me in this time. I went to check in at shipping, they gave me a dock assignment, so I backed up to the dock and waited to be loaded. They finished loading me at 1600, I left for the hump. I arrived at the hump at 1700, dropped my trailer as another truck will be taking it to it’s final destination in Northhampton, MA. and shut down for the weekend. I then left for home. I am due back Monday morning at 1000.

September 10

I left the truck stop at 0600 and drove to the rest area by my house, arriving at about noon. I parked there and shut down for the night. I received my next load information on the way down. I am supposed to pick up a load in Auburndale, Fl and take it to the hump so that I can begin my hometime.

September 9

Left the truck stop at 0700 and drove to Toano which was about an hour away. Of course I got stuck in the Norfolk Navy base rush hour traffic and it took me an hour and a half to get to Toano. I pulled up to the security shack and was told that this was going to be a drop and hook, yea, although my next trailer was already loaded it was still missing a couple of items. I drove around to the back and dropped my current trailer and then located my new trailer and hooked up to it and waited. They called me at 1130 to pull around to a dock door so they could load up the rest of the items. I got under way at 1230. So much for a quick drop and hook. I drove to the same truck stop I stayed at on Monday in Dillan, SC and shut down for the night

September 8

Left Dillan at 0900 and arrived in Norfolk at 1330, my appointment time wasn’t until 1600, so I had to wait in a parking lot until they called me at 1600 and told me what dock to back into. While there, I received my pre-plan for my next load. I am supposed to pick up the load in Toano, VA tomorrow morning and take it to Brandenton, Fl by Friday morning. They finished unloading me and I left at 1830 and went to a truck stop about 15 minutes away in Virginia Beach and shut down for the night. It had been raining most of the day and when I arrived at the truck stop, the parking lot was nothing but mud and 20ft wide potholes. I found a parking place in between the potholes and shut down. Here are a couple of pictures.

September 7

Left the rest area at 0900 and drove to Dillan, SC and stopped for the night at about 1500. I am getting close to going over my 70hrs in 8 day law, so I have to watch how much I work each day to keep from going over 70 hours. I could only work 7.5 hours today. I stopped for the night after working 6.5. I have 9.5 available for tomorrow. I’ll have to keep a close eye on these hours until I get my home time. I asked to be back at the hump by 9/9, but I don’t think that will happen, since tomorrow is the 8th and I will be in Norfolk.

September 6

I left Lake Park, Ga. at 0630 and drove to Winter Haven. I arrived at 1000 with an hour to spare. They unloaded me and I was on my way at 1100. My next pickup was five miles away in Auburndale, FL. I arrived in 15 minutes and this pickup was a drop and hook. I dropped my current trailer and hooked up to a preloaded trailer and was on my way by 1215. This load is going to Norfolk and has to be delivered by 1600 Tuesday 9/08. I drove to the rest area by my house and had Lisa pick me and I spent the night at home

September 5

I left Memphis, IN at 0830 and drove all the way to Lake Park, Ga. and stopped for the night at 1930. I used up all 11hrs that I can drive in one day and drove 677 miles.

September 4

I left at 0900 and arrived at the receiver at 1000, they had me unloaded and I was on my way by 1100. There was on problem, though, I had not received my next load. I decided to drive back to the truck stop that I spent last night in and wait for my load assignment to come in. As I was driving back to the truck stop, I received a call from my DM. She told me she is giving me a high priority load of blueberries that I will pick up in Paw Paw, MI., the opposite direction from which I was heading, and deliver to Winter Haven, Fl by Sunday morning. It was noon when my DM called. When I reached the truck stop I planned my trip and headed for Paw Paw. I arrived at 1430, waited while they loaded the blueberries and left for Winter Haven at 1630. It is about a 1200 mile trip from Paw Paw to Winter Haven by 1100 Sunday Morning. I was going to have to push it if I was going to make it on time. I drove until 2230 that night and stopped for my 10 hour break in Memphis, IN.

September 3

I left the truck stop at 0545 and drove all day for a total of about 540 miles and stopped for the night in Grand Ledge, MI, which is about 50 miles from the receiver.

September 2

Called the shipper to see if I could come over early to pick up my load and was told to come on over. I arrived at the shipper at about 0900 and I was loaded and ready to go by 1015. This sure beats hanging around the truck stop until late afternoon. I left the shipper and began the long trek to Michigan. I stopped in Bloomsburg, PA for the night.

September 1

Left for Andover at 0700 and arrived at the receiver at 1015. While driving to Andover I received my pre-plan. I am supposed to pick up a load in Westfield, MA, it’s about 100 miles west of Andover, at 1700 Wednesday afternoon and take it to Ada, MI by 1130 Friday Morning. I left Andover at 1315 and drove to Springfield, MA, which is about 10 miles from my pick up tomorrow, and shut down for the night.

August 31

Arrived at the shipper in Lynchburg at 0745 and back into a dock. Finally left at 1300 to start my drive to Andover. My plan was to drive into CT and stop for the night, I knew it was going to be close on my 14 hour clock. I found a place to park in a service plaza on the CT parkway near Stamford at 2045, this left me 15 mins to spare on my 14 hour clock. It so happens that Stamford, CT. is not far from where Neal lives. I had talked to him last night and told him I might be close. So I called him and he came to pick me up at the service plaza. We went into Stamford, had a nice dinner and caught up on things. After dinner, he took me back to my truck and he left for home.

August 30

Left for the shipper at about 0800 and arrived at 0830. I went to check in and found out the trailer I was supposed to hook up to had already been picked up by another driver. I notified my DM and was given a couple more pickup numbers to give to the shipper. They told me those trailers had been picked up also. After some research by the DM, it appears they scheduled four drivers to pick up three loads. The last load was picked up at 1700 yesterday afternoon. Nobody notified me, so I made the drive here for nothing. After sitting at the shipper for two hours, my DM sent me a new load assignment. I am supposed to pick up a load in Lynchburg, Va tomorrow morning and take it Andover, MA. By Tuesday Morning. I drove back to Harrisonburg, VA and shut down for the night.

August 29

I left the truck stop in Emporia at about 1400 and arrived at the receiver at about 1600. They gave me a dock to back into and began unloading my trailer. They finished unloading me at about 1830 and I left to pickup my next load. I found out that I could pick up my next load and anytime, so I decided to drive as close to the shipper as I could and shut down for the night. I’d then pick up the load first thing tomorrow morning and drive to the receiver in Anderson, In. I shut down about 30 miles from the shipper at about 2200.

August 28

Left the rest area at 0630 and drove to Emporia, Va and stopped for the night at about 1600. I have about a two hour drive to the receiver, which I will do early afternoon. I received my pre-plan for my next load as I was driving. I am supposed to pick up a load at 1000 tomorrow 8/29 in Winchester, Va, which is about 90 miles north of where my current load drops off tomorrow 8/29 at 1730. I am to take the next load to Anderson, In by 1500 Sunday 8/30. I think this will be a tight time frame to meet due to the fact I won’t be free of my current load until around 1900 tomorrow night. I then have to drive 90 miles to pick up the next load and then almost 500 miles to deliver it by 1500 Sunday. This will be fun.

August 27

Arrived back at the hump at 0700, did my pretrip inspection and took off for Auburndale at about 0800. I arrived at Auburndale at 0915, backed into a dock, went to check in and then went back to the truck to wait to be loaded. At 1200, I went to the shipping office to find out what time I was going to be loaded since my appt. time was 1100. They told me I would be the first one loaded after the dockworkers came back from lunch. I finally pulled out at 1415. I drove to the rest area by my house and parked for the night at 1800. I spent the night at home.

August 26

Arrived back at the hump to start work and to see if there was a load waiting for me, there wasn’t. I stayed at the hump all day waiting for a load until one came in at about 1600. I am supposed to pick up a load tomorrow morning at 1100 in Auburndale, Fl. and take it to Gordonsville, Va. by Saturday afternoon at 1730. I found an empty trailer, hooked up to it and parked the truck for the night. I went to a motel to sleep instead of sleeping in the truck. Here is a picture of my truck.

August 23

Left for Pierson at 0800, arrived in Pierson at about 0930 and found the terminal closed and there were not any empty trailers. I sent a message to the dispatcher to see if they wanted me to drop my trailer and bobtail back to the hump, they replied with a yes. So I dropped my trailer and bobtailed to the hump arriving at 1130. This is when I start my hometime. I do not have to be back until Wednesday morning.

August 22

I left the parking lot and arrived at the location of my next load at 1200. I went into the office and was told that I will be responsible for loading my trailer with empty pallets. I proceeded to load 146 pallets on my trailer, this filled up about ¾ of the trailer. I left at about 1300 and drove all the way to the rest area in Jacksonville near my house. On my way to Florida, I received a message that I was to drop my trailer and hook up to an empty trailer at a company terminal located in Pierson, Fl. I arrived at the rest area at about 2130, called Lisa to come pick me up and I spent the night at home.

August 21

Left the TA after my 10 hour break at 1400 and headed for Greensboro, NC. My appointment time is at 2200. I knew I would make it there by 2100 if I drove straight through without stopping or running into delays. I arrived at 2115, parked in their lot next to the guard shack, checked in and was sent to a dock. While waiting to be unloaded, I received my pre-plan. I will pick up a load in Kernersville, NC and take it to the hump by Sunday morning. They finished unloading my trailer at 0115 and on my way out I asked the guard if I could park in their lot for the night and was told yes. So I parked there for the night.

August 20

While waiting to leave for Wintersville, Oh, my original pre-plan was cancelled. I am now supposed to pick up a load in Groveport, Oh at 1700 today, One problem though, my appt time at the receiver in Wintersville, Oh is at 2130. I called the receiver to see if I could come early, and they said only an hour early. I then called my driver manager and asked her about the time difference. She told me the new load will already be loaded on another trailer and I can arrive at anytime to drop my current trailer and pick up the other one. I arrive at the receiver at 2030 during and heavy thunderstorm. While I was checking in, lightning struck close by causing a power outage. The companies generators kicked in and I had to wait about a half hour for their computers to reboot. I was given my dock assignment and off I went. I left the receiver at 2300 and drove to Groveport, Oh arriving at 0200. I dropped my current trailer, hooked up to the new one and off I went in search of a place to park at this late hour. After driving for about a half hour, I found a TA with a parking spot and shut down for the night at 0400.

August 19

I left the rest area at 0800. I drove all day except for stopping for fuel and spent the last half of the day driving up and down the mountains of Virginia and West Virginia. I shut down for the night in Camp Creek, WV. I still have about a five hour drive to tomorrow to reach the shipper. I received my next load assignment this afternoon. I will be picking up a load in Maumee, OH and taking it to the hump where someone else will pick it up at take it to Pompano Beach, Fl. This is supposed to be my weekend home, but based on my planning I will not get to the hump until sometime Saturday and then my hometime will start.

August 18

My appt. time in Auburndale was 1600, I arrived at 1500 and had to wait until 1600 before they started loading the trailer. I left the shipper at 1800 and started driving north. I shut down for the night at a rest area along I-95 not far from my house. I had Lisa pick me up and I spent the night at home.

August 17

My appt. time in Plant City was 2300, I arrived at 2200 and the security told me what dock to back into. I then went into the receiving office and was told they will start unloading me at 2300. While waiting for them to unload the trailer, I received my next load assignment. I am supposed to pick up a load in Aurburndale, Fl and take it to Wintersville, Oh by Thursday night. The receiver finished unloading me and I left at 0000. Now I had to find a place to park for the night and you know you just can’t park this thing anywhere. I stopped at a truck stop along I-4 and it was full, I then went to a rest area a few miles away and it was full. Since Auburndale is not far from the hump and I was not far from the hump, I went back there and shut down for the night at 0200.

August 15

Awoke at 0300 to get to Forest Park, Ga by 0630. Arrived at 0530 and went to the shipping office, they told me to go park across the street and they will call me when my load is ready. I received a call from the shipping office at 0930 that my load was ready and for me to back into a dock. They finished loading me at 1100 and I left to head south. I drove to the hump and shut down for a day and a half. I called Lisa to see if she could come down to spend the day with me tomorrow.

August 14

I drove to Greenville, SC this morning and was early for my 1200 appointment time. They took me in right away. While being unloaded I received my pre-plan. I am to pick up a load in Forest Park, Ga. 0630 tomorrow morning and deliver it to Plant City, Fl. Monday night at 2300. Left the receiver and drove to Commerce, Ga and shut down for the night.

August 13

Drove to the shipper this morning and found out it was at drop and hook. This is where I disconnect my current empty trailer and hook up to one that is already loaded. After hooking up to the new trailer, I went into the shipping office to get the bills and found out the trailer weighed 44,500 pounds. I knew I needed to go to a scale and have the load weighed to make sure I was less than 80,000lbs. I had to drive all the way to Ormand Beach before I found a scale. I drove on the scale and had them weigh my load, I then went inside to get the scale ticket and found out I weighed 79,400 lbs, just below the legal limit. I still had to slide the back axles of the trailer forward to take some of the weight off those axles and put more weight on my drive axles. I then proceed up I-95 to stop at the rest area by my house. I had called Lisa earlier to see if she could meet me at the rest area and we could go have lunch together which we did. I left the rest area after lunch and stopped for the night in Bowman, SC.

August 12

Left this morning at 0430 heading to Melbourne. Arrived in Melbourne at 0700 and waited for the manager of the store to arrive. My appointment time is 0800. The manager arrived at 0730 and started unloading my trailer. Once he finished I left for Stuart, Fl. where the store manager did the same thing. I did not have my next load after the trailed had been unloaded, so I headed up to a truck stop in Ft. Pierce to wait for my load assignment. I got my load assignment after sitting for about an hour. I am supposed to pick up a load in Lake Worth, Fl. tomorrow morning at 0800 and take it to Greenville, SC, by Friday at 1200. I left the truck stop in Ft. Pierce and drove to one in Vero Beach and shut down for the night.

August 11

Left this morning at 0500 and drove to the TA near my house and stopped here for the night. I called Lisa and had her come get me from the TA and I spent the night at home instead of the truck.

August 10

This morning I got up at 0330, as I still have 80 miles to drive to my destination with a 0700 appointment time. I wanted to give myself enough time to get there in case I got lost along the way. (which happened). I left the truck stop at 0400. I arrived at the receiver at 0615 and went to the guard shack to check in. The guard told me I needed to go to their other warehouse about two block away and wait for my 0700 appt. time. There was nothing on my order that told me I needed to go to the other warehouse. I drove over to the other warehouse and lo and behold there were eight other trucks sitting in line waiting to get in, the gate was locked. The security guard opened the gate at 0700 and all the drivers went to the guard shack and stood in line. At 0815 it was finally my turn to check in. The guard gave me a dock number to back into and off I went to do my first solo back in. I backed into the dock with only two pull-ups. This is getting easier. They finished unloading my trailer at 0915 and off I went to Toana, Va. to pick up my next load. I have two stops on this load, one in Melbourne, Fl. and the last one in Stuart, Fl. I arrived in Toana, Va at 1030 and was told to back into a dock to get my trailer loaded. They took and extremely long time to load my trailer, I finally pulled out of the dock at 1530. I shut down for the night at the same truck stop I spent last night at in Emporia, Va.

August 9

Lisa dropped me off at the TA at 0500. I performed my pre-trip inspection and left at 0530. I drove to Emporia, Va. where I stopped for the night after driving 555 miles. The pre-plan for my next load came after I stopped. I am supposed to pick a load in Toana, Va. tomorrow morning and make two stops, one in Melbourne, Fl. and the other one in Stuart, Fl. on 8/12

August 8

I arrived at the hump and went to the shop to get the keys to my truck. The truck number is 439. As I was doing my inspection, I found out it has a super 10 transmission, I have never driven this type of transmission before. I took the truck for a test drive to get used to the transmission. It was very easy to use, much easier than a straight 10. When I returned from my test drive, I was told by the on-duty DM that someone else will be picking the load up in Auburndale and bringing it to the hump. I will then hook up to the trailer and take it on its way to Norfolk. The load arrived at about 1200, I hooked up to the trailer and left on my first solo run. I pre-planned the trip to allow me to stop at the TA truck stop near my house for the night. I arrived at the TA at about 1700. Lisa came by to pick me up and I spent the night at home.

August 7

I called my DM at 1200 to check on the status of my truck. She said it was still in the shop and that she would call when she has news. My DM called at 1600 and said my truck was ready and that I should come to the hump tomorrow morning to pick it up. I have been pre-assigned a load that picks up in Auburndale, Fl. tomorrow afternoon at 1530 and delivers to Norfolk, Va. Monday morning at 0700.

August 6

Today I drove to Okahumpa, (the Hump), to get my truck assignment. I spoke with my Driver Manager (DM) and was told I needed to take another driving test. The Safety Director took me out for a road test then had me back into a dock. I did not have any trouble passing the test. He then told me he was upgrading me to first seat and I will start receiving mileage pay. He then told my Driver Manager, who then began trying to find me a truck. My DM was not prepared for me to get my own truck, she said it doesn't happen too often that a student is moved into first seat without teaming with someone first. My DM located me a truck at 1600, however it was in the shop and would not be ready until tomorrow. she told me to go home for the night and to call her tomorrow to get the status of the truck.

August 1

Left Scranton on a flight this morning to Detroit and then to Jacksonville to arrive this afternoon. I spoke to my dispatcher yesterday afternoon and told her what I was doing. She was OK with it and told me to call her first thing Monday morning to find out when I need to return to Okahumpka to pick up my truck.

July 31

I woke up a 0530 and have not heard from the driver that was supposed to pick me up. My dispatcher had not heard anything either. I decided I was going to try to fly or rent a car to go home. The hotel we are staying in is sold out Friday, Saturday and Sunday night due to the NASCAR race at Pocono raceway, so we have to go somewhere. I took the hotel shuttle to the airport to see if I could rent a car or get a flight out. There were not any cars to rent due to the race and the next flight out to get me home leaves tomorrow morning. So I booked the flight and spent the night in airport. Thank goodness I have my sleeping bag with me.

July 30

I'm still in Scranton. The shop told my co-driver the transmission was shot and it will take until at least next Tuesday to repair. My dispatcher called to tell us she found a way for me to get back to Florida. She sent a notification to another driver for him to stop and pick me up on his way to Georgia. He is supposed to be here some time tonight.

July 29

I'm still in Scranton. My co-driver heard from Freightliner today at 1600. They have the transmission out of the truck and will take a look at it tomorrow. Another night in the hotel.

July 28

Left this morning at 0500 and drove to the receiver in Brockton, MA arriving at 0730. They began unloading us right away and finished at 0815. We still have not received our next load assignment. We asked the receiver where we could park and he told us about a K-Mart shopping center that has a diner. We left the receiver and went to the K-mart to park and have breakfast at the diner. We received our load assignment while eating breakfast. We are supposed to pick up a load of candles from their factory in South Deerfield, MA and take them to Charlotte, NC. by tomorrow. When we arrived at the candle factory, there was a pre-loaded trailer waiting for us, so all we had to do was drop out empty trailer and hook up to the loaded trailer. We hooked up to the new trailer and left for Charlotte at 1100. Our route took us up and down hills on I-84 through PA. and NY. I use the cruise control as much as possible, and we started noticing the engine running rough as we climbed a hill. This noise continued for a while until I lost power in 10th gear. I dropped my speed to 55 MPH and dropped to 9th gear and the engine ran fine. My co-driver called our breakdown department to find out where we could take the truck to have it looked at. The gave us a Freightliner location in Scranton, PA. So I kept moving along in 9th gear for about 75 miles. When we reached our exit for Freightliner, that's when we noticed we had major problems. I could not down shift into any other gear, luckly, I use 4th gear to start from a stop and we still had that gear only because 4th and 9th gear are located in the same slot. I was able to get the truck into 4th gear at the end of the exit ramp and creep along until we reached the Freightliner location. The Freightliner location knew we were coming, however they told us they could not look at the truck until after 1300 tomorrow. They told us to drop our trailer in one location and park the truck in another location. This is when we found out we did not have reverse. We dropped the trailer in an out of the way location and parked the truck. Another LCT driver will come tonight or tomorrow and pick up our loaded trailer and take it to Charlotte. We spent the night in a nearby hotel.

July 27

Left Youngstown, OH at 0530 and drove to Willington, CT and stopped for the night.

July 26

We left Elfingham, Il at 0830 and drove to Youngstown, OH and spent the night.

July 25

We decided to take most of today off and spent it resting in a motel in Elfingham, Il.

July 24

We awoke at 0500 and went to check in at 0530. We were given a dock assignment right away. I backed into the dock and they started unloading us at 0600. They finished unloading us by 0730 and then they had to count the freight. They finished counting at 0930 and we pulled out at 1000. While sitting here, we received our next load assignment. We are to pick up a load in Ardmore, OK. and take it to Brockton, MA by Tuesday morning. We left Ft. Worth at 1000 and picked up our load in Ardmore and began driving to Brockton. We stopped for the night in Elfingham, IL.

July 23

We left Robertsdale, AL at 0600 and drove all the way to Ft. Worth, only stopping for fuel and food. We arrived at the receiver at 1830 after 700 miles of driving. We have a 0600 appointment time tomorrow morning. We slept in the truck in the receivers parking lot.

July 22

We left for the shipper which is located on Mcduff St. outside of downtown Jacksonville at 0600 and arrived at 0715. I went to check in at the shipping desk and was told they would call me when a dock became available. We had an 1100 appointment but we were hoping that by arriving early we could get loaded early. No such luck, the shipping office called me at 1100 and gave me the dock number for us to back into. The shipping office called me after I backed into the dock and told me I needed to go inside to count the product that was to be loaded. They had me count the product by writing down the number the warehouse worker gave to me as the count of each pallet, what a joke. They finished loading us a 1330 and we left for Ft. Worth, Tx. We stopped in Robertsdale, AL for the night.

Back on the Road

July 6 - 10, 2009

I was browsing the Sunday Florida Times Union job ads and noticed an ad for a company hiring truck drivers that live in Florida. The companies name is LCT Transportation, they haul mostly refrigerated products. Monday morning I called LCT and spoke to one of their recruiters. They told me they were hiring drivers that lived in Florida. LCT is located in Okahumpka, FL. which is south of Ocala, Fl. The recruiter asked me how much experience I have. I told her about my time at Werner. She told me that was good enough and she wanted to schedule me for orientation on Monday July 13th in Okahumpa, FL. I told her that would work for me. So I started back to work on July 13th.

July 13 - 15th, 2009

Orientation lasts for three days with the normal paperwork, pee tests and learning how to use the refrigerated unit on the trailer. I also had to take a driving test. After being out of a truck for two months it took me few minutes to get used to shifting gears again. I passed the test, however they still placed me with a trainer to learn their paperwork and processes. I'll be with the trainer for two weeks and then will get my own tractor.

July 16, 2009

Met my trainer this morning and he told me we have a load that is to be delivered to Shelbyville, In, Saturday morning. I drove out of the terminal at 0900 and stopped for fuel in Wildwood, Fl. I then drove until we stopped for the night in Jackson, Ga.

July 17, 2009

We left Jackson, Ga and drove until we reach Shelbyville, In at about 1430. We spent the rest of the day in a truck stop and will deliver the load to a distribution center across the street Saturday morning.

July 18, 2009

This morning we delivered the load at about 0800 and went back to the truck stop to await our next load. We received the next load late Saturday morning. We were scheduled to pick up the load in Andersen, In at 1100 Sunday morning. My trainer called the company to see if we could pick it up early. They told us it was already loaded and we could pick it up anytime. We went to the shipper Saturday afternoon and picked up a pre-loaded trailer. We had two stops on this load, the first stop was Orlando, Fl and the second stop was Green Cove Springs, Fl. Once we hooked the trailer up, we headed back toward Florida and stopped in Elizabethtown, Ky for the night.

July 19th, 2009

Today I drove from Elizabethtown, Ky to Valdosta, Ga. where we stopped for the night.

July 20th, 2009

Left Valdosta this morning and drove to the LCT terminal in Okahumpka. The Orlando portion of our load was not scheduled to be delivered until 0300, July 21. We spent a few hours in Okahumpka and left for Orlando at about 2130. While sitting in Okahumpka, we received our next load assignment. We are supposed to pick up a load off of 5th St. in Jacksonville on July 22 and take it to Ft. Worth, TX by July 24th. We arrived at the receiver in Orlando at about 2330. We thought we were going to have to park somewhere until 0300, but the receiver told us to back up to a dock. They unload their portion of the trailer and we were on our way by 0030. We stopped for the night at 0230 at a truck stop on I-95 just south of St. Augustine, Fl.

July 21, 2009

Got up at 0600 to start driving to Green Cove Springs, Fl. We arrived at the receiver at about 0700. They had us unloaded by 0745 and we were on our way Jacksonville. This next load provided an opportunity for me to go home. After leaving Green Cove Springs, we drove to a truck stop at Hwy 210 and I-95 which is about 10 miles from my house. I called Lisa and she came to the truck stop to pick me up. My trainer told me to be back at the truck stop by 0600 July 22. So I am updating this blog from home.

It's Over for Now???

Well my truck driving career is over for now. I finished my 300 hours of training Wednesday morning. I called my student driver contact to find out about getting my own truck. I was told that there are no trucks available in Florida at this time. She told me I will be placed on a leave of absence until a truck becomes available. If after 30 days a truck is still not available, I will no longer be employed by the company. So as of now I am back home on a leave of absence, looking for a job. I'll update the blog when and if I get my own truck.

04/27 - 04/30

This was a short week. My trainer requested Saturday 5/1 off, so my week ended Thursday evening. It was a boring week. I had the honor of driving I-10 between I-75 and Pensacola twice this week, what fun. We went to the Pensacola, southern Alabama area Monday/Tuesday and then returned to Pensacola, Tuesday/Wednesday. My final trip this week took me to the West Palm Beach area and then to Tampa. We arrived back in Alachua at about 2100 Thursday evening. I then left for home and my trainer headed back south toward his home. I think my training will be over in about two weeks.

04/20 - 04/24

The week started early Monday morning. My trainer wanted me in Alachua by 0700 which meant I had to leave my house by 0445. We met in Alachua and went to get our trailer but the distribution center had not finished loading it. We waited at the office until the trailer was ready which was at about 0930. We then left for Eastman and Dublin, Ga. We returned to Alachua late Monday evening, picked up our next load and headed to Pensacola. We went to two stores in Pensacola and then headed to Albany, Ga. to pick up a load. We then took the load from Albany to another distribution center in Jonesville, SC. We arrived in Jonesville at about 0100 Wednesday morning, we dropped the trailer we picked up in Albany and went to sleep. We woke up at 0500 to pick up an empty trailer to take to a paper shipper in Augusta, Ga. When we arrived at the shipper, we waited for them to load the trailer and then left for Alachua. This trip was longest of my training so far, almost 900 miles. The rest of the week was spent at stores in small Alabama towns. The week ended late Friday afternoon. I now have over 200 of the 300 hours needed to complete my training. I should be finished in a couple of weeks.

04/13 - 04/17

This was a pretty boring week. We went to the Pensacola, Fl/Mobile, Al. and back to Alachua Tuesday. There is nothing on I-10 between I-75 and Pensacola but pine trees, this has got to be the most boring road in the country. We then went to the Mcdonough, Ga. area and back to Alachua Wednesday. Thursday we went back to the Pensacola area and then returned back to Alachua. Friday's trip took us to the Miami area. We were in Ft. Lauderdale about the time the single engine plane crashed into the house. We only saw the news copters hovering over the crash site. I ended the week back in Alachua late Friday afternoon. I am now over half way through my training.

04/06 - 04/10

This week started out traveling to a couple of stores near Mobile, AL. and then up to central Alabama and returning to Alachua Tuesday night. Our trip Wednesday, took us up to the Thomaston, Ga area and back to Alachua that evening. Thursday was an interesting day. We started out in Clearwater and St. Petersburg, Fl. and returned to Alachua that afternoon. We then picked up a load which took us to places I'd never thought I'd drive an 18 wheeler through and to. We were to makes stops at stores in Hilliard, FL and Folkston, Ga. which meant I had to drive through Callahan. I pointed out all of the tourist attractions in Callahan and Hillard to my trainer, we both had a good laugh.

Week 3/30 thru 4/03

03/30 - I started out my week meeting my trainer in Alachua, Monday afternoon. We went to the yard to pick up our load and began driving. We spent Monday night in front of our first store in Dadeville, Al.

03/31 - Tuesday started at 0600 unloading the truck at the Dadeville store. We then did the same thing at Opalika and Smith's Station, Al. We then went to Thomaston, Ga to pick up a load to take back to Alachua. We arrived back in Alachua at about 2000. We then picked up our next load and started heading form Ft. Myers, FL.

04/01 - We arrived in Ft Myers and began unloading at 0500. We then made stops at stores in Cape Coral, Fl., North Ft Myers, Fl. and North Port, Fl. We then went to a bleach plant in Tampa to pick up a load to take back to Alachua. We arrive back in Alachua at about 2045. We dropped out load and picked up another load headed for West Green, Ga. Our route took us up Hwy 441, by the time we crossed into Georgia it was dark and raining so hard I could only see about 100 ft in front of the truck. We were in this type of weather for the next hour. We arrived at the West Green store at about 2345 and went to sleep.

04/02 - Our day started at 0400 by unloading the truck at the West Green store. We then went to stores in Douglas, Ga. and Willacoochee, Ga. We then picked up dog food in Dublin, Ga. and headed back to Alachua. South Georgia had had a lot of rain this week and there was flooding everywhere. I saw the Suwannee river at least a half a mile before the bridge over the river. We arrived back in Alachua at 1700. We then dropped our load and picked up our next load with our first stop being Hollywood, Fl. We made it to Ft. Pierce, Fl. before we had to stop.

04/03 - We arrived at the Hollywood store at 0700 and unloaded the truck. We left the Hollywood store and made stops at stores in Hialeah and Pembrook Pines before heading to Tampa to pick up a load of soft drinks. We arrived back in Alachua at 2100 and dropped our load and both of us headed for home. This was a very long week with little sleep and lots of road miles and delays. I hope next week is better.

1st Week in Truck

I met my trainer in Alachua Tuesday afternoon. We picked up a load and I started driving at about 1500 heading to Defuniak Springs, FL. We arrived at the store in Defuniak Springs at about 2100 CDT. and parked for the night in their parking lot. We awoke Wednesday morning at about 0600 and began unloading the trailer. Once we finished unloading we headed for Sampson, AL. to do it all over again. Our next stop after Sampson was Enterprise, AL. We then headed for Albany, Ga. to drop our trailer and pick up a pre-loaded trailer to take back to the distribution center in Alachua. The stop in Albany took two hours longer than planned. We did not arrive back in Alachua until about midnight where we dropped our pre-loaded trailer. We then picked up another trailer for Thursday and went to sleep for the night.

We left Alachua at 0600 Thursday morning. Our trip today took us to Notosoluga?, Al, Tallassee, Al, Alexander City, Al and Legrange, Ga. We spent the night in Legrange, because our appointment at the shipper was for 0700 Friday morning.

Friday morning we awoke to a heavy rain and headed over to the shipper at 0700. We had an empty trailer after our Thursday deliveries, so we sat at the shipper while they loaded our trailer. At about 0830, we started heading for Alachua. This was the first time I have driven a truck in the rain, so I was extra careful today. We arrived in Alachua at about 1400. We dropped our trailer. My trainer dropped me off and we both headed home for the weekend.

Back Home for the Weekend

Yes, that says back home for the weekend. Not long after posting my last update, I received a call from my trainer. He called to tell me that I needed to meet him in Lakeland that night. He had been taken off the road and assigned to the Dollar General dedicated account and he needed to get to Alachua, Fl. as soon as possible. Dollar General has a distribution center in Alachua. After Lisa got off work, she drove me to Lakeland. My trainer picked me up at about 2100. We drove to Alachua and spent the night. At 0600 Friday we received a load to be delivered to two stores, one in Alachua and the other one in Gainesville, Fl. We went to the two stores and unloaded the merchandise and then returned to the distribution center. My trainer still needed to get home for the weekend, so dispatch was able to get us a load that will take him home. The first part of the trip took us to a store by the Orlando airport. I drove from Alachua to the store in Orlando. This was the most miles I have driven a truck to date. My trainer was heading home after stopping at a store on Merritt Island. He suggested that I have my wife pick me up, so I called Lisa and she drove to Orlando Friday afternoon to pick me up. I think Lisa drove more miles than I did this week. I am supposed to be back in Alachua by 1200 Tuesday, I can drive my car and leave it at the distribution center, because it looks like I will be coming home every weekend. The above image is the truck I am driving.

I'm Home for the Weekend

I received a call from my trainer late yesterday afternoon. He told me he lives in Ft. Lauderdale and he wanted to know where I live. I told him Jacksonville. He presented me with two options. The first option was that he could pick me up in Lakeland at 0300 Thursday morning. I'd then work with him until the loads were finished today. After he finished his last load he was going to head home for his home time this weekend. This means that I would stay in a Ft. Lauderdale hotel until Monday. The second option was, that I could come home and once he received his next load Monday morning he would call me and let me know where to meet him. There is a good possibility that he will be heading up I-95, which will make it easy for me to meet him. So I took option two. Duh!!!

Starting my Truicking Career

I reported to the company terminal in Lakeland,FL. Monday morning at 0630 for orientation. Orientation started at 0700 with filing out the normal forms you fill out after being hired by a company. I was joined by 10 other new drivers at orientation. After completing the forms, we went through their policies and procedures. At 1630, we started taking some online safety courses. We all completed the courses and arrived back at the hotel at 2030, boy what a long day.

Tuesday was more of the same, going over company policies and procedures. At the end of the day, they told us to go back to the hotel and wait for our trainer with the truck to call us. This could happen as soon as tomorrow or a week from now. When I start with the trainer, I will be in the truck with the trainer for 175 driving hours. After 175 hours, I can either go home for a week or I can stay with the trainer for an additional 175 hours and complete my training. If I go home for a week, I will receive a new trainer when I return and then will compete the other 175 hours of training. I will receive my own truck after I complete the 350 hours of training.

So for now I wait...

Trucking Jobs

I'm sorry it has taken so long to update the blog. Not much has happened since graduation. I have applied at over 20 trucking companies and have received the same response from all of them. The companies are either not hiring drivers out of Florida or not hiring recent graduates or a combination of both. Werner has been the only company that has offered me a job. So, starting Monday 3/16, I will be attending orientation at Werner at their terminal location in Lakeland, FL. I am supposed to have two days of orientation, then have a trainer assigned to me and then go on the road for 150 hours. After I complete the 150 hours, I will come home for a week. When the week is over, I go back on the road with a trainer for another 150 hours. Once this 150 hours is complete, I will be assigned my truck. I hope it's that easy. I've read a number of bad things about Werner, but I figure, I'll work there for six months to a year to get experience, then look for a job at a better company. The better companies only hire experienced drivers. Well, that's it for now, I'll try to update this while I am on the road.

Day 15 - Graduation Day. Spent this morning standing around watching the students that had failed the test yesterday retest. At 1100, the students that had passed the test were called into the classroom. We were then given a package that contained our certificate of completion and a form that we take to the DMV office to get our CDL A licenses. We were dismissed at 1130 and I headed to the DMV office to get my CDL.

A trucking company has already called me to offer me a job. Werner Trucking called and told me they have a spot for me if I want it. It is an over the road position. I plan to go to a few trucking companies in Jacksonville next week to see if I can get a local or regional driving position first. If I don't find a position in Jacksonville next week, I will accept Warner's offer. This is the truck I have been driving for the past three weeks.

Day 13 and 14

Day 13 - CDL Test Day - I PASSED. I took my CDL test today. I was the second one from my group of four to take the test. There are three parts to the test. You have to pass each part before you can move on to the next part. The first part is the pre-trip inspection, the second part is the backing test, which consists of three backing maneuvers and the third part is the road test. The examiner called my name at about 1000. He told me the computer had assigned me to pre-trip the engine, the coupling system, inside the cab and do an air brake check. If I passed the pre-trip, I would then move to the backing test. The computer assigned me to do back in a straight line, back into an off-set location and to parallel park. If I passed the backing test, I would then move to the road test, which consisted of taking a driving test through Green Cove Springs.

I went through the pre-trip inspection by naming everything I could see. The examiner took one point off for missing an item, which was the windshield. Dumb!!! I then moved to the backing test. I started out with backing in a straight line, this one was easy, I then moved to backing into an offset location. This one was more difficult. I had to pull up three times, you are allowed two free pull-ups, before I got the trailer in the box. I then moved to the parallel parking maneuver. Now you have to understand that during the last two weeks of backing practice, I had a very difficult time completing the parallel parking maneuver. When the examiner told me I had to parallel park, I told myself that I was going to nail it.......And I did. I parked the truck and trailer in the box with one pull-up. I then moved to the road test. We left the school grounds and went into downtown Green Cove Springs. We made a few turns and looped back to the school. We were out for about 45 minutes. Before we got back to the school the examiner asked me if I wanted the good news or bad news. I said good news, he told me I had passed the exam. He told me the bad news was that I was going to have to go to work. I told him that was good news also.

Day14 - I spent most of today standing around. I'd passed the most important test yesterday, and today I had to take the coupling and uncoupling test. My turn came around after lunch. It took me about 10 minutes to complete the exam. The examiner told me I had passed and then I had to stand around some more. It was a boring day. Tomorrow is graduation. Yea!!!!

Day 11 and Day 12

Day 11 - We are scheduled to do a night drive today, we did not have to report to school until 1130. The first half of the day was spent practicing our shifting on the track. We began our night drive at 1800. We went to Palatka and worked on our turns and trying to watch our trailer in the dark. It's not easy to see the end of the trailer when it is dark, so you have to make sure you make the turn correctly or you will run over a curb. I did pretty well, tonight. I did not run over any curbs. We arrived back at the school at about 2145.

Day 12 - This morning we practiced our coupling and uncoupling. We spent this afternoon practicing our backing maneuvers. I still have trouble with a couple of the maneuvers, but by the end of the afternoon I was getting better. Well, today was the last day of practice. Tomorrow we take our CLD test.

Day 10

Today was pretty much the same. We practiced our coupling and uncoupling and pre trip inspections this morning and practiced backing up this afternoon. I am still having trouble with a couple of the back up maneuvers. I have one more day to practice before the test. I will be able to do all the maneuvers by test day.

CDL Training

To begin, I lost my job last November due to "Corporate Restructuring." I have applied for over 100 positions and have had one interview. So I've decided to take my career into my own hands. I have always been interested in driving an 18 wheeler and thought this would be a good time to learn and hopefully get a job quickly. I will use this blog to keep track of my trucking experiences starting with CDL school and going forward from there.

I signed up with a CDL school located in Green Cove Springs. The course is three weeks long and will provide me training to pass the Florida CDL test. I first had to complete a 33 lesson home study course. After completing the home study course, I was enrolled in the residence training course. The residence training course will teach me how to actually drive an 18 wheeler. The residence training course dates are February 10th through February 27th.

February 10, 2009

The Beginning:

Day 1 - Today is my first day at CDL school. The class started at 0700 with a two hour orientation. The class has 30 students. During orientation, the instructor teamed me with three classmates and assigned us truck. After orientation, we were told to go to our truck and to get in. We are driving a Freightliner that has had the sleeper modified with three seats. The instructor got in the drivers seat and took us out on the shifting track. The shifting track is almost two miles long. He showed us the proper way to upshift and downshift the truck. He then let each one of use take a lap around the track and try shifting. The instructor was in the passenger seat giving us help with our shifting. When all of us had finished, the instructor left the truck and told us to have fun. We spent the rest of the day working on shifting. I'm sure the maintenance department at the school had to replace the gears that night. Class ended at about 1700.

February 11, 2009

Day 2 - Today we continued our shifting practice until lunch. After lunch our instructor told us we were going on the road. Boy were we shocked, we never thought we would be going out on the road so early in training. After lunch the instructor drove the truck out of the school parking lot to a pull off location down the road. The instructor then told one of us to start driving. I volunteered to be the first to take the drivers seat. I drove from Green Cove Springs to downtown Palatka, making a few turns and grinding a few gears. Overall, it was not as difficult as I thought it would be. We spent about three hours on the road traveling from Palatka through rural St. Johns county and back to the school.

February 12, 2009

Day 3 - Today was not quite as exciting as yesterday. We spent the first half of the day learning how to couple and uncouple the tractor from the trailer and then learned the proper way to do a pre-trip inspection. We practiced these activities over and over until lunch. After lunch we went to the backing pad to start learning how to back up. We spent the rest of the day practicing backing up in a straight line. This is backing maneuver was easy.

February 13, 2009

Day 4 - Today started out just like yesterday, we practiced the couple and uncouple as well as the pre-trip inspection until lunch. After lunch we went to the backing pad and learned how to back into an alley dock. This is accomplished by setting the truck up perpendicular to the dock and then backing into the dock by turning the truck almost 90 degrees. This one was difficult and by the end of the day I had a pretty good idea of what I was supposed to do, but I was still having some trouble getting it right. We spent the rest of the day practicing the alley dock maneuver and the straight line maneuver.

February 14, 2009

Day 5 - Today we spent the morning on the shifting track. We did this until lunch. After lunch the instructor told us we were going on the road again. The trip today took us from Green Cove to a truck stop at I-95 and State Road 206 and back. Part of the trip had us driving on I-95. I did some gear grinding again today, mostly on the downshift.

February 16, 2009

Day 6 - This morning was spent practicing coupling and uncoupling and pre-trip inspection. We spent the afternoon on the backing pad learning how to parallel park. I bet you didn't know that you can parallel park an 18 wheeler. This is the toughest backing maneuver to learn. I have the basic concept, but could not get it right without help. I just need more practice.

February 17, 2009

Day 7 - This morning our instructor told us we would be going on the road to Jacksonville. One of my teammates started out driving up Hwy 17 through Green Cove Springs to Orange Park during rush hour, there was a lot of stop and go traffic, this was perfect for shift practice. I had my shift practice traveling up Southside Blvd., over the Dames Point Bridge to Heckshire Drive. We stopped at a trucking company off Heckshire Drive to switch drivers. We then traced the route backwards back to Green Cove Springs. I did much better today, however I still have some problems downshifting. We arrived back at the school at lunch time. After lunch we spent the rest of the day on the shifting track.

February 18, 2009

Day 8 - This morning was spent practicing our coupling and uncoupling and pre-trip inspections. We spent the afternoon practicing all of the back up maneuvers. I can do all of the maneuvers pretty well, except parallel parking. This one is going to take some work. I have a few more days to practice parallel parking before I have to take the CDL test.

February 19, 2009

Day 9 - I spent this morning on the shifting track working on my downshift. After lunch we began our road trip to Palatka to learn how to make turns at intersections. I drove around downtown Palatka making left and right hand turns. I think I completed 10 turns. My downshifts we much better, thanks to the practice this morning.