Dear readers, I have not written in a while because I am no longer driving a truck. I was disrespected big time by the company for whom I worked, a story I will not share with you; suffice it to say it was much, much worse than the normal abuse drivers get. For me, it was a "quittable offense," as I told my driver manager. Considering this was a 'bucket list' item and I did everything I wanted to do as a driver, I am fulfilled; I doubt I will consider and seek employment with another trucking company.
Thank you for reading. Though there were not many of you, I did enjoy sharing my limited experiences with you. Perhaps there will be more in the future, perhaps not. I wish each of you the best.
Saturday, June 9, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
Saturday, April 14, 2012
I am sitting in my own living room, typing this on my own Mac for the first time since, well, since the last time! This was not a planned home visit; as with many things in trucking, things can change. The delivery I have was delayed until tomorrow night, so I took the opportunity to "visit" my house, use some of my own hot water, and do my laundry! The only uncomfortable part is having to drop the trailer with a load of pretty expensive dairy products and a minus 10 temperature set on the reefer in a Walmart parking lot 16 miles away. I locked the box, put on a glad-hand and king pin locks, but there's nothing I could do about locking the reefer thermostat, so if some creep wants to crank it up to 40 or so, well, I can't stop him or her. Hopefully, however, the Walmart parking lot security crew will keep an eye out for nefarious goings on.
As I walked into my house, I came to the realization that I like my house. I like my living room and dining room and lawn and I even like the duck that has made a nest in the decorative row boat in my back yard. What that means is this: You, dear reader, probably remember that I retired from federal service last December and have undertaken this "career change" to check of an item on my personal 'bucket list.' I received a commercial driver's license and have been working as an over-the-road driver, which is all I really wanted to do. There are other things on my bucket list, too, including a visit to my deceased parents' hometown, Wilton, New Hampshire.
The bottom line is I don't know how much longer I will do this. There are some compelling reasons not to push my own good humor, not the least of which is the fact that I don't get to see my kids as much as I want, even though I've only been at this a short while. I am getting older and since I do have a very secure pension - well, as secure as anything created by Congress can be - I will drive as long as I want then turn my sites elsewhere.
That, dear reader, is what retirement is all about. Do the kind of work you want to do, as long as it's "fun," then do something else when it's no longer "fun!"
As I walked into my house, I came to the realization that I like my house. I like my living room and dining room and lawn and I even like the duck that has made a nest in the decorative row boat in my back yard. What that means is this: You, dear reader, probably remember that I retired from federal service last December and have undertaken this "career change" to check of an item on my personal 'bucket list.' I received a commercial driver's license and have been working as an over-the-road driver, which is all I really wanted to do. There are other things on my bucket list, too, including a visit to my deceased parents' hometown, Wilton, New Hampshire.
The bottom line is I don't know how much longer I will do this. There are some compelling reasons not to push my own good humor, not the least of which is the fact that I don't get to see my kids as much as I want, even though I've only been at this a short while. I am getting older and since I do have a very secure pension - well, as secure as anything created by Congress can be - I will drive as long as I want then turn my sites elsewhere.
That, dear reader, is what retirement is all about. Do the kind of work you want to do, as long as it's "fun," then do something else when it's no longer "fun!"
Thursday, April 12, 2012
4/13/2012
I see by the listing that I have been remiss in writing about my progress. I shall fix that right now! I'm sitting here in a Flying J truck stop near West Rotterdam, NY, working my way through a 34-hour reset because I...well, let's just say there is a 70-hour maximum in 8 days and leave it at that. No need to talk about 71 1/2 hours or poor record keeping or elog misunderstanding, right?
What have I done on the past month? First, I successfully completed OTR training with Lee, though had I known then what I know now, I might have focused his attention on certain areas of my own development...like using the elog system properly. That would have been difficult because the company does not require ALL drivers to transition to electronic logs, only all NEW drivers like me. This is a problem because in my case, Lee kept paper logs and the day I finished my final road test with the Training Department, I went right on electronic logs. I had no training on the setup, the acronyms within the system, or how they interface. One could come to the conclusion that a new driver fresh to electronic logging and without adequate training and experience could, say, misunderstand WHEN to go "off duty" when at a receiver or shopper. Or the impact of not cutting those hours as much as legal because of the maximum duty time of 70-hours in 8 days.
Needless to say, this first solo week has been frustrating and not much fun. Tight schedules, bad weather - snow on I-88 in Western New York?!? Sup wi' dat, bro? - and not meeting my own high personal standards have not helped. In fact, I've cried out to the Great Freightliner In The Sky for one "normal" week like I had in training. Just one. I'm not greedy.
But I have seen Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois. I'm headed back to Penn to pick up some Kraft rejected goods to take to Byron Center, Michigan - not far from my house, though there is no convenient place to drop a trailer so going home is difficult. Maybe they'll let me leave it there for a day or two. Maybe not.
Oh. The best thing that happened to me this year happened on April 12...my daughter gave birth to my newest granddaughter, Macy! And if you think being here in West Rotterdam, NY, and not there in Oklahoma City with my kids isn't the toughest thing, let me assure you it is.
What have I done on the past month? First, I successfully completed OTR training with Lee, though had I known then what I know now, I might have focused his attention on certain areas of my own development...like using the elog system properly. That would have been difficult because the company does not require ALL drivers to transition to electronic logs, only all NEW drivers like me. This is a problem because in my case, Lee kept paper logs and the day I finished my final road test with the Training Department, I went right on electronic logs. I had no training on the setup, the acronyms within the system, or how they interface. One could come to the conclusion that a new driver fresh to electronic logging and without adequate training and experience could, say, misunderstand WHEN to go "off duty" when at a receiver or shopper. Or the impact of not cutting those hours as much as legal because of the maximum duty time of 70-hours in 8 days.
Needless to say, this first solo week has been frustrating and not much fun. Tight schedules, bad weather - snow on I-88 in Western New York?!? Sup wi' dat, bro? - and not meeting my own high personal standards have not helped. In fact, I've cried out to the Great Freightliner In The Sky for one "normal" week like I had in training. Just one. I'm not greedy.
But I have seen Montana, New York, Pennsylvania, Michigan, and Illinois. I'm headed back to Penn to pick up some Kraft rejected goods to take to Byron Center, Michigan - not far from my house, though there is no convenient place to drop a trailer so going home is difficult. Maybe they'll let me leave it there for a day or two. Maybe not.
Oh. The best thing that happened to me this year happened on April 12...my daughter gave birth to my newest granddaughter, Macy! And if you think being here in West Rotterdam, NY, and not there in Oklahoma City with my kids isn't the toughest thing, let me assure you it is.
Saturday, March 17, 2012
Happy St. Paddy's Day!
I haven't written in a while and I'm sorry about that. I'm on the road in a trainer's truck and right now, we're sitting at a Love's truck stop in Hogansville, Georgia. Since finishing orientation with WEL Companies last week, I spent a weekend running from De Pere, Wisconsin, to Quincy, Michigan and back via Kalamazoo and a place with an unpronounceable Indian name in Wisconsin with lots of O's in it. That was a great trip, what with dealing with an 80,000 pound truck, almost hitting several deer, and a blinding snow storm that completely obscured the road. It's amazing how "fast" 10 mph can seem at 2:00 a.m. On a backcountry, rural road in near-whiteout conditions. I also spent the week making local deliveries around the Green Bay area, which was fun. Then it was on the road for three weeks and three days, which is what I'm doing now.
I have a really good trainer, Lee. He's a quiet Georgia boy who pretty much lets me drive as much as I want and make all the mistakes I can. It's the best way to learn all this and I appreciate him for it. He hasn't been home for more than two weeks, so he's visiting his wife about 10 miles away; that's why I'm here, alone in the truck until this afternoon. The company does not force routing or fuel stops and the load we have delivers in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, on Monday. How we get there is up to us as long as we make our delivery at 8:30 a.m. on Monday. That's good to know since I have children and grandchildren in Oklahoma City.
So far, I've put 4,179 miles on the truck and have about 7-8,000 or so training miles to go. I get off the training truck on April 2 and take the final road test on April 3. After that, I get my own truck, driver manager, and deliveries. I'm pretty excited.
Oh. And I get a new granddaughter in early April, too! And you KNOW I'm excited about that!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Very big week
As I write this, it is Friday afternoon and I am mostly done for the week - more about that later - and there is much to tell because I haven't written at all this week. So let me get to it.
I got on the 'Hound - that would Greyhound Bus - last Saturday and arrived shortly in Green Bay after 1:00 a.m. Central Time. I had Sunday off and went to WEL Companies' training facility to meet the others in the new drivers class. There were six of us altogether; among them, I had the least experience. Two had less than 6 months and three had more than 5 years. One was going to lease and the rest would be company drivers. One driver was from Washington, DC, one was from Chicago, one from Milwaukee, two were "between houses" and planned to live in his truck, one was from Columbus, Ohio, and there was me from Western Michigan.
The first order of business was drug tests and physicals, which we all passed. Then there were a series of flexibility and strength tests given by a physical therapist to simulate lifting, pulling, pushing, and climbing things we might have to do on a daily basis. Again, we all passed.
The rest of Monday was spent watching safety videos and receiving briefings from company reps on all sorts of topics.
Tuesday was all about two things: more videos and PowerPoint presentations and the company's pre-employment road test that consisted of a 20-minute trip around the local area to see where we all were on the ability range. Though I did well enough to continue, I repeated two weaknesses I had in training...I missed a couple of gears and cut a right turn too close. But as before, we all did well enough to continue. It turns out this was a wee bit unusual. The company is very careful in the hiring process, but most classes lose one or two at various phases; not ours.
We became employees on Wednesday when the road, drug, and physical results were received and evaluate. We got our driver codes, which is how we're identified in all company databases and paperwork. Things like proper pay and legal logging depends on it.
Thursday was more training and visits to the Safety Department and we met our driver managers, the people with whom we would communicate before, during, and after every trip. We also met the supervisor of driver managers who basically said, 'If you have any problem your driver manager can't handle, call me.' We learned that four of the six drivers would be leaving with their trainers Thursday night and the other two, another student and me, would stay in town for next week, which is what we all planned on, anyway.
Which brings me to today, Friday. The snow has begun to fall and we spent the morning on the range learning how the company wants a pre trip inspection to be done how to move the tandems - the tires on the back of the trailer to make small adjustments in weight distribution - and how to secure freight inside the reefer trailers they operate.
I also learned that I will be team-driving with one of the senior drivers to and from Michigan starting Saturday evening. I am excited.
Oh. Did I mention he also happens to be the CEO's brother and the grandson of the founder. No pressure there.
I got on the 'Hound - that would Greyhound Bus - last Saturday and arrived shortly in Green Bay after 1:00 a.m. Central Time. I had Sunday off and went to WEL Companies' training facility to meet the others in the new drivers class. There were six of us altogether; among them, I had the least experience. Two had less than 6 months and three had more than 5 years. One was going to lease and the rest would be company drivers. One driver was from Washington, DC, one was from Chicago, one from Milwaukee, two were "between houses" and planned to live in his truck, one was from Columbus, Ohio, and there was me from Western Michigan.
The first order of business was drug tests and physicals, which we all passed. Then there were a series of flexibility and strength tests given by a physical therapist to simulate lifting, pulling, pushing, and climbing things we might have to do on a daily basis. Again, we all passed.
The rest of Monday was spent watching safety videos and receiving briefings from company reps on all sorts of topics.
Tuesday was all about two things: more videos and PowerPoint presentations and the company's pre-employment road test that consisted of a 20-minute trip around the local area to see where we all were on the ability range. Though I did well enough to continue, I repeated two weaknesses I had in training...I missed a couple of gears and cut a right turn too close. But as before, we all did well enough to continue. It turns out this was a wee bit unusual. The company is very careful in the hiring process, but most classes lose one or two at various phases; not ours.
We became employees on Wednesday when the road, drug, and physical results were received and evaluate. We got our driver codes, which is how we're identified in all company databases and paperwork. Things like proper pay and legal logging depends on it.
Thursday was more training and visits to the Safety Department and we met our driver managers, the people with whom we would communicate before, during, and after every trip. We also met the supervisor of driver managers who basically said, 'If you have any problem your driver manager can't handle, call me.' We learned that four of the six drivers would be leaving with their trainers Thursday night and the other two, another student and me, would stay in town for next week, which is what we all planned on, anyway.
Which brings me to today, Friday. The snow has begun to fall and we spent the morning on the range learning how the company wants a pre trip inspection to be done how to move the tandems - the tires on the back of the trailer to make small adjustments in weight distribution - and how to secure freight inside the reefer trailers they operate.
I also learned that I will be team-driving with one of the senior drivers to and from Michigan starting Saturday evening. I am excited.
Oh. Did I mention he also happens to be the CEO's brother and the grandson of the founder. No pressure there.
Saturday, February 25, 2012
Saturday, Feb. 25, 2012
This will be a bit short and probably not very informative. I am on my way by Greyhound Bus - that first-test to see if you REALLY want to be a truck driver- to De Pere, Wisconsin, home of WEL Companies. With some good fortune, they will be my employer in a couple of days.
I start orientation Monday morning at 0700 when I meet Scott for my drug test and physical. After that, who knows? Paperwork, policies, and procedures no doubt. If I make the cut, a week driving around Green Bay then 4 weeks over the road with a trainer.
Right now I'm one hour into a 5-hour break in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have Lady Antebellum playing in the headphones, the iPhone hooked to one of the few power outlets (when will public transportation centers learn to install more than the overnight cleaning crew needs?) and I'm patiently waiting. Wondering. Listening to the Amtrak trains, wishing I was on one of them and not a bus.
Ah, well. It must be done.
I start orientation Monday morning at 0700 when I meet Scott for my drug test and physical. After that, who knows? Paperwork, policies, and procedures no doubt. If I make the cut, a week driving around Green Bay then 4 weeks over the road with a trainer.
Right now I'm one hour into a 5-hour break in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I have Lady Antebellum playing in the headphones, the iPhone hooked to one of the few power outlets (when will public transportation centers learn to install more than the overnight cleaning crew needs?) and I'm patiently waiting. Wondering. Listening to the Amtrak trains, wishing I was on one of them and not a bus.
Ah, well. It must be done.
Tuesday, February 21, 2012
President's Day, 2012
Normally, a federal holiday for a federal retiree is not much of a day about which to blog. Yesterday, however, was, and it had nothing to do with federal, holiday, or retirement. It had to do with weather in Oklahoma City, where three of my children and a grandson live.
It started with several rapid-fire tweets from Gary England, the main weather dude in OKC. He's been there for about 469 years, I think, and shows no sign of slowing down. He's also one of the nation's premier tornado predictors - is there really such a word? - because, well, they do have some tornados in Oklahoma, as you might know. How this slight diversion ties to the main subject is this: Tornados are really bad storms and Oklahoma City had a really bad storm yesterday.
Take a look at this:
Before you ask, yes, this is a real picture of a major dust storm, taken by a TV photographer, as it approached. I had children heading south, away from Enid, Oklahoma, and children very close to the nasties. Fortunately for them - and me - none of them were caught in the storm and debris and they all made it to their home in Oklahoma City.
I read a trucker's blog about a big rig that wasn't so lucky. Somewhere on I-40 in Oklahoma City, the truck hit some debris and broke an air line, which in a commercial motor vehicle with air brakes, is not a good thing. They fixed it and continued heading west carrying their load of FedEx freight...until they got to Arizona and all the snow, ice, and traffic accidents we all heard about, including a major tie-up between a CMV hauling gun powder and a tanker hauling caustic chemicals.
Wouldn't a leak there have been fun...
It started with several rapid-fire tweets from Gary England, the main weather dude in OKC. He's been there for about 469 years, I think, and shows no sign of slowing down. He's also one of the nation's premier tornado predictors - is there really such a word? - because, well, they do have some tornados in Oklahoma, as you might know. How this slight diversion ties to the main subject is this: Tornados are really bad storms and Oklahoma City had a really bad storm yesterday.
Take a look at this:
Before you ask, yes, this is a real picture of a major dust storm, taken by a TV photographer, as it approached. I had children heading south, away from Enid, Oklahoma, and children very close to the nasties. Fortunately for them - and me - none of them were caught in the storm and debris and they all made it to their home in Oklahoma City.
I read a trucker's blog about a big rig that wasn't so lucky. Somewhere on I-40 in Oklahoma City, the truck hit some debris and broke an air line, which in a commercial motor vehicle with air brakes, is not a good thing. They fixed it and continued heading west carrying their load of FedEx freight...until they got to Arizona and all the snow, ice, and traffic accidents we all heard about, including a major tie-up between a CMV hauling gun powder and a tanker hauling caustic chemicals.
Wouldn't a leak there have been fun...
Friday, February 17, 2012
Friday, Feb 17, 2012, was a good day!
I passed the Michigan Commercial Driver's License practical test! Let me tell you about it. The test has three parts:
Let me briefly explain each of them so you know what I did.
The pre-trip inspection (PTI) test. The applicant walks around the commercial motor vehicle and points to or touches each item on a lengthy list and explains to the examiner what is being checked. For example, the steering linkage, which on a truck is pretty complex, as you can imagine. I would point to it and say, "The steering linkage, steering shaft, pitman arm and castle nut and cotter pin, drag link, upper steering arm, lower steering arm, tie rod and steering arm are securely mounted with no cracked, bent, broken or missing pieces. There are no loose or worn joints or sockets, no loose or missing nuts, bolts or cotter pints." There are 17 pages in my manual that contain the items to check. The PTI took about 40 minutes for me to complete. Because all parts have to be repeated in case of failure like I had yesterday, I did better on today's inspection than yesterday's. In fact, I did not miss any; I was allowed to miss 29 items.
The basic vehicle control skills test. This test consists of four basic off-road (meaning not on a public roadway), the forward stop, straight-line backing, 90-degree alley dock (the task that kicked my butt for a couple of weeks), and a right turn (the reason I failed yesterday.
An applicant can miss 25 points on the on-road portion and still pass. I missed 10; the examiner said the average applicant will miss 15-18 and anything below 15 is "excellent." So having not done so well yesterday, I was pretty happy with the result. Even though my CDL does not show any grade, I came away from the test knowing I will probably not kill anyone (like I did that 5-year old standing on the 'curb' yesterday...) as I make the next step in this journey.
Next step for me is to go to work. I have picked a company called WEL Companies (http://www.welcompanies.com) based near Green Bay, Wisconsin, because they offer the best balance of equipment, range (how far do they really go?), pay, and whether I can take the truck home during my home time. Right now, my plan is to start their 3-day orientation on February 27, after which I will drive locally with one of their trainers for one week then go on-the-road, or OTR, for 4 weeks all over the country.
I am glad my initial training at West Michigan CDL is over. It was challenging, rewarding, very frustrating at times, and very intense at all times. I would not want to repeat it nor would I want not to have done it. And I think I am well-positioned for the next step on my path to become a professional truck driver.
There might not be many posts for the next week or so, dear reader, but please look forward to more as I move on to become a driver for the WEL Companies!
- The pre-trip inspection test
- The basic vehicle control skills test
- The on-road driving test
Let me briefly explain each of them so you know what I did.
The pre-trip inspection (PTI) test. The applicant walks around the commercial motor vehicle and points to or touches each item on a lengthy list and explains to the examiner what is being checked. For example, the steering linkage, which on a truck is pretty complex, as you can imagine. I would point to it and say, "The steering linkage, steering shaft, pitman arm and castle nut and cotter pin, drag link, upper steering arm, lower steering arm, tie rod and steering arm are securely mounted with no cracked, bent, broken or missing pieces. There are no loose or worn joints or sockets, no loose or missing nuts, bolts or cotter pints." There are 17 pages in my manual that contain the items to check. The PTI took about 40 minutes for me to complete. Because all parts have to be repeated in case of failure like I had yesterday, I did better on today's inspection than yesterday's. In fact, I did not miss any; I was allowed to miss 29 items.
The basic vehicle control skills test. This test consists of four basic off-road (meaning not on a public roadway), the forward stop, straight-line backing, 90-degree alley dock (the task that kicked my butt for a couple of weeks), and a right turn (the reason I failed yesterday.
- The forward stop requires driving into an "alley" (lines painted on the ground with cones at strategic places) and coming to a stop as close to, but not past, the end line, without looking out a side window or standing up to see the cone or line. It's harder than it looks, but I did not miss any points.
- After that event, I leave the "alley" and position the truck for the straight-line backing. Then, on the examiners signal, I back the truck straight back through the alley until my bumper is clear of the other end. I did not have any problem with this one pretty much right away, so it was a 'gimme.' Not so the next event.
- The dreaded 90-degree alley dock requires positioning the truck 90 degrees on the sight side to the alley. Then, at the examiners signal, I back into the alley, taking care not to hit any cones or touch any of the boundary lines and coming to a stop as close to the back line as possible. Keep in mind the back line is 60 feet away from the driver, so making that judgement is tough. And those cones and lines represent things like buildings, cars, and the alley dock itself into which a driver spends much of his or her time backing. This kicked my butt good for a long time. I was penalized four points yesterday and only one point today. Good show!
- The right turn is the final event on the range and consists of making a right hand turn around a simulated corner with a curb, coming as close as possible to, but taking care not to touch, the cone on the corner. I killed the cone yesterday and did not come close today, so my total score was one point!
An applicant can miss 25 points on the on-road portion and still pass. I missed 10; the examiner said the average applicant will miss 15-18 and anything below 15 is "excellent." So having not done so well yesterday, I was pretty happy with the result. Even though my CDL does not show any grade, I came away from the test knowing I will probably not kill anyone (like I did that 5-year old standing on the 'curb' yesterday...) as I make the next step in this journey.
Next step for me is to go to work. I have picked a company called WEL Companies (http://www.welcompanies.com) based near Green Bay, Wisconsin, because they offer the best balance of equipment, range (how far do they really go?), pay, and whether I can take the truck home during my home time. Right now, my plan is to start their 3-day orientation on February 27, after which I will drive locally with one of their trainers for one week then go on-the-road, or OTR, for 4 weeks all over the country.
I am glad my initial training at West Michigan CDL is over. It was challenging, rewarding, very frustrating at times, and very intense at all times. I would not want to repeat it nor would I want not to have done it. And I think I am well-positioned for the next step on my path to become a professional truck driver.
There might not be many posts for the next week or so, dear reader, but please look forward to more as I move on to become a driver for the WEL Companies!
Thursday, February 16, 2012
Thursday, 2/16/12
Bad news. I took my CDL test today and did not pass. I did well in the pretrip inspection; this takes about 30 minutes and is a thorough, front-to-back check of the tractor and trailer to make sure everything is safe for operation. Then I went to the range for Part 2 and did something I have not done since the first week I was a student here.
I crushed an orange boundary cone that was set up in a right turn maneuver on the range to simulate the curb trucks have to deal with when making right turns.
If a small child or handicapped person had been on that curb...well, the picture is not pretty and I deserved the failure.
Retest tomorrow!
I crushed an orange boundary cone that was set up in a right turn maneuver on the range to simulate the curb trucks have to deal with when making right turns.
If a small child or handicapped person had been on that curb...well, the picture is not pretty and I deserved the failure.
Retest tomorrow!
Monday, February 13, 2012
February 13, 2012
Today is Monday and begins the last week of my 3-week CDL school. I have been extremely impressed with the school facilities, the instructional and support staff, the owner, Mike, and his trusted sidekick, Bob, as well as the instructors. The course has been very intense, pretty stressful, and filled with learning of all kinds. As I read about other for-profit CDL schools on the Internet, I believe what I have learned - primarily the tasks the school taught us in the truck and classroom - will do me well in my first important year as a new OTR driver.
The next three days are really all about one thing, however: sharpening our skills to pass the CDL test that will begin for us on Wednesday and Thursday. That is not to say we will not be exposed to new skills. In fact, if all goes well (meaning if the snow that should fall tonight does not negatively impact what we do) we will be exposed to the dreaded and much-feared blindside parallel parking. I cannot even imagine how that is going to be done or why I would have to do it in a truck. It also happens to be one of the items very few CDL schools teach, which makes West Michigan CDL a pretty special place.
Hopefully, in the next day or two, I will share the good news that I did pass my CDL test. I am also working on picking a trucking company with which to start my OTR career and I think I have the list narrowed down to three; perhaps I will have a final decision on that, too. I hope so!
Stay tuned, dear reader. When my CDL journey is done, I will start taking you on a 4-8 week journey around the United States (depending on the company I pick) with a driver trainer/mentor. That will be interesting to you, I hope, as we share experiences in all the regions and weather of our great country.
Tell your friends to subscribe! :)
The next three days are really all about one thing, however: sharpening our skills to pass the CDL test that will begin for us on Wednesday and Thursday. That is not to say we will not be exposed to new skills. In fact, if all goes well (meaning if the snow that should fall tonight does not negatively impact what we do) we will be exposed to the dreaded and much-feared blindside parallel parking. I cannot even imagine how that is going to be done or why I would have to do it in a truck. It also happens to be one of the items very few CDL schools teach, which makes West Michigan CDL a pretty special place.
Hopefully, in the next day or two, I will share the good news that I did pass my CDL test. I am also working on picking a trucking company with which to start my OTR career and I think I have the list narrowed down to three; perhaps I will have a final decision on that, too. I hope so!
Stay tuned, dear reader. When my CDL journey is done, I will start taking you on a 4-8 week journey around the United States (depending on the company I pick) with a driver trainer/mentor. That will be interesting to you, I hope, as we share experiences in all the regions and weather of our great country.
Tell your friends to subscribe! :)
Saturday, February 11, 2012
February 11, 2012
Today is Saturday and I have not written a blog post this week. Mostly, that's because I have been just completely whipped when I get home after class. To be honest, we were told that the second week would be the most stressful but merely being told did not prepare me for what I experienced. The good thing is it ended well, albeit with a final city drive in 4 inches of newly-fallen snow. That, of course, made the drive quite, um, "interesting," to say the least, but it ended without incident. So what did we do to make the week so stressful?
It's not so much what we did, because we did the same tasks we've done for the week. But two events stand out - beside the 90 degree alley dock that continues to whip my butt - that made being there use a wee bit unpleasant. We have four students in my class: a young 20-Something whose Dad is a career truck driver, a Hispanic male, an Egyptian male, and me. Just that mix of cultural and age differences has made for a wonderfully diverse mix of opinions and behaviors, but two of them went off on each other this week. I won't say which two because I don't think airing that kind of stuff is appropriate, but I will tell you one of them has been consistently late for our early morning classroom session from 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. and has a habit of leaving early, even though we are to be there until 5:00 p.m. He has a somewhat superior attitude and does not take positive criticism very well, even when he does not perform the maneuvers in the prescribed way, as we all have done.
Well, the two of them got into it and if it weren't for one of the other students, there would have been a physical fight, but the other one did take one of the two away from the area and it calmed down...after a while.
The second unpleasant experience involved one of the two original "combatants" and me. It was quite cold on Thursday, though not snowing, and when it was my turn to drive, the fellow jumped in the right side of the cab, where it was warm. He said, "That is how we're going to do it now. One rides while one drives." I was not going to have that on my session and told him to leave or I would not drive. He refused many times, stayed in the truck, and I finally shut it down, got out, and went to the office to file a complaint. About mid-day on Friday, the company owner came to me and said he had received the complaint and would deal with the other student. He said he had a "heart-to-heart" chat with him about the first incident and would do so again.
That kind of experience did not help reduce my stress, I can tell you that. OR my performance, which just seemed to go downhill after that, making that day not so good.
Anyway, next week is geared toward fine-tuning our tasks in preparation for the state testers beginning Wednesday and for being exposed to some experiences we won't be tested on but might have to perform in the field, like the blind-side parallel park, the mere thought of which scares me to death! You know how hard it is to parallel park a car? Well, imagine doing that with a 60-foot commercial motor vehicle using only mirrors to "find" the curb on that side. Oh, boy....
Hopefully, the next time I write I will have good news about being the holder of a Commercial Drivers License. Then, of course, comes the matter of picking a suitable OTR trucking company to work for. I have narrowed the list to six, but picking The One will be difficult.
Thanks for reading, my dear reader. You have no idea how much it helps me, knowing that someone is reading my words.
It's not so much what we did, because we did the same tasks we've done for the week. But two events stand out - beside the 90 degree alley dock that continues to whip my butt - that made being there use a wee bit unpleasant. We have four students in my class: a young 20-Something whose Dad is a career truck driver, a Hispanic male, an Egyptian male, and me. Just that mix of cultural and age differences has made for a wonderfully diverse mix of opinions and behaviors, but two of them went off on each other this week. I won't say which two because I don't think airing that kind of stuff is appropriate, but I will tell you one of them has been consistently late for our early morning classroom session from 7:00 - 8:00 a.m. and has a habit of leaving early, even though we are to be there until 5:00 p.m. He has a somewhat superior attitude and does not take positive criticism very well, even when he does not perform the maneuvers in the prescribed way, as we all have done.
Well, the two of them got into it and if it weren't for one of the other students, there would have been a physical fight, but the other one did take one of the two away from the area and it calmed down...after a while.
The second unpleasant experience involved one of the two original "combatants" and me. It was quite cold on Thursday, though not snowing, and when it was my turn to drive, the fellow jumped in the right side of the cab, where it was warm. He said, "That is how we're going to do it now. One rides while one drives." I was not going to have that on my session and told him to leave or I would not drive. He refused many times, stayed in the truck, and I finally shut it down, got out, and went to the office to file a complaint. About mid-day on Friday, the company owner came to me and said he had received the complaint and would deal with the other student. He said he had a "heart-to-heart" chat with him about the first incident and would do so again.
That kind of experience did not help reduce my stress, I can tell you that. OR my performance, which just seemed to go downhill after that, making that day not so good.
Anyway, next week is geared toward fine-tuning our tasks in preparation for the state testers beginning Wednesday and for being exposed to some experiences we won't be tested on but might have to perform in the field, like the blind-side parallel park, the mere thought of which scares me to death! You know how hard it is to parallel park a car? Well, imagine doing that with a 60-foot commercial motor vehicle using only mirrors to "find" the curb on that side. Oh, boy....
Hopefully, the next time I write I will have good news about being the holder of a Commercial Drivers License. Then, of course, comes the matter of picking a suitable OTR trucking company to work for. I have narrowed the list to six, but picking The One will be difficult.
Thanks for reading, my dear reader. You have no idea how much it helps me, knowing that someone is reading my words.
Sunday, February 5, 2012
Even on Super Bowl Sunday, I work
Today is Sunday, February 5, 2012, and it is Super Bowl Sunday, so you might think I would give myself a day off to relax and enjoy something. But no. I just returned from spending a couple of hours doing a pretrip inspection, or PTI, on the tractor and trailer in the West Michigan CDL parking lot because nobody is there, the weather is wonderful - 42 degrees and sunny - and the only deficiency I have found in training so far is the instructors did not do a step-by-step, item-by-item PTI early in the week. For those of us who didn't tear cars apart and rebuild them as teenagers, learning the difference between the air conditioning compressor and the air compressor and water pump is challenging, especially since the engine compartment of a commercial motor vehicle is packed with large, sturdy pieces of metal, hoses, and electrical wiring.
Fortunately, there is YouTube and there are examples from other CDL schools that point out each item, so I spent time doing that then validating the pieces on our own equipment.
I also have a take-home test to complete and must spend some time visualizing the shift pattern of this 10-speed transmission, especially downshifting and shifting from 7th to 5th, the turning gear. As I have written, this whole truck driving experience is very complex and I'm having a bit of difficulty managing the myriad tasks that come quickly to me when I am:
So, dear reader, the next time you make a right turn in your 4-wheeler, think about the myriad tasks you are completing without consciously thinking about any of them - you just do each of them to perfection and adjust to anything out of the ordinary, also without consciously thinking about it. If you can, try to remember what you were like when you were learning to drive and making right turns was not a natural, well-practived task. That is where I am in truck driving.
Then again, I have only been at it for one week and I have two more. I am pleased with my progress, dear reader, and thank YOU for reading and staying with me.
Fortunately, there is YouTube and there are examples from other CDL schools that point out each item, so I spent time doing that then validating the pieces on our own equipment.
I also have a take-home test to complete and must spend some time visualizing the shift pattern of this 10-speed transmission, especially downshifting and shifting from 7th to 5th, the turning gear. As I have written, this whole truck driving experience is very complex and I'm having a bit of difficulty managing the myriad tasks that come quickly to me when I am:
- Planning far enough ahead to make that turn up there, while
- Getting into the right lane to turn without hitting the curb and without leaving enough room for a 4-wheeler to squeeze to my right (which almost happened once, which is a VERY exciting experience, I can tell you) while
- Slowing down well ahead of the stop line, and
- Downshifting from 8th or 9th to 7th
- So I can be in 5th gear before the turn.
- If the light stays green,
- I must be in 5th before the turn, so I can
- Make the right turn at a very slow speed, while
- Driving as far as I can into the left or on-coming traffic lane, so I can
- Complete the turn without hitting anything or running the rear tandems of the trailer over the curb.
- Oh. And I must remember to put the right blinker on and turn it off. A truck blinker is not automatic.
So, dear reader, the next time you make a right turn in your 4-wheeler, think about the myriad tasks you are completing without consciously thinking about any of them - you just do each of them to perfection and adjust to anything out of the ordinary, also without consciously thinking about it. If you can, try to remember what you were like when you were learning to drive and making right turns was not a natural, well-practived task. That is where I am in truck driving.
Then again, I have only been at it for one week and I have two more. I am pleased with my progress, dear reader, and thank YOU for reading and staying with me.
Friday, February 3, 2012
First full week is in the can
Today is Friday, February 3, 2012, and the end of the first full week of my training for a Commercial Drivers License, the CDL. This has been a very hectic week, filled with stress from learning new skills of which I had no idea one week ago, and of feeling pretty good about the progress I have made. There are two more weeks to go and I am going to need both of them to get my skill performance up to a minimum level to pass the Michigan test, but I do think I am on the right path. I did choose the right school; of that, I am sure.
So let me recap what I've done this week:
The days this week have begun with a one-hour session in class learning about defensive driving, which as you might expect, is much more complex for a commercial motor vehicle than for a 4-wheeler car or motorcycle. A CMV is, after all, a regulated vehicle of great mass. Next week, we get into the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and logging of our drive and duty times, both of which will be challenging and rewarding. Out on the range, we will be exposed to blind-side parallel parking, by far the most difficult maneuver. In case the name doesn't give you a good idea, it's parallel parking a 65' combination vehicle against the curb on the right side using only mirrors.
Uh huh. Fun!
We will also begin actually backing the combination vehicle into one of the maintenance bays in the school building. Up to this point, our practice has been based on yellow lines on the ground in a very large parking lot and orange cones to show obstacles. Next week we experience real obstacles...like the walls of a building!
So, dear reader, thank you again for keeping up with my progress. I hope what I am giving you amuses you in some way and I hope you continue following my journey to becoming a "truck driver."
So let me recap what I've done this week:
- I have learned to start and move a commercial motor vehicle pulling a 53' trailer;
- I have learned to shift all 10 forward gears - though there is considerable room for improvement! - and one reverse gear;
- I have learned to drive straight forward out of a "dock" and reverse the course, backing in a straight line into and back out of the dock;
- I have learned to perform (though not consistently well) a 90 degree alley dock, which is still the most difficult maneuver so far;
- I have learned to drive on public roads of all kinds, including industrial park, small neighborhood streets, main city multilane thoroughfares and divided roads, and part of the Michigan Interstate System with speed limits (for cars) of 70 mph;
- I have learned to shift up and down, though this is another area in need of more practice;
- And I have learned to perform a pre-trip inspection of my tractor and trailer.
The days this week have begun with a one-hour session in class learning about defensive driving, which as you might expect, is much more complex for a commercial motor vehicle than for a 4-wheeler car or motorcycle. A CMV is, after all, a regulated vehicle of great mass. Next week, we get into the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations and logging of our drive and duty times, both of which will be challenging and rewarding. Out on the range, we will be exposed to blind-side parallel parking, by far the most difficult maneuver. In case the name doesn't give you a good idea, it's parallel parking a 65' combination vehicle against the curb on the right side using only mirrors.
Uh huh. Fun!
We will also begin actually backing the combination vehicle into one of the maintenance bays in the school building. Up to this point, our practice has been based on yellow lines on the ground in a very large parking lot and orange cones to show obstacles. Next week we experience real obstacles...like the walls of a building!
So, dear reader, thank you again for keeping up with my progress. I hope what I am giving you amuses you in some way and I hope you continue following my journey to becoming a "truck driver."
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
January 31, 2012; Day Two is in the bag
Well, dear reader, I have completed Day Two of my CDL training and I have to say there was much improvement from yesterday. The straight-back, left turn, and right turn maneuvers weren't much of a problem and there was improvement. The big change came from the 90 degree alley dock, which, as you may recall from yesterday, really sucked. I mean badly. I had no idea what I was looking for, how to set the maneuver up, or how to see if it was going to work or not. And worst of all, I had no idea how to put any of that in my mind.
Something happened today, though. As I was watching one of my fellow students, I took note of where he turned the tractor-trailer to get 90 degrees from the dock. For some reason, it all just fell into place and my first one was almost perfectly done. In fact, all but one of them today was what the school testers call "scorable," meaning each would have passed with minimal loss of points.
All that was before lunch, which we enjoyed courtesy of a traveling recruiter from Werner Enterprises, a large, diverse, nationwide truck company that hires "lots of students from Michigan CDL," as the guy said. After that, it was out onto city streets for the first time. And I must say it was there, first doing a 15-minute pattern of left turns then right turns on streets on the back roads of the industrial park - no 4-lane major streets today - that I learned just how much there is in this business.
First, there are 10 gears, each with a maximum speed - and I need to know all those gears and their associated speeds by heart - made up of five gears in two ranges, a high range and a low range. Then there is the RPM shift range for each gear, both upshifting and downshifting, the double clutching for every gear, where to aim the tractor so the trailer doesn't hit a curb or a car in the opposite lane, and revving the engine up to the appropriate RPM, but only while downshifting, plus dealing with cars doing crazy things (like passing on a double yellow line, in a blind curve) and other 18-wheelers that are actually out there working, and you get an idea how busy my poor brain was.
My one-hour session just about took all the energy out of me and I was quite ready to be replaced by the other student, but then, right at the end, the instructor asked me to skip a gear while downshifting, something that is often done. Go from 8th to 6th, which isn't bad, because both of those are in the same range. Or go from 7th (high range) to 5th (low range). Doing that requires moving a lever on the shifter, but only while in neutral....
Oh, yeah. Like I'm ready for all this! Perhaps as you read what I just wrote you will get a sense of how much is going on. Also imagine increasing then decreasing speed to use all 10 gears, watch for traffic, watch the changing speed limits, the curves, the crazy cars, the....
Well, you get the idea. I will say I am ready for bed every night, which is good! And I definitely appreciate the 3-week course length and quality of instructors much more than I did even yesterday. I am confident I will be ready, but, OH, have I got some growing to do before then.
And homework. This week: Safety-related information, how-to-do a pre-trip vehicle inspection (which takes about 45 minutes and requires much memorization.) Next week, regulations and trip planning. Third week: more trip planning and detailed logging.
Whew.
Something happened today, though. As I was watching one of my fellow students, I took note of where he turned the tractor-trailer to get 90 degrees from the dock. For some reason, it all just fell into place and my first one was almost perfectly done. In fact, all but one of them today was what the school testers call "scorable," meaning each would have passed with minimal loss of points.
All that was before lunch, which we enjoyed courtesy of a traveling recruiter from Werner Enterprises, a large, diverse, nationwide truck company that hires "lots of students from Michigan CDL," as the guy said. After that, it was out onto city streets for the first time. And I must say it was there, first doing a 15-minute pattern of left turns then right turns on streets on the back roads of the industrial park - no 4-lane major streets today - that I learned just how much there is in this business.
First, there are 10 gears, each with a maximum speed - and I need to know all those gears and their associated speeds by heart - made up of five gears in two ranges, a high range and a low range. Then there is the RPM shift range for each gear, both upshifting and downshifting, the double clutching for every gear, where to aim the tractor so the trailer doesn't hit a curb or a car in the opposite lane, and revving the engine up to the appropriate RPM, but only while downshifting, plus dealing with cars doing crazy things (like passing on a double yellow line, in a blind curve) and other 18-wheelers that are actually out there working, and you get an idea how busy my poor brain was.
My one-hour session just about took all the energy out of me and I was quite ready to be replaced by the other student, but then, right at the end, the instructor asked me to skip a gear while downshifting, something that is often done. Go from 8th to 6th, which isn't bad, because both of those are in the same range. Or go from 7th (high range) to 5th (low range). Doing that requires moving a lever on the shifter, but only while in neutral....
Oh, yeah. Like I'm ready for all this! Perhaps as you read what I just wrote you will get a sense of how much is going on. Also imagine increasing then decreasing speed to use all 10 gears, watch for traffic, watch the changing speed limits, the curves, the crazy cars, the....
Well, you get the idea. I will say I am ready for bed every night, which is good! And I definitely appreciate the 3-week course length and quality of instructors much more than I did even yesterday. I am confident I will be ready, but, OH, have I got some growing to do before then.
And homework. This week: Safety-related information, how-to-do a pre-trip vehicle inspection (which takes about 45 minutes and requires much memorization.) Next week, regulations and trip planning. Third week: more trip planning and detailed logging.
Whew.
Monday, January 30, 2012
January 10, 2012: Bad news
I've been sent home as "permanently medically disqualified" by the company. Reason: A motorcycle accident 35 years ago resulted in a skull fracture. Since there will be no records for that, the company assumes the worst and assumes I will suffer seizures.
The problem with that line of thinking is that I had to prove to the FAA medical staff that I would not have seizures while flying airplanes. That process took 2 years and $10,000 back in the early 1970's. And I flew passengers for years, getting medical exams emery six months until I went to work for the FAA.
Oh well. It is what it is. Now I have to develop Plan B.
The problem with that line of thinking is that I had to prove to the FAA medical staff that I would not have seizures while flying airplanes. That process took 2 years and $10,000 back in the early 1970's. And I flew passengers for years, getting medical exams emery six months until I went to work for the FAA.
Oh well. It is what it is. Now I have to develop Plan B.
CDL training begins!
Today is January 30, 2012, the first day of a 3-week CDL training course and I have finished it. Let me tell you about it.
The day began with a pretty bad night's sleep, which is pretty unusual. Since my retirement one month ago, I've slept very soundly all night. Not so last night, probably because of my excitement about what I would start today. No matter, in very cold temperatures and yawning all the way, I drove the 30 minutes to Grandville, Michigan, the home of Western Michigan CDL, my home-away-from-home for the next three weeks. I had to be there at 6:30 a.m. to sign papers and give them copies of my Michigan CDL Temporary Instructional Permit, my DOT medical card, and my Michigan driver's license. I met Bob, one of the senior staff - and one of several state-designated CDL testers that I might have to deal with later on - Mike, the owner, and Doug, our first range instructor. After a couple of hours in the classroom talking about the course, defensive driving techniques, and why you "4-wheelers" really need to understand more about us truck drivers (See? I'm already developing "The Attitude!"), our class of four students moved out onto "the range," which really means a huge parking lot owned by the company in which we will train for much of this week. As an aside, we will be going out onto city streets tomorrow.
We spent half the morning and the afternoon working on these basic CDL maneuvers:
All in all, I learned that my left foot - the one that used the clutch - hasn't forgotten everything it knew; that I'm pretty good already with backing in a straight line and making left turns; and need a lot of work on 90 degree alley docks.
We will tackle blind-side (the right side) parallel parking next week. Try to imaging how THAT will go!
More tomorrow and I hope to continue posting these progress reports, so I appreciate you reading, dear reader.
The day began with a pretty bad night's sleep, which is pretty unusual. Since my retirement one month ago, I've slept very soundly all night. Not so last night, probably because of my excitement about what I would start today. No matter, in very cold temperatures and yawning all the way, I drove the 30 minutes to Grandville, Michigan, the home of Western Michigan CDL, my home-away-from-home for the next three weeks. I had to be there at 6:30 a.m. to sign papers and give them copies of my Michigan CDL Temporary Instructional Permit, my DOT medical card, and my Michigan driver's license. I met Bob, one of the senior staff - and one of several state-designated CDL testers that I might have to deal with later on - Mike, the owner, and Doug, our first range instructor. After a couple of hours in the classroom talking about the course, defensive driving techniques, and why you "4-wheelers" really need to understand more about us truck drivers (See? I'm already developing "The Attitude!"), our class of four students moved out onto "the range," which really means a huge parking lot owned by the company in which we will train for much of this week. As an aside, we will be going out onto city streets tomorrow.
We spent half the morning and the afternoon working on these basic CDL maneuvers:
- Straight-line backing: This is backing the tractor-trailer combination in a straight line between two sets of cones. Sounds easy, but it's not that easy. It is, however, a whole lot easier than the next one.
- 90 degree alley backing: This is setting the truck up 90 degrees from the same "alley" and backing in. It is one of two "most difficult" maneuvers and one I need work on. The key is getting a sight picture of where the rear of the trailer, which is leading the charge, so to speak, in the right place to put the trailer in between the same cones as aboves. It is not easy and I did much better than one, as well as one, and not as well as one of the students.
- Left turns: Not much excitement here, actually, because of the way we drive in this country - in the right lane.
- Right turns near a curb: This is much more difficult because a 60' tractor-trailer combination does not turn like a car does. It takes some getting used to the new sight-picture to make it work.
- Hooking and unhooking the trailer: We spent about an hour doing this, which is pretty straight forward.
All in all, I learned that my left foot - the one that used the clutch - hasn't forgotten everything it knew; that I'm pretty good already with backing in a straight line and making left turns; and need a lot of work on 90 degree alley docks.
We will tackle blind-side (the right side) parallel parking next week. Try to imaging how THAT will go!
More tomorrow and I hope to continue posting these progress reports, so I appreciate you reading, dear reader.
Thursday, January 26, 2012
Today was a good day!
Thursday, January 26, 2012: A very good day in the life of this federal retiree, to be sure. First, I went to the local office of the Michigan Secretary of State to get the Commercial Drivers License (CDL) permit and passed all four parts of the test on the first try! I now am in possession of a Michigan CDL Temporary Instruction Permit and an unrestricted DOT medical certificate that says I am medically qualified to operate a commercial motor vehicle. Since I hate taking knowledge tests and this one is a bit complex, passing it on my first try is very good news, indeed.
After taking the tests - and sharing the good news with my children! - I came home and received a telephone call from the owner of West Michigan CDL, the school I hope to attend as soon as my annual leave payment arrives, which should be "any day now." The owner said they have an opening in the Monday class because one of the students who was going to be in the class did not pass his DOT medical check so he had to withdraw. They offered me the slot with the understanding that if my money doesn't show up in the next 3 weeks of school, they will withhold the graduation certificate and other paperwork until I do pay them. I said I understand and accepted their offer.
Beginning Monday, I will be in training to become a truck driver! I promise to keep you up-to-date on how class goes, dear reader. This is a very exciting time in my life.
After taking the tests - and sharing the good news with my children! - I came home and received a telephone call from the owner of West Michigan CDL, the school I hope to attend as soon as my annual leave payment arrives, which should be "any day now." The owner said they have an opening in the Monday class because one of the students who was going to be in the class did not pass his DOT medical check so he had to withdraw. They offered me the slot with the understanding that if my money doesn't show up in the next 3 weeks of school, they will withhold the graduation certificate and other paperwork until I do pay them. I said I understand and accepted their offer.
Beginning Monday, I will be in training to become a truck driver! I promise to keep you up-to-date on how class goes, dear reader. This is a very exciting time in my life.
Monday, January 23, 2012
DOT medical: Done!
January 23, 2012. Today, I went to a local health provider to see if I could pass the DOT medical required by all commercial vehicle operators. As you recall from my previous blogs, I was sent home from a large national carrier because I did not meet their medical standards. Honestly, that rejection shook my own confidence and I wanted to see if I should even pursue this "bucket list" employment any farther. So I decided to fork over the $113.00 for the drug screen and DOT physical....no sense in spending more for CDL training if I couldn't pass the basic physical, right? Guess what?
I passed and received a 2-year medical card, the longest one they issue! That means that everything in my medical history and physical assessment met the minimum requirements for issuance! BP? Good. Drug screen? Negative. BMI/neck size? Within guidelines.
I'm a happy boy today. Now, on the Step 2, taking the Michigan CDL knowledge tests for issuance of the CDL Permit!
I passed and received a 2-year medical card, the longest one they issue! That means that everything in my medical history and physical assessment met the minimum requirements for issuance! BP? Good. Drug screen? Negative. BMI/neck size? Within guidelines.
I'm a happy boy today. Now, on the Step 2, taking the Michigan CDL knowledge tests for issuance of the CDL Permit!
Friday, January 20, 2012
Plan B is taking its own direction
Friday, January 20, 2012, the 21st birthday of my youngest daughter. I called her this morning and sang Happy Birthday to her, as I have done to my children for decades. During the subsequent conversation, I became aware that my Plan B has changed. Let me tell you how.
As you know, dear reader, I was sent home by Stevens Transport in Dallas, Texas, a week ago because I did not meet their medical standards. It was a setback but in no way did it diminish my desire to earn a Commercial Driver License and go to work as a long-distance truck driver for someone--after all, it's been on my "bucket list" for a very long time. While I have been studying the Michigan CDL manual in preparation for the series of knowledge tests I have to take, I also took the time to visit a dentist to take care of an ache. It turns out this ache is only the beginning of what will most likely be a very expensive, drawn-out process that might even impact my near-future plans. Here's brief synopsis of what has transpired.
I had a wisdom tooth removed in early January. That, in itself, was not a problem; the extraction when smoothly and there were no recurring issues with bleeding, pain, or anything. A couple of weeks later - and, I am told, entirely unrelated to the extraction - my jaw suddenly froze almost completely shut. I cannot open my jaws enough to fit a spoon, toothbrush, or most food that isn't thin and soft. I was put on 800 mg of Ibuprofen 4 times a day for two weeks in hopes that the problem was swelling. It wasn't.
So now, I have an appointment with an oral surgeon next week to see if he can resolve the frozen jaw. I am not that happy about it, but it is what it is. I have no dental insurance, so I'm paying for all this out of my retirement pocket, so to speak, and those are expenses I had not planned on. And I am sure that the oral surgeon will cost a whole lot more than the dentist.
The worst part about all this is that I might have to delay training or job-hunting, depending on what the oral surgeon says or does. I've never been to one but it sure sounds expensive--anything with "surgeon" in the title is bound to cost a whole lot more than I really want to pay.
Good thing I have a lump sum payment of my leftover annual leave coming, though I was not planning on spending it on dental work.
As you know, dear reader, I was sent home by Stevens Transport in Dallas, Texas, a week ago because I did not meet their medical standards. It was a setback but in no way did it diminish my desire to earn a Commercial Driver License and go to work as a long-distance truck driver for someone--after all, it's been on my "bucket list" for a very long time. While I have been studying the Michigan CDL manual in preparation for the series of knowledge tests I have to take, I also took the time to visit a dentist to take care of an ache. It turns out this ache is only the beginning of what will most likely be a very expensive, drawn-out process that might even impact my near-future plans. Here's brief synopsis of what has transpired.
I had a wisdom tooth removed in early January. That, in itself, was not a problem; the extraction when smoothly and there were no recurring issues with bleeding, pain, or anything. A couple of weeks later - and, I am told, entirely unrelated to the extraction - my jaw suddenly froze almost completely shut. I cannot open my jaws enough to fit a spoon, toothbrush, or most food that isn't thin and soft. I was put on 800 mg of Ibuprofen 4 times a day for two weeks in hopes that the problem was swelling. It wasn't.
So now, I have an appointment with an oral surgeon next week to see if he can resolve the frozen jaw. I am not that happy about it, but it is what it is. I have no dental insurance, so I'm paying for all this out of my retirement pocket, so to speak, and those are expenses I had not planned on. And I am sure that the oral surgeon will cost a whole lot more than the dentist.
The worst part about all this is that I might have to delay training or job-hunting, depending on what the oral surgeon says or does. I've never been to one but it sure sounds expensive--anything with "surgeon" in the title is bound to cost a whole lot more than I really want to pay.
Good thing I have a lump sum payment of my leftover annual leave coming, though I was not planning on spending it on dental work.
Thursday, January 12, 2012
January 12, 2012: Another decision
Dear reader, in my last blog, I gave you the bad news that I had not made the cut at Stevens Transport because of some medical information I gave them about a motorcycle accident 35 years ago. That is not a mistake I will repeat, I can tell you that. The hospital I was sent to no longer is there and the medical records from that long ago will have been destroyed long ago, so there is no way to validate or refute anything I said. There is much the company needs to know and there are things they don't need to know. Frankly, I volunteered way too much information and they took their approach and said I did not meet their standards. So be it. I cannot and will not fight anything with them, but I must move on.
That brings us to the next decision, made during my 28-hour bus trip back to my home in Dutton, Michigan:
I have decided to enter the West Michigan CDL school, pay for my own CDL training, then look for a job from that angle.
This was one of my original plans, but I figured why not save the almost-$5,000 cost if I can get CDL training with no upfront money from me? Well, I tried and it didn't work out. There are other benefits, too. I will be available for paid employment right away, I have more flexibility - since I will not owe any company a year or more for loan completion - and there are companies that have either tuition reimbursement or a sign-on bonus, which will help defray the money I spent on CDL training.
Plus, upon my return home, an envelope was waiting for me that said I owe the Thrift Savings Plan (the government's personal retirement account, similar to a civilian 401K plan) about $5,000 for a house loan I took out long ago that I was slowly repaying through payroll deduction. And that I had forgotten about. The bottom line is, no payroll, no deduction, so the outstanding balance is due. Fortunately for me, I have the lump sum payment for the vacation time I didn't use and that will show up in the next couple of weeks. Making that TSP payment is no problem. If I hadn't been here, though, the envelope and form inside would have sat in the PO Box and there would have been some nasty consequences--like an IRS penalty payment!
Also when I came home, my thermostat had completely shut the heating system down because of an unknown error that I had to clear to reset the system. What that means is that, had I actually been away the 9-12 weeks I originally planned, the house would have had NO HEAT. Which isn't bad with the 40-degree temperatures we've had, but would be a disaster with the 20-degree temps that are forecast.
Just another confirmation that God does, indeed, look after stupid pilots!
Thank you for staying with me, dear reader. It's nice to know that someone reads the words I write!
That brings us to the next decision, made during my 28-hour bus trip back to my home in Dutton, Michigan:
I have decided to enter the West Michigan CDL school, pay for my own CDL training, then look for a job from that angle.
This was one of my original plans, but I figured why not save the almost-$5,000 cost if I can get CDL training with no upfront money from me? Well, I tried and it didn't work out. There are other benefits, too. I will be available for paid employment right away, I have more flexibility - since I will not owe any company a year or more for loan completion - and there are companies that have either tuition reimbursement or a sign-on bonus, which will help defray the money I spent on CDL training.
Plus, upon my return home, an envelope was waiting for me that said I owe the Thrift Savings Plan (the government's personal retirement account, similar to a civilian 401K plan) about $5,000 for a house loan I took out long ago that I was slowly repaying through payroll deduction. And that I had forgotten about. The bottom line is, no payroll, no deduction, so the outstanding balance is due. Fortunately for me, I have the lump sum payment for the vacation time I didn't use and that will show up in the next couple of weeks. Making that TSP payment is no problem. If I hadn't been here, though, the envelope and form inside would have sat in the PO Box and there would have been some nasty consequences--like an IRS penalty payment!
Also when I came home, my thermostat had completely shut the heating system down because of an unknown error that I had to clear to reset the system. What that means is that, had I actually been away the 9-12 weeks I originally planned, the house would have had NO HEAT. Which isn't bad with the 40-degree temperatures we've had, but would be a disaster with the 20-degree temps that are forecast.
Just another confirmation that God does, indeed, look after stupid pilots!
Thank you for staying with me, dear reader. It's nice to know that someone reads the words I write!
Tuesday, January 10, 2012
Bad news
1/10/2012: Well, darn my bad luck. I've been sent home as "permanently medically disqualified" by the company. Reason: A motorcycle accident 35 years ago resulted in a skull fracture. Since there will be no records for that, the company assumes the worst and assumes I will suffer seizures.
The problem with that line of thinking is that I had to prove to the FAA medical staff that I would not have seizures while flying airplanes. That process took 2 years and $10,000 back in the early 1970's. And I flew passengers for years, getting medical exams emery six months until I went to work for the FAA.
Oh well. It is what it is. Now I have to develop Plan B.
The problem with that line of thinking is that I had to prove to the FAA medical staff that I would not have seizures while flying airplanes. That process took 2 years and $10,000 back in the early 1970's. And I flew passengers for years, getting medical exams emery six months until I went to work for the FAA.
Oh well. It is what it is. Now I have to develop Plan B.
Monday, January 9, 2012
January 9, 2012; In class at Stevens Driving Academy
Day 1 of my experience with Stevens Transport happened today. After a very early start - a 5:30 a.m. departure from my hotel in Mesquite, Texas - 51 other "newbies" and I arrived at the main headquarters. We spent the day filling out paperwork for school and the hotel. We are not yet employees, so we did not have to complete any tax information, but no matter. There were plenty of other forms.
We learned about Stevens policies on all sorts of things. For example, it is against company policy to consume or possess alcoholic beverages of any kind ANYWHERE except your home of record when you are off. So, asks one student, does this mean I cannot drink a beer while I am on a vacation at Billy Bob's Saloon in Ft. Worth with my family if I live in Wyoming? Answer: Right. And if you have a problem with it, consider this: If Stevens learns about your drinking while you are on vacation, you will be terminated. And consuming alcoholic beverages of any kind at any time while a student at Stevens Driving Academy is absolutely forbidden.
Wow. Powerful stuff. As you can imagine, there was a lot of grumbling about it. But they've had some alcohol-related problems in the recent past, so if adults won't be responsible and, well, adult about their consumption, the company will.
Which made what happened just a few minutes before I sat down in the evening, in my hotel room, and started writing this VERY disturbing. One of my classmates knocked on my door by mistake, looking for another room.
He was carrying two cans of Bud Light beer. Guess he missed that part of class. My guess is he will be gone soon. And not missed.
We have an interesting cross-section of people from a variety of states: Texas, North and South Carolina, Missouri, Utah, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Minnesota, Ohio, Florida, Michigan, and even one fellow from Alaska (no, not me!) just to name several.
And there are some who follow directions and some who don't. There are those among us who appear not to know they are the driver applicant when asked to sign a medical form and given two choices: "Driver Applicant Signature" or "Medical Provider Signature."
I am looking forward to the next three weeks, assuming I make it through Wednesday and the very kind day tomorrow. We start at 6:00 a.m. doing our DOT physicals and will get the results not later than Wednesday.
Oh, the day tomorrow ends at 9:00 p.m. with a mandatory study session for Texas CDL written test preparation. So, Dear Reader, because I have to get up very early tomorrow, I will close this chapter with one final thought:
I am amazed at how quickly I have put "FAA" out of my mind. I would have thought something I did for more than 25 years would have lingered a whole longer. But no. It's gone. Gone. Gone.
We learned about Stevens policies on all sorts of things. For example, it is against company policy to consume or possess alcoholic beverages of any kind ANYWHERE except your home of record when you are off. So, asks one student, does this mean I cannot drink a beer while I am on a vacation at Billy Bob's Saloon in Ft. Worth with my family if I live in Wyoming? Answer: Right. And if you have a problem with it, consider this: If Stevens learns about your drinking while you are on vacation, you will be terminated. And consuming alcoholic beverages of any kind at any time while a student at Stevens Driving Academy is absolutely forbidden.
Wow. Powerful stuff. As you can imagine, there was a lot of grumbling about it. But they've had some alcohol-related problems in the recent past, so if adults won't be responsible and, well, adult about their consumption, the company will.
Which made what happened just a few minutes before I sat down in the evening, in my hotel room, and started writing this VERY disturbing. One of my classmates knocked on my door by mistake, looking for another room.
He was carrying two cans of Bud Light beer. Guess he missed that part of class. My guess is he will be gone soon. And not missed.
We have an interesting cross-section of people from a variety of states: Texas, North and South Carolina, Missouri, Utah, Georgia, Louisiana, Arkansas, Minnesota, Ohio, Florida, Michigan, and even one fellow from Alaska (no, not me!) just to name several.
And there are some who follow directions and some who don't. There are those among us who appear not to know they are the driver applicant when asked to sign a medical form and given two choices: "Driver Applicant Signature" or "Medical Provider Signature."
I am looking forward to the next three weeks, assuming I make it through Wednesday and the very kind day tomorrow. We start at 6:00 a.m. doing our DOT physicals and will get the results not later than Wednesday.
Oh, the day tomorrow ends at 9:00 p.m. with a mandatory study session for Texas CDL written test preparation. So, Dear Reader, because I have to get up very early tomorrow, I will close this chapter with one final thought:
I am amazed at how quickly I have put "FAA" out of my mind. I would have thought something I did for more than 25 years would have lingered a whole longer. But no. It's gone. Gone. Gone.
Tuesday, January 3, 2012
Good freaking bye, miserable, stinking 2011
Today is January 3, 2012, and I am among those who are very happy that 2011 is now what we will call "history."
A year ago, my professional career choices were very different than they were in December and in April, the elected idiots we have refused to discuss, negotiate, and bend at all, so the federal government, of which I was an employee, came to the brink of shut-down once again. I lived through the two FAA shutdowns in 1995 but this one felt different. In fact, in April, I was driving back to my Michigan home from a temporary detail in Springfield, Illinois. The drive is only 8 hours but I left Springfield not knowing if I was going to have a job waiting for me when I arrived in Michigan or if I was going to be furloughed.
Things did not improve after April, so I very quickly came to the decision, which happened on December 31, 2011. I had planned on three more years of working but I just could not stomach the thought of that much more stress in the Executive Branch of government. So, after 27 years, I've terminated my "full-time" employment in favor of my "bucket list" employment, which is what this blog is all about. I will take my federal pension into a new civilian life as a rookie truck driver.
After lots of telephone calls to the recruiting staff, a cursory background check (made much easier because of having had only one employer, the federal government, for more than 25 years) I will be leaving Michigan on Saturday, January 7, for Dallas, where I will begin training at Stevens Transport to become an over-the-road truck driver, a training process that takes about 5 months or so, depending on all kinds of external factors and one internal factor---my own ability to learn what has to be learned.
For the past week, I have packed, unpacked, repacked, and repacked the one duffel bag I will take. I am an experienced traveler, but I tend to overpack, something that cannot happen now. I will be sharing a very small, two-bunk truck sleeper with another human being for 13 or more weeks, and carrying "too much stuff" just isn't a good thing. But I have only a couple more days before I toss that duffel bag and my one carryon bag into the belly of a Greyhound Bus and head south for what I hope will be a long time away from home.
I plan to keep you up-to-date as much as I can, considering that learning to drive a truck is a pretty big jump from what I've done for decades and I must pay attention to the details. Failure is not an option. I will be using my iPad which is a very nice balance between this Mac laptop and my iPhone, so what you see should at least be readable.
So, once again, dear reader, it is off to unpack and ponder.
A year ago, my professional career choices were very different than they were in December and in April, the elected idiots we have refused to discuss, negotiate, and bend at all, so the federal government, of which I was an employee, came to the brink of shut-down once again. I lived through the two FAA shutdowns in 1995 but this one felt different. In fact, in April, I was driving back to my Michigan home from a temporary detail in Springfield, Illinois. The drive is only 8 hours but I left Springfield not knowing if I was going to have a job waiting for me when I arrived in Michigan or if I was going to be furloughed.
Things did not improve after April, so I very quickly came to the decision, which happened on December 31, 2011. I had planned on three more years of working but I just could not stomach the thought of that much more stress in the Executive Branch of government. So, after 27 years, I've terminated my "full-time" employment in favor of my "bucket list" employment, which is what this blog is all about. I will take my federal pension into a new civilian life as a rookie truck driver.
After lots of telephone calls to the recruiting staff, a cursory background check (made much easier because of having had only one employer, the federal government, for more than 25 years) I will be leaving Michigan on Saturday, January 7, for Dallas, where I will begin training at Stevens Transport to become an over-the-road truck driver, a training process that takes about 5 months or so, depending on all kinds of external factors and one internal factor---my own ability to learn what has to be learned.
For the past week, I have packed, unpacked, repacked, and repacked the one duffel bag I will take. I am an experienced traveler, but I tend to overpack, something that cannot happen now. I will be sharing a very small, two-bunk truck sleeper with another human being for 13 or more weeks, and carrying "too much stuff" just isn't a good thing. But I have only a couple more days before I toss that duffel bag and my one carryon bag into the belly of a Greyhound Bus and head south for what I hope will be a long time away from home.
I plan to keep you up-to-date as much as I can, considering that learning to drive a truck is a pretty big jump from what I've done for decades and I must pay attention to the details. Failure is not an option. I will be using my iPad which is a very nice balance between this Mac laptop and my iPhone, so what you see should at least be readable.
So, once again, dear reader, it is off to unpack and ponder.
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