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.
Showing posts with label Stevens. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Stevens. Show all posts
Monday, January 30, 2012
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.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
12/24/2011
Today is Saturday, December 24, 2011. Christmas Eve Day, and the last Saturday I have as an FAA employee. This past week has been miserable in that it has been extremely slow and boring for me. The last couple of weeks in December are always slow, what with government employees on what is called "use or lose" leave and the stakeholders we serve - the aviation community in Western Michigan - is preparing for bad weather and the holidays themselves.
Of course, for me, this particular week has been even worse because of my imminent retirement plans. I have completed all the projects I have and am left with managing whatever day-to-day activity or fire pops up. And there aren't many of them because most of the workforce is on holiday leave. My desk drawers are cleaned out, the paperwork properly filed, and so I sit. I did get confirmation from both our Human Resources department and the Office of Personnel Management, the dreaded OPM, that everything is moving forward at the proper pace. My retirement will happen less than one week from today.
Next week, however, the last week of what I call my "full-time" employment, will be even worse than this past one was. Almost nobody will be in the office and whatever piddly things I had to do are already done. So I will have to sit for eight hours a day, four remaining workdays. On the bright side, however, I do have to make two calls to the Stevens Transport recruiter with whom I have been working, Wendy. She promises to send me many pre-hire questions to answer and to bring with me when I start on January 9. I am looking forward to all that; hopefully, it will keep me somewhat busy.
So, Dear Reader, take solace in knowing that I am ending one career and starting what I have begun to call my "bucket list" employment. Driving a truck over the road has been on my bucket list since long before that movie made that phrase popular.
One more boring week then it's up to my ears in an entirely different language. I am excited! In the meantime, Dear Reader - not to be confused with Dear Leader, please! - have yourselves a very Merry Christmas and a safe and enjoyable Happy New Year.
Of course, for me, this particular week has been even worse because of my imminent retirement plans. I have completed all the projects I have and am left with managing whatever day-to-day activity or fire pops up. And there aren't many of them because most of the workforce is on holiday leave. My desk drawers are cleaned out, the paperwork properly filed, and so I sit. I did get confirmation from both our Human Resources department and the Office of Personnel Management, the dreaded OPM, that everything is moving forward at the proper pace. My retirement will happen less than one week from today.
Next week, however, the last week of what I call my "full-time" employment, will be even worse than this past one was. Almost nobody will be in the office and whatever piddly things I had to do are already done. So I will have to sit for eight hours a day, four remaining workdays. On the bright side, however, I do have to make two calls to the Stevens Transport recruiter with whom I have been working, Wendy. She promises to send me many pre-hire questions to answer and to bring with me when I start on January 9. I am looking forward to all that; hopefully, it will keep me somewhat busy.
So, Dear Reader, take solace in knowing that I am ending one career and starting what I have begun to call my "bucket list" employment. Driving a truck over the road has been on my bucket list since long before that movie made that phrase popular.
One more boring week then it's up to my ears in an entirely different language. I am excited! In the meantime, Dear Reader - not to be confused with Dear Leader, please! - have yourselves a very Merry Christmas and a safe and enjoyable Happy New Year.
Monday, November 21, 2011
Much-needed update
Well, Dear Reader, this blog did not turn out to be what I thought it was going to be--an answer to my beloved daughter's China blog. Alas, she stopped doing hers and has returned to the United States for a while and I, too, have changes in store for me.
In 40 days, as I write this, I will retire from the Federal Aviation Administration after 25+ years working for them. To be honest - and few-worded - the fun has been taken out of the air and the job. Working for the government isn't what it used to be and I need a change, so I have decided to retire, begin collecting an annuity, and, yes, finally doing something I have wanted to do for a long time.
I am going to become an over-the-road (OTR) truck driver. I have not picked the company yet, though it is really down to two: Swift Transportation, the largest in the U.S., and Stevens Transport, about the third largest. Hopefully, this Single Guy With Random Thoughts blog will include progress and thoughts about my progress.
Look for more and regular posts from me!
In 40 days, as I write this, I will retire from the Federal Aviation Administration after 25+ years working for them. To be honest - and few-worded - the fun has been taken out of the air and the job. Working for the government isn't what it used to be and I need a change, so I have decided to retire, begin collecting an annuity, and, yes, finally doing something I have wanted to do for a long time.
I am going to become an over-the-road (OTR) truck driver. I have not picked the company yet, though it is really down to two: Swift Transportation, the largest in the U.S., and Stevens Transport, about the third largest. Hopefully, this Single Guy With Random Thoughts blog will include progress and thoughts about my progress.
Look for more and regular posts from me!
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