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.

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.

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:

• 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.

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.

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!

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.

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!