Forgot I had this blog out there. Can't believe it's been over a year now that I have been driving for Werner. I'm an owner operator now  running an '08 Freightliner Cascadia and I've driven over 100,000 miles already. I started out as a company driver OTR, went to the Dollar General account where I came down with a hernia then bought my truck in June and am back doing OTR. I've made quite a few trips to Canada and just finished a run up to British Colombia. Stayed just hours ahead of all the snow and even beat the dust storm in New Mexico a few days ago. Time sure flies when you are having fun.

Well, I've been out of driving school for a week now and have my CDL in hand. Over the past two weeks I have submitted applications to 11 companies with 8 of them sending pre-hire letters. I had a long hard time deciding on which company to go with but my mind is made up now. I decided to go with Werner for many good reasons.

I've gleaned every post I could find on the various trucking forums and have found good and bad on every company out there. When all said and done, everything comes out in the wash. I'll go in with eyes, ears, and mind open and with mouth shut and make the best of it. I think, if anything, 23 years of military service has taught me plenty of self discipline.

I am ready for Werner orientation in Dallas on Monday. Hooah

End of week one at Tri-State in Palmer, TX. Only spent three days in class and the last two days on the road with a trainer. I was the only student on the road today and spent about 4 hours out. We will hit the track on Monday so I can practice backing and parallel parking then back on the road on Tuesday. It's amazing how much I remember and how comfortable it feels since I haven't really driven since 1980.

We have the weekend off then starting Monday will go 12 days straight until finish on 21 October. Happy Columbus Day.

Day 2, open mouth and insert foot. After starting at 0600 this morning with physicals, I find out around 1200 that Stevens won't let me continue because of the meds I'm on and the kind of CPAP I'm using where they can't download the data from. Wow, that took me back. Even though FMCSA doesn't disqualify me on the meds or the CPAP, Stevens has a much more stringent policy on it. I quit taking the meds a week ago knowing they might cause a problem but they want a doctor's release. Then the CPAP thing. I am not going to get a new machine just to satisfy them as the one I'm using is fairly new and it works.

But, every dark cloud has a silver lining. On the way home, I stopped by Tri-State Truck Driving School which is 20 minutes from the house. I did not go to them originally as I didn't think my credit was good enough having been unemployed for over a year. Man was I surprised, my credit score came back a 705 so I qualified for a school loan, woo hoo. The paper work that took in excess of 8 hours at Stevens took me all of 30 minutes at Tri State. The tuition is the same as what Stevens charges which is par with most schools and annual interest rate is 12 percent. First payment starts 60 days after my graduation date of 21 Ocotober. Whoever I sign on with will reimburse me for all or most of the tuition at 150 or 160 a month. Actually my loan repayment will be 160 per month and Werner will pay 150 a month and a local company in Corsicana will pay the 160 per month.

The local company hauls flatbed and van and their drivers are home every weekend. Their flat bed hauls are 75 percent pre-tarped so they are hook and haul. Home on weekends right now is not a priority and I want to get miles and be able to cover as much geography as I can. Tri State will give me a third prospective company next week so I can compare between the three. So many choices and so little time.

My classes start on 3 October where I'll go that first week Monday thru Friday then the weekend off. Then 12 days straight until graduation on the 21st. Oh, and there are 8 students and 4 instructors. This is going to be real nice and the istruction will be on  a very personal basis.

So what have I learned from all this today? To begin with, I'm not faulting Stevens at all. I think there is a systemic problem in the recruiting sector. They need to come up with a standard protocol that helps to pre-screen applicants before they ever leave home. Of course this depends on the honesty and integrity of the candidates so take that with a grain of salt. Needless to say, time and money was wasted by the company and I bet that the candidates will have to pay Stevens back for what was spent on their transportation and lodging. Some of these guys and gals can ill afford the expense and now have a debt hanging over their heads. In fact, the poor guy sitting next to me wore boots that were disintegrating under the table where he sat. We thought it was good old black dirt, it was the rubber soles coming off like loose dirt.

If I knew that Stevens would disqualify me for the reasons I mentioned, I could have taken steps to get everything in order before I showed up yesterday. Of course, it depends on the honesty of the candidates and I guess that is one of my faults, being honest. As least I don't have to remember what I gave for an answer last time.

Like I have told my soldiers for many years, lesson learned and time to move on. My advise for all you prospectives, make sure you have all your ducks in a row and put your recruiter on the spot. FMCSA has one standard and trucking companies can add to it so be sure you know what they want.

When one door closes, another opens so keep your eyes open.

Now I'm going to enjoy the rest of my week. Ciao

Well, day 1 over with. Time seemed to drag on and talk about death from over communication.  I would have never imagined that 15 minutes worth of paperwork could take all day. We started the day with 48 people so lets see what we end up with in three weeks. Their statistics show that 35 will finish. However, in all seriousness, I'm glad to be there and I will be one of the 35 survivors.

There are 8 of us that get to go to the hill on Wednesday while everyone else will be at the Department of Public safety taking tests. The other 7 have their CDL and I have my learner's permit. I got some funny looks from the instructors  when I told them I tested and passed all tests and endorsements when I got my learners permit (it pays to study). That must me an oddity especially when most of the people there from Texas just did the special requirements portion and not all of them passed passed that. I took advantage of many web sites offering free CDL tests on-line so that definitely helped.

It's kind of hard to explain the environment in the classroom right now. I don't know whether to reply yes drill sergeant, no drill sergeant or what. One thing I learned in 20 plus years in the Army, never volunteer anything. If I'm asked, I'll answer and that's all. There is one instructor that constantly asks, "you know where I'm going with this". You guys that went through Stevens training know who I am talking about. I have a lot of respect for that guy but he is predictable with that question. I will call him the Deacon.

What I can say so far is that there are no surprises and the staff is up front about everything.

Tomorrow starts at 0600 with physicals but hopefully the day will go by faster than today.

Well, need to hit the books so until my next post, be safe.

Went to my doctor today and got my DOT card. Worth the 12 dollar copay so at least I know there is nothing lurking when the company doctor does the physical.

The beginning

Okay, lets see if I have everything for Monday:

Pen, notebook, and calculator.  Check
Driver's License.  Check
Social Security Card.  Check
Birth Certificate or Passport.  Check
$100 Cash/Money Order. Check
Boots or work shoes.  Check
Motor Carrier Road Atlas.  Check
CDL Learner's Permit.  Check

Stevens, all systems are go for launch.

Well, I'm all set to start the Stevens Transport Driving Academy on Monday, 26  September 2011. I am embarking on my last career move. I've decided I don't want to sit behind a desk anymore so my next office will be a Kenworth or a Pete. I will never or at least hardly ever start a new day in the same place.

Having been to 49 of the 50 states (sans Hawaii) either by car or motorcycle, I'm ready to see how many I can revisit from a higher vantage point.

My intention with this blog is to document or journal my experiences and travels as I embark on my new career.

Check back next week for the first of many updates to come.

So, as they say in Arabic, Insha'Allah or God Willing.

Doc