Kent, Apr 2001*

April 2001

Kent's School Journal

Male, 35 years

Introduction

My name is Kent and I am 35 years old. I just got married for the first time December 23, 2000. My wife has two great kids for her first marriage. I have dreamed about being an OTR driver since I was a kid. I remember watching the TV show "Movin On" (NBC 1974 - 76) and some day driving a big rig. I have been a local driver, delivering lumber with a straight truck, but right now I'm a mechanic for Heartland Express in their home terminal at Iowa City, IA. This is my third time working for Heartland, I love being around trucks too much to stay away. I have decided to get my A CDL and start driving. I know how to handle a truck, but I don't have any OTR experience. So, May 14, 2001 I will be going to Green Bay WI. to start OTR training for Schneider National. I am really looking forward to it. I will have to stay 1 year, but after the year is up, I most likely will go back to Heartland Express. I have taken all the written tests so all I have left to do is the driving test. That should get me a head start on training. My family is behind me 100%, I could not do it without their support. Check back soon.

April 26, 2001

Hello again. Well I have a little over two weeks till I leave for training for Schneider in Green Bay, WI. Tuesday I went to get my DOT physical and drug test. I passed the Physical with no problems and since I don't drink or take any drugs, the drug test will be OK. I am as ready as I can be, and am looking forward to a new career as a OTR truck driver.

I have one week left working for Heartland Express and my last week will be spent "being on call", since Heartland shops are only open 7am till 5 pm M-F and 7 till Noon on Saturdays. That means I have to keep a pager on me at all times day and night, if a driver need a service call, I get paged and must get the driver repaired ASAP. I have spent my last 3 weeks at work in the "trailer rebuild shop" at work. We can rebuild a trailer from the ground up and have all the parts in stock to do so. Seeing the damaged done to trailers shows me what can happen if your not careful, I have replaced the roofs on trailers, and am told the cost to replace roofs are $2500 to $3000 per trailer -- not cheap.

I will be taking a week off between leaving Heartland Express and going into training so I can get all the little odd jobs done around the house. I will miss my family, but they're behind me all the way.

This is my home page: www.kentsplace.org

and I will post pics and stories as time allows me to during training.

Thanks for stopping by.

April 28, 2001

Two weeks till I leave for Green Bay :) I have been moved to the inspection bay at work for the next few days. I have to inspect all trucks and trailers that come into the yard at Heartland. I also have to check and see that the trailers that need serviced get serviced. This has let me get some good practice with hooking and unhooking along with backing trailers. At first I was a little scared backing up the trailers, knowing there were drivers around watching me, but I just took it slow. I had to pull up 4 times the first time, but with each time it was getting easier. I found out a key to backing up a trailer is, 1)let the truck idle, you don't need to be fast. 2) turn the steering wheel very little, it does not take much to make the trailer move one way or the other.

I am also "on call" this weekend and so far today I have been paged two times. The first time I was lucky, my boss was still at the shop and took the call. It was a trailer with lights only working on one side, he found a wire broken in the middle of trailer, but took 2.5 hours to find and fix it. I was not paged for that one, but did get called for a trailer with a bad door and 2x6's nailed to trailer floor, but when I got to the shop, my boss was still there and took care of it. Nothing wrong with door, driver just didn't know how to shut it right, or just didn't try??? My 2nd call was for a trailer with only turn light nothing else. Found that the 7 way on the back of trailer broken and most wires were corroded or broken off. Replaced the 7 way and installed new ends on wires, problem fixed and the o/o was on his way home, a little late but safe and happy.

This is what I have to look forward to, it's just some of the things we "newbie's" will have to put up with. It has taught me that you have to use your head and care about what you're doing to be safe.

May 9, 2001

One last weekend at home before it's off to training. I'm as ready as I can be, I still have some things to do around home, but the big ones are done. I haven't been worried much about starting my new career, but tonight I got a few "butterflies". I just hope I don't cry when it comes time to say good bye to my family (do truckers cry?), I'll miss them, but I am really looking forward to being away from home for the first time. The longest time I have ever been away from home was a week in California, back when I was just a kid. I think about the "unknowns" like, not making it, meeting the trainers, living with someone (roommate) I don't know for two weeks, not being with my family, getting lost, etc, etc, but I'm not afraid. I do believe this is what I should be doing and that I'm cut out for it. I believe I'll make it and do just fine.

I'll post another just before I leave for Des Moines on Sunday morning, and then as time allows during training. I'm taking a camera and when I get back home I'll get the pictures scanned in and post them on my web page at: www.kentsplace.org

May 19, 2001

The first week is over and every thing is coming together just fine. I have been driving a COE, they're not so bad after all, there's just not much room in the cab. It was hard getting the double clutching down, but by Friday I was shifting without a sound 90% of the time. Driving in Green Bay is a challenge at times, people like to pass you in the parking lane. Plus with up to 25 or more students out driving around Green Bay at one time, it can really piss the locals off.

Today we spent all day in the classroom, doing map reading exercises and taking our check for learning test (open book) on DOT regulatory and driver/mechanical. I got 95% on DOT and 80% on driver/mechanical. Thursday we will be the real test. We also did some hands-on things, like how to adjust the brakes, how to lift and powered lift pallet truck safety certification. Tomorrow we get the day off, but we have simulated log books to do and Trip planning exercises.

The weather has been great and the motel we are at is really nice. Out of 63 that started last Monday, we're down to 50. This week will go fast, it has been fun.

May 24, 2001

After a long and hard 11 days in Green Bay, I passed and am ready to head home tomorrow morning. I got a 98% on the final test today :) It was easy, and the driving is getting better, too. I started out this morning driving, and I wasn't ready, I missed almost every gear and couldn't even recover. When the instructor and I pulled into a truck stop to rest, he told me I was doing badly. "We both know you can drive this truck" he told me, so after a short break, we went on. The rest of the trip I did everything right and what I messed up I fixed without his help. I feels great when you do it right!

After lunch we had our "final test for learning", (the night before we meet in the Schneider lounge to go over what would be on the test). I finished the test quickly, but three other guys beat me. As I was looking my test over, one of the guys before me FAILED. Not good, they went and got him and made him retake it. This time he passed! He just didn't read the questions, he thought he knew the answers.

Tomorrow morning me and another guy (I think he's from this week's class and is quitting) are heading back to Des Moines. Since I just live west of Iowa City, I'm going to have him drop me off at home and he can go on to the Des Moines OC. Out of 4 guys from Des Moines, I'm the only one who graduated today; 2 quit and the third is being held over the weekend. We start "Jump Start" this Tuesday in Des Moines do to the Holiday and will be done on Saturday. Then it's home to wait on a TE.

I have learned a lot this week, I want to thank every one at the Training center, they were great. Special thanks goes out to my Driving instructor Scott Delarwalle and classroom instructor "Weese", and Joe, our tutor, at the hotel.

Kent, just want to wish you the best of luck as you get going! Hopefully you'll have time to continue writing. If not, believe me, I understand! Thank you for keeping a nicely updated and written journal during your training.

Sincerely, Rachelle (webmaster)

May 29, 2001

First day is done with "Jump start" here in Des Moines, IA With having 4 days off since Green Bay, I wasn't sure if I would remember every thing I have learned so far. We had class in the morning, more trip planning, logging, etc. After lunch we (5 students in all) went out to the trucks. We had a COE and a freightliner Century. I and another student took the century and did some backing, no problems so far. Then the instructor had us go out on the road, oh boy! Up till now I have only trained in a COE, so I was a little scared. But after pulling out onto the road and shifting up through the gears, I was having fun. It went well, I didn't have any troubles at all. We finished the day with more backing. Tomorrow we will get to use the qualcomms in the class room and more road and yard driving.

June 2, 2001

I just finished "jump start" today, it was a fun and worth while week. We had a short class meeting this morning and were done by 0930. In the classroom we learned about Permits, Trip planning, Starserv (Qualcomm), Border crossing, HAZMAT and other things like safety, paper work, time/money management. In the afternoon we were in the trucks doing slow maneuvers, backing, coupling/uncoupling and local driving. The first slow maneuver we learned was the backwards serpentine, at first it was kind of hard, but each time it got better. We did a lot of 45 backing and some 90 backing too. Backing was easy for me and I was having fun doing it. The instructor "General Lee" who was teaching the slow maneuvers has been with Schneider for 25 yeas and has logged 3 Million safe miles, and was very understanding when we couldn't get it. My last road test went great, I was driving a freightliner Century and didn't miss gears this time.

Now it's onto Phase 3, Training Engineer. When I got home this morning, there a message on the answering machine from the TE assigned to me. His name is Stu Nevins and he is on a Dedicated account for Weyerhaeuser- Cedar River paper out of Cedar Rapids, IA. So far all I know is we leave CR Sunday night at 2200. This is great to me, because I want to go dedicated for Cedar River Paper, so now I can get a feel for what the account is like. Well time to get a little rest, since I wont have much time at home this weekend.

I again want to thanks every one at Schneider, both at Green Bay and in Des Moines. It has been only 3 weeks so far, but It doesn't seen to be a bad company at all. Every one has a great attitude and they work real hard to make sure we have all the information we need and want. I have learned a lot in the 3 weeks and now I will learn even more and am looking forward to it. Come back soon as I will post for the road as time and location lets me. :)

P.S. For anyone who want to find more out about Schneider National here are so links to cool web pages:

http://clubs.yahoo.com/clubs/pumpkindriver?as

http://www.pumpkindriver.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi

June 3, 2001

My TE called me last night, We will be leaving from Cedar Rapids, IA and going to Belleville, IL 303mi. We talked for a while on the phone, I think we will get along just fine. We will be out till Friday or Saturday and then if every things goes well I can take my CDL test in his home town of Marshalltown, then go to DSM for the SQT (Skills Qualification Test). All the SQT is, is a open book test that I have with me and must have done by the time I get back to DSM. There are 67 questions, we have to circle the correct answer and note the correct page number from the Drivers Reference Guide. Plus we are given a trip to plan too.

This is it, I'm ready.

June 9, 2001

Well after one fun filled week, I have finished with my TE and today took the CDL driving test and PASSED :) Now it's onto Des Moines on Monday to Finish SQT and then wait on a truck. I did 1274 miles in 5 days and it was easy, and fun. I had one hard tight blind side back that took only 2 pull ups to get into place. We ran both day and night hours, I got to deliver in Chicago and also see the Gary, IN OC.

Also since this was the week for "ROADCHECK 2001" all scales were open, I got by passed on all but one. My TE, Stuart Nevins was great and I learned a lot from him. He is on a dedicated account for Cedar River Paper out of Cedar Rapids, IA. Most of our loads were around 75,000 lbs I hope to be able to get on that account some day, getting home every weekend would be nice.

I'm just glad to have the CDL in my hands now, it has been a long hard road so far, but well worth it. And I know it doesn't get any easier, but I'm ready and I'll try my best.