Truck Driving School, Day 1 (orientation... what else?)

Day 1

Orientation occupied the first hour; names, welcome, hello, packet including FMCSR (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations) pocketbook/handbook, a rather thick textbook: Delmar's Tractor-Trailer Truck Driver Training, 4th edition, and some forms to fill out. Next, straight to the computers where the rest of the day was spent taking practice tests for the CDL permits, including every endorsement except 'passenger' and 'school bus.' I left for two hours to get my drug screen and DOT physical. When I returned, it was back to the computer to finish the practice tests. 

I think everybody but me had received 'homework' prior to today's first class, to prep them for the CDL written tests. I didn't get it because I was out of the country until 10 days ago. Anyway, a minimum score of 80% is needed to pass the DMV written tests... my lowest score was an 83, and that was because there were only 10 questions on that test, and two of them were on something I'd never heard of, that the converter dollies are equipped with ABS brakes... so I whiffed on those. HOWEVER, because I spent so much time on the High Road Training Program, I passed all of the tests with ease, scoring many 90s, 95s, and 100s. Some of the questions were worded EXACTLY like the questions on the CDL practice testsfound  here. For anyone considering trucking as a career, I cannot stress enough how important it is to study the High Road and work through the CDL practice tests. You'll be way ahead of the game, and to quote the site founder, Brett Aquila, "Hard work early on in your career preparing for the testing and then your time on the road really pays off in a big way. It's nice to have the written stuff totally under control so you can focus on the next set of challenges."  Amen.

me w/Rachel, who began working with me in December, getting me into the SAGE truck driving school

Feedback From Experienced Drivers

Earlier I mentioned that I'm culling these posts from an online diary I kept on the Trucking Truth website, found here... Trucking Truth forum: Diaries; one of the many great benefits of this website is that through its forums it encourages experienced (and inexperienced) truckers to offer feedback, advice, and opinions in response to questions and scenarios posed by wannabe truckers and newbie truckers alike.  This site was my go-to resource for information about the trucking lifestyle, preparing me mentally as well as giving me the necessary tools for obtaining my Commercial Learners' Permit. You are not allowed to drive a truck an inch without a CLP, which is obtained by taking (and passing) a written test at the DMV.

I mention all this because I did receive feedback to my diary posts, which I feel is important to include.  I didn't necessarily listen to all of the advice, but that's my mother's fault, because apparently I got my stubbornness from her, but as you might suspect at this point, all turned out well.  The first response to my diary came from a gentleman who is a well-respected contributor to the Trucking Truth forums, a veteran of the trucking lifestyle...

"Pete a couple of things to consider: 

It is possible that Schneider may have similar pre-qualifications as Jim Palmer and WilTrans. Before signing any school contract I suggest you get a couple of pre-hire letters in place, as follows: 

• Article: Understanding Pre-Hire Letters: The What, Why, And How Of This Important Step
• Trucker's Wiki: "Pre-Hire Letters"
• Forum Topics Tagged "CDL Pre-Hire Letters"

I also want to caution you on tankers. Not trying to dampen your spirits, but tankers, especially food-grade smooth bore tankers offer an additional level of complexity and risk that we recommend rookie drivers seriously consider before making their decision. 

Click this link for additional information: Tanker Surge

Good luck!"

My response to his post follows:

"G-Town, thanks very much for your advice! I have already received four pre-hire letters (Schneider, KLLM, Werner, & Watkins Shepard)... (Schneider owns Watkins Shepard, so maybe that only counts as three pre-hires)... my only concern with Schneider right now is that I'll have to get myself down to one of their hiring centers for tankers to be considered for a job. Their local recruiter has pledged his help with that. Hopefully he's a solid guy and not blowing smoke where the sun don't shine. They hire locally, but for dry vans. Your remarks about pulling tankers are well-received. I am aware of the opportunities they present, but am so dedicated to this line of work feel that as long as they're hiring and training CDL grads, I'm going to take advantage of that, and actually look forward to practicing what I've been reading and learning about pulling tankers. And besides, this forum needs a driver with that type of experience; there's plenty of reefers, dry vans, and flat-bedders here, I haven't heard too much from the tankers! So you might say, I'm doing it also for Trucking Truth!"



So already I'm not following the advice of experienced truckers... big surprise. 

Next:  Day 1 in CDL school

Choosing A Truck Driving Company

... The second gorilla I carried around on my back for awhile was which company I wanted to drive for. In making this decision I needed to first decide which type of truck I wanted to drive. We all have our reasons for getting into the trucking industry. Some have dreamt about it since childhood, others have followed family tradition, the solitary lifestyle draws others in, it offers a second-, third-, and perhaps fourth-chance opportunity to some with checkered backgrounds, and in my case, I stand to earn a nice living by trading in the traditional lifestyle of working and going home every night for a life on the road. My family has remained in Ecuador while I returned to the U.S. to begin driving, with the goal of providing for our financial future that will see us retired and enjoying life together many years sooner than if we had maintained our previous jobs. 

Looking at the various types of trucking jobs available to me, I selected tankers as my preferred choice of truck, as pulling tankers/bulk goods seems to be at the top of the pay scale. As long as I’m here to make money, I’m going to make as much as I can, as quickly as I can. Not having my family here should work out well for me, as ‘home time’ now won’t have any meaning in my life. The best I can hope for is that my new company just sort of forgets about me and leaves me on the road. I’m here to work, so I am going to work. The solitary lifestyle suits me anyway; I’ve been either an ultra runner or cyclist for the past 25 years, both of which have been largely solitary pursuits. 

If you’ve familiar with research on which companies hire CDL grads to pull tankers, you’d know that the field pretty much narrows down to Schneider. Schneider, like the school I chose, has a great reputation among trucking companies, is known for its safety practices, and feels like a company I can begin and end my career with. One of the mantras of this website is to stick it out for at least one year with your first company… I’ve never thought much of job-hopping, and would be delighted if I’m able to remain with the same company for the duration of my career. I believe Schneider could be that company. 

I mentioned earlier that I may have approached these decisions backwards; I said that because in order for me to get hired by Schneider into one of their tanker divisions, I will have to travel to one of their tanker facilities, as none are located in or near Billings, MT, where I’ll be attending CDL school. Had I held off in my choice of schools, I probably would have attended school closer or near to one of Schneider’s tanker facilities. It simply would have made life much, much easier. Most companies like to hire within a certain radius of a facility or terminal; I thought that since I have no real ‘home’ here, companies would appreciate the fact that I am able to settle near any terminal in the country. This has actually worked against me, as companies want that home address, and want you near one of their hiring terminals. 

I am writing candidly about my school and company choices; I do not mean to declare that private CDL schools are better than company-sponsored schools, or that I think my first choice of companies to work for is the best trucking company out there: I am merely explaining my choices, my thought process… yours will be different. If you are considering a school and collecting pre-hire letters, make the decision that best fits your needs. And we all have different needs. 

Tomorrow will be my first official day in CDL school, I expect to add another entry tomorrow night. If you’ve lasted this far, thanks for reading, and the future posts should not be this long-winded.

Choosing A Truck Driving School

Firstly, if you are reading this first entry in my diary, “Hello and thank you!” I haven’t seen much written about SAGE's CDL schools, so hopefully this will provide useful information for someone… This initial post will be about why I chose SAGE and other decisions I’ve made while heading into the trucking career/lifestyle (a more aptly named title might be “Doing It The Hard Way”). Secondly, and before I really get started, I’d like to thank Brett for creating this site; it is unparalleled in preparing someone for the trucking lifestyle, from CDL school prep material found in The High Road Online CDL Training Program to learning what it takes to be successful in this industry. Lastly, a special thanks to Old School; I found his blog, Life As A Road Warrior, from reading through this site, and it has absolutely set the example of the type of trucker I aspire to be. I highly recommend it to anyone who has made the decision to be a truck driver. From his very first post over four years ago he began teaching me trucking lessons as well as life lessons. 

I may have approached my decisions backwards: the first decision I spent a great deal of time researching was which school was best for me. My situation of living abroad helped shape my choice of schools. There are several excellent company-sponsored schools that I initially looked at, specifically Jim Palmer’s and Prime’s programs; however, as I had been living outside of the U.S. for 3 1/2 yrs., neither company could consider me, as their insurance carriers require living in the U.S. for at least a year. 

Ultimately, the flexibility of selecting which company I wanted to work for swayed me in the direction of a private school, and among private schools, I then looked at which ones seemed to have the best reputations as well as PTDI (Professional Truck Driver Institute) accreditation; my thought process there was that I liked the idea of a national set of standards being developed for all schools, and schools with PTDI accreditation seemed to be held in higher regard than those without. Three months and countless hours of reading and research later, I’m pretty sure I was sucked in by false advertising by the PTDI in that regard. However, sticking to that now-debunked theory, I zeroed in on SAGE Technical Services for my CDL school.

I figured the SAGE school in Billings, MT would give me the additional opportunity to learn how to drive an 18-wheeler on mountainous roads, and I felt I’d be better off learning on steep grades rather than encountering them for the first time on my own; this also turned out to be an idea that seemed smart at the time, but now seems overthought. I’ve since read several training diaries and posts by drivers who, as trainees, spent time conquering climbs and descents while in the company of a trainer. 

I can still say with 100% confidence that I remain happy with my choice of schools; I personally appreciate what SAGE has to offer, they have an outstanding reputation among CDL schools, the staff have been really helpful in getting me enrolled while I was out-of-the-country, I was offered and received a sizable grant provided by the government, and remember the feeling of having that first gorilla that leapt onto my back removed once I settled on a school.

Starting the trucking portion of this blog

Ok folks, much time has passed, and if I'm going to do this thing then I need to start writing again... I've been making excuses not to participate in this blog, using exhaustion, preoccupation with my training and my job, and spending spare time eating, sleeping,  and phoning my wife, for examples.  This job of trucking does wear me out much more than I'd expected... being a truck driver means so much more than just getting paid to drive down the road.  The amount of attention given to that seemingly simple task takes a very real mental toll.  There are gauges to monitor, mirrors to check, and lanes ahead to scan.  The gauge that has produced the most anxiety has been the 'engine temperature' gauge... climbing through the Appalachian Mountains pulling a near-maximum-weight load of 79,000lbs sent the needle in the temp gauge very close to the red line.  The first time it happened, I was sure I was going to have to pull over and shut it down for awhile to cool off, but just before the needle reached the red, the fan kicked in, cooling the engine off, sending the needle back down to a less-stressful level.  Other trucks must not have had this magical fan, because I'd seen several pulled over to the side with their hoods open.

On one occasion I ran the truck on fumes to a fuel station... my dispatched fuel stop was inexplicably scheduled for over 600 miles away, on the other side of the mountains from my starting point.  I made it to the fuel stop, but as you can see below, just barely...  If the route has been interstate-only I'm sure I would have made it to the Pilot truck stop with fuel to spare, but my route included state highways, sending me through po-dunk towns with their ridiculous stoplights and 45mph speed limits.  Lots of starting and stopping and opportunities for increased fuel consumption.  With every sign I passed signaling a stoplight ahead, I cursed, and not silently, under my breath.  But I made it.

it's the gauge on top

So to re-start this project, I'm going to insert posts from a diary journal I kept in a fabulous on-line website and resource for beginning truckers, www.truckingtruth.com.  It picks up from my first days in truck driving school, where I obtained my CDL-A truck driving license... in the next post.

All About Running

As mentioned in my previous post, I managed to run for five or six miles after a three-year layoff without my knee falling off, inspiring me to give it a shot, and see what happens.  I figured, the worst that could happen is I'll realize that something really is still very wrong with my knee, and I still can't run.  It would make my life much easier, however, if it would just work for me.  I've developed a fitness program to stay in shape while driving a truck (see first post here), and while I have the upper-body and core program figured out, had presumed that for cardio I would look into bringing a bike along and using it while taking breaks, or simply walk.  The biking thing has me worried, as there doesn't seem to be a simple way to attach a bike to the outside of the truck, and there has been some debate on trucking forums about state/federal regulations re: the securement of a bike to the back of the cab.  Another solution would be to buy a bike that folds easily, or has quick-release wheels (front & back), but then I'd be getting into a price range I'm not comfortable with.  But my biggest concern is the amount of time I'd want to spend on the bike... when biking at home my shortest ride ever has been two hours, and that was at a pretty good, sustained pace.  My rides usually average 4-5.5 hours, whether on the road bike or mountain bike.  I'm gone for so long because (1) I enjoy it!! and (2) I feel like it takes me 4-5 hours on a bike to attain the same level of fitness I got when running for an hour to an hour-and-a-half.  However, once I begin my truck driving career, I'm not going to have that much time to devote to exercising.  Due to DOT Hours of Service regulations, a 10-hr break is mandatory after driving 11 hours... and to make money and keep the wheels turnin' 10 hours is going to be about as much time as I'm going to allow myself off.  So biking for four or five, or even two or three hours, is out.  However, I'd be completely satisfied if I could run/jog for 30-40 mins., three-to-four times/week.

Enter Paul.  Paul's a good friend of mine who moved to Cuenca last year; he's the same age as me, also a workout fanatic, and competes in triathlons.  He's the guy in some of my biking photos who's NOT 60+ years old.

that's Paul on the left, wearing the Ironman shirt

Winding up a Thursday ride with the fellas, and knowing that Paul sometimes ran after our rides as part of his triathlon training, I mentioned that I was thinking about running again, and did he want to accompany me on a run after the ride?  He said sure, so we subsequently went on a run that took us up the steepest hill I've found in Cuenca.  I've seen cars stall out on that hill.  I don't know why I chose that route; I think because I've climbed it many times on a bike and wondered how difficult it would be to run up. That hill, only about a half-mile long, was the beginning of a 3.5 mile climb... the remaining three miles were much more gradual.  About 1250ft in total elevation, from bottom-to-top.  At the top there was a sharp left turn and then 4.5 miles of downhill, on mostly dirt roads.

I felt great on the uphill, but my body felt old and uncoordinated running downhill.  My bones and joints creaked, it felt awkward... the fluidity I once had was completely gone.  I badly misjudged the distance we'd be running... my intentions were not to run eight miles on an hour-plus run, but that's what happened.  I followed that up with a 30min jog on Sunday after Sunday's bike ride, then joined Paul's Tuesday night group for their weekly walk/run.  Paul has organized a weekly run/walk group that meets on Tuesday nights in Cuenca, advertising for participants via Facebook and posting notices in the expat forum GringoPost.com.  The group meets every Tuesday evening at 5pm, alternating between meeting at a point along the Tombebamba River or Yanuncay River.  The ages of the runners and walkers vary from teen to 80+, and the group has been as small as four or five and as large as 20-25.  The running pace is a comfortable jog, but most of the group walks; the runs finish at either a popular pizza restaurant or a fantastic pub featuring excellent craft beer brewed by two expats from the U.S., Greg and Shawn.

I'd joined the Tuesday night group in Cuenca for two runs; after that, my time was up and I had to leave for the States.   For close to three weeks I maintained a running schedule of Tue-Thur-Sun... so far, so good with re: to my knees holding up.  I'm pretty certain I'll never get to run an ultramarathon again, but I'd be ecstatic if I can continue running three times/week at an easy pace.

Cuenca Tues. night run/walk group

I'm getting ahead of myself, but upon leaving Cuenca I flew to Richmond, VA, to spend a week with family before beginning my truck driving career.  I landed in Richmond on a Friday afternoon, and the very next morning was treated to an experience I never expected would happen:  I got to go for a run with my cousin and his son along the trails by the James River.  My cousin (Cuz, as we call him) has been running for many years now, completed numerous marathons, and I think is very close to running an ultramarathon.  Just a little more pushing/pressure/encouragement and I believe he may do it.  His son ran on the track team last year and seems very close to miler stardom.  We covered about 8 miles; it was a glorious morning.  I'd never run with Cuz before, and having his son along was just icing on the cake!  On our way home we stopped at The Sugar Shack, a donut shop in Richmond that lives up to its name!

me, Jack, & Cuz

I hit some of those same James River trails again the following Tuesday, this time meeting an old friend (Mark "Iscool" Guzzi) who also has organized a Tuesday evening running group, in Richmond.  Mark's influence in the running community is widespread and immeasurable.  His energy and enthusiasm is unparalleled.  I have him to thank for getting me into my first JFK 50 Miler in 2006, allowing me to run on his team "Old & In The Way," bending perhaps the only rule they have, and that is being at least 40 yrs. old to qualify for the team (I was 36 at the time).  They had one open spot on a team of five, let's face it, running 50 miles does not appeal to everyone, and I wanted in on the race.  Mark's many community achievements include establishing a Tuesday night group run, a monthly trail run, the infamous REMR (Really Early Morning Run)... (runs begin usually after 1am, ending sometime at or near sunup, featuring a post-run spread that often includes lots of bacon, and for which Mark even designed a logo...),

and one of the coolest contributions ever to the Richmond running community, something hundreds of thousands of runners & walkers and canines too will enjoy for many years to come, especially on those hot & muggy days, a water fountain placed near an entry to the James River Trail System and easily accessible to anyone running in the area.  The benefits of a water fountain cannot be overstated.  This is no ordinary water fountain, either; it is designed so that the pipes will not freeze in the winter, guaranteeing a flow of water even in sub-freezing temperatures.  Behold:

Yes, I drank from this fountain before the Saturday morning run with Cuz and his son Jack, and again during the Tuesday night run with Mark and his group.  And it was good.  

Our run Tuesday night was again around eight miles, taking us along both sides of the James River.  We were fortunate to see a train silhouetted in the distance crossing a bridge over the river, as well as the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus train parked on the tracks.  It was great seeing Mark again, which under normal circumstances probably shouldn't have happened, as just three days prior he completed a 50k race in the Appalachian Mountains in western Virginia; but Mark is no ordinary man, he's extraordinary.  

Richmond Tues. night run group

The Ugly

I've been debating putting this out there, but I didn't think it fair to mention only the good times and not the bad, with regard to living in Ecuador.  Bad things do happen, and sometimes they have a way of changing a person.

My cycling came to an abrupt end one Sunday in early February, beginning with the ride back into town.  That day my riding partner and I cut our ride short, due to near-gale force winds, chilly temps, and threat of impending rain.  About five miles from home we passed a guy also riding back into town, who matched our pace and kept up with us, following along behind all the way back home.  I was stopped outside the condo building where I lived, digging out the 'clicker' to open the automatic garage doors, when the guy who'd been following us for five miles approached me and started up a conversation.  His English was very broken, but he knew enough to tell me he was a cyclist too, would be interested in joining us for a Sunday ride, and also owned a business where he sold jewelry and other accessories.  Further, he lived just in the building across the street, and if I wouldn't mind waiting, he'd like to get a business card for me in case I was interested in his business.  So we walked across the street, where, as luck would have it, his brother was approaching at that exact moment and heading to the front door of the building where they 'lived.'

His brother never quite made it to the front door, as the guy I'd been chatting with called to him and asked him to come over, introducing me to him.  My new friend asked his brother to go upstairs and get a business card for me, so he said 'o.k.' and again headed for the front doors.  Again, he didn't quite make it to the door, turning around and saying he just realized he didn't have his key.  My new friend said no problem, he'd go get his, and again would I mind waiting, with his brother, while he rode off to go get it.  While alone with his brother, the brother said he was a triathlete, said I looked like I biked a lot, and complimented me on my road bike.  'Was it heavy?' he asked... no, I replied... here, pick it up, see for yourself.  I got off the bike, and he lifted it... then asked if he could get on it and see how it rode.  He asked me how it shifted, and I said it shifts great.  He rode in a few circles in front of me, clicked up and down through the gears, then took off.  I watched him speed down the road, waiting for him to turn around.  And waited... and waited... and waited... not quite believing what I suddenly became aware had happened.

Not only did they get the bike, but they also got my cell phone I kept in the saddlebag attached to the bike under the seat.  And the Garmin computer I had mounted on the handlebars.  It was a very lucrative scam they ran on me.  Bike.  Cell phone.  Garmin.

I ran upstairs and tried locating them using "Find my iPhone," but they had turned the phone off, and never turned it back on again (I kept checking, before finally giving up and deleting it from my account).  The Garmin had a "live tracking" feature that my wife used to check on me during my rides, a nice safety feature Garmin offers so if something happened while out in the middle-of-nowhere, I could be found, and I was able to obtain one last piece of information on my bike from this "live tracking" feature... it was traveling approx. 55mph down a busy road about a half-mile from my home before the signal was lost (turned off).

I changed into my running shoes and took off in the direction of the last know coordinate of the bike, but of course found nothing.  I continued running down the busy road, and into some of the surrounding neighborhoods, hoping to catch a glimpse of the bike.  Nothing.  Nada.  Zilch.

It took several days to get over what had happened.  I was amazed at the coordination of the scam:  Thief #1 followed me in from outside of town, for a distance of about 5 miles, to coincidentally run into his 'brother,' Thief #2, right at the end of the ride.  It was perfect.  Sad thing is, if they hadn't gotten it that day, they would have gotten my bike later, as their charade was perfectly rehearsed.  I never would have suspected a fellow 'cyclist' of stealing my bike.  I put the word out to local riders I knew, learning in the process that this was actually a common scam, that at least two other bikes had been taken the same way within the past several months.  Didn't make me feel any better.  To make matters worse, just about after I'd come to terms with dealing with the loss, I found an iPhone that looked exactly like mine on OLX, the Ecuadorian version of Ebay.

After seeing this phone on OLX, which had been posted 'for sale' the day after mine was stolen, I concocted a scheme to meet the seller, feigning interest in purchasing the phone, with the goal of getting it in my hands to see if it really was my phone.  If it was my phone, I thought it might lead me to my bike as well.  It took three attempts to meet the seller, who seemed awfully suspicious of my intentions; with my wife's help communicating to him, I finally met up with this person, and after getting the phone in my hands, realized it was not my phone.  It was then that I finally stopped obsessing about the loss.  Turns out that after plugging in a different search term, I found six or seven iPhones that looked exactly like mine, but by that point I had promised my wife I'd let it go.

My riding partner pointed out a silver lining, that at least it happened so near to my departure date to the U.S.; indeed, if this had happened a year or two earlier, I would have been eager to replace bike, phone, and bike computer.  As it were, I made due without a phone for the month-and-a-half before I left Cuenca, and was still able to ride my mountain bike.  Another pleasant surprise came as I became aware that I'd run 5-6 miles that day, looking for my bike, with any apparent knee issues.  I had quit running and took up mountain biking and road cycling as I'd thought that there was something still terribly wrong with my knee that wouldn't allow me to run ever again.  After three years, it looked like I might be able to run again, if only on a limited basis.

An indelible mark the scam created on me is that now I will never ever trust anyone again, a trait that I'm not happy to acquire.  Whenever anyone approaches me for whatever reason, I will immediately question their intentions with suspicion.  I now lump beggars and people on street corners asking for handouts with scam artists... both sorts of people are looking to get something for nothing.  The other day a guy asked me if I could help 'them' out as I was passing, and I replied with a very curt "no thank you."  Who knows?  Maybe his situation was indeed worthy of a few cents or dollars, but I didn't stick around long enough to find out.  This morning I observed someone get out of his truck, after his light had turned green, to give two people standing on a corner money.  I wasn't close enough to see how much, but I did see folded money in his outstretched hand.  (It should be noted that I am presently in Billings, Montana, as I write this)...  I wondered if I'll ever get to that place again.

I should also note that my opinion of Cuencanos and Ecuadorians hasn't dropped... I have heard that scammers in Cuenca are from all over South America, so I don't really know the origins of the two thieves, but I still love the city and the country.  I have made many local friends through biking, and look forward to making more; I will just be very suspicious of anyone, anywhere, whether it be Ecuador or the U.S., who ask me for anything.  And that's not the way I'd like to be.