Profile For Joanna

If that place is run so terribly then maybe they are doing you a favor by sending you home. It speaks more of them than it does of you. Old School had to deal with his share of rejection when he was trying to get his foot in the door and look where he is now. This probably didn't work out because there is something better in store for you. Every time I have had something not work out something better has always taken it's place. Just keep plugging away at getting the job you want. If anything it will show that you can roll with the punches and that you are determined to get what you want. You definitely seem like the type that will do that.

I actually applied for this same job here in Oregon last week. We'll see what happens!

Lol, a runaway truck ramp is not a good place for a picnic.

Wow, what a test of patience. Good job keeping your cool!

Dang, that's one serious blade!

Welcome, Roni!

I am also a short female and that was never an issue for me as far as driving goes. I drove OTR 15 years ago and I am currently looking at getting back into it. From what I hear the air ride seats are a lot more comfortable and adjustable than they used to be so I would imagine being short would be even less of an issue in the newer trucks.

I think there will be companies that will hire you with the 2 points you have. There are some that only require than you not have and serious violations like reckless driving or an accident involving a death or high dollar damage. Some are less picky than others.

Definitely do get as many pre-hire letters as you can get. I am working on this myself. From what I understand, all you need to do is apply to companies before you go to school and if you meet their requirements they will tell you they will hire you upon graduation. Get this confirmation in writing from them. I think an email from them will be good enough.

As far as sexual harassment, I have never had a problem with that from trainers. It is important to watch out for yourself out there on the road though. Definitely be mindful of your personal safely at all times. I am currently looking into this subject more, as I plan to go solo this time around. I ran teams last time so it was less of an issue then.

Ok so you've been out there awhile. I see you're out of Portland- I was raised in Silverton. I only had to drive my car in the snow once and... well it did its own thing and I had no control. Do you drive in the snow much? What about that?

Thanks:)

I love Silverton! It's such a picturesque little town. I hiked Silver Falls last summer and it was absolutely gorgeous.

We don't get much snow here in Portland. And to clarify, my experience driving a truck was 15 years ago, NOT FOR 15 years. I wish! I never did have to drive in the snow in the truck. That's something we will both have to learn. I'm guessing with the extra weight it would probably handle better than a car?

Whoops! I wonder what that felt like coming to a stop. Ouch!

Welcome, Roni!

I am also a short female and that was never an issue for me as far as driving goes. I drove OTR 15 years ago and I am currently looking at getting back into it. From what I hear the air ride seats are a lot more comfortable and adjustable than they used to be so I would imagine being short would be even less of an issue in the newer trucks.

I think there will be companies that will hire you with the 2 points you have. There are some that only require than you not have and serious violations like reckless driving or an accident involving a death or high dollar damage. Some are less picky than others.

Definitely do get as many pre-hire letters as you can get. I am working on this myself. From what I understand, all you need to do is apply to companies before you go to school and if you meet their requirements they will tell you they will hire you upon graduation. Get this confirmation in writing from them. I think an email from them will be good enough.

As far as sexual harassment, I have never had a problem with that from trainers. It is important to watch out for yourself out there on the road though. Definitely be mindful of your personal safely at all times. I am currently looking into this subject more, as I plan to go solo this time around. I ran teams last time so it was less of an issue then.

Ugh, Murphy's law! Sorry MG, sending well wishes!

So it sounds like the odds are I'll get the middle-man DM because I will probably end up working for one of the larger companies. Guy, you make a lot of valid points, though. I certainly wouldn't want my DM to be too stressed out. I would never abandon a truck or refuse a load unless I wanted to commit career suicide. I just hope that If I consistently do a good job and prove myself worthy that my DM would have enough pull to get me the good loads. I guess I can't worry about that too much, though, since it is out of my control. All I can do is focus on doing the best job I can do and have faith that the rest will fall into place.

I go ankle-deep in the ocean... that's it.

Yup, that's far enough for me, too. Let the idiots get eaten by sharks. Natural selection at work!

I am much more afraid of earthquakes and hurricanes. Even scarier to me are spiders that creep up on you at night when you're sleeping. They are so light you can't even feel them. Spiders want to kill you - don't let anyone fool you into believing otherwise. You can usually get out of the way of a tornado, or into a basement or a ditch. There are spiders everywhere (at least in the Carolinas) and you almost never see them coming.

Hurricanes aren't nearly as scary to me because you know they are coming. You have plenty of time to get the hell out of dodge. But tornadoes can spring up on you in a moment. I would feel somewhat safe if I had a basement to run into but being out on the road in a giant, wind-catching vehicle? That's another story!

Imagine your truck being wiggled like a snake moving at 68 MPH, it was a good adrenaline rush.

This is exactly what I mean. I can only imagine how freaky that would be. Yikes!

I guess given the option between overpass or ditch, I would choose the ditch. The 'dodging bullets in a war' analogy makes perfect sense to me. Or maybe I would keep driving, it's hard to say. I think keeping an eye on the weather app and avoiding getting into that situation is the best option overall though.

Any, Guy, people stopping in the middle of the interstate in bad weather? How stupid can you get? This is why defensive driving is so important!