Profile For Scott

Thanks for the replies everyone. Just jumpin' the gun with the ole n00b jitters. Just yesterday I saw a CR England driver coming down Cajon right before the 15, 215 split. His rear trailer brakes were smokin' like a mother f'er. All the cars in the vicinity were like screw this noise and scrambling to get as far away from him as possible lol.

Yea, I'll be doing the commute. I will start a new diary post once classes begin and I will try to update nightly or at least every other day. Give you a good idea of what to expect that first week, before you begin. Anyhow, have a safe trip up here and we'll see you there!

Hey Mav, I'm starting in Fontana on the 16th, I'm sure we'll cross paths at some point. See you there.

Now I've read in Brett's book that flatbed drivers have a little fraternity of their own. Is it a prerequisite to drive an evil looking Peterbilt (like you'd see in Maximum Overdrive) in order to haul a flatbed trailer? I swear, that's the only kind of tractor I ever see pulling these loads lol.

I'm very, very familiar with the Cajon Pass and have also traveled Donner Pass and have driven a piece of s**t RV down Highway 395 around Mono Lake at night in a snowstorm. However, thinking of doing such in a rig makes me queasy. I've read many forum posts on the subject and have studied what the CDL manual says about driving down hill and I'm sure I'll be able to do it, but still. What are some if the gnarlier downgrades across the US that you have traveled and have you ever had to use a runaway truck ramp?

If you cannot or do not want to obtain your CDL from a private school or community college, check out the Company Sponsored Training section here on TT. Read about the different companies, do your own research and contact recruiters. I just applied to all of the companies that looked attractive to me and after acceptance, chose the one I found best to suit my needs. The application process is easy as most companies use the same application program and you can easily just fire em off to the different carriers. Read the forums, ask questions and if you decide to go for it, definitely utilize the High Road Training Program on this site. Good luck.

Another vote here for: "Don't Quit". I have absolutely no OTR experience yet, but am starting with Swift on the 16th. Heed all of the advice given above. If nothing else, fulfill your contractual agreement. Remember, as bad as you think you might have it, someone else has it worst.

Right on Old School. I've been working through it for about 2 weeks as time permits and just finished up the Air Brakes section. The repetition and re-enforcement is an excellent approach and the little pop up boxes with more info are great. I will never, ever forget that the low air pressure warning device must alert you BEFORE it hits 60 psi lol. Also watch out for the word 'except' at the end of the questions. If you start spacing out, it's an easy one to miss.

Hi Matt, I used to work for a bulk commodities transportation company and our OTR guys used to do just that: leave their personal vehicle in the yard while they were on the road. They did allow, however, the guys that lived within close proximity of the terminal to just bobtail it home after dropping off their trailer. You said you can't do that at your current apartment, but if your going to hang with friends or family during your off days, and they have room for your rig, that might be an option. Not sure about the mega-carriers though. I'm starting with Swift the 16th of this month and truth be told, I never asked the recruiter about this. I'm about 40 miles from their Fontana terminal. Hmm, thanks for bringing this up, I'll have to call em tomorrow and see whats up. And if any of you experienced folks know, please chime in.

Sorry to hear about your loss as well. Hope the leg heals up good. Let me know when/if you head back here to the high desert. What trucking companies are you considering?