Profile For kayakngal

Im so excited for you! Good Luck. If you need anything let me know:)

Thank you Red I had to come to the forum to see who you are before I called :) And thanks to all the well wishers - it's been quite a journey. Some I would take back but, I will say I learned from all of it. I'm on my home time now and enjoying this while it lasts. There's a lot to be said about trucking and it's not as easy as everyone would like to think BUT I have had some fabulous times on the road....Washington state I had some down time due to a customer being closed over the weekend and having a delivery on Monday....so, I spent the weekend in Seattle/Tacoma area - rented a cheap car and went hiking, out to eat, to the beach, to the Space Needle and so on - just fell in love with Washington state so I'm looking forward to seeing much more of the USA and exploring every chance I have.

I can't understand why so many people sit in their trucks all day ... but, I'm not judging because I don't want them crowding up all the hiking trails either, lol.

Roadkill - thanks and I will Oldschool - thanks to you too

Starcar - I did use the method in front of my trainers and they really didn't say anything - I was always complimented on my backing ability though :) backing is where I'm least confident and both my trainers seemed to sincerely believe I did a mighty fine job of it. The first trainer, despite the negatives outweighing the positives, did know how to operate a truck like a pro so I learned a lot from her just by observing how she maneuvered the machine. My second trainer was just as good but I did most of the backing by the time I was with her. Thanks for the advice - it's funny because you think of the old man who taught you but, I think of the trucking forum gal who taught me that little trick :)

Thanks so much to everyone for being here from the beginning!!

It's been a long two months in training. Very long. I had one bad trainer - will not go into details about that one and, one great trainer who taught me the ropes well. I feel confident and ready to go solo. I'm sure I'll make mistakes along the way but I will try my best not to make many of them :)

I can't remember who gave me the advice about backing with my hands on the bottom of the wheel to avoid over steering but I use that everyday and, it works for me so THANK YOU!!! :) I hope to be on the forum more now that my training is complete - team driving was hard because sleeping while the truck is rolling (bouncing like I was on the back of a horse) is next to impossible for me so, I slept any opportunity I had.

Kathy...thanks for keeping in touch and can't wait to meet you when we cross paths :)

I'd like to find a interactive map similar to mapquest that's focused on semi trucking routes. Is there a popular site that drivers use frequently? I would appreciate a good site :)

I've been in training a few weeks now - slid backward down a mountain in Colorado and my trainer jack knifed while sliding backward...I was behind the semi trying to get traffic to move for us when the truck started sliding backward (ice) so, I had to run! Very scary and interesting 2nd day on the job also, the interstate was shut down so we were stranded for a few days. Talk about testing one's new career choice.

In the last few weeks I've been to so many states I can't even keep up - I'm just glad I brought multi weather clothing. I'm impressed with the showers in the truck stops (at least Pilot, Flying J and Loves) which are very clean and really a nice shower which was a concern for me.

My backing up still leaves much to be desired but I have a trainer whose been in the business for 20 years so I'm learning from someone who really knows what she's doing. Things are okay at this point and I'm keeping my eye on the prize so, these little trials are learning experiences. I have already chained tires, driven in snow, ice, rain, mountains, valleys, city, back roads and interstates. Backed into docks, truck stop spots, rest areas (parallel) and watched many others have the same trials as myself so it's been an amazing few weeks.

For the most part everyone is very friendly out here. Sleeping in the top bunk is kind of a bummer - again, keeping my eye on the prize (my own truck). :)

Thanks for the info, always good to know what's out there so I'll give it a try.

Oh and instead of paying high prices ya can get ur mvr up to 3 yrs free with hire right.com they will give ya ur mvr dac and arrest record at no cost,just watch BC they were under a lawsuit for showing some criteria such as equited cases

Out of curiosity I went to the hire right site to see what information they provided however, it wouldn't allow me to sign up without using a company email address. Have you signed up and received info from this site? If yes, then how did you go about it?

Wow Kgal, so sorry that things went so wrong on so many levels for you. Kudos to you for keeping your cool and making it through, says a lot about what a strong woman you are! Good Luck with everything and I really hope that I run into (not literally) at a truck stop some day!

Your comment made me laugh "not literally run into me"! Yeah, I look forward to meeting you on the road too. And I guess it does say something about me however, to be totally honest it really says what I already know - I'm not spending that kind of money and walking away empty handed, lol. I wanted my CDL license.

Success! :)

Kathy I can tell because I'm the same way. Planners or, I prefer survivalist. We've gotta do what we've gotta do to get it done according to our ideal so we feel safer.

The room mate idea is a good one. I thought about it but I like having my house to myself so, maybe down the road. But, if you don't mind having a room mate that's a real good idea so you don't have to move all your stuff and you have a comfy bed for your days off.

Maybe your room mate would dog sit too if you gave them a little break on the rent? It's so hard to find a pet a good home. Better think hard about putting your two weeks in until you have all these details outlined. A lot less stressfull for you if you plan accordingly. And, even then you'll be stressed just because it's somehow written in the stars that way.

You will pass the CDL school. Especially if you have a friend who will let you practice driving in a semi but, even without. The most difficult part is memorization but if you get ahead of the game and start studying you'll have that aced. I was where you are now and it is very stressfull but, once you know you have a job with a decent company (at least one people say is decent) then the stress eases tremendously.

Ok, good to know because you need a better bucket list for sure

Holy cow Kathy I sure hope you get your bucket list is fulfilled!!

Well I'd like to see ancient and new wonders of the world, as many as possible, I'll eat nuts and berries so I can afford some cool trips.

Freefall skydiving

Go on a month long backpack trip in some exotic location yet to be determined but, Czech Republic, New Zealand or Ireland would be cool :)

Kayak yellowstone, clackamas, Rio Grande and upper Gauley rivers.

Thank goodness I'm still young

I will, I just don't want them to not take me seriously. Leaving from home for that far away and for that long takes some major planning! Thanks CR!!!

Yes, it really does when you're solo. I'm fortunate to have a mom who loves my dog. Would your family help you with your dog? Also, the things I lined out were a PO Box for mail to go to, change all your bills to paperless so they come to your email (at least the ones that offer this). Call everyone who sends mail and change your address with them. And someone to house sit was a huge issue because nobody wants to stay away from their own home. I had an alarm system installed, I have friends who stay at my place periodically plus all my neighbors are really aware of what goes on around our here. Ask people you trust to help you. You'll be surprised how many are willing to help out until you get your new "system" figured out.

If you haven't given your two weeks then don't stress. Once that's done you'll feel the heat big time so make sure you're ready before you do. :)