Profile For Deborah P.

Thanks to all or you for the feedback. I sincerely appreciate it. I will continue on then. I really want to learn to drive a truck.

I started training with Werner in June, 2013. I had two minor traffic incidents in July, 2013; no citations issued and no damage to truck or trailer. In October, 2013 Safety told me that it is company policy if a student driver has two traffic incidents the student is sent home. Does anyone know if I will be able to go to another company and finish training and continue to drive? Or should I forget trucking.... I really love trucking and I am worried about this. Any advice or comments welcome.

I just started trucking and I am with a trainer so I have to sleep on the top bunk. Does anyone know how exactly to properly get up onto the top bunk without causing major injury....? LOL I have a lot of trouble getting up there. Is it really for sleeping or just storage? LOL Please let me know. Thanks.

Thank you all. I really appreciate your comments. I guess I was expecting too much for my first outing. Brett no I did not go out with that trainer. I have requested another one and hopefully now I know better what to expect. I do understand that my ignorance of all this may cause me some problems but that is why I put this out on your site. I normally do overlook many things and am mostly easy going and patient. Since it was my first outing I did not want to have to deal with trying to drive and have a blow out. As for the inspection, I don't know if the tire were the only problem and the trainer or the SDM did not do anything to assure me that the truck was safe. I will add this experience to my list of learning in the trucking industry. Again, thanks.

Hello all. I am new on here but I have an issue that I would like to submit and see what you all might think. I start orientation with Werner Enterprises this week and was going to go out with my trainer starting today. I met her and she looked terrible. She looked unbathed and had a beard (yes she had a beard) and mustache of serious growth. Her truck had trash all over it and she had to clean space to accommodate for me and my stuff. I realize that out on the road you and the truck get kinda lived in but she was waiting for 6 hours on a load yesterday and got to the Werner terminal last night and then heard from her about 10 am. She could have took out the trash at least. Then I find out we were waiting for a load to Laredo, Tx so she could get new tires put on the truck. Why did we have to go to Laredo when we were already at the terminal and they had tires to put on the truck? That didn't make sense to me.

Since I was going to be driving to Laredo I started think....if the truck had bad tires just how bad are they? The truck did not pass the inspection so what else was wrong? What if I had a blowout and was stranded on the road? Since I am a newbie just out of school I don't know my trainer or my dispatcher or Werner. I don't know where the truck has traveled or how long the tires had been on the truck. She did not bother to produce for me the pre-trip or post-trip inspection for me to see what, if any, issues there are from the past and what had been fixed. I did not feel safe driving a truck that was not road ready. According to the orientation classes as well as driving school classes if you don't feel safe in the truck you shouldn't drive it until it was fixed. That is what I told my dispatcher. I refused to go until the truck passed inspection and I could see the inspection sheet. She of course, acted like I was was being unreasonable. We are talking about my life here with strangers and a big rig. What is your opinion on this? Was I just being a wimpy newbie or what? I really was so excited about getting to drive. I love driving. This was really shocking to me though. Let me know what you think.

Wow. Thanks so much for all the tips. I am still in training but this information will be good to have when I start driving.

Congratulations. I have just completed all the classroom study and am scheduled to take my CDL road test to get License. I have found that if you put some time into study everything will go well. Best to you in this venture.

Hello. I am new here and to trucking. I have recently gotten my permit and scheduled to take me CDL driving test on Monday, April 29. Kinda nervous but excited. It is really nice to have a place for women to talk about their experiences and give advice. I hope to be an active member here and gain many friends. :)