Profile For Boxermom

Lol. I am so grateful for TT and the abundance of information here. I must admit 'Ryan' was pretty entertaining! And you guys maintained your composure very well!

I stayed out of this mess, GTown had it covered lol.

I will say this much to Ryan. If you do indeed plan to choose this career and throw around your attitude the way you have here, be prepared to make a post about your trainer leaving you at a podunk truck stop in the middle of nowhere when you ran in to use the restroom.

I'm a female, my company said I would be trained by a female. If that was not possible I would have to sign a waiver before going OTR to be trained by a male... ok .... no problem,right? So, I request a non-smoking female trainer,,,,,,,,,they assign me a smoking ,male trainer......... I don't necessarily have a problem with a male and the smoking bothers me, especially in my living space, working space, for 6 weeks ..... but I don't want to be a baby, whiner,sissy..... so, I just suck it up.(he says he cleans,wipes down and sweeps his truck once a week, and it doesn't smell like smoke)Ok if he's reasonably tidy and conscientious, I can handle a little discomfort for 6 weeks. Well.......the truck is filthy, the guy is full of excuses about why he didn't have time to clean it during the past two weeks that he's been on vacation... ok , whatever...... Ya, he rolls his window down a little to smoke, which blows the smoke into the cab... ok ....suck it up... things could be worse. It seems like just about every transaction is a hassle for this guy...I learned very quickly what not to do(actually I learned that stuff from my parents as a kid) lol I understand that in trucking we don't always get showers as regularly as we would like, I can deal with that. But we can wear clothes that cover what needs to be covered and use the restroom and make ourselves presentable. lol lol Well...you get the picture. He showed me some useful things, we went over pre-trip a couple times, I learned lots about his personal life, other drivers, previous students. After a couple days I informed him that I was going to request a new trainer. Nothing personal, I just thought I could learn better in a more comfortable environment, where I'm able to get a good nights rest. We got that arranged, continued our travel, got along fine(because I kept my mouth shut) I got in quite a bit of driving time which was great, I had a couple small issues that felt huge at the time, since I was behind the wheel of an 18 wheeler, and he was preoccupied either eating or on the phone so he wasn't much help. But I got through it. On what was to be our second to last night together, I was up in the top bunk, he was in the drivers seat,we were parked.... he sat there and smoked a cigarette!!!! Where do you think all that smoke went????? Right! UP AND BACK! Friggin' suffocating me! I'd had enough! The next morning I said "take me back to the terminal" I drove all the way back as I had the hours to do so. Made a pitstop for him about 100 miles from the terminal. Well..... he didn't make it! Didn't say or do anything about it!!!!! Ya, guess what I got to smell the last hour and a half!!!!!!! I understand these things are gonna happen. But were also adults and can take care of things! My family and friends think i I'm nuts for wanting to be a trucker, and I'm sure they're delighted to hear of my unfortunate experiences. lol. But from the week that I was on the road I learned that truckers like my trainer are the exception, contrary to the stereotypes. I'm excited to get back at it with my new trainer. I'm a firm believer in hard work and perseverance. Also,TT is a great tool for us newbies, thank you so much for being here. I'll be sure and share the rest of my journey. Sorry so lengthy,thanks for reading!!! Be safe!!!

First and foremost, Thank you TT for being here! So much useful,accurate and positive information. About 5 weeks ago I got my DOT physical and passed the CDLP test at the local DMV. Comlpeted the DQP in the Reno terminal, which consisted of some lectures, videos, handouts, hair follicle and urine drug tests and another physical. Once my drug tests came back clean I was scheduled for CDL training in Phoenix, AZ. Knight does not pay for transportation or lodging so I drove there, luckily I found someone to share a room with. Class starts at 6am. The instructor went over some paperwork with us (there were 9 students) we watched videos,went out to the driving pad to learn pre-trip. There was so much new information and anxiety in my case that I didn't retain much of the pre-trip, since it all was foreign to me. I've been doing hair and nails for the past 20 years!!! LOL Each day was similar, adding in some driving and backing skills, there was quite a bit of waiting to use the trucks for backing practice. So in the meantime we would usually pair up and practice pre-trip. On Thursday we were tested on our pre-trip. I still didn't have my mind wrapped around it. It was an overwhelming bunch of repetitive information that was not making sense to me, at least not enough to verbalize to the extent they require. There were many students senior to me who were trying to help, but many gave conflicting instructions. I very much appreciated the help, but was overwhelmed. Friday was a short day, more of the same plus a safety class. No class on Saturday and Sunday however a senior classmate offered to help me over the weekend. Our instructor set us up with a truck we could have access to but not move. We worked a couple hours each day, oh, what a difference that made for me!!!!!! The next week my class was out in the yard the whole time, practicing backing, pre-trip and driving. I did fantastic on my pre-trip test!!! The official CDL test with the examiner went well, I missed 3 on pre-trip, no points on backing, and passed the driving part. Back to Reno,NV to the DMV to get my CDL! and wait for my trainer.

Congratulations Sue! I've been enjoying following you on TT. You and Rainy among others have been a huge inspiration for me ! I'm in the process of starting my truck driving career. I'm so excited and nervous, up and down, certain and confused and so forth and so on. I'm so thankful for this forum and the great members. I'm sure I'll have tons of questions and comments in the next few months.

Thank you, Marcia

I'm considering training in flatbed national. I'm a bit concerned about unstable loads. Am I setting myself up for failure by jumping in to flatbed as a student? Thank you in advance for your help. Marcia

Thank you for all the great advice. My family is worried about me bieng out in the middle of nowhere ,or in a huge city that I'm not familiar with. What if I have a health issue? this job is so issolating! who is going to put my chains on in the snow and ice? you're going to shower at those dirty truck stops???? sitting all the time is detrimental to your health. You will be responsible for a very large ,very expensive peice of equipment,and all the other people on the road. You're going to have to lift tarps that weigh more than you do.....I think I covered most of their concerns. I don't have a husband ,my kids are adults on their own,no pets or house that need my attention. I was leaning towards starting with Roehl, but now, I'm thinking about enrolling in a local CDL school to try and stay closer to home at least in the short term. I'd appreciate any advice and comments,thank you so much. Marcia

Hi,I'm very seriously considering a truck driving job. I'm very excited about it, and I know I'm up to the challenge and looking forward to the adventure. For the past 20 years I've been a wife,mom,and beauty salon owner operator. I know truck driving is a huge change,I think it'll be a good thing for me . The problem is my family,sisters and parents. They are throwing out all the negative stereotypes about truckers and the industry. They say it's hard work,and not a normal lifestyle. I know that. I'm not a normal person, I look forward to the challenges of becoming a truck driver. I know they love me and don't want to see me get hurt or killed, but I need some advice on how to reassure them that this kind of career ,lifestyle just might right up my alley. I could be happy beyond belief, or I could do it for a while and have lots of experiences to brag about at my next endeavor. I'd appreciate any feedback, thank you ,and I Love this forum! Marcia