Profile For Michael P.

Website timed out while typing this post, sorry. I meant to title it "Obligatory introduction: just passed my permit exam, and have a few questions about this industry."

If any mod could change the title or show me how to do so I would greatly appreciate it.

Before I say anything else, the training program on this site was the backbone of what allowed me to pass my permit exam. I would have failed it without the repetition this training program drilled into my head, and I will be recommending this site to anybody I encounter who is interested in getting into this industry.

A little bit about my background. I'm 28, a college graduate in accounting who later discovered that accounting is certainly NOT what I want to do with my life, and was convinced to consider commercial driving by my stepfather, who I've witnessed first-hand has never wanted for a high-paying job when he was laid off by a failing company & had a new job in 3 weeks. I have been doing youtube research into the trucking industry for about 6 months, and just this afternoon passed my basic permit exam. I would like for some experienced drivers to comment on some of my short-term plans, and answer a few of my questions about life on the road.

1. Short term plans. I intend to take my remaining endorsement exams about a week-at-a-time for the next few weeks while I apply to all the companies running their own schools. I am currently employed to the point where I can pay my bills, so time is not a huge concern. I personally feel that I would rather enter trucking school, be it company run or private, with all my relevant endorsements out of the way so it's one less headache to worry about. Is this a prudent thing to do, or am I over-estimating the difficulty of studying for the endorsements while also in school?

2. Entertainment. I grew up with video-games, and they comprise roughly 60% of my entertainment, the rest being books and a select few television series. In today's environment such things require quality internet connections with data caps higher than common cell carriers allow. I am considering the purchase of a decent gaming laptop after a few months of settling in, and I'm curious whether a 450w AC power drain is even going to be capable on a company truck with an APU (pushing me towards Werner), or capable at all on a non-APU truck with an appropriate external inverter. This is by no means a deal-breaker for me, if I can only play my PS Vita and 3ds then so be it, but I would just like to hear any other gamer trucker's opinions and experiences. Is an APU absolutely required to hook up a PS3 and a small monitor while not idling the truck? On the topic of internet connections, can anybody tell me what they use for streaming movies from time to time, or heavy streaming of internet radio? My current Verizon contract is 2 gigs / month, and I know that will get used up in a day or two of heavy Netflix streaming.

3. My dream driving hours would be 3rd shift. I used to work it when I worked for Publix warehouse, and I always remember those hours fondly. Do most starter companies like you working those kind of hours? Is it even possible to make decent loads when working like that? I know you have to take the freight when it comes up, but is it possible to ask my DM to try and keep me on 'night-shift'?

4. Running out of hours at a shipper. I know about the importance of trip-planning, but I keep hearing horror stories about shippers detaining drivers for 10+ hours and then kicking them off the property when their DOT clock is up. I don't ever want to run illegal, super-truckers be damned, but this is a particular issue that I've never heard a clear-cut explanation of without either breaking the law or ****ing off the customer. My ASSUMPTION is to check areas around the shipper as I'm pulling in to potentially wait out the 10 hour break, and if I'm coming up on 1/2 hours left on my 14 to bobtail off the property (after asking if I can stay there & being rejected), and come back after my 10. I've read people's experiences that sometimes a shipper will get mad about this, but I don't know what they expect when they fail to live up to their end of the contract (if there even IS a contract concerning live load-unload times). All I see is some idiot zipping around the parking lot, slamming into me when I'm crawling off the property to trick the Qualcom, and now I'm blacklisted for life when I'm caught between trespassing and violating HOS through no fault of my own. How do you deal with this issue without risking your livelihood?

5. Home time. Can Home time be taken wherever you want, assuming an appropriate amount of notice is given? For example, can I ask them to route me to Vegas whenever they get the chance and spend my home time there as a 'mini vacation'? I'm single and I have almost no ties to my home address, and I would love to see the country for a few years. I understand that I would work for a month-and-a-half+ before home time is available to take, but are most national companies good about allowing you to take home time as an unpaid vacation in multiple locations with sufficient advance notice? If I know my all-time favorite band is doing their farewell tour ending at Madison Square Garden in 6 months, will I be able to ask my DM to make sure I get out of the truck in New York in such a narrow time frame assuming I have the time saved up?

Anyway, I'm almost out of characters, and I'm out of questions for the moment. I just want to reiterate my appreciation for both this site, and the High Road program. You guys all rock, and I hope to be joining you within the next few months.