Profile For Lil'RedRidingHood

Update:

Spoke w/trainer, think everything will be A-OK. Doing backing practice in yard tomorrow, crashing in truck for evening, and heading out tomorrow night.

Kearsey, I brought up your suggestion and we trip-planned it over the phone. I’m thinking this should help as those two last hours are where I tank, and then I will have food in me @ that 8-some hours stop.

Here’s to bringing me up to 650+ miles a shift! :)

Thank you thank you TT angels for bringing me off that ledge. My first major over-reaction.

I am SURE there will be others. Seems fear of killing ppl is my kryptonite. Knowing full well between truck, conditions, traffic etc I’M THE WEAKEST LINK.

I thought APU/Reefer would make sleep hard. Nope. No better lullaby made.

They probably have an " App for That! "

If not, there's your niche; aka: your side hustle!

~ Anne ~

Yes yes, I’m gonna be a millionaire recording that reefer and selling the sound by the minute rofl

Way to go Sandman!! It is such a huge help isn’t it. I got mine that way also. Still had to sit through ELDT class, but boy does having it take the stress out.

I especially loved the review function. Hose up one section or another and it makes you answer questions surrounding it till you get it.

Took all endorsements in one shot too. Thanks TT. I’m in training now—so really green as well. Anyhow..

Now on to all that fun stuff Sandman. Climbing into that big truck and having the time of your life learning.

One tip—if you have problems picking up Pretrip / backing / cornering / shifting a manual / [insert problem here] - search this forum and you will find answers to what you struggle with.

For me—I read every backing post I could come across. By the time I read Kearsey’s excellent posts on the matter, I felt way less scared… (she does that to me lol)…

In school, remember—it’s only a cone, it will pop right back up if you hit it.

There’s a huge list of blog posts, lists, pics, etc in here - even a book on pretripping you can print & send to Kinko’s. Pretrip by Daniel.

Sorry—cannot do links on phone.

So—welcome! Learning right alongside you.

So sorry OP. Like the others said, refusing a drug test is refusing a drug test—and is the same as taking one and failing it.

I hope you take the lesson and apply it in your new gig.

Fairness has nothing to do with it. They have a duty to test you if they think something is going on, whether it is or not.

To those reading, there is a super simple solution. Resolve to not touch alcohol or drugs for as long as you have your CDL, whether working in this field or not.

See—we are held to a higher standard, like Kearsey pointed out. This goes in our personal vehicles also, and they should have taught you this when you got your CDL.

If they did not (yes I know this is impossible), now you know.

I hope things look up for you soon OP. And NEVER take any drug, even OTC (without checking w/your doc for side-effects), for as long as you have the CDL.

It is what we must do, as there are idiots out there killing people.

Hello! I haven't even started the process yet, but I should be doing so pretty soon. I have a couple questions in hopes of making my early journey as smooth as possible. I've trimmed this down a bit having been lurking for about a month and reading all I could, but these two concerns nag at me.

1. Birth certificate: I have it, but haven't needed it in over 20 years and I tend to just lock it away in deep storage. I'm in the process of selling my house, in which I'll be putting all but essentials in storage, hitting the road and going where the jobs are. I would really like to avoid having something that critical on my person at all times.

I read here that Birth + DL is a viable option, and I'm assuming my social security card . Should I just renew my passport and leave it at that? (which is something I want to do regardless)

2. Is this realistic: I want to keep costs low and have no interest in planting roots anywhere for the foreseeable future, but I know I'll need an address while searching a company that will train me. I want to be able to go where I'm needed, and the idea is to use my soon-to-be-old address while searching, then once something promising comes up head over there, rent a room for a month, use that as my stable address for as long as needed while also buying a couple other things I'd like to have before getting started. (namely a laptop and a special order phone, and probably a couple important things I haven't thought of yet)

Is this a realistic plan?

1) Get your passport, you will be so glad you did. I watched folks in my orientation class go through hoop after hoop.

2) Yes it is. Hit up the RV forums. You will learn which states / towns you can set up “domicile” and how 2 have your mail scanned & sent to you digitally.

I’m sure folks here will have a list of states that allow just a P.O. Box as well.

Check THIS out, ladies (and gents!)

Sleep Mask w/ Bluetooth Headphones!

Ours will be here today, via Amazon (of course!) .. I'll report back. They look pretty awesome; great concept for truckers, although the kiddo is the crash test dummy; I'm still a tad bit away to needing one.

Let y'all know, later tho!

~ Anne ~

ps: WON'T upload photo! Gotta click the link. I LOVE the fact you can push it up; looking like a headband!

NICE! :) Luckily I don’t need a CPAP. And even luckier, I love that reefer so much for white noise I want to take one home and put it in the bedroom ROFL. I thought APU/Reefer would make sleep hard. Nope. No better lullaby made.

As it is, I am thrilled with my new employer..

Want to know who these two companies were? Read my carrier-training diary.. I'll put a link to it once it is up and running.

Finally, thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the kind folks on TT who offered their kind advice. And special thanks to Laura, Anne and Kearsey.

~LilRed

Girl !!! HUGE grats~!!!

The ONE day my WiFi AND phone(s)/towers were out at my house, I missed all the above ~!!!

I don't get on the F'Book much, as you've seen . . . (been busy w/Bezos, hahaha! More on that later...) but I'll sure reply to DM's, SO .. I'll await yours!!!

So happy for you; you had me at "Kangaroos and Black Ice, while Drunk!!" LoLoLoL! And ... you did it all, with no E restriction, DANG, GIRL...YOU GO!

I'll be checking my alerts, LoL... in the meantime, you'll have to hit up PackRat on HIS social media:

With nothing but the BEST WISHES (and a tad of jealousy, haha!)

Always, ~ Anne ~

Thank you so so much Anne. Can’t believe I missed this. Shame on me. Yes the Kangaroos were fun… Not sure if simulator is supposed to be. I had a blast. Had an audience of 7 that were ROFLing…

Anyhow, it came in handy on I-80 let’s just say lol.

Also—YOU I’d team with. At least till we’re on Bonehead truckers caught klanking each other with cast iron skillets lol….

JK… You know I love you…

Good for you Lil Red !!!

Happy for you.

Thank you so much G-Town.

Unfortunately no diary pt 2 this week; left laptop in truck lol.

Internal distractions are as bad as external ones. Being tired, sick, or emotionally upset can distract and exhaust you.

Red shoot me an email and I'll send an audiobook truckingalongfun@gmail.com

Sorry... I didn't remember. I talk to so many people and I remember circumstances not always names. I remember i had a TNT with me at the time.

Will do. See, you do remember. :) Can’t blame you for not recalling the details, gosh! :) Thank God I’m on a reset right now for sure. On the internal stuff…. I would not be a safe driver today.

Thank you so much NaeNae. I so appreciate this. My company has a zero phone tolerance for students, even using Bluetooth. I’m grateful for it. Before I hop in driver’s seat, phone is turned OFF and put away.

I have no trucker family to call, and I don’t want to scare hubby, he’s already worried about me.

I do call him tho. I just wait with the hairier details until later. Everyone else gets a text, like you said, to see I’m still alive and in one piece.

I do love driving. Driving a car has always been my mental therapy, and I was delighted to learn it works the same in a semi—maybe even better.

I’ll start calling on my 30 when I upgrade. Right now there’s fuel, conversation and things to learn on the 30.

I’m so glad to learn it is hell for others too. I was starting to feel weak, crazy, sub-standard.

I just need to make sure to take care of my body good on the reset—and continue to eat / drink very clean in the truck.

It should get easier when we team. I’ll be “alone” then.

Thank you so so much.

I’m sure I’ll be back with something else to freak out about.

Lil’Red