Books

It will toughen you up, thats for sure...I don't know how Red Gator keeps those fancy nails. But then being a company driver isn't like having to fix your own truck....I know how to ride and wrnech with the best of them. Don't you dare go into that training thinking that your a step below all the other students cuz your a woman, and you have a few winters behind ya. Hell that just proves that your a survivor !!!! Do ALL the training stuff on here that you can...cuz when you getinto class, you will cruise thru it, and you can watch everyone else struggle......or you can help them, which will make you feel better about yourself !!!! And if you get in a hole...STOP DIGGING !!! just take a breath....stand up straight.....and tell yourself that your a WOMAN..It Doesn't Take Outside Plumbing To Drive a Truck.......

Go get em girlfriend

It will toughen you up, thats for sure...I don't know how Red Gator keeps those fancy nails. But then being a company driver isn't like having to fix your own truck....I know how to ride and wrnech with the best of them. Don't you dare go into that training thinking that your a step below all the other students cuz your a woman, and you have a few winters behind ya. Hell that just proves that your a survivor !!!! Do ALL the training stuff on here that you can...cuz when you getinto class, you will cruise thru it, and you can watch everyone else struggle......or you can help them, which will make you feel better about yourself !!!! And if you get in a hole...STOP DIGGING !!! just take a breath....stand up straight.....and tell yourself that your a WOMAN..It Doesn't Take Outside Plumbing To Drive a Truck.......

Go get em girlfriend

I will....Thanks so much. I swear I sound real whimpy on here, and I am a pretty tough cookie, been round and round time and time again and I know that has served me well. I need to learn some calming stragies to keep my nerves at bay! Deep breathing, when I get stressed my blood pressure reads high, and I keep thinking they will send me home over it. My recuiter told me to exercise and eat celery (lots of it) and remain calm. She has been great helping me get everything in order! I am so glad that I found this site, not only did it help me pass my permit test, the support factor is by far the best thing! Some of it I read and I think "what am I doing?" and then other times, "I got this, I can and want to do this" but reading all the blogs about the good, the bad, and the ugly gets me more prepared and going into it knowing what to expect and not getting blind sided is great! Kathy Start Date 5-29-13 62 Days and counting!

I will admit that for the first 6 months, I lived in abject terror, when I was driving. Now you have to understand that TSB trained me, and because we were buying a truck, those wheels had to turn to pay for it. So I got a crash course, and was driving way before I should have been. Id driven truck before...but it was rural, farm truck, log truck etc. I'd never been out of the state of Oregon until we bought that big old Pete. I can tell you how I finally won the fight against the terror.....I developed a "Don't Give a *Poop* attitude. I only looked in my rearview mirror, when I needed to change lanes. I didn't care what was goin' on behind me, cuz in reality, I couldn't do anything about it. I just drove that truck as fast as was comfortable for me, never mind what the speed limit was. I stopped if I was tired, and I kept my mind clear of all the "What Ifs" that will drive you crazy while your driving. I also liked to drive at night....less traffic, and it was calming for me. But to each their own, when it comes to calming down. I will tell you that when I know I'm going in for a DOT physical, I take and extra 1/2 pill of my blood pressure med. My blood pressure stays nice and low unless I'm stressed...and those danged DOT physicals stress me every time...go figure.

My bp is the same way, my doctor only gave me medication because I was worried about the physical, she said that I may not even have to stay on it for very long. Let me know how that works for you. That would be awful to get knocked out all for a bad case of nerves causing my bp to rise!

I've done taken an extra 1/2 tablet the morning before my DOT physical for years....My BP runs about 110/60. But because of how I have to get my DOT physical it stresses me. I have to go to the Dr. and pick up a blank long form.....take it to my eye Dr. and get an eye test. Then the eye Dr. fills out the eye test part. I then have to go back to the regular DR. and get my usual DOT physical....Its a real bother, but I can't do the "look down the hall at the eye chart thing".....Don't know why....just can't. So I've always done my DOT physicals with 2 DR.'s. And for the record....I have never had an accident of ANY kind, driving ANYTHING. But I attribute that to about 6 years of driving Demolition Derby !!! I musta got wreckin' my car outta my system...lol

I can understand the stress part! I don't really know why I get stressed going to the doctor, it just happens, lol. Sometimes I have a higher reading 140ish over 80ish, and I don't feel nervous or stressed at all. Do you know if they will make me have my physical before I go to Central, or will they have their own set ups there? I have noticed on some of the threads that it can be both ways. Guess my recruiter could tell me. I would like it better if I could take it here and take it with me, I just don't know which way they do it. Another question that is not on the same topic, do you take the CDL road test before or after the OTR training with your trainer? I have one other question, what does it mean or why does a company pay per diem (I know that is not taxed) but what is the reasoning for that? When I was researching companies before I decided on Central, I saw that a lot including Central. Just not sure why or what the point is! Thanks for all your help Star, it is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED

Each company is different. Some have their own Dr's and want DOT physicals done when you come to school. Others will take the long form physical form any Dr. And its the same with the CDL test. If you get your CDL permit prior to school, I think thats a plus for 2 reasons. #1....you are one step ahead of everyone else, if they allow you to use the one you get locally. #2. Its a test !!! You will have already taken it and you KNOW you can pass it !! Check with your recruiter, and if you can take it locally,,,DO IT. It will put you that much further ahead of the rest of the class. Having been a Owner Operator all my driving career, I an not up on the per diem question. You may want to go to the old site and search. There was a thread on it not long ago, if I remember right.

I do have my permit already, I didn't get any endorsements cause I knew that I wanted to drive reefer , but I took my general knowledge, combination, and air brakes. I'll look around and see if I can find out about per diem , guess I can just do a new thread in the general area. Thanks for your input!

Even if you are gonna pull a reefer , it would be a good thing to get your HazMat....We pulled a reefer, and hauled alot of HazMat....And it is a plus, since that type of freight pays better, so the companies like their drivers to have the endorsement.

What kind of books do you like to read? Most of the time it just depends on what kind of mood I am in. My favorite is paranormal fiction, paranormal romance. Currently I am into the House of night books. I do like the Gray books I have a habit of getting into a book and cant put it down it over way to fast. I am also a speed readerI cant help that I tryed to slow down plenty of times it dont work. So what kinds of books do you like and what are you reading currently?

I love suspense novels or romantic and funny kind of novels. It totally depends on my mood what kind of novel i want to read in free time. I am a slow reader. So, in free time i read some pages and then get back to work. I always prefer those novels which keep my mind fresh.