56 Years Old And Starting Over In Trucking At 7:00am

An update to the most recent update: I got an almost immediate reply from the school's director. He said that kind of behavior will not be tolerated and he won't allow it. He will deal with it and I won't have anymore problems. He gave his cell phone and said to call if there are any more concerns. Tell you what, that made my day. I really do want to be far better at controlling a tractor trailer than I ever was before. Since I was pretty good the last time I was in this, my standards for myself are very high.

Till Later Bad Bob

I will state that I am a bit nervous about what will be going on during the schooling tomorrow with what I was forced to do last week in contacting the school's director in attempting to stop an instructor from yelling at students. It's a natural reaction I guess. I am hoping things will go smoothly and I can work on regaining my very rusty skills. Hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst I have added to my contacts in my phone the school director's cell phone number. He did say to call him immediately if there are any further problems. I hope that won't be necessary.

I'll probably update on Monday since I do like to contemplate a bit on what the weekend was before reporting. Thank you to everyone who reads this. Knowledge is power. Gain as much knowledge as possible and you will be stronger.

Bad Bob

Update Weekend 4: Alright for the sake of honesty in reporting I'll give you what happened last weekend and what I will be attempting to set up.

Saturday: Not so bad as far as the backing and driving today went. In the morning it was cold as hell here. Did some more straight-line backing. Again no problem.

In the afternoon got to do a bit of driving with an instructor on the road. Did great. Felt really good about the process. The shifting was coming back fast. As a matter of fact he said that I needed to stop floating gears since that is not allowed during testing. Later I told him that I didn't even know that I was floating gears, and that was the truth. He said I was doing it like an experienced trucker. I'd probably picked it up while driving before and never knew I'd learned it. I was shifting by the sound of the engine. Anyway, finished that day feeling good, like I knew I would pass the tests, get the CDL and get out on the road and make some money.

Sunday: This morning did a bit of parallel parking backing. I'd never done it before and was not very good. When the instructor (one who doesn't yell and insult the students) guided me in, no problem. When I tried it on my own I was just not very good. We took a break.

Although I was done with my eTreads lessons 9 days earlier they wouldn't let me and the others who were done take the test. Finally they let me and the other guys who had their eTreads done, do the test. Missed 2 out of 50 questions and scored a 96. Pretty damn good. (The eTreads are video lessons you watch and answer questions throughout that give you the knowledge that is needed to be a trucker. They are boring as hell but you're required to do them so you do. I do guess if you'd never been around trucking at all you would pick up needed knowledge.)

After lunch went out on the road with another trainer. I was put in a truck with 3 students who were testing for their CDL's next week. When it was my turn to drive I thought I was doing OK because the trainer wasn't saying much. I was being very deliberate and driving slow but we were on streets with traffic and I was trying to be perfect. Actually, I thought I was shifting as good as the other guys in the truck. I was told a few times to quit skipping gears and will say that the day before I was driving a 9 speed that I had no problem finding the gears. This truck was a 10 speed that everybody says is hard to find the gears. It seemed like mostly I was doing O.K.

I was nervous. Hell, I'll admit that. I was tense. After being yelled at my nerves have been ramped up.

It seemed like everything was O.K. (not great, but O.K.) until I was told to pull into a small truck stop and to not stop but just turn right across traffic lanes. Trying to downshift I missed some gears and had to stop in the turn lane. The instructor started yelling at me he told me not to stop. I was out of gear, in neutral so what else could I do. He told me to pull through the fuel lanes beneath the "Diesel." Directly beneath "Diesel" the lane had a fuel hose laying out in the lane. I didn't want to hit it so I headed for the one beside it. The trainer started screaming, "You have to listen! You have to listen!" I pointed at the hose and told him why I didn't go in there. By then I was stopped. He made me do a sharp turn and run over the fuel hose and go through that fuel lane anyway and drive over the hose.

He, wrote me up for not listening.

After being yelled at I was so angry I was shaking. Being yelled at is not a good way to learn anything and these instructors do it as just part of their way of teaching. In a little while I am contacting a company that has its own trucking school and talking to them. I want assurances that their instructors do not shout at the students. You see, I'm not the only one being shouted at here. I am trying to follow the instructions but being shouted is making my nerves worse, not better.

After I get done talking with Knight Transportation, and I am sure I will get assurances that their instructors don't yell at students, I will call the school's director again and say that I want my money refunded. If he doesn't I will go after them legally to get the money back. At the end of all this if I get the $7,000.00 we paid upfront I'll only give out the school's name in private messages. I figure that's fair. If they are civilized I will also be civil. If I don't get out money back I will openly post the school's name and go after them legally. We are consumers and do deserve to get our money's worth. According to the school's director instructors shouting is not tolerated. I guess we will find out.

Anyway, that's about it.

I will keep you posted about this entire journey.

Keep on trucking and be safe! Bad Bob

Just a quick update:

I have talked to Knight and filled out the application to go through their Squire training program and am now waiting to hear back from them when the background check is done. There is nothing bad in my background so that is just a matter of time. I have also talked to several schools and have been assured by all that the kind of teaching the students put up with here is not tolerated at their school. (I hope they are telling the truth.)

Anyway, I am just opening up options if the worst happens and I can't graduate here.

I have not yet asked for my money back. If the situation gets worse then I will be forced to do that and if they don't do it I will take legal action.

I have also been kind of surprised that I've received no comments on this thread since things have gotten kind of bad at the school.

I am sorry if the truth is no all sunshine and smiles all the time, but the truth is the truth.

Anyway ...

Stay Safe Out There.

Bad Bob

Just a quick update:

I have talked to Knight and filled out the application to go through their Squire training program and am now waiting to hear back from them when the background check is done. There is nothing bad in my background so that is just a matter of time. I have also talked to several schools and have been assured by all that the kind of teaching the students put up with here is not tolerated at their school. (I hope they are telling the truth.)

Anyway, I am just opening up options if the worst happens and I can't graduate here.

I have not yet asked for my money back. If the situation gets worse then I will be forced to do that and if they don't do it I will take legal action.

I have also been kind of surprised that I've received no comments on this thread since things have gotten kind of bad at the school.

I am sorry if the truth is no all sunshine and smiles all the time, but the truth is the truth.

Anyway ...

Stay Safe Out There.

Bad Bob

Hey BB - been watching your postings.....thanks for sharing your experience. An adult who yells at adults is just plain childish. When I am paying someone to provide me training (no matter what it is), I don't give a ph@ck who you are don't talk down to me and don't yell.

r/scott

Bad Bob, so glad you have posted here. I am brand new today to this site and enjoyed what you have posted. I myself am looking to start over at 57 so I am glad to see I'm not the only one out here. I lost my job in October and I have not been able to find anything else so it looks like I am going back in a truck. It's been almost twenty years since I last drove a truck but it's still in my blood so I am hoping to get going soon. I am not going to school but I have been preparing for the test the last month. It looks like I will be taking them soon now as I past my physical this morning. I'll keep an eye out for your future post.

Yes, I've been reading your posts too. Our general forum gets a lot more traffic. I really haven't had anything positive to add so I hadn't commented. I do know that even our most patient instructors lost it a time or three when there was a severe communication breakdown between said instructors and some students. Thankfully I did my best to focus and listen so was never on the receiving end, or told to park and get out of the truck lol, but I witnessed it.

Those that complained to our company and their scholarship program about unfair treatment, etc. were singled out for a special visit and a verbal tongue lashing from a school official.

Hey Guys and Gal:

Thanks for the replies.

It is a strange, strained situation.

I am going to do what I can to continue with the quest to get the CDL back (whatever direction that takes me) and just keep going.

There's really nothing else to do.

If I have to go to another school then so be it.

Right now I have practiced the pre-trip so much that while I cannot name every single part I do know every single part that needs to be inspected and what needs to be said about them. I wake up hearing "Properly mounted and secured and not cracked or broken and No abrasions, bubbles or cuts and it does not leak."

I may have been singled out now. I don't know.

The only thing to do is soldier on.

The thing is, I do not allow abusive people in mine and my wife's lives.

Now, the same kind of people who I avoided at the truck stops are being forced upon me as a price for me to regain my CDL.

I will not become the kind of person that I detest and as soon as I am past this step, will not allow that kind of person in our lives again.

This may be a price I will have to pay and if needed I will pay it.

Such is life.

I can't choose how other people conduct themselves but I can choose how I conduct myself.

Anyway, that's where it is now.

Eventually I will get the CDL A back.

Thanks again for your input.

Keep Being Safe! Bad Bob

Just FYI, Bob: ive posted three complete diaries (school, road training and my first week or so solo). I got a few replies, but I also learned that also many other people read/lurked on my topics. Keep'em coming!

Just FYI, Bob: ive posted three complete diaries (school, road training and my first week or so solo). I got a few replies, but I also learned that also many other people read/lurked on my topics. Keep'em coming!

Thanks for saying that Errol. With what's been going on I was wondering if people were a bit afraid to respond because they could be concerned that their companies might be reading this. I guess that's not true. Just gotta keep going. The thing is, I know I can do this because I did it before. Just gotta keep going. In two days I'm going to be back out there doing what I can do to get the skills back and get that CDL A. Thanks again.

Bad Bob