About Showering....lol

I'm not doing team driving. And regardless of what anyone here says, "nature" comes BEFORE any load. When you gotta go, you gotta go! Simple as that. Men seem to forget that a woman cannot just "whip it out and stick it in a bottle" to pee. It doesn't work that way, period. As a woman driver, when I'll need to use the restroom, I'll stop at the closest spot to the highway (rest area, gas station, Walmart, anywhere...) and if that's not possible, I'll stop somewhere safe and take care of business with my emergency back up (a pot, bucket with kitty liter...) Seriously, there is not one job on this planet that will put suffering on me that bad, just for the sake of "doing my job". Frankly, I feel like I'm arguying a point that needs no argument at all...lol When nature calls, you can't just keep on going and ignore it....I don't have a habit of peeing or pooping myself and I don't plan on starting anytime soon! LOL Like many of you told me, it's all about planning and being creative. :)

Hahhah. I'm so thankful you brought this up Vamp. I did a search for "peeing" on the boards and there were no threads :P I was also super curious about what women planned for emergency pees while stuck with a trainer.

RV wrote:

Lol I know that no one is arguying with me. :) I was just saying I feel like *I'm* arguying my thoughts... :oP

Then you could either stop arguing with your thought or you could tell your thoughts to stop arguing with you

Seriously, though, I agree with Errol: "...your trainer could manage to allow your bathroom breaks."

For the shower part of the equation, though, doesn't the truck stop long enough somewhere each day for the driver and trainee to shower? I'm asking because I don't know any better. It's easy for me to sit here at the keyboard and think about a shower a few rooms away. But, when I think about drivers needing showers, I am having a problem understanding why there doesn't seem to be enough time to stop each day for a few minutes? I mean, it is 14 on, 10 off, right? I suppose I'm oversimplifying this again...

Basically, if you are Team driving during training, the truck rarely stops for more than a few minutes, and for fuel. You could theoretically do a really fast shower during your 30min break though.

If a simple non team, regular training setup, I would imagine opportunities for a shower would be more readily available.

I'm not doing team driving. And regardless of what anyone here says, "nature" comes BEFORE any load. When you gotta go, you gotta go! Simple as that. Men seem to forget that a woman cannot just "whip it out and stick it in a bottle" to pee. It doesn't work that way, period. As a woman driver, when I'll need to use the restroom, I'll stop at the closest spot to the highway (rest area, gas station, Walmart, anywhere...) and if that's not possible, I'll stop somewhere safe and take care of business with my emergency back up (a pot, bucket with kitty liter...) Seriously, there is not one job on this planet that will put suffering on me that bad, just for the sake of "doing my job". Frankly, I feel like I'm arguying a point that needs no argument at all...lol When nature calls, you can't just keep on going and ignore it....I don't have a habit of peeing or pooping myself and I don't plan on starting anytime soon! LOL Like many of you told me, it's all about planning and being creative. :)

Hahhah. I'm so thankful you brought this up Vamp. I did a search for "peeing" on the boards and there were no threads :P I was also super curious about what women planned for emergency pees while stuck with a trainer.

the reason the truck does not stop is because while I'm driving 10 hours my Co driver gets a 10 hour break. When my drive time is up we switch. This is how we can do 1800 miles in 20 hours. There is no 10 hour break for the truck just for the individual driver . 30 min breaks go much quicker than you realize. Sometimes you might wait 10 min for a shower depending on time of day and how crowded the place is. When you have high value loads you are not permitted to stop for 200 miles which is like 3 hours...but if you hit 5 hours of traffic it could be much long er before you stop.

I grew up with 5 kids and one bathroom so learned to get in and get out quickly...then I learned the trainers will take an hour or more in the shower. Not just for cleanliness but that is the only time you are apart from the Co driver...u sort of relish that alone time. It's the most time you are out of the truck As well.

As far as the comment about searching for peeing.... I said before there is a route through Kansas route 400 to 169 and 166 that is like 500 miles or so and there is nothing... nowhere to stop. so the only option is roadside pull over. that is my experience.

There is a product called she wee that is a female urinal. You can then empty into a bottle or gallon jug. There are portable pots sold that you can put kitty litter in and do number 2. Is this ideal when with a trainer?of course not. Is it embarrasing? Of course.

Some of the guys have emergency bottles cause it is natural.. yes what are you to do. I heard women iIn Training scoffing because guys use bottles. If a guy opens his truck and 100 pee bottles fail out then RUN. If the guy tells you "I have an emergency bottle which I use rarely please don't get offended." That is different.

Sometimes there is no where to go. Say you are in traffic for six hours on an interstate. You HAVE to go. You can't go outside the truck or you would be peeing in front of all of Dallas work traffic.

I make it a point to go at each customer and each fuel stop. Some customers have nice facilities. TYSONS in Russellville even has showers and overnight parking. Others have disgusting port o pots that I have to sanitize before I even step in.

Again this is teaming which is a mandatory part of the training at Prime and SOME companies. Be sure to research the companies if this sounds too difficult to endure for a few mo the then check out a different company.

For me.. Prime is a great company with great trainers. It pays higher for rookies than any other company. From experience I can say that when my mom needed surgery I got the call she was in the ER and I was on a flight home in two hoUrs. Prime told me "I'm sorry let me know when you can come back on the road." When my sister died. .. my last job asked for her death certificate to allow me to take my saved vacation time and still hasled me. Big difference. Prime cares about family situations. To a point of course.

Training is only a few months and the first month with the permit is basically solo driving so we did stop every day for the 10 hours and the loads are shorter with more time between pick up and drop off.

After the CDL you team. That is the hard part and how long it takes depends on the loads you get and how hard your trainer wants to run. Also be aware.. the way we drive I don't get a 34 hour reset. The reset is for your 70 hour week. So if you drive 10 hours each day... you can drive 550 mikes each shift and not get the 36.

Some trainers make sure the truck does 1000 miles per day and you are done teaming in a month Then upgrade to you own truck. Others take time off in between. My trainer doesn't run holidays so it is taking me about 3 weeks longer than the roommate I had at prime.

Question the trainer before you get on a truck. Ask any and all questions.

I definitely want to run hard and get training over with. I couldn't less about someone peeing in a bottle.. Wish I had the ability :p

Rainy you've been so helpful in topics concerning Prime. Thank you again.

Rainy you've been so helpful in topics concerning Prime. Thank you again.

No problem. I did a TON of research looking at each company. . The pay.. the training.. looked at reviews... read every thread on this board and others. I also think some people sugarcoat while others bash. Prime was best for ME. You have to decide which is best for you.

I've seen some people come to prime totally clueless about everything. . Including 3xpecting the orientation to prep you for the written exam. It doesnt. Some people have very high expectations about trainer selections. There are way more students than trainers. The trainers want those who are willing to learn and who are flexible. Women who insisted "I want a woman under 50 who doesn't smoke" never got trainers and had group instruction at prime. Others who got that had problems with their trainer and awaited a new trainer also partook of the group.

If someone is OCD about taking g a shower at 6 am and being done work at 3pm everyday or always having weekenda off.. then they are in for a shock. I worked for the post office for 18 yEars. It took me 8 yrars to get off xmas and I was still forced in every thanksgiving and new years. So this doesn't bother me. What shocked me is that my trainer chose not to run so I spent BOTH holidays at home ... for the first time in 20 ys!!!!!

This is how we can do 1800 miles in 20 hours

I think you meant 1200 miles, unless those Prime trucks are going 90mph. Ha! Just giving you a hard time. ;)

Someone told me there is a group of twenty people waiting for trainers at Prime as we speak :/ I do hope they are just picky. Nonsmoking and quiet.. That's all I need in my life. Hadn't thought too much about age in terms of trainers. The more I read on the forums, the more I'm sure I'll find someone poking around the training area.

I don't mind someone peeing in a bottle either, as long as they don't make a collection of them. You stop somewhere, you clean. All I want in a trainer is non smoker, clean, respectful. :)

Get a local job. Go home every night.

-mountain girl