CRST Orientation In Oklahoma

Thought I would let you guys know about how things go here at CRST in Oklahoma.

We arrived by greyhound bus on Sunday and were picked up by the Ramada Inn van. We have a room that is very nice and comfortable and the breakfast here is OUTSTANDING!

You have to be downstairs and waiting by 5:45 am to catch the bus. Breakfast is served at 5:30, though if you are nice enough, they will start it a little sooner.

The classroom is packed for us, from what I am understanding we are a larger than usual class.

Monday was paperwork paperwork paperwork, and a nice little driving test. Make sure you read everything you get and if you find anything that was surprising, they encourage you to call your recruiter and talk with them.

They serve you lunch as well and it is pretty good. We had pizza.

On Tuesday (today) we filled out more paperwork, had conference calls with safety and maintenance. We watched videos and discussed payroll. Really neat, you can get paid twice a week if you file your trips right. They also do per diam and from what I hear, the 2 cents per mile they charge you is cheaper than industry standard. You are auto enrolled but only if it will benefit you. It's kind of complicated but they explain it far better than I can.

They also help you fill in your mistakes on your application (I had some dates mixed up, going back 5 years I got two dates switched and they gave me paperwork to fill out to correct it, they were very nice)

We had lunch today, sonic burgers, tator tots and a drink. Pretty good. I am pleased with it.

I have met a lot of the other drivers and some of the trainers. Most of the people seem really nice. A guy gave us a tour of his Volvo truck. It was really big and spacious! I hope we get one of those. We aren't exactly little people. The driver of that truck is 6'10" and he says he is more than comfortable.

I'll add some more tomorrow. Still dreading leaving my husband for training. I'm scared without him but I am sure we will survive and will be very very happy to see each other when we get to get back together. (which if everything goes to schedule, we will be back together about four days before our 6th anniversary)

Hey, sounds like you're off to a slow and boring start! LoL! It's always that way in the beginning...lots of paperwork.

Keep us updated on how things go and have fun!

And I'm sitting. The secondary air tank on our truck isn't holding air, so I get to wait until the truck gets finished.

I'm doing pretty good with the driving. My trainer is comfortable with my driving. I can float gears fairly reliably, I need more practice but that will happen. I've driven about 1500 miles so far and all of them were good miles. I've survived rush hour traffic in San Antonio, Austin, and Dallas. I've gone on the roller coaster ride in Tennessee and Virginia and now I am stuck in Pennsylvania.

The hardest thing right now is the depression. I'm seriously depressed being separated from my husband. I cry every night. I worry about him all the time. I know I shouldn't, but I can't seem to help it. So far that is the hardest thing to deal with. We try to talk as much as we can but the signal is bad most of the time. When we do have time, the other one is driving! ARGH!

I'm so frustrated. I would never recommend this training to married couples unless you are used to being apart for extended amounts of time. It's really hard. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle the next three weeks and two days.

I'm so frustrated. I would never recommend this training to married couples unless you are used to being apart for extended amounts of time. It's really hard. I'm not sure how I'm going to handle the next three weeks and two days.

Ya know what you do? Use it as practice time. As you're already starting to see, trucking takes a ton of patience. And you're just getting started. Traffic jams, tight schedules, waiting 18+ hours in a parking lot to get loaded, being late getting home time, DOT inspections - there are a ton of things you're going to come across every day that will get to you if you let them.

One of the key traits it takes to be happy and successful in trucking is to not sweat the little things. Let em slide off your back like it's nothing. And being separated may seem like a very big deal, but decades from now you'll be celebrating your 50th wedding anniversary and in the grand scheme of things this month apart will be a drop in the ocean. You probably won't even remember it.

Just focus on the task at hand and try to put the separation out of your mind. When you do think about it, think about the good side - how happy you'll be when you see each other, how great it will be driving together - nothing but positives.

Thinking positive and handling challenges well is a learned skill that can be greatly improved over time. As a new truck driver, now is the time to start developing that skill. Focus on the positives. Count your blessings. And most importantly, keep in mind that all of this is just temporary. Don't turn it into something bigger than it is. The stress will wear you down over time. You have to stay strong and positive, keep your energy high, remain optimistic.

And don't forget - you're experiencing one of the most exciting times of your life! You're travelling the country learning to drive a big rig! How cool is that??? Don't miss out on it. Don't let it slip past without enjoying it simply because you're separated from your husband for a short time. Life's too short to pass on the good times. Enjoy it. Cherish the opportunity. That type of thinking will make your trucking career a million times more enjoyable.