Thanks To All

Just wanted to give a heart-felt thanks to everyone. All of the advice and insight I have received on this forum has greatly helped with my nervousness about my drive test next week. You guys are the greatest and I feel so blessed to have stumbled upon this forum. God bless every one of you and may he keep you and yours safe while you're on the road.

Chris,you are so very welcome....We are here for about anything a newbie needs when it comes to trucking...And alot of that is just a little help with the jitters, or lack of self confidence. Learning to drive truck is a HUGE learning curve. It in no way relates to any common job that most people have before they turn to trucking. And its daunting to face a 75 foot long, 13.5 foot high truck and trailer, and try to imagine YOU behind the wheel, with a load in the trailer, and headed thru some scarey place like Dalles/Fort Worth during rush hour. And I'll say it right here...Any person who tries to tell me that they didn't pucker the seat the first weeks of driving, is a stone liar. We all go thru everything that you've gone thru. We all handle it differently (I raged at my poor husband...I have since asked for forgiveness),and theres more you will go thru, that we've gone thru. Its a process that will stretch over years..and you will never quit learning.You may quit puckerin' the seat...as often. So just settle in, and settle down. You will be great....And you ain't no sissy, if you talk to God about your troubles...You'll get more and better help there than from anywhere !!!

Hey Chris, don't forget to let us know how it goes for you. We're pulling for ya! And you know what, even if it goes badly it's okay, they'll reschedule you for a second try. I still remember a girl that was in the truck with us when I was in Driving school that didn't attend our classroom studies. The reason she was driving with us though was that she had failed her first attempt at the driving portion of the test. She was really struggling with all facets of the driving experience, but especially shifting and backing. I remember a couple guys talking about her after class and making fun of her feeble attempts. Well, I decided right then that I was going to be her personal cheerleader in the truck.

Did you know that attitudes are infectious? I started cheering her on and speaking encouragingly to her, and she started gaining a little confidence. The next thing I knew those other guys started encouraging her, and she passed her test the day after me. When we had our little graduation celebration she told me that she didn't think she would have ever made it if it hadn't been for me. I had no idea how much of a positive influence I'd had on her, but she insisted that it was what got her through. Well, I'm not sure why I got off into that old story, but I think I just wanted to encourage you to be confident as you go into this (I know that sounds really good right now, but when that officer is sitting over there in the jump seat and you're sweating bullets it's hard to maintain that level of composure) and I think you'll surprise yourself, but not us.

Hey best of luck to ya! Keep us posted on how the testing goes. Even though you'll be a little nervous, just remain as relaxed and confident as possible. You'll have that CDL before ya know it!