Swift Academy, Memphis TN

Day One of orientation:

Nothing much to report really. We had 3 people who had to redo their physicals and do a driving test, so the rest of us spent much of the day sitting in a classroom doing not much of anything. We did fill out some paperwork and take a open-book HAZMAT test as well as watch some videos but other than that....

Day 2:

More videos and paperwork. We received classes on HoS , company benefits and other company policies. Tomorrow we're supposed to be assigned mentors and the real adventure begins!

I'm sorry I can't be a mentor in a dedicated account. The student would be in a hotel room every weekend. Aww shucks!

Best if luck, Lemmy!

I'm sorry I can't be a mentor in a dedicated account. The student would be in a hotel room every weekend. Aww shucks!

Best if luck, Lemmy!

Thanks Errol! Right now it looks like I'm not leaving til tomorrow. The good news is that my mentor's truck is brand new and automatic.

Well, as of this afternoon I'm officially a truck driver! Rookie that is, but I was very proud of myself when I was finally issued my driver number and spoke to my mentor. He seems like a pretty easygoing guy so we should get along pretty wel . I'm looking forward to learning as much as I can so I can be as successful as possible once the leash comes off! :-)

Got my first taste of trucker life today. Lol

Well headed out of OKC to Jenks, OK to pick up a trailer bound for Washington. We got there about 2:30 only to be told the trailer won't be ready til tomorrow morning. Sigh...

Get used to the waiting... It's a big part of this life. Trust me, it's worse pulling a reefer!

Every time you have a chance like this, REST! Lay down and read or surf TT or whatever. Get out of the truck if you can. Take your mind (and body if possible) out of the truck and the job. And sleep as much as you can, especially now when the truck isn't moving!!

I hear ya CM. Me and my mentor went to Walmart to stock up on food and now we're just berthing it. He's kinda bummed since we're losing all this time but I plan on driving like a beast to make it up.

Don't push yourself too hard. It's much better to bite the bullet and admit that you are getting drowsy than to drive drowsy and put yourself and others at risk.

I know you want to prove yourself and jump right in but marathon driving is HARD! Especially at first when you haven't built up the stamina.

Remember, it's never a bad thing to tell your trainer that you simply can't drive anymore. And even once you are solo, it's always better to stop for a short nap if it's early on your clock or to stop earlier than planned for your 10 if you are getting too sleepy.

Don't push yourself too hard. It's much better to bite the bullet and admit that you are getting drowsy than to drive drowsy and put yourself and others at risk.

I know you want to prove yourself and jump right in but marathon driving is HARD! Especially at first when you haven't built up the stamina.

Remember, it's never a bad thing to tell your trainer that you simply can't drive anymore. And even once you are solo, it's always better to stop for a short nap if it's early on your clock or to stop earlier than planned for your 10 if you are getting too sleepy.

Good advice, CM. I drove almost 500 miles today before we stopped. I could have gone farther but my mentor was worried we would be in the middle of nowhere when,my time ran out. So, we're camped out at a Petro in Colby KS.