Starting Orientation With Schneider National

Is anyone reading this? Shall I continue?

Write it out, Richard. I've found that many read these diaries but do not post. The day-to-day reporting helps other newbies. And believe me, writing down your own thoughts will help you with your learning and memory.

Finished 2 days of driving and training. if my wife and I pass our tests tomorrow we will go out with a trainer with a live load the next day. We have made friends with another couple that finished their 3 weeks of training. They got a brand new truck and its a beauty. It also is an automatic and they love it. I had a rough day. After nailing my alley docking they took us to the simulators. The first thing they tested us on was practicing keeping control of a truck when there was a blowout. I did well with that one. Then it was reacting to things pulling in front of your truck like deer, cars, pedestrians, etc. Then we practiced going up and down snow packed mountain roads. We all ended sliding off the cliff. Finally we tried driving on snowy streets trying to make deliveries. By then the simulator was making me sick and I had to quit. I was allowed to rest. In the afternoon I couldn't get the shifting rhythm on my first so after a break I had to go out again for a drive. The second time my shifting and control was back to standard so I can take my teat tomorrow.

YIKES. That was an intense day. Everyone here is rooting for you and Patti. Good luck! Keep us posted.

Well we finished our 2nd week. We spent six days on the road. As team drivers we were allowed to go out together with one trainer. 3 people in a cab starting around 7-9 every morning and finishing 10-12 every night. Our trainer was a very experienced driver with years of on the road experience. He got the hotel room every night and we slept in the truck. One morning woke up at 6 am by a hailstorm. Like being in a tin can and someone beating on it. Toughest part of training is listening to someone tell all your mistakes and talking to you while its happening. Irritating at times but also part of the learning experience. Any disagreements we had were over points of view more than anything else. Yes I know I ground the gears, missed a turn, came to the intersection too fast, missed a sign, etc. etc. However, I came back a much better driver than when I left. Toughest part was going through Central Arkansas at night through very hilly, curvy, some semi-steep hills at night. 7,8,9,8,7,6,7,8,9,8,7 shifting gears for what seemed like hours. Made it using Jake brake, stab braking, gearing up and down.

I dont like truck stop food, horrible stuff, but we managed to hit a grocery store every two days to get some fruits and veggies in our diet. Will definitely have a cooler well stock with good food. Stale burritos, over cooked chicken and pizza slices left under heat lamp not my cup of tea. Best meal was a salad at McDonalds.

Neatest load we carried was we picked of 47,000 pounds of Charcoal from the Royal Oak plant in Arkansas. It took over an hour to load the truck so got to walk around the factory. Dirty, black and old was the place but cool to see how they made charcoal and bagged it. Saw a big flat truck loaded with timber come in and unload. Was showed how to use a company scale. Front wheels on first and weigh, then drive wheels, subtract front wheel total from overall total to get drive wheel weight. Then the whole truck on the scale and subtract the first two weights to get the tandem weight. Good to go.

Overall a good experience with some rough spots. My favorite shifting pattern is 10, 45MPH downshift to 9, 25 downshift to 7, 10 downshift to 5 and I am good to go for turns, lights, or stop signs. Got that down pretty good now. Much easier to use MPH rather than RPMs for gear management. After 11 days of classes and driving we have two days off and start our final week Monday.

Well done! I was wondering how you were doing. I figured you guys were out with a trainer when so many days went by without a post. You've clearly earned a well-deserved weekend. I hope you have great weather and get something wonderful to eat! You're only missing 87 degree weather here. Hot and humid on the driving range. Dripping wet with sweat! And no shade to speak of. Will you two be coming back here for your home time when you get it?

Week three begins with map reading and using the Qualcomm computer system. Horribly boring day as the trainer reads from the book the steep by step directions on how to use it. We got to play with it some on our training run but now we understand using it now. Those that had trainers that let us use it some are catching on faster than those who drove last week and didn't use it. We are all having fun talking about our trainers and their different styles and emphasis. There were some who got caught in last weeks storm and one even shut down. It is interesting that of the 20+ students who started in week one there are 11 left. There are 2 or 3 others still on the road and couple others that have to start over later for various reasons. There is also a smaller class for experienced drivers coming to Schneider. Most of them are people coming back from other companies. I guess the grass wasn't greener on the other side if the fence.

I'm reading !! do continue.. Thinking about the career!!

Well, passed the Qualcomm test. 2 hours start to finish. We were given the pick up and drop off locations. We had to do the entire route and paperwork from start to finish and enter it into the computer. Pretrip, pickup trailer, enter numbers, figure route, distance, total time, stops, fueling, breaks, total travel time day 1 and day 2, what time we pick up, what time we drop off, what time were ready for the next load. Fill in all the paperwork, send it to corporate, so we and the company gets paid. Enter all the numbers and charts into the Qualcomm and make sure they both agree. Can we do it from start to finish without screwing it up. Tomorrow the written tests and or final drive test. We pass, then go out and pick out a truck. Almost there.

Been out of CDL school since end of Dec'14.Had to take care of things before getn on the road.Might go with Schneider tank.Scared that not driven in along time I've forgot a lot of stuff! Do you think they will work with me on relearning?

Been out of CDL school since end of Dec'14.Had to take care of things before getn on the road.Might go with Schneider tank.Scared that not driven in along time I've forgot a lot of stuff! Do you think they will work with me on relearning?

They are good with working with you. Patient and not pushy. I really like working here and so do many of the drivers. We have met many who have come in off the road and they are happy working here. You probably would have to take the same 3 week course I did.