Houston Community College CDL School

That was exactly what I was talking about. "Filled to manufacturer's specification." We didn't know if it could be that, "Is filled to the proper level", "Is filled between the minimum and maximum lines" etc. could be all ways of saying it but if there was only ONE way allowed.

Yuuyo, prepare for a slow start. Our first week seemed to take forever. Then week two came and it seemed more like a month! Finally, things in week three have simply taken off. Cant believe tomorrow is Friday already.

Your course may not happen just this quickly because, as Rob pointed out, your course has to go a little longer due to the nature of a structured course at a college. However, fear not, things WILL pick up soon. And on the plus side, you will probably get more drive time and more backing time than any of us company slugs get.

Don't focus on things like the time frame. Rather, look for the benefits of your particular situation. I'm sure they exist. They will allow you the time to study things like trip-planning, etc. And you'll still be truckin' in no time!

Believe me Jeremy, when we actually start getting into the trucks, I'll be glad at how slow it is! It's just going a drag all through next week, and I'll probably be saying the same thing day in and out. We'll probably even be there the full ten hours too.

Well, it is what it is. We each head toward this goal via different routes and different experiences. It's what we make of the time we're given during that experience that decides what kind of trucker we'll be. Make the most of It!

So today was an interesting day a little bit. When we started class, a few dozen minutes later, we got to go into the simulator room; I got to do upshifting and backing. The upshifting wasn't that hard - I hardly ground any gears. What WAS hard was that I kept killing the truck dead at every stop and didn't know why until I figured out I had to hold the clutch in as I came to the stop. Backing, however, was just terrible. I couldn't straight line back in the simulator at all. That's okay though, I've never done that before either.

After that was done, two of the guys had failed their general knowledge section by one question. One of them I told he should do the bumper to bumper 100 question practice test online for all 3 exams before taking it again. He couldn't log into the computer, so I did it for him and he started on that. 10 minutes later I went back to the computer room and he was gone. He just left the class. Hopefully to get his permit, and hopefully he'll pass. He was marked absent by the instructor for leaving, but if he gets his permit then I guess you can't complain.

A few others and I went out to practice the pre trip again, and the instructor came out randomly and showed us the entire trailer portion of the pre-trip. When we got back inside, another one of the students remarked at how trucking is actually a lot to learn. It's not easy like he was led to believe.

I went back to the simulator room and did it again. We don't have classes on friday, but I asked the simulator room teacher if he was availible fridays for extra practice and he said he was. The way I see it, I can come in on Friday to do that, and then practice pre-trip alone. Even if I'm there two hours, it's not a waste of time.

Near the end of the day, the instructor took the three of us that were in the room (Five had left by this point and the other two were who knows where) inside a truck. He started it, and then had us go through the gears while it was parked and not moving. After that, he took the truck out on the ovular range and has us watch him shift and what references he uses for turning. (His shoulder for left turns at a certain crack, and right turns being the mirrors on the white dotted line.)

After that we had another recruiter from Covenant transport come. They seem like a good company, but I'm not too keen on the team-driving focus. Also you have to be 23, so it's not worth considering for me now.

Also the Jacinto City (Or is it San Jacinto? It's just south of I-10) police were out and about and gave someone a ticket today during lunch break.

Nearer the end of the day when there were few of us in class, I asked the teacher what we're supposed to be doing. He said practicing logging and looking at atlases, but he didn't want to do it since so many people had just up and gone and he didn't what to repeat himself. I told him, "Well, they're going to have to make those days up anyways since they weren't here so you won't have to repeat yourself." He agreed but told me they'd come and ask what we did, and when we tell them, they'd complain and demand to be taught the same thing they themselves missed by leaving!

Soinds like a great day, you got a little taste of a few different things today. The fact that people are dropping off, or at least disappearing is just something to get used to. Not sure how attendance policies, etc., will work because it's a college. But I'm pretty sure that as the course goes on you will see less and less people. When people find out this is more of a skilled trade rather than a hobby they begin disappearing like characters on a Scooby Doo cartoon!

Keep after it and let the stragglers follow their own path back the way they came from. You're gonna be a rockstar!

The attendance policy is 3 late arrivals = an absence An absence = You make it up when the next class comes to take whatever was supposed to be done that day 3 absences = A failure.

I'm not sure if it's a kick you out failure, but I'm pretty sure you won't get a certificate from the school. Maybe they'd be nice and let you test for your license but that's it.

Yesterday wasn't anything; we did some logbook stuff and got a better checklist for pretrip. One of the students two weeks ahead said theyve been in the trucks ALL DAY backing and driving, so that sounds good. They'll give us all the time we need to practice it sounds like in the next four weeks.

Today was a short day. Two people still don't have their permits, so we leave at lunch time to go test (or do whatever), and when we come back Monday we'll start getting in the trucks. The one student I mentioned earlier who failed the general knowledge, and had left when I set him up on the computer didn't show today. Hopefully he's getting his permit - maybe not.

Today all we did was a route and trip plan while filling out the paper logs for what that trip would be. After that was done, someone else and I did the pre-trip on the entire truck and trailer for extra practice then went home.

Monday will be the start of the real training. Finally.

I hope Monday gets here quickly, otherwise you might not ever get real training!
Have a great weekend and enjoy not being in a truck for a little while... Soon you'll be spending lots and lots of time there!