Western Express

So after not making it with Wiley Sanders. I kept throwing my application at anyone who would look at it. Western express was the only one to invite me to orientation in Nashville. Now YouTube videos you have to take with a grain of salt but one thing they were all correct on was BRING MONEY. There meals are small and not really filling. Breakfast was some mornings a bagel with butter and a banana, the other days they were muffins and banana. For lunch they give a hot dogs or a slimey chicken sandwich and chips and for dinner they give a burger and chips. So bring some money for food and drink. There is dollar tree a block up the road. That's probably the only negative thing about it so far. The first day you go to the training center you do your usual drug test and physical then you do your road evaluation. They say test but the only way you fail is if you run a red light or stop using. You drive one the interstate and through some residential areas then park. Your in a automatic so you dont have to worry about shifting. Next they give you the trentstreet link and you do about 60 videos and tests. If you are doing flatbed you have to complete those before you do your load securement class. Not much to it. I had to wait till today to take my test due being on Medical hold. Now I sit and wait for my trainer

Good luck Mike!

Day zero: Met my trainer at Ground Zero (the terminal in Nashville that got hit by the tornado.) Slept there for the night.

Day one: Started at ground zero at 5 am with a pretrip went to pilot for some gogo juice and breakfast. From there drove 100 miles to our first unload. Then went to our first live load. This was the first time I have been asked to sit inside by the dock while my trailer got loaded. Then off to as close to PA as we can with the common pit stops. 297 miles and 8hrs here I am at the fort chiswell flying J. I love automatics. I am tired but not nearly as tired as I was when I was driving a 10 speed. Not bad for my first day driving in 5 years.

Day 2: we woke up at around 530am for pretrip and it was snowing in VA. Drove through West VA, Maryland and then to pottsville for a drop at the lowest center. The wind was nuts today.

Day3: Drove from PA to Maryland with a empty trailer I got drive over the Chesapeake Bay, traded it for a loaded, then drove through Washington DC I admit I was giddy to pass by Arlington and the Thomas Jefferson monument and now we shutting down outside of Richman VA. I drove 7.5 hours today.

Day4: Easy day. Drove from Richmond VA to fayetteville north Carolina. We are a day early for our live unload we shut down and chilling at rest area. Its supposed to rain tonight. We have be at our cosignee at 4:00 am.

Day5: Drove for drove 533 miles from North Carolina to Florida in 10 of my 11 hours. I also did my first successful backing today at the shipper. A long but good day.

Sounds like things are going well, keep up the good work.

drove 533 miles from North Carolina to Florida in 10 of my 11 hours. I also did my first successful backing today at the shipper. A long but good day.

I know that all feels good. Keep up the good work Mike! Thanks for the update! People really enjoy reading these diaries. They don't generate as much conversation back and forth as the conversations in the "general section," but a lot of new people enjoy reading what you guys tell about your training days.

Old School,

A lot of us old timers like reading about the new guys and gals learning and having fun along the path to success. It makes me think back to my first solo experience in 1969 and the following 45 years of ups and downs.

Mike B.,

I really like your posts about the experiences that you are achieving. Good luck to you and keep the posts coming as they are very informative and helpful to any of the new drivers and us old timers enjoy hearing about the success of any new drivers. You'll have many good years with your positive attitude so keep it up. Stay safe.