Beginning New Career With PTL. (A Diary)

Well I'm now doing the part of this trainee program I absolutely cannot stand. I am currently inside the medieval torture device known as a greyhound bus headed in the wrong direction to some place I can drag my heavy bags around a crowded station until I get an opportunity to board a different torture device going in the right direction. Hopefully the next bus won't be equipped with rap music played so loudly into headphones that I can still hear it, and hear it well, on the other end of the bus.

The good news is that I took my upgrade test today and am now classified as a phase 2 trainee. It's amazing how much better I am at backing in the daylight compared to the dark.

I feel for you. I cannot stand riding in a bus either! You could accidentally bump into the offending noise pollutioner and make sure you mess up the headphones in the process! Ok, ok, ok. Just kidding. Grit your teeth and try to think about what's waiting for you when you get off that bus!

I am currently inside the medieval torture device known as a greyhound bus

Oh you ain't kiddin! What a miserable experience it is riding those buses. The only people that seem to hate being on those buses more than the passengers are the employees.

Congrats on the upgrade!!!!

I finally got out of Nashville. A freakin driver quit right before he was supposed to drive the bus to atlanta so my 0130 departure was suddenly changed to 0640. I was allowed to board a bus for Atlanta at 0345 and then the driver makes me disembark because this particular bus was not stopping in Marietta ga (my actual original destination). I kindly tell the barely English speaking driver that I don't give a rat's left butt cheek whether I go to atlanta or Marietta since they are only 25 miles apart anyway. He tells me to get my bags off the bus and go inside and get my destination changed. I remove my bags and go inside to wait patiently while the infinitely competent ticket lady stares blankly at me for about 10 mins before informing me that she can't change the ticket but I should be able to board the bus if I ask mr. Ali shahib Mohammed nicely. So I return to the driver and try to explain. He understands about 10% of what I'm saying and "no" is the only word of his I comprehend. This is when I notice that the checked bag I had previously removed from the bus is now missing. I inform the baggage handler that my luggage is now separated and that my body and my belongings kinda need to be on the same vehicle. More blank stares and shrugs follow. I go to another of the baggage guys And explain same thing and the dude actually says "so what do you want me to do about it?" Now up until this point I was frazzled and frustrated but trying to remain calm and polite. However , the next few words out of my mouth would probably have made Eddie Murphy put his fingers in his ears. So baggage guy # 2 tells me to go have recreational sex with myself and walks off. Eventually the driver opens up the luggage bay and allows me to remove my bag. He really didn't have much choice because I was now firmly planted on the steps of the bus and no one was getting off or on until the issue was resolved or the police showed up. The driver of the 0640 showed up early and in a completely professional and courteous manner informed the few people left that he would now be driving us to atlanta and could we please board. So I am now head to atlanta in a greyhound with 8 passengers so I'm about to lay down in my seat and stick my legs into the other seats and go to sleep.

Greyhound is the worst way to travel I've ever experienced and they have the most miserable employees imaginable.

I just realized that I was guilty of and had created a perfect example of one of the major tenets talked about here on TT. Throughout my 1st phase of training I was a bit unhappy at having to wait a few days on a trainer. I posted fairly lengthy about this adding details and my thoughts on the situation. I was also unhappy while being shuffled and herded around on Auschwitz travel lines aka greyhound. Once again I posted at length about it. Conversely, while I was learning, driving, making money and hauling freight I was having a blast and a typical post of mine was like "Made it to indy. Goodni....zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz" Perfect example of happy truckers not writing employment reviews and unhappy, disgruntled and stationary truckers having all the time in the world to whine incessantly on the internet. I'm guilty. So I guess the gist of this post is: Take what you read about trucking companies on the internet with a grain of salt. Most of the bad trucking reviews are actually bad reviews of the trucker (or ex-trucker) writing the review and have zilch to do with their company (or former company).

On a lighter note: my first check from PTL was direct deposited today. North of $650 after all deductions. AS A TRAINEE.

On a lighter note: my first check from PTL was direct deposited today. North of $650 after all deductions. AS A TRAINEE.

Nice!!!! Not bad for on the job training, eh?

Greyhound is the worst way to travel I've ever experienced and they have the most miserable employees imaginable.

. . . which is why I bought a plane ticket to Springfield, MO . . . the recruiter said I will be reimbursed the cost of the bus ticket which makes avoiding two days on a bus cheap . . . I also got the travel insurance which will also work out since I had to postpone my trip . . .

Jopa

On a lighter note: my first check from PTL was direct deposited today. North of $650 after all deductions. AS A TRAINEE.

That's for the whole 6k miles or about 2 weeks, right!?

Nah that was for just the first week of 4800ish miles. This Friday will only be for about 2800 mi but that was only fri thru Monday. I'm on home time now and I will miss pretty much a whole pay period by taking home time and waiting on my p2 partner.

We'll I've had a wonderful 3 days at home. Body is rested, clothes are washed and packed and I'm ready to roll again. Two things are bothering/hindering me though. First, the guy with whom I want to do phase 2 with has not returned a call or text in 3 days. I kinda need to know where he is in relation to starting p2 so I can know whether to wait it out for him or just pick up another p2 and get rolling. Second, ptl will reimburse gas money up to the price of a bus ticket for those wishing to drive themselves to orientation but that same offer doesn't apply to a driver/trainee returning to Murray after orientation. So I'm left with the choice of shelling out about 100 bucks in gas or getting back on that hound and being left to the mercy of rampant incompetency.