Zen Joker's Training Diary At Veriha Trucking

Got off the phone with HR and they are sending me some info for hotel and training next week as my hair and urine test are now cleared from last week. Last prerequisite I have is my company strength test. Knees of a teenager and can still do fingertip and handstand pushups at 47 so no concerns for that last piece.

So before I start I want to advise all readers that this training diary may be a bit more long-winded than others for 3 reasons:

1) Brett Aquila is black mailing me and forcing me to write every conceivable detail of my training in exchange for the incredible guidance and resources here that have aided launching my trucking career (Just Kidding!! Hey, the last half of my CB handle is "Joker" after all)

2) I am a very ling winded by nature

3) Except for the first handful of entries, I am actually going to be copying and pasting the entries from my personal journal from Penzu.com as I want my child and grandchildren to read about my trials, adventures, and growth.

WHO WILL BENEFIT MOST FROM READING MY DIARY?

-Parents are considering a career in trucking and will see if essentially leading 2 lives will work for their family/marriage?

-Individuals that have worn a white collar for years and have grown sick and tired of corporate America and it's backstabbing, soulless, and unbounded greed and disregard for the individual or their family under the guise of a bull**** "Corporate Mission Statement"

-Anyone who wants a look at the emotional and cerebral realties of the very demanding field of trucking. Again, I am posting my personal journal here. You may possibly feel what I feel as you read it.

MY STORY/BIO

Grew up in the greater Milwaukee area. Never went to college, worked in factories and eventually worked as a practical care nurse, then a Realtor for a short time and just left the mortgage industry after 20 years. I've wanted to go trucking since I was kid growing up in the 1980's. Failed at it in 2001 at CRST (washed out the first week). Back then I had NO CLUE what I signed up for. Been wanting a "rematch" ever since. In the 22 years since, I've been married for 23 years and now have a daughter that turns 11 they day after my CDL test later in March.

Our situation is quite simple. Back in 2017, I took my big city job and moved to Michigan's upper peninsula. In October of 2022, the market had a hard crash, and after a mutual agreement based on current and projected volume in 2023, I amicably split from my boss. After searching for an "at home" job in my current industry and others based on my skillset, I went 2 for 62 on applications/resumes sent to get an interview and the two job offer I got offered were 100% commission with ZERO base salary. After much conversation with the wife she has realized the reality of living in a remote rural community, the only 2 fields that will provide an above property level living is either healthcare or trucking. So with the prospect of an OSHA regulated occupation immediately and PERMANENTLY parted ways with Marijuana and also threw away alcohol. Despite the fact many truckers can and do responsibly enjoy alcohol while off duty, I don't want anything that can even residually impair me in the slightest way as I prepare to travel 65 mph with 40 tons at my fingertips.

Trucking will not be a "quick fix" for my unemployment situation. My family loves where we live and I promised my wife in 2000 when we married that I would do everything in power to eventually get her out in the country. It took over 20 years but I succeeded in finding our tri-level on 3 acres which we have spent the last 24 hours converting into a small homestead. My daughter who is homeschooled by Mom, is the happiest kid in North America with her 19 chickens, 5 lovebirds an 2 ****atoos. While my wife and daughter are living some big dreams in this simple life, God has also given me my dream back in order to sustain theirs. Speaking og God, the church in our small unincorporated town has formed a small army of volunteers to help my wife with any needs she has while I am on the road. While we know this will be very challenging as a family, it is sacrifice we are all willing to make as a very strong family. One option I do NOT have is to quit. If I come home it will be either with a pink slip in my breast pocket or in a rubber bag. Without the income this opportunity will provide, and my wife's work limitations, all will be lost if I fail.

ABOUT MY CDL SPONSORED TRAINING

I chose Veriha as they have been nominated as a Top Fleet to drive for by their drivers in 2018, 2022, and 2023. Interestingly enough, one of my Real Estate referral partners from when I did mortgage was a trainer there and had very good things to say about the company as did many other folks in the community as I live an hour north of Marinette, WI.

Orientation starts a week from today on March 6th. 3 weeks (limited) classroom, road, and skills range. CDL test on March 24th.

So far they have been very forthcoming with information. I'll be back to give more updates next week.

2023 GOALS & ACTION PLAN

Everything I need to focus on to give myself and family the "good life" and maximize the good I bring to each daily task and interaction for the honor and glory of our Heavenly Father.

MAINTAIN PHYSICAL HEALTH & VITALITY Get 7-8 hours of sleep every 24 hours Stick with bedtime 20:30 to 4:30 OTR (as FM and schedule permits, prepare for massive alterations to this, its only a base plan)/Bedtime is no later than 2300 during hometime "Fill the gaps with naps" for no more than 2 days in a row, then 8-10 hours to pay back sleep debt on day 3. Do Critical Core exercises every morning and evening (My back will fail without this) Exercise 2-3 time per week OTR (This will generate more energy and less joint stiffness) Eat small to medium meals to avoid sluggish energy levels Leverage time at shippers and consignees by taking 30 minute naps or do a light work out

MAINTAIN MENTAL HEALTH & FOCUS

Meet the day's challenge with a calm and confident attitude and resolve Do NOT take the actions of others personally or react emotionally to situations Give others (motorists, shippers/consignees, and everyone) the benefit of the doubt Do NOT assume my career is in jeopardy when I make an honest mistake. Fail forward by investing my mistakes as learning experiences to propel my career. Be kind to myself after a bad day and focus on the end goal (Definiteness of Purpose) Meditate with Binaural tone therapy music at bedtime Last (and certainly not least) pray and read the Bible each day.

Avoid distractions while driving Always mute any music/podcasts/Audio Books when entering ANY city limits Exit freeway and park safely to Locate a Rest Area in GPS or assess/plan/change current route Change any phone based entertainment (Music, Podcasts, Audio Books, etc.) Use the Urinal Quickly stretch and do some quick jumping jacks to refresh body and mind Except for family emergencies, do NOT engage in emotionally charged conversations. Stay engaged on the Forums on Trucking Truth for my own support and growth as well as to contribute so other drivers can benefit from my own relevant insights.

MAINTAIN ENGAGEMENT WITH FAMILY WHILE ON THE ROAD

Daily phone calls and video chats Leverage waiting time at shippers/consignees to make a quick FaceTime call home Say goodnight to wife and daughter every night "Communicate at 8" (per schedule) Address any emotionally charged matters immediately after going off duty to allow sufficient time to discuss and mentally process before bed. Be active in planning events with the wife Stop and take photos to text home when possible Play (1) Baseball game online with daughter per week

BE A TEAM PLAYER AND A LEADER FOR MY CARRIER (Aspire to be top tier driver)

Always maintain a positive attitude with everyone at the office Immediately own my mistakes and never allocate undue blame to anyone else Comply cheerfully with any requests and trust the leadership and company policy Take any and every assignment to EARN my place as a top tier driver Never EVER compromise safety for productivity, earnings or expectations. Add value to my company and customer relationship with every customer interaction

..sorry for a few typos in the first post. We set up our homestead in 24 months not 24 hours!!!

Following

Day 1 is technically Monday March 6th but after a flurry of emails today and numerous tasks in the Tenstreet Pulse online portal, the lion's share of HR stuff and orientation paperwork have been basically been done virtually and I like it. Got emails today from the HR admin detailing that I will be staying at their privately owned motel and that as of right now I am an odd numbered student and I will have my own room with fridge and mini kitchen. I'll be heading down Sunday night so I can be at the office Monday morning for prelim orientation. The information sent was a TON of information including a very comprehensive/high level training itinerary. The material appears well put together and seems to provide enough info to get students in the right mindset for training. They also stress that the training is very fast paced. I've been dealing to only (1) person at every stage and the handoff from recruiter to HR was pretty seamless.

So here are some interesting benefits and perks at Veriha that I was pleasantly surprised with:

- Their employee health insurance premiums were significantly lower than a couple other carriers I reviewed. (As an example, the employee non smoker pays $20 per week for the $6k deductible plan)

-For those who periodically return to the terminal in Marinette, WI, they offer up to 40 company paid visits with X-Rays to a local chiropractor annually and also have a pretty robust driver wellness program.

- This next one is ENORMOUS (at least for me), they defer to state laws for concealed weapons.

- If my attendance is perfect in training AND I pass my CDL test on the first try, I can earn an extra 2 cpm.

One last thing I found pretty cool about Veriha. Before I mention it, I did corporate onboarding during my 20 year mortgage career so by default I am a stickler. What I found cool was that I got an email from the training supervisor. It was NOT some canned email from an automated workflow email service, it was a real email which also CC'd (from what I guess was) the other trainers. In his intro he indicated he has been in trucking for over 20 years, has been at Veriha for 14 years, has 2 million accident free miles and is a 4 time recipient of the Wisconsin Motor Carrier Safety Award.

On the personal side of things, my wife had a minor breakdown yesterday after we were buried in snow earlier this week. Today I met her 25 years ago and I completely expected this to happen as I know her better than anyone. She was scared that she can't handle removing all of the snow for our gravel driveway on 3 acres by herself. I simply listened and let her vent and cool off. Today after I got back from my company strength test down in Marinette, I picked up the wife and we drove into Escanaba to trade in our huge heavy snowblower to buy an Ariens 24 inch compact which she loved at the dealership. This will allow her to clear off the concrete parking circle, the chicken run, and make a trail for the burn barrel. I'll pay my neighbor what we can to have him plow to get the major parts of the driveway done. Problem solved!

IMPORTANT NOTE TO GUYS LEAVING THEIR WIFE AT HOME: Make every reasonable concession possible to help your wife. Despite not having a paycheck since before last Halloween and I am burning through retirement funds to pay bills, I just blew $800 after trade in for a new snowblower that works for her. She supports me, I support her! She feels much better today. Remember trucking will be as hard (and possibly harder) on your family back home. Do all you can to set them up for success at home.

Trucker Boot Camp starts Monday at 0700 in Marinette, WI an hour south from my home.

Super duper, ZJ! Good luck in your endeavors. Sounds like you're off to an excellent start!

Thanks FR8M4N!! Go Michigan!!

Wife and daughter drove me an hour south to the motel that Veriha owns and operates. I must say, knowing the location and the fact this was primarily for trucking students I was not expecting much at all above one of those ****roach motels where you brace yourself as you open the bathroom door and hope not to find a dead hooker in the bathtub. PHOTOS are below.

As my wife and daughter pulled away I quickly found a solution to my problem of getting a ride to and from class by meeting another student who was happy to take me to and from class this week and refused gas money. He has Class B CDL experience on the road already so he already knows some basics. I'm glad I spoke with him as I want to approach the forthcoming barrage of information and mental tests in the next 3 weeks in class with confidence but also with some humility. The fact I have had 4 months to read all kinds of stuff and watch videos on YouTube really doesn't make me any better than any other candidate here. Who I was in my past career is NOT relevant. I am starting over, and while I don't want to beat myself up too much when I inevitably make mistakes, I also don't want to get a fat head as that will be an Achilles heal also. Lastly, I can't spend too much time in my own head either. Keep emotions out of my studying, practicing, driving, and reactions to situations. This needs to be my focus. I just need to mentally shut up, do my best and review where I can improve when the work/school day is over, get rest, rinse and repeat.

PERSONAL NOTES (longwinded warning):

As I left our home in the country today, I walked out with a sense that will it is still homebase, it felt different as the road will now be my home 73-80% of my life as a trucker. After spending most of the last 10 years in the same location almost all the time, my soul can fly like an eagle as I keep my family in my heart wherever I go. When this is all done, getting 48 hours after every 5 1/2 days out will be manageable after some adjusting. Speaking of eagles, my Mom and I loved Eagles as I was growing up. It was interesting when we moved to the area I saw an American Bald Eagle fly right beside our car for about a 1/4 mile, my wife and I were blown away. Tomorrow as I start CDL school, it is the week before the golden anniversary of her passing away from cancer in 2010. In driving down to the hotel on Hwy 180, I looked ahead and saw a HUGE American Bald Eagle circling the Highway. As we approached it, it perched on the top of a pine tree and pointed its head forward down the road I was on. That was very comforting.

I know my strengths and weaknesses, and I am in a zero quit situation. Steady as she goes. I came here to save my family's American Dream. 100% commitment, come hell or high water. The journey has begun, tomorrow at 0700 starts trucker boot camp. Time to go and time to grow!

Wow ZJ that is a NICE room! Get ready to forget what you think you know and open up room for the instructors to plant your new skills. It’s very fast paced and you don’t want to miss anything. I can’t stress enough STUDY that pre trip .. say it out loud over and over, it has been the one thing that has held so many back from going home on time and some to fail. If you ever need an assist just let me know and I’ll walk you through how I did it. Good luck and I’ll be keeping an eye on your progression.

Thanks man 🙏🏿

Wow ZJ that is a NICE room! Get ready to forget what you think you know and open up room for the instructors to plant your new skills. It’s very fast paced and you don’t want to miss anything. I can’t stress enough STUDY that pre trip .. say it out loud over and over, it has been the one thing that has held so many back from going home on time and some to fail. If you ever need an assist just let me know and I’ll walk you through how I did it. Good luck and I’ll be keeping an eye on your progression.