Starting School On July 8.

Thanks Brett and Tim. Well, it is Thursday morning and I have not tested yet. I think it has been pushed back to today sometime. This is weird: I found out that my trainer will be my tester. I have been driving with him for five weeks being tested all the way, what is there left to test? Oh well, I will just roll with it. I need coffee. Til next time...

I have been driving with him for five weeks being tested all the way, what is there left to test? Oh well, I will just roll with it. I need coffee. Til next time...

quoting and answering myself... So, the answer is...nothing. yes I did do the complete test. 1. PTI (aced, zero marks), 2. drop and hook trailer (aced it), 3. drove around Lexington, KY a while (not exactly aced), 4. back into dock between two trailers (aced with one pull up). I did the test for administrative reasons by the book but was graded on my performance up to this point. Either way, if I was marked 51 points or more it would be a fail. The average for newbs is around 35 pts. I received 23 points. PASS! I am officially a rookie trucker for Averitt Express.

Congratulations! It's been one heck of a ride hasn't it? I wish you the best!

Congratulations! It's been one heck of a ride hasn't it? I wish you the best!

Yes it has. Thanks Old School.

I pick up my truck (apparently a very used Volvo according to my trainer based on the truck number)tomorrow and will either get going or go to a new program Averitt has started called a finishing school. I guess it is a week of training designed to improve backing or something. I hope they decide to send me on my way. I have no problem going with the program but, after being under scrutiny constantly for the last ten weeks, I am ready to get out there and put it in the wind. I am not going to lie, the stress has been pretty high and I really just want to be on my own and work into a comfortable routine.

I am not going to lie, the stress has been pretty high and I really just want to be on my own and work into a comfortable routine.

Congrats on passing everything!

Yeah, training gets brutal after a while. Most students wind up dying to get their own truck, have some privacy, and do things their way. I don't blame ya there a bit.

But you've made it! Congrats!!!

Thanks Brett, I really appreciate it. This site has helped me during school and training immensely.

I am in my "new" truck now. I did get picked for the finishing school. Good thing is I was brought to my truck by another driver and didn't get us here til about 1700, so, no backing today. According to my fleet manager , we will be released from the class Thursday afternoon. Easy cheesey week.

So, my truck is a Volvo with well over 600k miles on it, my apu is not working and the truck is filthy (I was expecting this). It does idle (some trucks won't) so keeping cool is not a problem. I am sure they will want it fixed asap as idling is burning more fuel. All in all, the truck is not bad. I will finish cleaning it and make it mine.

SAP:

Substance Abuse Professional

The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.

Fleet Manager:

Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager

The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.

APU:

Auxiliary Power Unit

On tractor trailers, and APU is a small diesel engine that powers a heat and air conditioning unit while charging the truck's main batteries at the same time. This allows the driver to remain comfortable in the cab and have access to electric power without running the main truck engine.

Having an APU helps save money in fuel costs and saves wear and tear on the main engine, though they tend to be expensive to install and maintain. Therefore only a very small percentage of the trucks on the road today come equipped with an APU.

Yeah, I always hated moving into a new truck. Some companies will clean them for you before they assign em, others won't. It's not nearly as bad when it's been detailed for you but when someone gets out and you get right in - it sucks. It doesn't feel like your truck and everything feels filthy. And I'm far from some neat freak. Heck, I raise cows, chickens, and turkeys and I have a big garden. I don't mind getting dirty, unless it's someone else's dirt in someone else's truck.

Yeah, I always hated moving into a new truck. Some companies will clean them for you before they assign em, others won't. It's not nearly as bad when it's been detailed for you but when someone gets out and you get right in - it sucks. It doesn't feel like your truck and everything feels filthy. And I'm far from some neat freak. Heck, I raise cows, chickens, and turkeys and I have a big garden. I don't mind getting dirty, unless it's someone else's dirt in someone else's truck.

Absolutely. I like to start with a clean truck so it is easier to keep it clean. I spent a couple hours yesterday and a few today cleaning. Still not done.

This backing class is easy. The two instructors are easy going and give really great tips. we even did a 180 backing today. That was fun. using the tractor to push the trailer around just looks weird and like it shouldn't work, but it does.

Congratulations on your successes! You know what? I'll bet when you're through with that finishing school you'll be glad you did it.

I'm in my third truck now, and have had to clean other peoples junk and dirt out of each of them, so I can understand what you're saying. This third one is really nice though, someone took really good care of it, and it still feels like new. Don't worry about that Volvo, I had a truck with well over a million miles on it and it did everything I needed it to.

Best of luck to ya! Looking forward to hearing more from you in days to come.

Congratulations on your successes! You know what? I'll bet when you're through with that finishing school you'll be glad you did it.

I'm in my third truck now, and have had to clean other peoples junk and dirt out of each of them, so I can understand what you're saying. This third one is really nice though, someone took really good care of it, and it still feels like new. Don't worry about that Volvo, I had a truck with well over a million miles on it and it did everything I needed it to.

Best of luck to ya! Looking forward to hearing more from you in days to come.

Thanks Old School! I am actually already glad (now) that Averitt started this class. We went to a safety meeting (crashed an orientation safety class) today and were asked a ton of questions by the "prospects" lol. It felt like we were old hands...weird. We helped and scared the heck out of them at the same time