Randy's Truck Driving School - Day 4

Randy only called me 5 times today :), mostly very brief calls (and a couple of text messages). Here are the observations from today:

- Had 2 pair of sunglasses with him (both brand new)...broke one pair, lost the other. That is SO like him. I'm afraid he will scatter things all over the lower 48. He actually lost an 8-foot ladder once, and he wasn't that far from home...did it jump out of the back of the pickup? Never did figure that one out. J Oh well, no big deal.

- Being squished in a small room with 7 other guys is still not bothering him, very surprising.

- He still can't sleep well and I think it's because of the rapid-fire training method...They are rushing through everything at an absolutely breathtaking pace. (I'm cringing as I write that.)

- Some guys are still trying to pass the permit test (some still failing).

- He spent some time learning about Qualcom and logging (said they went through it REALLY fast).

- It was their first day driving the trucks...drove them up and down the driving range, which was helpful for those who've never driven a truck, but Randy was bored and mostly trying to help other people at first. Later, they did some backing.

- He said a skinny little woman was shaking so hard that she couldn't even put the clutch in (partly due to a nasty-mean instructor - the only bad one he's met, likes all the others). She started to cry and most of the students and a female instructor all pitched in to help her. Soon she was doing very well and, in fact, was backing better than nearly everyone else.

- I asked again if he would have brought anything different, and he said he wished he had more money with him. Well don't we all wish that? LOL. I'm glad he doesn't have more because he'll have to be careful with the money he has, just like I'm doing! And he's not on vacation for heaven's sake!

- He sent me a photo of a gorgeous, brand-new looking truck. It made me worry that he'll want to lease one of those. And he keeps talking about how a lot of them have custom pin-striping (part of his former occupation). I wish he would never mind silly stuff like that. The mountains in the background of the photo made me feel kind of sick, because I wish I was there too.

- He told me that all the former Swift drivers are ashamed that they worked there and talk about it like they have an STD!

- I think they're fooling themselves if they believe they are somewhere very much different than where they just came from. Because I believe, like Brett always says, the big companies all operate about the same way. I've read blogs and forum posts (all over) about people who've had good and bad experiences with every major company. It depends on so many factors, including your attitude and some luck and being in the right place at the right time with the right people. Personally, I wouldn't entirely trust any of them. They're kind of like the gov't in that they're selling one thing and doing something else. I'm pretty sure they use distractions and propaganda.

However, if this company unfairly screws my husband over in any way, I'm sure I could change my mind about that! And we are experiencing a bit of a scare with his status. I will discuss this tomorrow because we have no resolution to the problem yet. (This is kind of like a little soap opera...stay tuned!)

I went all day without crying and thought, that's right, the pity party's over and I'm tough as nails. Then the last time I talked to him, I lost it again... maybe just the way I'm wired.

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