On My Way To Orientation

by JakeCat22

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Hello, everyone! Well, some of you have been following me on the forums (jakecat22) as I went thru CDL school, and I am proud to say, I have arrived at orientation for my first job in trucking. I decided I wanted to blog about it because I wanted to help those that were new to trucking, the way others on the site have helped me with their blogs and advice.

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I decided to drive to orientation rather than take the 'hound - it is only 170 miles and my company will reimburse me for the gas to get there. Plus, I felt having a car would be an asset while I was here. I thought the drive here was going to be pure hell. The A/C in my car was out, and for anyone who lives in the mid-west, you know how hot it has been lately - heat advisories everywhere. So, the day before I left, I went to the auto parts store and bought some refrigerant for my A/C so I could recharge it. I charged the system and to my dismay, my air was not blowing cold, so I figured there was a different problem. I would just have to suck it up and drive with the windows down......somehow the 'hound wasn't looking so bad at this point.

I packed my bags, said goodbye to the family, and headed out for my seven days of orientation. About a 1/2 mile down the road while pulling into the gas station, a miracle occurred. My air was blowing cold! That made the next 170 miles easy going. I arrived at the hotel at around 6 pm, got checked in, and was told the shuttles would leave at 5:45 am and another at 6:15 am to take me to orientation. I asked when the free continental breakfast started at the hotel and was told it started at 7am. So much for my free continental breakfast!

I went to my room and discovered my roommate had already checked in. He seems like a nice enough guy, although I feel like I am almost old enough to be his dad. The hotel is pretty nice - can't complain because it is free. It has a nice bed, a TV, free wireless internet and hot water, anything anyone ever needs. A refrigerator would have been nice, but you can't have everything.

Well, it is getting late, and I want to make sure I am alert for my first day of orientation, since I don't know exactly what is in store for tomorrow. So I will end this blog with the promise that there are more to come, and I will keep you informed every step of the way. Besides, Tommy Boy is on TV!!

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