I started truck driving school mid-October 2008 in SoCal. I have wanted to drive the big rigs since my 20's and with our current economy and my inability to land a job with a living wage, now is the time! I will be adding images, links and personal experiences as I embark on this adventure. I plan to have my digital camera handy out on the open road, so stay tuned.

10-17-2008:

The first week of trucking school United Truck Driving School was all classroom study for the DMV permits test and pretrip inspection. This school has been great, the trainer is very knowledgeable with a lot of past OTR experience. I missed 2 questions total out of 100+ (General Knowledge, Tankers, Doubles/Triples, Hazmat & Airbrakes). I now have a Class A CDL permit with three weeks left of training to take the DMV inspection and skills test. We had one recruiter in from a major trucking company this week and another scheduled for next week. It feels good to be getting in a career that is in demand than having to settle for low paying dead end jobs! :^)

10-24-2008:

Well, I'm at the halfway mark of school, two weeks left. We studied the Pretrip inspection, a 122 point inspection and COLA-P (Airbrakes), for the DMV. I feel real good, just gotta make sure to reset the parking brakes after test 4 (Applied Brake Test) or it's an instant fail when you push the clutch in! I'm researching the trucking industry heavily on Thetruckersreport.com to be prepared when I do go to work. My friends and family have been asking if I got to drive a truck yet and I said "Yeah, 1/16 inch (brake tug test) and it was a fun couple of nano-seconds." lol

10-31-2008:

This last week went well, The whole class passed the Airbrakes check (COLA-P), in-cab inspection and the Pretrip truck inspection. One step closer to getting a full fledged Class-A license. We did parking lot skills consisting of idling around the yard in 1st gear/reverse. We practiced 3 skills; straight line backing, parallel parking and alley backing. After a good week of this, I'm feeling pretty good about all 3 skills. I will probably burn up 1 of my 5 available pull ups on the alley backing at DMV, but that's ok with me.
We also started driving on the road, phew! was that ever exciting and stressful! We drove around Riverside and San Bernardino, mostly city streets with a bit of freeway as well. Between finding the right gear (straight 10 transmission), double clutching, matching road speed with RPM's and correct gear, it was overwhelming. Along with all of those unfamiliar tasks, you had to be vigilant of vehicle placement around all four sides, making wide turns to compensate for trailer off tracking and getting used to the grabbier air brakes of an unloaded truck.

I took the instructors advice after my first behind the wheel experience and got a toilet plunger to practice shifting at home. Don't laugh! it really works, my shifting improved a lot! I went from "sucky" to "semi-sucky" lol.

My Professional-Grade Shifting Simulator: :^D






11-5-2008:

Today was spent at the DMV yard doing our skills test for a DMV examiner. I got two points out of a possible 10 for going too wide around a cone (better than getting a three point penalty by hitting it) and for 1 pull-up on the alley backing. I'm very pleased with the results. All that remains is the road test on Friday the 7th and I'll have a full-fledged class-A CDL. My shifting on Monday was not too good, but I settled down yesterday and got rid of some mental blocks/stress and relaxed, slowing things down with MUCH better results. Tomorrow we will drive all day, so I feel optimistic about the road test.

11-7-2008:

Didn't pass the road test! Shucky Shucky Darn Darn! I was doing great, then I got to a weird serpentine intersection that started as a gentle right to a 2 lane left. I ended up following the lane markers which put me in the INSIDE of two left turn lanes! I actually pulled it off, but that's what got me the no-pass. My shifting, highway driving, stops and turns were all fine. I retest on Monday, so think good thoughts or say some prayers for me. I put in 3 hours of city driving afterward, my instructor Cathy is great!

11-10-2008:

Yay! I got my CDL today, I be a trucker now, lol. A different instructor rode over to DMV with me today and noted that I was shifting at lower rpm's than he does, so I started shifting at 1500 rpm's and was getting butter smooth up shifts everytime, definitely a confidence builder :^). The test went pretty well, I got 20 points out of 45 which I'm told isn't bad. Got my temporary paper license printed with the card coming in the mail in a few weeks. Now I can chill until 11/20 for my orientation in Fontana. I got a tire thumper and extended fifth wheel release hook from my dad for my birthday on Saturday night.

I just want to say one more time how happy I was with my experience at UTDS.Dennis, the admissions person was very helpful and friendly & the instructors Cathy, John & Wayne were very thorough and patient. UTDS has a very good reputation at the DMV evidenced by the great results the students are getting on the DMV tests. If you are looking for a good school from LA all the way into San Diego, make sure to check this one out.

Here are a few shots of the truck, yard, my class and instructor, Cathy (below).







Truck interior image of the gauges and controls.

Peterbilt 379

I think this truck epitomizes the all American truck, to me it's a classic like a Harley, no aero vacuum cleaner look.

TRAINING WITH A COMPANY

Orientation starts on 11/20/2008, so stay tuned.

12-19-2008:

Finally got back on Angelfire! It seemed to be down for a month! Anyway I attended orientation with Swift in Fontana, CA which went smooth after much drug testing, physicals and road testing.

After a false start before Thanksgiving, I got on an owner/operator's truck at the Mira Loma yard. His name is Kevin and has his own site: http://kjktrucking.com/

His truck is a very nice 2009 Freightliner Columbia. It's powered by a Series 60 Detroit with the power going through an Eaton Fuller 9spd gearbox.

I'm now beginning week 3 of a 6 week training program and it is going well. I have been to 15 states in two weeks. My shifting, braking, city driving and backing skills are all improving as my confidence grows. I still need to quit over thinking backing up and just do it.

It's Dec 19th and I'm in the OKC Swift terminal. We have a load going out to Barstow, CA tomorrow and then some hometime.

Here are a few pics of his truck



The sleeper where I spent the last 2.5 weeks on the top bunk.



02-01-2009:
I got off Kevin's truck right before Christmas as he had family concerns to tend to and was unable to keep a student on his truck for the full six weeks. I learned a lot from him and wish him the best.

Right after Christmas I got on another truck driven by a young guy named Mike. A very cool guy and easy to get along with. I ran team with him once he was confident that I wasn't going to put us in a ditch! lol. I took the night driving shift which was pretty hard. If I got to go through a city and shift gears, chew gum and drink coffee, it wasn't too bad trying to stay awake. I learned early on to pull over and take a power nap, as I had 14 hours to get my 11 hours of driving in. No sense in risking my and other's lives trying to be a Super Trucker!

Somebody should have told this Cali-boy that sandals and shorts don't work up in the snowy north! He got a lot of looks and comments about his attire when we were in the midwest, all in good fun.



Mike's Kenworth T2000 tractor right after we dropped the trailer in Joliet, IL.



Mike all prepared for the cold, "Cali" style.


After finishing out my training, I took my second road test to be cleared for a truck. All was fine as I passed, but I volunteered for extra backing practice, any experience and training you can get is a good thing. I'm now waiting for my truck, hopefully this week (first week of Feb 2009). I'm still enjoying trucking, but the pressure is on to make a living wage. It has been a real experience seeing the 20+ states I have already been through from a truck window.

GO TIME, TRUCKING FOR REAL.

Got the word a tractor has been assigned, I go up to the terminal on 2/5/9 to pick it up.

02-05-2009:

Here is the 2007 Volvo tractor I have been assigned. It has 310104 miles and is in decent shape. Very automotive-like dash and lots of storage compartments. Unfortunately the previous driver was a smoker and despite the good cleaning it got, it is very evident. I plan to get some air fresheners, Fabreeze and give it a good airing out. The proper registration and IFTA sticker were needed, so I may not be able to do my first load tomorrow unless the package with these items arrives. I met my new dispatcher, Suzie. A very nice trucking savvy lady who used to run two trucks as an O/O, she definitely knows her stuff..















02-11-2009:

Mission Accomplished! Just completed my first load, and am having some maintenance items attended to at Swift's Denver terminal. I picked up my load in Mira Loma, CA and took it to Brighton CO. It was 1007 miles, I did 439 miles the first day out and 545 miles the second day which got me to Arvada, outside Denver.

It was a real experience, I first encountered snow at the top of the Cajon pass in Victorville, CA and then after spending a freezing cold night in a rest stop in UT (mile marker 88). I didn't know how to run the heater!
I awoke to a thin blanket of snow and a freezing cold cab in the Volvo, luckily I have a good sleeping bag and a 12v trucker blanket (it does work pretty good, I recommend it). Not too far down the road, I got on I-70 East and the road was covered packed snow..It was very challenging, slow driving for about 30 miles where the sun was out and the roads were drying by Richfield, UT.
The fun really started when I was outside Vail and the snow was really falling, there was no chain law in affect right then, but it was very slow going dealing with the conditions and steep grades. Lots of low gear and flashers on. I finally rolled into a TA in Arvada, right when my 11 hours driving time was up.
The next day was pretty uneventful (good!) I dropped my trailer at a large DC in Brighton, then bobtailed to our Denver terminal where I had some repairs done.

Some pictures of my solo trip. There will be more coming, just takes time to upload...

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Snow early on in Victorville, CA at the top of Cajon Pass on the I-15.



Snow on the way to Las Vegas.


GPS trip stats to my first consignee in Brighton, CO, only 800 miles left to go..


Coming thru Vegas..





I spent the night at a rest stop at mile marker 88 on the I-15 in Utah. Pretty chilly night but my 12v trucker blanket worked pretty well. The above two pix were in the morning.





Roads weren't looking too good when I got on I-70W from I-15N. Luckily no chains required and soon it was sunny, clear and cold as I continued on to CO.










Miscellaneous pix of UT and CO.. (above)






















The Rockies beginning to come into view and some nice low gear grades to drive down.

UPDATE: 07-09-2009:

I still have a lot of pix to load from my travels, I continue to haul for Swift but now I work for an owner operator vs being a company driver. I like it a lot better, more relaxed, faster truck, more freedom and more miles. Not too many downsides except for no benefits.



A former co-driver, Jeremy, RIP.

I have to share this one picture, it was a load we picked up in Corsicana, TX at a DC in a sealed trailer. The whole way to Colorado Springs we wondered if we grabbed an empty by mistake. We actually kept up with the fast o/o Pete's on the hills. This load had 4 stops, here's what we saw at the first stop before anything was taken off.



Here are some random pix from my three years of trucking before I left to go back to the oilfield. It was an awesome experience and I have nothing but respect for my fellow truckers who do this hard, unappreciated job to make sure people get what they need!

4 wheeler near LAX in 2010 decided he wanted my lane more than I did, no-one hurt but a little paint and pride. He got the ticket..



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The 2004 Kenworth W900L I drove for about 9 months. You have to learn to back all over again if you have never driven a long nose with the steer axle all the way forward. It will make a trucker out of you in the tight streets of LA!



I drove 900 miles from Laredo, TX to Snowflake, AZ bobtail (no trailer)! Called the dispatcher to make sure the info was correct, she said, yes! now go! I was loving it, I got to go shopping and restaurants like four wheelers (the beautiful people, haha). Almost tried the drive through at McDonalds....NOT!
It was a good running Freightliner Columbia 13spd, Detroit 60 Series engine.



Two traffic jams in 1 week with me driving both times, not my co-driver..grrrr

First one in Utah.



Second one at the top of Cajon Pass in Victorville, we were 35 miles from getting off the truck and going home! Truck brake fires both times..




Not mentioning carrier names, but the following pix show the condition of my tractor when I was dropped off by a cab in Indianapolis, IN.The truck wouldn't even start. I spent the weekend cleaning it up and took it to the nearest terminal for repairs after putting my foot down.