My first load

so i met my trainer and we picked up our load on friday in englewood, ohio. We then proceeded on to Porterville, Ca. Yes, i said california :) It was a great trip! Right now im sitting at a truck stop in bakersfield waiting for our 9pm appointment to get our next load and then we're off to oklahoma! So far its been a great experience, i've driven ALOT and i've learned so much, my trainer is cool, kinda old though hehe. But he's been teaching me alot. Im getting better at shifting and such. I cant wait to see what happens next! I'll keep updating you guys as i get the chance. But for now, its off to oklahoma i go! See you soon my friends
Turnpike Trgovac
Over and Out!!

waiting for a trainer....

I know i havent posted in a while, its been a crazy few days. I've gotten my CDL which means im on to the next step of the process :) getting a trainer and going on the road! YAY! I took my test on tuesday and passed it the first time, VERY NICE!!!! I got through my pre trip inspection and backing easily, then it was too the road, which was the most challenging part. The truck i drove had a really rough clutch that didnt allow me to shift gears like i normally do, i had to push the clutch all the way to the floor to get it into gear, on the trucks i had been training on, it only took pushing the clutch just past the friction point to get it into gear. Therefore when i was driving the test truck, i was grinding gears left and right lol. The examiner told me he could make a new engine block from all the scrap metal i was making by grinding the gears lol. He was a great guy though, really relaxed and easy going which made the test go alot easier! Anyways, i passed and now im playing the waiting game. Once i get a trainer, they will pick me up from the hotel and take me on the road for my phase 1 training! Ill try to keep you all informed, but when i get on the road i dont know how much i'll be able to post. I'll post as much as i can! See you soon friends!
Turnpike Turk
Over and Out

Time To Catch Up!

So yea i havent posted in a few days, my bad, the internet has been sucking at my hotel and i've been super busy with school. So to recap the past few days, i think the last i posted was on wed or thurs right? Well we finished out the week with driving on thursday and friday. Thursday i did really well......friday....not so much, and neither did anyone else, friday seemed cursed in the driving department, everyone was having trouble with all the trucks. I was grinding gears left and right and i stalled it out once, but i have confidence that come test day on tuesday i'll be fine....hopefully. I am a bit nervous about not driving for a few days then coming back for my CDL test but we'll see how it goes!!! Anyways, we finished driving yesterday, and this weekend is taken up by driver orientation, which is as exciting as it sounds. Its been boring me to tears, but its something you have to do with every job, blah. Right now im watching one of my favorite movies, forrest gump :) Such an awesome movie, wow, random change of subject lol. But anyways, thats pretty much all you missed....not much at all lol. Now to go watch the season premiere of weeds!!!!!! :-D SUPER EXCITED about that!
Turnpike Trgovac
Over and Out

Day 10: Preparing for the BIG test!

Well i thought i was gonna drive today, but instead we hit our pre trip inspection, in cab inspection, four point brake check, and backing maneuvers. We need to get all this stuff down before we even get to the road with the instructors, I have to pass each of those things individually before i get to go on the final part which is the road examination, once i pass that, then i get my cdl!! I could be taking the test as early as friday, which makes me kind of nervous..........but im sure i'll be fine :). In other news, i got moved to a new hotel today, its owned by the trucking company so naturally.....its crap lol. The only good thing is that i no longer have my horrible roomie who snores so loud he shakes the windows. The hotel is a tad bit nicer, but its also alot further away from the school then my old one, 40 minutes, the hotel itself is about 4-5 miles from the Illinois border which to me is kinda cool bc im a dork. hehe, anyways, thats all for tonight friends, mucho love
Turnpike Turk
Over and Out

Day 9: More Driving!!

So they've been switching me back and forth from instructor to instructor but i think ive finally been placed with my last instructor, today we worked on right turns and left turns, knowing when to turn so you dont cut the corners and stuff it was very challenging but alot of fun!!! Ive got double clutching for upshifting and downshifting down! i was doing alot better today!! I stalled once but my instructor was impressed by the progress i've made so far :) Not much to say about today, it was the same as usual...driving and getting used to shifting gears, turning, etc. But im getting better!!!!!!!!!! I take my CDL test on friday, i'll let you all know how it goes, goodnight for now my friends, i've gotta pack bc they are moving me to a different hotel tomorrow, yay!
Turnpike Turk
 Over and Out

Day 8: DRIVING!!!!!

Geeze i cant believe i've been here for a week! its felt like a month!! So much has happened. I really cant say enough about how great this school is, i came here last week not knowing anything about trucks or how to drive them, now here i am getting in the cab and driving a truck down the road! Thats what i did today, i learned how to double clutch to upshift and downshift. I was really nervous at first but it finally came to me in the afternoon and i managed to get by only stalling the truck once!!!! It was so exciting, im starting to realize that i could actually do this for a career! Im so excited to get this show on the road and start my actual training, this is gonna be so much fun! Tomorrow we are driving more and learning how to turn better :) For now my friends
 Turnpike Turk

 Over and Out

Days 6 & 7

so im combining these two bc i forgot to post yesterday......LONG day....so here is part 1!

Day 6: we learned how to parallel park an 18 wheeler! Its actually quite simple once you get the hang of it and get to know the physics of an 18 wheeler :) So thats pretty much all we did on saturday, practicing parallel parking....not much to talk about, sorry, its been a very repetitive weekend.

So Day 7: Sunday, we began practicing for our Class A CDL license test. This entails doing a pre trip inspection, an in cab inspection, a 4 point brake check, the maneuvers that i've been talking about the past weekend and then an on road examination. So today we worked on the actual maneuvers, the straightline and offset backing and parallel parking all in a row. Tomorrow i actually get to go OUT ON THE ROAD!!!!!!! So excited! We got our truck assignments for the week with our on road instructor.....i cant believe im actually doing this! And the fact that i've managed to stay here for a week, its a big accomplishment. our class started off with around 36 non cdl non permit people (otherwise known at CR England as "SC's") to 10, and we've most likely lost 2 more after they were not able to get their maneuvers down. The thing about this company is that you have to work hard and you have to want it. You cant cruise through this school doing the bare minimum. If you dont get your permit by saturday, you're done, and by then its even too late really. They wouldn't have enough time to learn all the maneuvers needed to pass the CDL test. Im just really proud of myself  because i've managed to last this long, its only been a week but it feels like a month! So much has happened in this past week i cant believe that its only been ONE week. The new class came in today and thats when i realized that its been that long since i was in the same position.  Oh and btw i got a new roommate because the hotel has to consolidate rooms, yea he sucks, his snoring is so loud it wakes me up at night and keeps me up, blegh my sleep has been suffering majorly from it! and he just keeps on talking alllllllll the damn time!! aaahhhh!!! other than that im as happy as a clam here :)

Goodnight Friends
Turnpike Trgovac
Over and Out

Day 5: Off Set backing

Im getting better!!!!!!! today we learned how to do what is called "offset backing" which is where you pretty much move your truck from one lane to another on the exact opposite side. We did that ALL day today, in the sun, and i know have a sunburn :( but it was so much fun! i am finally getting used to clutching and finding gears. although i have not been on the road yet, im sure that is a different monster, im getting used to the idea of shifting gears. Yesterday i was stalling all over the place and today i was able to be nice and smooth on the clutch! YAY!!! im so excited, im loving it here and not regretting my decision at all. I've met some pretty kick ass people here too! everyone is really looking out for the other, we all want each other to pass and get a job, which is awesome. Anyways, im off to study my pre trip inspection and contemplate how to parallel park a big rig.....that is tomorrow's lesson! weeeee!!!   Goodnight friends :)


Turnpike Trgovac

Over and Out

Day 4: Permit and Straightline Backing

I GOTZ MAH PERMIT!!!!!!!!!! WOO!!!!! i passed with flying colors! thats what i did this morning, as soon as we got back from the bmv (bureau of motor vehicles as they call it in indiana) we went out onto the practice range and began to practice straightline backing (exactly what you think it is, backing in a straightline) which is alot more difficult than you would think! it was my first time driving stick in a long time, so i had to get used to using the clutch and finding the friction point and all that jazz. but omg when i got out i had the BIGGEST grin on my face!!!!! it was a great experience, i cant wait to get back on the range tomorrow!!!!! goodnight friends

Turnpike Trgovac
Over and out

Day 3: The Test

I must say, im proud of how well i did, i passed 3 of the 4 tests that i needed too, while i did not get my permit, i do get to test for it tomorrow and i am confident i will pass. Like i said, i am proud of myself :) in 2 days i learned sooooooooooooo much about trucks and air brakes and combination vehicles and general knowledge about trucks. Seeing as i came in knowing ABSOLUTELY nothing about trucks, and 2 days later im able to pass 3 of the 4 tests that i need to in order to get a CDL permit. The first test i had to pass was a piece of cake, the indiana operators test, basically the written portion of the indiana drivers license test. So it was easy as hell, the next was the general knowledge portion, which covers all the general stuff you need to know about driving a big rig, i passed that easily as well, 50 questions, i missed 6. The next was the air brake portion, which is surprisingly complicated, but i passed that with flying colors, 25 questions, missed 2. Then came the one that is in my opinion the most difficult which is combination vehicles. That was 20 questions and that was the one i didnt pass. So even though i wasnt able to get my permit on the first try, i've been studying that combo section of the CDL manual like my life depended on it. Tomorrow i go back to retake that test, and if i pass.....i get my CDL permit! :-D I'll let you all know how it goes!! If i get the permit, then i learn how to straightline back, offset back, and paralell park a big rig, yes, apparently it is possible to paralell park a big rig, wtf lol. Alright goodnight friends

Turnpike Trgovac
Over and Out

Day 2: Cram A Rama!!!

So in two days, i've crammed almost 100 pages of the 144 in the Indiana CDL Manual, tomorrow i go to take my CDL Permit which will allow me to actually get in the trucks!!! This is a big test, it includes: The indiana general operators test, the CDL general knowledge test, the CDL combination tractor trailer test, and the air brakes test. I have to pass ALL of these just to get my permit!!! We worked on all of these from 6:30am to about 6pm today. We were given a total of 5 or 6 different practice tests to go over and to help study for the CDL permit. I've just finished a study group with two other guys that i sit with in class and i must say it went quite well!! Im really excited about tomorrow and i cant wait to get this test started!!! Thats all for today, didnt do much other than just study study study. I cant believe i've crammed all of this information into my head after only 2 days in class. Goodnight friends

Turnpike Trgovac
Over and out

Day 1: The Journey Begins

My first real day of trucking school at C.R. England in Burns Harbor Indiana!!!!! After a long, and i mean LONG bus ride to indiana with many eventful stops, i made it here in a little over 28 hours after leaving hampton roads. The first thing we did on sunday was arrive at the facility and begin the oh so fun task of paperwork!!!! Lots and lots of it. We then did three separate tests, a pee test, a "physical agility" test which included duckwalking underneath a trailer, getting into and out of a trailer, and various other regulatory things you would have to do in normal everyday trucker life. And then a Departement of Transportation (DOT) physical. All these being completed i was then given the packet of doom. It was at least a quarter of an inch thick of a bunch of paperwork that needed to be filled out, previous addresses, previous jobs, w'4s 11's I9's all that lovely stuff that comes with a job. after THAT was done, i was finally able to go back to the hotel and SLEEP.

That was arrival day. Today we did more paperwork for the first half and had a VERY informative meeting with the director of the school. I was a bit apprehensive after reading some of the reviews online about C.R. England and how they conduct their business. But after this meeting with the director, he was able to answer alot of my concerns and im feeling much better about my decision now. I'll get into the logistics of trucking later. After lunch we then began an extensive review session for our Commercial Drivers License (CDL) permit test which we take this wednesday, yes, THIS wednesday! I am currently procrastinating on a bunch of homework to write this so i wont keep you much longer lol. Long and short of it is, to get through this school, i've realized you have to be dedicated, work hard, and not slack off and you'll do just fine. I never thought i'd be driving trucks for a career, but im thinking that i might become a long term thing. So far i've really enjoyed it and the people i've met. So we'll see where this goes!!!! Love you all

Turnpike Trgovac
Over and Out