Personal update
 

Please feel free to skip this thread if you don't care about me or my life. Yes, this means YOU, Radar.


Now then, everyone still here care even a little bit? Good.

Despite all odds, I completed truck driver school with a straight A average and perfect attendance. Friday, I began taking my state license exam. Due to unfortunate circumstances, I was forced to complete said exam today.

As of 1630 on Monday, March seventh, I am a licensed Commercial Driver.

Be afraid. Be VERY afraid! :)

Bruce, I hope that wasn't YOU I ran off the road by the Boeing plant. ;)

And to the naysayers who told anyone who would listen to their rantings that I could not/would not complete the school and receive my license :flipbird:


That was very childish of me and I know it so don't tell me. I deserve an indulgence.

Brian

I apparently missed out on some previous conversations concerning this, but Congratulations!! and good luck in your new career. :beer:

Cool. I hope you get a good job out of it.

Congratulations :thumbsup:

Can you go off road :confused: ;)

BrianR---it's good to see people making real changes in their lives. congratulations and keep on...well, you know.

Cool! Sounds like a healthy change, congrats.

Congrats! I love to hear of people who actually DO things instead of just TALK about doing them...(no stab at anyone here, just in general) What kind of driving are you looking at doing? When my dad was laid off from John Deere in the 80's he drove trucks for awhile, but never overnight trips. He once had a breakdown somewhere, and when he got out of the truck, a stray farm dog bit him. Because he couldn't get the dog, he had to get rabies shots. OUCH!! His buddies who still worked at Deeres in the machine shop made him a dog licence that said he was up to date on shots, and belonged to My Mom, at Our Address. It's still hanging down on his workbench :)

congrats brianr. i always wanted to be on OTR driver. i just wanted the air horns and cb, actually. got the cb when i was on the road selling commemmorat...comemora..commem... collectible winchesters. always someone to talk to late at night, and most truckers were patient and friendly with the 'four-wheeler'

good luck man

:thumbsup:
Way to go Brian, you rule!

You worked hard and you made it! Congrats!

Awesome! I hear that the typical truck driver does the same circuit repeatedly... how many days long is yours?

Outstanding! :thumb:

That's great! Now that you have the license, what are you planning to do with it? Do you have a gig lined up? I'm NOT trying to put pressure on, just wondering what's next? Does this mean no more Cellar?

Welp, it don't have a job just yet...gimme a chance!

I'm getting feelers from several major companies though...I expect a job within a month.
This is a new experience for me, having to turn DOWN job offers and pick the best one rather than taking whatever comes along out of desperation.

I plan on OTR driving. I already have a CB and I admit I tended to lay on the air horns in the beginning to fulfill a boyhood fantasy. (now for a train whistle!) It's old hat by now though ;)

Anyway, that's a big step for me and I'm happy I did it. It fills a void in me. Men have a tendency to define themselves by their jobs and I hated defining myself as a sandwich maker at Quiznos or something menial like that. This has more cachet to it.

Yes, an OTR job means much less Cellar than you're used to but I'll still going to be in and out. I still get home time and vacations and such like. Maybe I'll get a cell phone that does internet and check in from the road. A laptop is definitely in the works too. I want to have someplace to put digital pictures and a personal log. Solitaire too.

I will not forget my friends, never fear.

Brian

What the hell was that about? Attacked just to attack me? Just like mentioning my name? I didn't say a single bad thing or have anything to do with the thread and I catch shit from you?

Congrats on going to trucker school. I'm sure you'll get work in no time and be up to your ears in speed and hookers.

Oh, I almost forgot. Whatever you do... beware of ... Large Marge!!!

http://scottobear.com/lj/archives/10...-marge-ani.gif

Awesome, Brian. Let us know when you get those lizard-skin cowboy boots and chrome naked-lady mudflaps.

The life of an OTR driver always sort of appealed to me, too...

Heh heh heh, if it was, you'd have known it by now. :biggrin: And you have to come back to post them. ;)

Congratulations on passing your exam. I have a friend I use to play golf with; that's another story. At that time he was a prison guard making around 18,000
a year. He hated his job. Went to truck driving school, after 4 years he is working for Best Buy making around 70,000, and he is home most nights.
You can probably make about as much as you want OTR. Just don't forget about Uncle Sam. He is always watching. Good luck!!!!!

Update Mar 22, 2005

Job offers are beginning to roll in. I figure another week or two and I will have my Pick of jobs. This is a welcome change from grubbing at the bottom of the barrel for whatever comes my way first for fear that there are no more behind it. I could get used to this, except that I'd rather just have the one job and be happy with it rather than having to change alla time.

I'm picking the first trucking job with an eye to not only the wallet but also the long term satisfaction.

With any luck, the next update will be in two weeks before I head off for more training with my chosen company. I should have my checklist done in a month, I hope.

Brian

Tell 'em you want a new sleeper with stereo, microwave, shower, satellite internet and hot & cold running wenches. ;)

Trade ya!

I'll think postive-job-thoughts for you if you'll do the same for me!

Best of luck with it, and take your time in decision-making!

shower? They don't come with showers. Or toilets. Or even lavatories.
a few truckers have jury-rigged water dispensers in theirs, but not in a company truck

I have to add in appliances myself. Wenches are options. ;)

Ug Brian, I have seen truck that look like they have a 2 story house on their side behind the cab , Mostly cross country moveing coumpanys .

Oh and if you get busted at a state scale in Arkansas or Tenesee , sorry dude just doing my job ;)

and if I avoid you, I'm just doing mine! ;)

Seriously, I tend to NOT get busted. I do not run unsafe trucks and I do not run overloaded. If I go with Werner, I won't even have to worry about my logbook as it's nearly ALL electronic and automated. Of course, that means I can't cheat either.

Are you a fixed scale or a roving scale? I seem to remember Arkansas as not doing fixed scales to try to keep us guessing?

Brian

Yes they do. This one has everything but the wenches. :biggrin:

Now I'm drooling, Bruce. The wenches, I'm sure, will be lining up! Thanks for setting my sights impossibly high. :thumbsup:

You can take a virtual tour of the truck I will likely be driving here.

I am much more likely to be driving one of these trucks:

That's cool, it'll give you a chance to save up the $400k for one like I showed you. :D

Are you a fixed scale or a roving scale? I seem to remember Arkansas as not doing fixed scales to try to keep us guessing?

Fixed scales ALL the way , if you roll across the I40 bridge going from Memphis TN into Arkansas , you will go thru one of our wiegh stations .

A little fun fact for you and ALL your trucker buddys , Portable scales ( typicaly a set of axel pads ) are a class 4 weighing instrument ( class 1 is SUPER accurate lab scales( reading out to something like a 1/100 of a micro gram ) , class 2 is normal lab scales ( reading out to like a 1/100 of a gram ) class 3 is typical industrial scale ( a 5000 lb scale reading out to say .5 lbs , and is leagle for trade ) a class 3L scale is truck and rail scale ( a 200,000 lb scale that reads out in 20 lb graduations and is leagle for trade ) a class 4 weighing instrument is for a ball park weight .

Those axel pads that the state troopers like to carry around are a class 4 weighing instrument , the ONLY reason they can wright a ticket off of these is because they are the STATE !!! You can NOT buy or sell across thees pieces of shit.
If you get a ticket from a set ov portable scales it MUST be noted on the ticket and you CAN question the accuracy of said scale , most judges will throw the case out if you start questioning the accuracy .

;) thanks for the image, now we'll know what trucks to avoid ;)

Congratulations.

Friday, I finally received my photo license, by dint of much hollering and desk-pounding at PennDOT, who failed to remove the air brake restriction from my license. And then had the temerity to insist that their system doesn't make mistakes. I had to drive all the way back to Lester, obtain a copy of the form they send in, take that to Harrisburg, force the drone to look at it, admit that they did indeed make a mistake, another hour to find someone who knew how to correct the error, fix it and then twenty minutes more (for good measure) to print out a new photo license.

The way my luck has been running, I would not have been surprised if they had altered the expiration date to be the following week.

Anyway, the way is now clear to take that job offer at Werner. I'll keep y'all posted!

Now, where did I put that birth certificate?

Way to go, Brian! All the best to you, good buddy. From what I've been reading about Homeland Security lately, it sounds like they're planning to set up their own Check Stops, where truckers will have to pull over and swear allegiance to the flag and give a DNA sample while they check your documents. So find that birth certificate, have it notarized by FBI, and carry it at all times.

Keep the shiny side up and the greasy side down and may you always be in the rockin' chair, the one South'n Girl signin' off, we' clear!