Each Day Provides Us With New Beginnings

Today is Sunday, the day before I begin my CDL course.  The day before the day that could begin the change that will change my life.  I have read many positive and negative things about trucking and truckers and the like and, contrary to popular belief I have considered them all. 

Truth be told, even without yet being a driver, I have learned that trucking is hard.  There is so much more to it than he general public really knows.  For example, have you ever wondered how drivers stay fit? How they eat?  How they sleep?  There is a science to living in a space the size of your closet. 

I have so much more respect for those already out on the road that I find myself being especially courteous when driving near semi's.  If I can be the ONE person that doesn't cut him/her off I have made my point. 

At any rate, I have made my decision.  Trucking is something I want to do.  It is something I am ready to do.  Now, the only thing left to do is learn how to do it.  I will spend the next three weeks learning and training and practicing everything I can to be prepared to actually drive one of these things.  It will be difficult.  I will be required to throw out everything I know about driving and relearn it as if I were a teenager getting behind the wheel for the first time.  I will dedicate my time to reviewing how to perform checks, how to diagnose problems and how to maneuver a 70 foot long vehicle with no guide but two side view mirrors. 

To the general public...have you ever considered how difficult that must be? If not, you will find out by reading what I have to say.  I pride myself in being honest and as accurate as possible.  I am thrilled to begin the learning process, but I have come to the conclusion that the real learning begins not tomorrow, but 3 weeks from now when I get in a truck and get on the road. 

Bless those who are already out there pushing on and accepting the new challenges they are faced with and best of luck to those who are beginning their journey as well.

I'm at peace with my decision and excited to get started.  I am determined that NOW is the best time to learn, as my first time out will be over the winter, and if I can learn to drive in the winter I can drive through just about anything. 

YAY!!

Things are Finally....Final

The Jeep wasn't scheduled to be sold until Sunday.  The E-Bay auction wouldn't end in time to get the down payment so I could start classes on Monday.  I was devastated.  Not many people around me believe in what I am doing.  Michael is supportive beyond belief and has been encouraging me every step of the way, making sure I don't loose sight of what's ahead.  He is amazing.  But others, my parents mostly, are not as enthused. In fact, they are skeptical, anxious and somewhat angry.  I can understand their point of view.  Their concern is for my son, Kasey.  What will he do without his Mama? Who will care for him? Wont he miss me? Wont I miss out on all of the major events in his life?  All of these things re legitimate concerns, both for my parents and myself. 

When I find myself wondering if I can handle it, I just take a moment to recall the reasons that I wanted to do this to begin with.  I want the freedom and the independence, I want the chance to go places I never may have traveled, see things I may have never dreamed of...I want something for me.  The greatest thing is that doing this doesn't benefit only myself.  It benefits Kasey in that I can provide for him in a way I never thought was possible.  I can support my family and provide us with a healthy and stable future.  Will I miss him? Of course I will, but with technology being what it is, I can see him everyday, talk to him anytime I please and stay connected through any major event I miss. 

So, the Jeep.  I'm thinking about the people who don't believe in what I'm doing and I forget that I may not even be able to attain it.   I was down.  I was disappointed, to say the least. The one thing that I actually want for myself is the one thing I may not ever get an opportunity to discover.  I was talking with Michael about it and he in turn, spoke to his mom about it.  She doesn't understand why I want to take this path, but she is supportive.  She was surprised to hear that I wanted to go out on the road, but was not negative in anyway.  In fact, the only question she asked was, 'Sara, are you SURE this is what YOU want?'  And bless her heart, if she didn't give us a loan for the $2,500 I would need to register!  There is someone looking out for me after all

I called Dave and scheduled my final appointment.  I met with him today (Friday).  Just walking in the door fires up the butterflies in the pit of my stomach.  I know that no one I pass truly knows why I am there, but I feel this overwhelming sense of pride being a woman and walking in the door, knowing the adventure I am about to embark on.  Dave, as always, was thrilled to see me.  My excitement is infectious.  I always have the biggest 'dazzling white' smile on face (as Michael calls it.)  I can't help but smile, the energy in the air is rejuvenating!  Dave told me I was the most excited person he'd seen, which surprised me.  So many people appreciate simply having a job, why NOT be excited about a job you might actually enjoy?

At any rate, I signed my schooling contract and my admission forms this afternoon and I am OFFICIALLY a CDL Student!  I can not express the satisfaction I feel knowing that the only thing standing between me and my goal is me, and I'm not planning on getting in my own way.  The trucking forum is an exceptional tool in assisting me with staying focused.  I am learning more than I ever thought possible!  I can't say how grateful I am to everyone who is honest.  I say honest because I am able to read and the good, the bad and the ugly.  It is refreshing to be prepared for some of the many challenges I will face and even more encouraging to witness those who have already overcome those challenges and shared their solutions. 

My best friend Jairica and I are heading out this weekend to commemorate my acceptance and the beginning of my new career. What we will be doing is cliche at best and lame at worst, but for us, it is a connection we can share with each other as a celebration.  We are going to the Flying J to purchase my very first Truckers Hat!  (I apologize if that is rude or stereotypical to some)  For me, this event will signal the start of a whole new world that is now open for me.  Thank you to everyone for reading and for offering your words of encouragement.

......I'm going to be a trucker!!!   

The Gift Of Preparedness

We'd decided we would sell the Jeep.  In theory that sounded great, but what about the consequences of doing so?  Would we get enough money from it to cover the downpayment AND last us until I found a job with a trucking company?  One can hope.  We've listed the Jeep on E-Bay and it has bids, so we've got progress.  We've been selling various other things that will bring in enough money to cover some of the additional expenses, the preliminary DOT physical and drug test, the Permit Test, the Hazardous Materials Federal Background check etc. 

I'm finding that there is so much more to trucking than I realized.  I have been studying Ohio's CDL Permit book daily and already I have learned so much! For example: A Pre-Trip Inspection...this is something that is required before you begin a run....and Hello...there must 90 things that you have to check!!  The information is almost overwhelming, if I wasn't so absolutely enthralled with everything I read.

The Jeep auction will be Final on Sunday, but we were able to borrow the downpayment from an alternate source.  Assuming the check clears the bank, I will be meeting with Dave again on Friday to provide him with the downpayment as well as the check for my physical and drug test (which I WILL pass, no question).  At any rate, as long as I at least have the $110 I can be placed on the roster for the training course beginning on Monday!!  Fortunately, Dave is being very kind and patient with me, Friday is sort of pushing the limit.  I wonder  to myself if they leave an unsoken spot open for a woman because it seems they are all to willing to bend the traditionals to get me through. 

The CDL course is 3 weeks in length and required my unbroken attendance Monday thru Friday from 7am-6pm.  The Department of Transportation requires that a student have 160 hours of class/driving time.  The first week of class, through Thursday will be all classroom time covering everything fro DOT Rules and Regulations to Map Reading. (Thank goodness for the map reading course...while I am certainly capable of finding my way around town, I imagine I will experience some level of difficulty attempting to navigate across the country!!) The following 4 days will be focused on 'backing it up', an important skill to say the least.  I suspect that backing up a rig will be the most challenging portion of the training.  We will spend one entire day on the road with a trainer and the 4 days after that will be split 1/2 day on the road and 1/2 day honing our skills.  The day before graduation will be spent focusing again on our backing skills and the final day of the course will be the offical CDL Test and, assuming you pass...GRADUATION!

It appears that the next three weeks will go by very quickly.  I worry sometimes that I will not be able to keep up and will be the butt of the jokes, and yet I am confident in my determination.  My personal goal is to be the best of the best in my class and to Graduate at the top of my class.  I want to pass my permit test on the first try without missing a question and I want to pass my CDL test with flawless accuracy.  I am aware that in reality, that may not be the case, but as long as I keep up the motivation, I will always know that I did my best. I am so excited to track my progress and write a daily report of the classes and hopefully a nightly report once I'm working.  I am determined to inform those who are interested about this experience.  It's not all Ice Road Truckers, but even without the added dangers of driving on a frozen lake, I bet I will run into my fair share of challenges. 

I am not exactly a mechanical expert.  I drive my car to the Firestone to get my oiled changed and I'm lucky if I know where to put the windshield washer fluid in my car.  (Ok, that is a slight exaggeration.)  I am aware of an engine and I have a general understanding of how it works, in fact, this past summer I assisted Michael in changing the shocks on one of our cars, so I'm not a complete moron.  But, a big rig?  Those things are diesel and you could probably fit three of the Jeep's engines inside one of these things! 

The other day I found a trucking forum and I am findng that it is chock full of useful information.  I have learned more than I ever thought I could just by reading posts from other truckers.  The number of women on this one site is incredible as well.  Perhaps we should pay more attention to who is behind the wheel of those giagantic fear machines as we drive. 

It is my understanding that the amount of mechanial knowledge I will need will be anything but vast.  Chaining tires for winter and knowing when something is wrong so that I can CB into dispatch should be about the extent of it.  Although, being the overachiever that I aspire to be, I am hoping to learn a bit more than just that! 

For now, that is all I have...thanks for reading!

The Decision is Made

 I'm not sure when exactly I started thinking about becoming a truck driver.  My fiancee, Michael has a good friend who does it, so I have been hearing stories from the road for 2 years.  Then about 8 months ago, Michael decided that it was a career path that he wanted to try.  It didn't work out for him.  I've always enjoyed hearing the tales and the horror stories about people places and things from the road. 

 I think I always knew it would be a great opportunity and I daydreamed about it fleetingly, but it wasn't until about 6 months ago that I conciously began considering it as an option for myself. 

I got pregnant at 19 and dropped out of college to have the baby, and at the time I resigned myself to giving up many of the opportunities that exist for the 20 somethings and the unattached.  I thought I was prepared to give up everything for my little man.  Don't get me wrong, this child is a true blessing in my life and the reason for the air in my lungs and I would do ANYTHING for him, as any parent would.  But I've found in the last year or so, that my life was still missing something.  But what? I'd asked myself. 

I have a family, I have a home, I have reasonable financial stability....what more is there?  The missed opportunities haunted me.  The traveling I would never do,the freedom I would never have, those were the things I had lost.  Or thought I had. 

The exact moment when the realization of what I could do is uncertain.  I know that it was just weeks before I made the appointment to meet with a recruiter.  I suddenly had this buring desire to, of all things, be a trucker. 

I had been in customer service most of my life, because I was good at it.  I am good at it.  I enjoy making people feel good.  But a pattern had developed that took me 5 years to recognize.  I lost each of those customer service jobs.  I either took too many days off or I quit.  I was never truly satisfied with any of them.  At the time I would blame the company, but in all reality it was me. I hadn't found my niche. 

All of a sudden things started coming together....freedom, independence, security...the things I wanted, some I thought I could never have seemed to be falling into my lap as the reality of becoming a truck driver began to piece together. 

I met with Dave on a Friday.  He was delightful and helpful and full of information.  I couldn't sit still in my seat, I was so excited listening to him and looking at the posters of companies and trucks that devoured his walls.  He explained to me my options, he discussed the process of the course, the things I would study. He explained that the first week would be mainly in class time, studying the book and the rules, learning about log  books and tracking progress etc.  He explained the different driving techniques I would learn, practice and perfect.  Then, he took me on a tour of the range.  There was a class going on, and I as soon as I got a glimpse of the man in the drivers seat of that beautiful 18-wheeled monster of a machine, I was hooked.  I knew that I would HAVE to find a way to get behind one of those myself. 

The financing was my only concern. With neither myself nor my fiancee working, how would we afford the 6 grand it was going to cost?  I knew my options, but even getting financed with a downpayment seemed like an impossibility.  My nervous frustration began setting in.  I was blissfully optomistic as I drove home that afternoon. High on the realization that I had found something I actually WANTED to do, and the excitement that I might just be able to do it. 
I went home to discuss the situation with Michael, who is the MOST suypportive person I have ever met in my life.  We spent hours discussing the pro's and con's, the difficulties, the possibilities and everything in between.  We discussed our options financially as well and ultimately came to a conclusion. 

We would sell the Jeep and I would attend CDL CLASSES!!

A Brief Introduction Before The Fun Starts

My name is Sara Burns. I am 24 years old, 25 in April.  I am engaged to a great man, Michael and I have a 4 and half year old son, Kasey.  I also have an ex-husband Danny.  I am 5'9, weight shall remain a mystery and my hair changes almost as often as my mood.  I LOVE the color pink and I LOVE tattoos.  I am an honest and kind person who loves meeting new people.  This blog is meant to provide anyone who chooses to read it, an insight into what it is like as a woman to enter the world of truck driving.  I have not yet even begun the training portion so this will track all of my progress from beginning to end.  If you enjoy the read, I encourage you to please, follow my blog and tell others about it. The idea is to get it out there that there ARE women in the trucking industry and that it is not as bad as it seems.  Don't hesitate to comment if you have any questions, concerns or words of encouragement.  Thank you in advance for reading my ramblings, and I hope you all enjoy it!

--Sara