Greetings!!!

 Hi everyone!

Just an introductory post to welcome you to my new blog :).  Once again, a special thank you to all who donated money to my trip/training period.  I couldn't have done this without you.  My heart is so full <3 !  Since I'm going to be very busy training to become an OTR (over the road/long haul) trucker in the next few months, I thought it might be nice to set up a blog so that I can keep everyone updated all at once.  So, here are some details about my new career to get you started:

I'm leaving this Friday night (3/5) from Harrisburg, and will be traveling by Greyhound bus to Appleton, WI for training.  Just a hop, skip, and a 37-HOUR TRIP, and I'll be there in 2 shakes of a lamb's tail.  However, someone else has graciously offered to cover the cost of the trip for me, so the schedule suits me just fine.  It's hard to be disappointed in "free" lol.  I will arrive on Sunday morning.  Classes will start on Monday, 3/8, and it sounds like it will be a fairly intense schedule of learning and practicing.

I'm taking part in the company sponsored training conducted by Roehl Transport, Inc. which is headquartered in Marshfield, WI.  The program is called their "Get Your CDL" training.  It will be 3 weeks of classes and yard time (M-F, half days on Saturdays).  They cover my tuition in exchange for 120,000 miles of driving for their company post-licensing (takes about 15 months, or so), and will also pay for my hotel stay, lunch during the week, free breakfast at the hotel, my testing fees, and will be paying me each week for my training.  I'm responsible for my dinners, and lunches on the weekend, as well as any school supplies/new clothing I need.  I'm excited about this opportunity for many reasons, but a big one is that I'm considered an employee from day 1, and have a guaranteed job with them upon graduation.

Here is their website describing their program  Roehl GYCDL Program .

I've been working with an amazing recruiter, named Brandon, since November, and he's been helping me get everything sorted out to be successful in the program.  As a company, Roehl is EXTREMELY safety conscious, and thrives on personal accountability and professionalism.  Having spent my last few years as a pharmacy courier and food delivery person, I'm eager to see what it's like in this part of the delivery/transportation industry.  I really wanted to continue to do delivery, without the wear and tear on my personal vehicle (which incidentally, gave up the ghost while I was increasing my efforts to earn and save money for this trip!), and without worrying about possibly not having any work when demand was low.

The last 4 months, I've been studying for my exams (unlike a passenger vehicle, you have to pass 3 exams [General Knowledge, Air Brakes, Combination Vehicles] to get your Commercial Driver's License Permit), strength-training at the gym, earning money, and, following an unfortunate injury at my temp job, rehabbing my back and neck in physical therapy.  Now, I'm ready to head off and take the world by storm!

There's some insight on how I got to where I am now!  As always, I covet your prayers!  Please feel free to leave me a comment here on my blog, if you would like to.

Love & blessings ~ Amanda