Week 1 is in the bag!

Hi everyone!

I wanted to let you know that the 1st week at my new school was awesome!!!  It took some time to settle in, but now, I'm feeling like part of the crew, and I'm really enjoying myself.  I am the only woman in a class of 8, and at times that feels daunting.  But, I'm doing my best to focus on learning how to do my job to the best of my ability, so when I'm out on the road by myself, I can be safe and efficient.  I've retained about 85% of what I learned in my first training program, so I'm really proud of myself.

My class is made up of several generations, so it's interesting to kind of hear and see how each person arrived at this point in their lives/careers.  We had 3 recruiters come in on Wednesday, and they made their pitches.  2 of them were advertising their flatbed divisions (which I'm not strong enough to do safely, and I'm okay with that lol), and the 3rd had an equally arduous dry van division (loading and unloading food supplies every day).  I was disappointed that none of the 3 was a good fit for me, but I sure am grateful to have realized that now before starting to apply elsewhere.  I learned a lot about what I don't want, which of course gives me excellent insight regarding what I do want.

I think the guys are impressed with my knowledge, but I've definitely also let them know that I might need their help when it comes down to understanding things out in the truck yard.  I see us as a team - no (wo)man left behind.  Having had the first full week be entirely in the classroom felt amazing.  I came in already having my permit, so everything was review for me.  It built up my confidence, and helped me settle into the rhythm of a new school without having as much pressure. I was also able to help explain things to my classmates, which was fun for me. 

I realized just how much I miss being in school.  I love everything about learning.  The problem-solving and knowledge-gaining aspects of this past week made me really, really happy.  It reminded me of the importance of continuing to learn and challenge myself for fun, even outside of my employment.  Over the last year or 2, I've learned that it's okay to have a more routine/consistent/simple job and challenge myself intellectually in other areas of life.  This way, if I hit a rough patch where the interpersonal relationships or long shifts start to feel overwhelming, I don't have to do that plus a complicated job at the same time.  I'm happy with this.

On Thursday, the other guy who already has his permit and I got to go to the yard early while everyone else was testing.  We not only got to start working on our pre-trip, we also asked the instructor to show us some double-clutching so we could watch it live (as opposed to flailing on the truck simulator haha).  He took us on a 40-minute field trip, and we got to see so much.  Not just about upshifting and downshifting, but also about taking turns widely enough, judging sharpness of corners, how much room you need to clear a street (which may require waiting until the other vehicle backs up behind the white stop line where they should've been to begin with), and proper stopping technique so you're not coasting.  When we got back to the yard, he showed us straight-line backing, and then he let us try!  So, my first day officially behind the wheel was on Thursday.

I did pretty well backing up, cuz I figured out what my rearview image was supposed to look like, and then matched it. Driving forward and upshifting, I was really rough around the edges bahaha.  Stalled out the truck a few times, and shifted into reverse instead of 2.  I didn't realize you had to depress the clutch in order to stop!  Boy, did we go on a fun ride.  Thank God I was wearing my seatbelt lol.  And, the instructor was super kind and patient.  I spent parts of last night and this morning watching shifting videos, and practicing at home.  I'm learning my side grip, and at the suggestion of one of the gentleman on one of the forums I read, I'm using a broom stick to simulate the gear shifter, and I set up a measuring tape for 7" to help my arm get used to the narrow space between the gears.  My leg is so sore from learning to manage that stiff clutch, but I'm sure I'll get used to it eventually.

Anyway, that's a look at some of what happened this week.  So far, I'm loving this program.  It's so much of a better fit for me.  It makes soooo much sense now why the first program didn't work.  Here, I can ask questions, people stay on topic and ask great questions, too, the instructors are nice, and they don't expect you to walk in and rise to their standards.  When you walk in, they assume you know nothing, and help you gain the knowledge.  That's my kind of learning environment.  I'm so much happier here!!! <3 As always, thanks for you prayers, love, and support.

~ Amanda d:p