This blog will be a record of my experiences and thoughts as I embark on a new carreer as a truck driver. I am scheduled to start school at Alexandria (MN) Technical College on August 25th. I have already passed the DOT physical and am awaiting results of the drug test. I don't expect any problem there. I have to take a placement test on Monday to test out of any remedial English or Math requirement. I don't forsee a problem there either. School will last 16 weeks and I will probably take an additional 2 weeks at the end to obtain my motorcoach endorsement.

I intend to post here daily once school begins, or as time permits.

I thought I would share this article on the program I am about to begin. It appeared in the Summer, 2003 issue of "Learning Curve", a publication of the National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools.

Alexandria Technical College

Getting behind the wheel of an 18-wheel rig for the first time can be a little intimidating for a novice driver, but Alexandria Technical College (ATC) is greatly easing jitters with its new TranSim VS Driver Training Simulator.

The simulator, recently purchased by the Minnesota college, provides students with realistic vehicle operation on tough road conditions. Shifting on a wide range of grades, students can experience all of the major transmissions and different engines from a
variety of manufacturers, with assorted RPM and torque ranges.

"Students have appreciated the instantaneous feedback of the TranSim and tend to feel more comfortable with driving the real rig," notes Bill Fath, truck-driving instructor at Alexandria Technical College and vice president of the National Association of Publicly Funded Truck Driving Schools.

The ATC Truck Driver Training Program will also soon add Motor Coach and Dispatch Training. The school has purchased an MC9 Crusader motor coach for the purpose of training, allowing students to . earn their passenger endorsement. According to Path, not only will students be able to have an excellent background with semitrailer trucks, but they can also pursue their career even further with these upcoming courses.

The ATC Truck Driver Training Program has been in existence for 31 years. It consists of two 16-week programs. During this time, students receive training in the operation of commercial motor vehicles, state/federal regulations, safe operation fundamentals, defensive driving, general maintenance, CPR, first-aid and job-seeking skills.

"We believe that graduates with a thorough understanding of the industry best serve this field," Fath states.

In addition to classroom study, students are taught driving techniques on a backing range, driving range, rodeo course (close-quarter maneuvering) and over-the-road experiences in semi-tractor trailers. The Truck Driving Program also works closely with the Diesel Mechanics Program and offers a shorter CDL program for diesel students. This enables the diesel graduates, who will be working for repair facilities that work on commercial vehicles, to test-drive the vehicles after repairs have been completed.

ATC anticipates graduating approximately 40 truck driving students and 35 diesel students this year. Over the past 10 years, ATC's truck driving program has placed 96% of its graduates in trucking companies across the nation.

Utilizing 12 power units including various makes, models, and years, ranging from 1989-2001, the ATC program has a variety of transmissions used in the industry — including a 10 speed auto shift in the new KW. Trailers are also rotated between students daily to familiarize each of them with reefers, dry van, grain, flatbed, double drop, tankers, and double combination.

Fath has taught the Truck Driver Program 18 of the 31 years since the program was started in 1972. He is an active member of the National Safety Council, Minnesota Safety Council, American Trucking Association and the Minnesota Truckers Association. He is also a third-party Commercial Driver's License tester for the state of Minnesota. His 30+ years of experience in the trucking industry includes working as a mechanic, owner-operator, dispatcher, and co-owner of a trucking company. His involvement in the industry allows him to stay current with changes taking place in the country's leading industry — transportation.

Fath and the college thrive on the motto, "A Tradition of Excellence," working hard so graduates are prepared for long and successful careers as professional truck drivers.

"Remember, if you got it, a truck driver brought it," Fath states.

Orientation/Getting to know you. We have about 22 in our class. There are two others who are, like myself, refegees from the tech sector. We have (I think) four ladies, three of whom have significant others who are drivers. The other girl's dad is a trucker. She already has a job lined up in Alaska driving the Haul Road. I'm envious.

Our main instructor has been in the transportation industry for over 30 years. He started out as a diesel mechanic, became a driver, then an owner/operator. He is currently a partner in a company with (I think) five tractors and fifteen trailers.

Our assistant instructor is a retired police officer and he will handle mainly safety topics, first aid and CPR.

I expect tomorrow to be another day of mainly orientation/paperwork and an overview of the curriculum.

'Til later.

Glenn

More orientation, but more course specific. More paperwork (state-owned colleges can be a challenge). Learned fueling procedure. Didn't do much else due to one student unavoidably missing and the instructor didn't want to lay down too much foundational material with someone gone.

More later.

We started out today with a question and answer about different aspects of being a professional truck driver and the types of jobs available. We then wrote down our goals, as far as the type of job we might want. This will aid later in placement.

Next we watched a video about the history of trucking and had a discussion on it. After lunch our instructor took of for Milwaukee for the 100th anniversary of Harley Davidson and we had a q&a with our safety instructor and reviewed the college handbook.

More later

This morning we finished the student handbook, a requirement of the college, and talked about our expectations. After lunch, we were familiarized with the rodeo course and had an overview of the equipment.

Tomorrow is an "independent study" day. I have to get a shot to bring my immunizations up to date. I am going to read over the CDL manual and probably hook up my boat trailer and practice backing.

Monday is a holiday, so there is no school. Tuesday we are supposed to begin more course specific classroom work and get more hands-on training.

More later.

Well, here we are almost through the week and I haven't updated at all.

We are now beyond orientation, etc and into the actual course sork. We started the week by reading an Introduction to Trucking in our textbook. After lunch, we went out to the shop and were familiarized with the various tractors and were instructed on general shop procedures.

Yesterday we read about vehicle controls, etc then went out to the trucks to familiarize ourselves with the controls on the trucks we actually will be working with.

Today we went over coupling/uncoupling, then out to the shop again to "pre-trip" the tractors and start them up and observe the indicators. Our instructor then demonstrated both the right way and several wrong ways to couple/uncouple. We get to try our hands at it tomorrow.

Today, we had FUN! We spent about an hour and a half going over the textbook chapter on coupling/uncoupling, then out to the rodeo course to practice, practice, practice. Our goal was to be able to center the tractor w/ the trailer to within a half inch. I got it on the first try, but not on the second. By lunchtime, I had two under my belt with no sideways slide at all. We practiced more after lunch, then, about 45 minutes before we were to quit for the day, we were told to hook up then pull the whole rig forward. Cones had alread been set up, offset about a foot from each corner of the trailer and only about 2 inches wider than the trailer. So we had to back the whole thing up between the cones. Since it was offset, it was not just straight back. I got that on the first try as well. My partner gave it a valiant try, but time ran out and, under the time pressure, got close, but hit one of the cones. Better luck on Monday.

We're getting into a bit of a routine now. First thing this morning, we critiqued our practice from Friday. Then we began reading and discussion of the various truck systems. After lunch, back out to the rodeo course for more coupling/uncoupling/backing practice. New trucks, new trailers, new partners. My partner didn't get to practice Friday due to trouble with her seat, so I did one couple/uncouple then left her make up some for Friday. She seems somewhat intimidated by it all, but I think she'll get it.

This morning, we continued our discussion of the truck's various systems. This is a long chapter and we may be working on this one all week and maybe longer. In the afternoon, we had more backing practice. We were doing mostly straight backs, but I challenged myself, and pulled forward and turned out about 45º from straight then repositioned and backed in to the "dock" again. We will probably start getting checked off on coupling/uncoupling tomorrow. That will be one down, lots more to go.