Eicher Ramblings

As of June 30th, we are gainfully employed.

We made the trek to Kansas to attend orientation for 3 days. During that time they put you through drug testing, physicals, a road test (all 3 are required by DOT), plus tons of paperwork that I honestly think can be pared down to a day and a half but they make it last for 3!

The drug testing is simply to pee in a cup where they check the temp, specs & then send to the lab for drug testing. This takes about 2 and a half days for them to get the results back which is why I think they make orientation last for 3 days!

The physicals, as we have discovered, are very subjective and each doctor does their own style. It even varies from one person to the next. As a female, they usually don’t make you undress at all. In the last one, the nurse had me strip to my undies and put on a gown, but there was absolutely no reason for it. The other 2 physicals I was fully clothed. Enough of that…

The nurse checks your BP, pulse, eyes for color blindness and vision, and hearing. Then you are seen by the doctor and they listen to your heart, breathing, abdomen for hernias, strength and ability to bend over and touch your toes. Some ask more questions about your history, some ask less. The guys always get the privates grabbed and cough routine which they all seem to hate! Nothing this invasive happens with the gals (finally something goes our way!).

Next they take us out on road tests and this was exciting but the part I was most nervous about. They do this to ensure you can handle the rig. I hadn’t been behind the wheel of a truck for nearly a month and the tracters were a little larger then we had ever driven, plus they were automatics. Once behind the wheel however, it all comes back fairly quickly and we found the automatics made us a little safer on the road as you aren’t concerned over grabbing gears on a slow down. One thing we found out later was the trailer was loaded with 40,000 lbs of freight! The rig handles a little differently when you’re fully loaded! It tends to push you down the road and if you’re on a downhill and need to slow down, you better be braking so it doesn’t get away!

Once we had these three tests out of the way, then we had a packet of tests on their policy’s and procedures to fill out. They were all open book and easy to the extreme, but their were those in the class that had a tremendous struggle with this part.

There was only 1 dismissal from our class and we speculated that it may have been a bad drug test. The recruiter asks if you can pass a drug test and if you answer yes and then don’t pass, they send you off on your way at your own expense, to find a way home. There is no toleration for drugs with these companies which is comforting to me.

Yesterday, we finished up all the paperwork there was to do, they distributed certificates of completion, comdata cards & checks, hats and more paperwork for the road! Then took us to the driver’s building (guess we had graduated to drivers at this point), where most met their trainer and left on the road that evening. Because they only have limited numbers of female trainers, I am waiting to leave until next Wednesday. I will fly to NC to catch up with my trainer at another terminal on Thursday.

Kevin was dispatch last night and they left the terminal at 5:30 with a hot load from Kansas to Cheyenne, WY to deliver at noon today so they were flying!

Thanks for enduring through this lengthy post. I’m excited to finally get this new career off the ground and I’m really looking forward to being behind the wheel myself!

Feel free to comment or send an email.

Butterfly