Question:
Haven't seen any posts from you lately. How's your job at OD going?

Answer:
Thanks for the interest. I have been on the road almost constantly since I did my initial postings here. Makin' that money. I have been home for a couple of weeks for the holidays, my partner and I having built up a lot of time off by staying on the road as long as we do. I hate to say it, but I simply forgot to check into this forum during my time off until tonight.
I am loving the job so far. It does have it's bad days, like anything else, but everytime I start to get bummed out, I just think back to working at Wal-Mart for slave wages or when I was working as a picker in a junk yard/recycling center, digging through filth running up a conveyor, outside in 17 degree temperature, the snow biting my face, blinding me, for 6 bucks an hour and I am soon smiling at being in a climate controlled cab, making more money than I could ever make at any job in my area. It's all a matter of perspective.
I have actually been in longer this time than I wanted to be. I had been very sick since just after Christmas, but was packed and ready to go out on January 3rd, the day we were to end our off time. Got to the terminal only to find a shortage of freight, and bad weather too. The company was not going to send anyone out until better weather. I was sent home to wait, on call. That evening, I started having trouble with my vision, which I attibuted to my being sick. I figured I had some cold or flu in my eyes, causing them to be blurry and very light sensitive. I called my dispatcher and informed him of this and told him I would see a doctor the following morning, so he could hopefully clear up my vision problem. I don't mind driving sick, but it is just not wise to drive when you cannot see properly. He agreed. The next morning was Saturday and it turns out that the doc's office was closed so I informed the company that it would be Monday before I could see a doctor. They were fine with this. Finally got in to see the doc on Monday. When I described my vision problems to him, he did a blood test on me which showed that my white cell count was way up due to severe infection in my sinuses and as a response to a bad case of the flu, this had caused my sugar levels to spike very high. This in turn was what was causing my vision difficulties. The doc said that while I am not diabetic, I am borderline, and illness can cause a borderline diabetic's sugar levels to rise dramatically. He gave me an insulin shot to drive down my sugar levels, and an antibiotic shot to fight the infection in my system. He prescribed more antibiotic pills and some other pills to take on the sugar levels. I have been back at the doc's office everyday so far this week and things are improving well. At this point, he is releasing me to go back to work this coming Monday as long as I continue to improve at the rate that I have showed to this point. I am more than ready to go back to work. I hate being sick.
Looks like I am going to have to keep a close watch on my sugar levels from this point on for the rest of my life. While, according to the doctor, it is not a problem right now, it could very easily turn into a big one. I have already switched to diet drinks, don't like 'em, but I am sure I can get used to them. I have never been very big on sweets, so that will not be to big a sacrifice. I'm just glad that this was caught before it became a big enough problem to cause me to have to stop driving. Even though I am still very new at it, I am already staring to love this job and I would hate to have to give it up over something as meaningless as sugar.
Well, wish me luck on getting back on the road this Monday and I hope everyone stays safe out there.
If you are not a liberal by the age of 16 you are not using your heart. If you are not a conservative by the age of 26 you are not using your brain.

Answer:
Glad to here you're doing good. I've been training out of White Pine for what feels like months due to the delays from the holidays.

Answer:
Hey, don't feel bad about the delays. I know just how you feel. I had so many delays it felt like I would never get out on the road, but it did happen. Trust me when I tell you the wait was definately worth it. OD has been a great place to work so far. Everyone went above and beyone in helping me get this job and have been exceptional ever since I started driving as well.
Is David,(I forget his last name), your trainer in the yard? He is a great guy and was very patient, especially when I was having real difficulties with my backing. Listen to what he says and really pay attention as what he has to teach you will come in very handy when you go for your CDL.
I also suggest that you pay very close attention to the time you spend doing local runs. The CDL skills test is much more closely related to that type of driving than how you will be driving on your bag runs. The examiner will be watching every little thing you do, like how you hold the steering wheel and if you rest your hand on the gear shift. Make sure you do NOT shift at all on any hill, no matter how much you feel like the truck needs to shift. I made those mistakes and it cost me.
Good luck on getting your liscense and getting out there and making some filler for your wallet! Just remember that driving safe is the number one priority.
If you are not a liberal by the age of 16 you are not using your heart. If you are not a conservative by the age of 26 you are not using your brain.

Answer:
I've already passed my driving test and have my license. Yes, David is still teaching on the yard and is the person that took me for my driving test. He is excellent and should be the road trainer also (or they should get more like him). The rest of my training has been pretty frustrating. It doesn't seem they are interested in actually training. I did have 1 day in city p&d with a trainer that was good.
Sorry to hear about your health problems, I hope everything works out OK.