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WFO#5 Now We Play The Waiting Game

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Today I get my road skills tested and then I wait for a trainer. After making sure all paperwork is done, direct deposit form submitted, and all training modules complete, I head back to the lower lot to do my skills assessment. I demonstrated that I can perform a pre-trip inspection, I show that I can back a trailer into a spot between other trailers, and hit the road to show that I can drive in a safe manner. Missed a couple points but I am cleared to be on the road. Now is the boring part. Wait for a leader to be assigned to me so I can leave the hotel and get on the open road. After being issued a fuel card, I begin to sign up for fuel rewards from places like Love's and Flying J's. If I gotta go there anyways might as well rack up points for showers or discounts on meals. We were all dismissed for the day, but I hung back because I didn't want to go back to the hotel alone. I am very much a follow the crowd kind of guy unless it is a matter of safety. Plus I am already

WFO#4 The Daunting Task of Accessing Skill

Completing CDL School in 4 weeks seems like it is either too short or too long, kinda depends on where you are at. For me it was 4 weeks of less earning potential as we were doing Amazon Flex full time, but now in comparison to being at Werner it wasn't enough time because I now have to learn a lot on information at my job. I am not saying I regret the school I went too, just wish I learned more as it would have made me more prepared for the job. Today we went out to the lower lot, we were demonstrated how to do a 45° and a 90° backing maneuver, both vital in the trucking industry as it will be the most common way we back into a dock/alley/etc. While in school we were shown these but they were not tested per say so if I failed at it then it was talked about and not reflected on my GPA for the course. Which I did score a 97% by the way...not to toot my horn but I never performed that well on high school. After a couple hours baking in the sun and learning those maneuvers, we finishe

WFO#3 Training Begins

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Waking up at 5:00am, I drove around the corner in the rental to gas it up to full and grabbed some drinks for the mini fridge in my room. With cash being limited at the moment, I opted to not go too crazy. Just enough to get me by. The nights sleep was meh, neighbor below me was talking till 3am, and well I am not used to sleep by myself. Being married for going on 14 years come this November 2024, I have had the honor and privilege to not have an empty bed. So to toss and turn and not have my wife there made me feel extremely lonely. After we powered through the night and squeezed as much sleep as I could, it was time to get up and prepare for the day. Shower, dress, run to the gas station, make sure day bag is ready, then off to the lobby...was told that we were gonna have a Continental breakfast and we'll it looked like this. Hey it's free and better than nothing. So I snagged a couple muffins to put in my bag, ate my cereal and a banana. Let's hope that our

WFO #2 The Trek to Omaha

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June 9th....I was hesitant waking up that day. My wife and I had a stupid o'clock Amazon run, I had to get the rental, and I then had to make the 3 hour trek to Omaha to begin my 3 to 5 week training with Werner. This is single handedly the longest time I will be spending away from my wife and kids. Mind I am the guy who lets family watch our kids so the wife and I can have a date night and then chomps at the bit to want to pick them up. It drives my wife nuts I am sure but I love my kids so much. Ever since I was 7 years old, I have always wanted to be a dad. Dedicated my D.A.R.E. speech in 5th grade to the fact that of all the things I could be, being a dad was the most important to me. So here I am leaving at 5:00pm to make my journey 3 hours away and my stomach is in knots. I am crying on the inside but I gotta remain strong or else I would break down. God I love my family. The drive was boring, nothing to really see and if it wasn't for the music that I played I would have

WFO #1 Personal Development

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As some of you know and this is new information for anyone new to WFO. I have upgraded my license from a CDL Class B to a CDL Class A. With that I have started a job at Werner, so M-F I will be gone from my family once I go solo with driving...but I am preparing to be gone for 3 to 5 weeks. So a lot of new things coming my way, being away from home and family will be tough but that makes this topic today so important! So WFO as of right now will be in blog form and every week I will add to it and add pictures that I take from over the road. Once my family and I are in North Carolina and I move to a local route, I can revisit the idea of WFO being on video. Personal Development is a topic that self-help gurus love to talk about. How can you reach the mountain tops if you do not push yourself to improve. But what is Personal Development? Well it is the process of developing new skills, attitudes, and actions. It can help you improve your self-awareness, build your potential, and improve