HAZMAT test

Yesterday I made a 92 (2 incorrect answers out of 30 questions) on the Hazardous Materials (HAZMAT) test at the local North Carolina DMV drivers license bureau office, which is required to obtain the HAZMAT endorsement on my NC CDL class A license. This endorsement will be added to my license as soon as the background check is complete, NC DMV is notified, and I'm back in North Carolina for a visit to the license bureau.

Yesterday I also purchased a sleeping bag, a collapsible suitcase, a pair of comfortable work boots, and a Rand McNally Motor Carriers Road Atlas - items suggested by P.A.M. to include in the stuff I take on my road trip with my driver-trainer.

Today I will make the daily check-in call to P.A.M.'s student liason to receive an updated status of P.A.M.'s processing of my new employee paperwork. At this point in time, my October 8th pick-up date may be delayed for a day or more.

I am now ready for pick up, and to continue driving toward this new horizon in my career and life!

Photos from Newport, Arkansas - post four

Another blog and photos (by Joe Staebell) for the three weeks of truck driver training at Arkansas State University in Newport, Arkansas (ASU-N). Click on one of the thumbnail photos to open a new web page and to display a larger version of that photo.


Photos of the 'Serpentine Backing' practise station.





In the above photo, the student has positioned the tractor-trailer rig between the leftmost and center barrels. The student's next steering adjustments will position the rig to the left of the center barrel and angled toward the space between the center and rightmost barrels. The starting position of the rig was parallel to the the line of three barrels, with the trailer bumper approximately 6 feet to the left of the leftmost barrel and two feet away from the barrel line.




In the above photo, the student is backing the tractor trailer rig between the central and rightmost barrels. When completed, the rig will be positioned parallel to the line of three barrels with the tractor bumper approximately six feet to the right of the rightmost barrel.




Shown in this photo are two of the range instructors: Dennis standing beside the golf cart; Bobby Joe seated in the golf cart. The instructors used golf carts and other small 4-wheelers to travel the range. During a typical day on the range, a student walked a mile or two on the range, walking from car parking area to range truck parking area, to/from the range's break room/bathroom building, etc. By the 2nd week of training, instructors usually allowed students to drive their range rig to/from the break room/bathroom.


Additional photos will be added ASAP..!

Photos from Newport, Arkansas - post three

Another blog and photos (by Joe Staebell) for the three weeks of truck driver training at Arkansas State University in Newport, Arkansas (ASU-N). Click on one of the thumbnail photos to open a new web page and to display a larger version of that photo.




Another view of the driving range at ASU-N. The WW-2 airfield provided lots of flat, solid and unobstructed space for students to practise various driving skills. This photo shows traffic lanes delineated by a line of barrels on the left and right sides of the runway. In the middle are 3 practise stations for the Serpentine Backing exercise. In the background on the left side is the 'angled barrel dock' practise area. In the background, middle of photo, is a rig parking area and the 'angled alleyway dock' practise area. On the right side of photo is the 'straight-line backing between trailers' practise area.





This view shows a portion of the runway shown in the previous photo, and the 'angled barrel dock' practise area in the background.






This view shows a tractor-trailer rig at one of the 'angled barrel dock' practise stations. Joe took the photo while in the driver's seat of a tractor.

Additional photos will be added ASAP..!

License transfer and background check.

Yesterday I transferred my Arkansas CDL Class A license to a North Carolina CDL Class A license via trip to the local NC DMV office. As prerequisite for the transfer, I took a brief eye examination to test my visual acuity and my recognition of commonly used highway signs. The yellow pennant-shaped sign stumped me for a few minutes - the 'No Passing' sigh placed on the left side of a highway.

Today I completed an online application (via the 'TSA HazPrints' website) for a background check to be conducted by/for the TSA (Transportation Security Administration) and was digitally finger printed - both prerequisites for receiving a Hazardous Materials endorsement on my CDL Class A license.

More photos will be blogged tomorrow.

Photos from Newport, Arkansas - post two

During the next few days, I will post blogs and photos for the three weeks of training at ASU-N in Newport, Arkansas. The photos are provided by Joe Staebell, a classmate and fellow graudate of ASU's 'Truck Driver Training Institute'. Click on one of the thumbnail photos to open a new web page and to display a larger version of
that photo.

A view of part of the 'practise range' at ASU-N. The range is located on a portion of an airfield built in the early 1940s. The range consists of several (12 or more) practise stations. Each practise station is set up with 55-gallon plastic barrels to delineate and to outline barriers and obstructions. Our instructors encouraged their students to imagine the barrels as buildings, street corners, tractor-trailer rigs, etc. Fortunately, whenever a student knocked over a barrel with their trailer . . . it was ONLY a barrel and NOT the side of a trailer, building, fire hydrant, a person's body. In order to graduate, a student was required to complete each practise maneuver without knocking over barrels. Driving skills practised on the ASU-N driving range: 100-foot straight-line back Right-hand turn Angled barrel dock 100-foot straight-line back between two trailers. Angled alleyway dock between 53-foot trailers. Serpentine backing. This maneuver required the student to back the tractor-trailer rig through and around three barrels that were placed along a straight line and spaced approximately 70 feet from each other, like this "o----o----o". The path the rig followed is described as serpentine and looks something like "----\__/----". Using the "o----o----o" as the exercise course, the rig's start position was parallel to and above the lefmost "o" with the rear of the trailer approximately 6 feet to the left of that barrel and approximately 2 feet away from the 'barrel line'. The student backed the rig between the leftmost and the center barrel; then, backed the rig between the center and rightmost barrels. The end position of the rig was correct if the tractor's bumper was approximately 6 feet to the right of the rightmost barrel and parallel to the 'barrel line'.

One of the 'range trucks' we drove - this one, a Volvo automatic with 53-foot dry van. There were approximately 32 range trucks available to students. Most tractors had a 10-speed manual transmission, air brakes, power steering, and was coupled to a 53-foot dry van or flat-bed trailer.

In the foreground is an 'angle barrel dock' practise station. Beyond this station are three other angle barrel-dock stations. Not a lot of room to manuever the tractor - trailer in front of the dock. The 'rig' was positioned at an angle to the dock. Imagine a clock that shows a time of 10:25. Substitue the tractor for the short hand on the clock; the trailer for the long hand. That was the position of the rig at the start of the backing maneuver. Zero points was a perfect grade for this maneuver. Points were added for going into a barrel-outlined area, for staying too far away from the barrel corner during the right-hand turn leading into the angle dock area, for knocking over barrels, for not positioning the trailer's bumper within a two-foot zone at the back of the docking slot.

A view of the practise station for the '100-foot straight-line back between two trailers' exercise.

Additional photos will be added ASAP..!

Photos from Newport, Arkansas - post one

During the next few days, I will post blogs and photos for the three weeks of training at ASU-N in Newport, Arkansas. The photos are provided by Joe Staebell, a classmate and graudate of ASU's 'Truck Driver Training Institute'. Click on one of the thumbnail photos to open a new web page and to display a larger version of that photo.

The apartment in Newport AR where I lived while not in school. Class began at 6:00 AM and ended at 5:00 PM, 7 days per week. Not a lot of free time at the apartment at the end of a WORK DAY! A good schedule, though, and no complaints from me. I wanted to attend a tough and demanding driving school, and ASU-N is that, with lots of 'driver humor', tips and valuable anecdotal information, care and support by ASU-N instructors and staff.

The apartment in Newport AR where I lived while not in school.

The apartment in Newport AR where I lived while not in school.

Mission accomplished!

Another card id in my wallet - an Arkansas CDL Class A license - valid for 90 days. This should be enough time to transfer the license to North Carolina 'home' registration with N.C. Haz-Mat endorsement.

After 29.5 hours OTR via Greyhound - and brief visits to a dozen or more bus terminals - I'm back in Graham, N.C. Friday, September 29th, was a very 'long' day for me: started with alarm clock at 4:00 AM and ended Saturday night at 10:00 PM with lights out and sleep. For me, on this trip, bus naps were a mote point.

Photo uploads for the three weeks in Newport Arkansas will be delayed for a few days. Joe, who shared the Newport apartment and one of 23 ASU-N TDTI (Truck Driver Training Institute) graduates, took 75+ photos and will send most of these to me ASAP. When I receive them, I will upload same to this blog.

A few days to relax, take care of personal business, and prepare for pick-up by a P.A.M. Transportation Services' driver-trainer on/after October 8th.

In an earlier blog post, I stated that I was to drive for USA Trucking. I switched to P.A.M. Transportation Services Inc. while at ASU-N.

If you have questions and/or comments about this blog, send me an email at brojws@gmail.com - or, simply to let me know you're reading my blog. Thanks!

Later.

Jim