Ok everyone. I am going to try to give a detailed description of what to expect when you arrive through your first week. I do not have computer access but at the school and there is a limited amount of computers. So please excuse me if I do not finish this in a timely matter.
You arrive (sun)
you will go to the hotel ffe provides. check in with the front desk and haul your stuff up to you and your roommates room. you study and try to finish all the homework that the desk clerk gives you.
your first day (mon)
you wake up at 5 a.m. tired from the bus ride. and all the changes your going through.
wait in line and try to scarf down your breakfast in time to load into the van.
get to the school apx 45 mins early stand outside in the dark. Until the school doors open.
you will go into class meet Mark an instructor and Greg who runs pretty much everything. Then you will watch the second week graduating Seniors graduate. ( very cool. and CLAP!)
you will then go over the dps texas permit and air brakes, combination vehicle test booklet. (you need to study this) then go over the huge packet you had to do before you got to class that morning
OK...
Tues:
Ditto except graduating Seniors.
Wends:
you will go through the normal morning steps.. then you will go to dps and WAIT and WAIT and WAIT!! until they call you up. you have to take 5 test and you MUST pass the TEXAS PERMIT test otherwise you will have to come back and retest the next day. Ok so you pass right?
Thurs:
You show up your classmates that were unfortunate enough not to pass everything go back and get one last shot. You since you passed go to backing range with Connie. (she is awesome by the way) ... but DONT make her RUN!
You will be doing straight line backing... really not difficult.. BUT YOU MAKE IT THAT WAY! so keep it simple and DO NOT stress. if you FREAK out over this then you WILL not be able to handle everything else that is thrown at you. TRUST ME!
Fri.:
You will start doing to the texas parallel. LISTEN to your instructors! when in doubt STOP!!!!! do NOT run over anyone anything or another truck.
Sat:
You will continue to practice the texas parallel. Do not be surprised if some of your classmates suddenly disappear. FFE sends people home without notice.
Sun:
You will test or eval out of Texas Parallel.
WEEK 2
Mon:
You will get assigned with a shifting instructor for the week. He/She will teach you all they can in 4 short days. You will be on the road with an empty trailer and going through the gear pattern. You will be up shifting and downshifting. Learning how to double clutch and if you float gears they will teach you how to double shift instead.
Tues:-Thurs:
Same thing out on the road. you will do hills and get some city and interstate driving in.
Fri:
You eval for your driving and shifting. you will do a route that you will have practiced with your shifting instructor. When you complete your eval you will do pre employment app and peoplenet.
Sat:
You will be doing Alley docking again.
Sun:
You will be testing out of or evaluating Alley docking when done you will go back to parallel.
Mon: Graduation day. You will arrive at 6:45 to the classroom and get prepared for your graduation. They do NOT make a big deal out of this. you stand around get your " participation paper" and stand outside. ok this is where it gets tricky.
You will have been trainer or at least taken through the red bird DPS route. now for those of you who are told this will be your route. DO NOT depend on that. There is another route it is lake worth. And they will change whatever they want. So ... just be prepared.
The people who are testing for redbird will go with a trainer and go test. You get 2 chances to pass the DPS test IF you get to go the red bird route. IF you get chosen to do lake worth you ONLY GET 1.
Ok so if you are a lake worth person you will go with the lake worth students and go practice your route for the next day when you test.
I cannot ad anything else to this. I graduated and then had a communication issue with the instructor whom was taking me through the lake worth route. And I got sent home. So I must warn you. When you graduate you are not out of the woods they can and will if they feel the need to send you home whenever they want.
Now let me tell you how this works.
You will get a bus ticket home. And that nifty little certificate they gave you for all your hard work.. now means NOTHING! And if you think ohh no biggy I will just go with another company guess what.. NO you will not. you see FFE put on my record that I "DROPPED OUT" and I did not but thats ok. Just be aware that even if you passed your DOT drug test FFE has the mentality to withold your drug screen test for up to 30 days. So even if you find a company that understands that FFE can be pricks. You will not get the job. Because witholding is pretty much as bad as failing the drug screen. Is there anything you can do about this.. umm I dont know if anyone finds an answer than please do tell.
Anyhow you may get through all of this and LOVE FFE. Great! I wish the best for you. Just dont think that FFE set the moon because they by far did not. And always remember.....
That if you dont make it through FFE its ok and how can I say this. well simply because..
YOU CAN ONLY GO UP FROM FFE, YOU SURELY CANNOT GET ANY LOWER.\
Hope you enjoyed all of this and Keep trucking.
Love DANGER.
Sunday, January 22, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
When you arrive at FFE lodging
When you arrive.. YOU will pay to be shuttled from the grayhound station in Fort Worth TX. To country inn and suites on meracdo drive in fort worth. You will be assinged to a room with another person.. you WILL NOT have your own room. You will pay for laundry and will not be on campus with the school.. UNLESS you are a male. Males stay the night at the hotel then after the first day most leave to go to the campus. Slowly they try to get all the guys over to the school. Males and females are NOT roomed together and will NOT be living together. You do NOT have a choice over your roomate. The hotel picks your roomate and I would suggest being as nice as you possible can be.
Ok day three and I am only just beginning to get my first half way chance at blogging. I ask that you forgive any mistakes due to the time frame that I have. Lets go over some thing that were not mentioned by your recruiter.
FEMALES ONLY
If you are a female.. you WILL NOT be on campus.
this means you WILL pay to do laundry.
also mean that you WILL NOT have computer access unless you bring your own. (hence why it takes so long for me to blog.)
You will have 2 t.v.s in your room.
You will not have use of the kitchen... because there is not one.
you will NOT be in a PRIVATE room. you WILL be in a SHARED ROOM. with AT LEAST 1 person.
school hours ARE from 7 A.M.-6 P.M.
you MUST be ready to be shuttled from the hotel to the school. BY 6 A.M.
THIS MEANS... that you WILL HAVE TO wake up around 5 A.M. becuase your roomate and you have to SHARE a bathroom.
You WILL be provided breakfast AT 6 A.M.
if you decied to stay and WAIT for the second shuttle to come get you so you can eat. you will MOST likely be LEFT. (if there is not enough people for a second trip)
They will not come back for just one person.
Men CANNOT bunk with WOMEN.
the males WILL leave the hotel and transferr over to the schools dorms within the FIRST WEEK. if not the SECOND DAY.
There IS a HOT TUB AND POOL (outdoor)
You need to bring a LOCK for your stuff. Housekeeping does come in and clean the room. if your stuff is locked then there is no question to its safety.
ON THE WEEKENDS FOR WOMEN. DURING THE MONTH OF JAN!
On thursday afternoon you will not be going back to the hotel.
you will be going to the microtel down the road which is owned by the same company. they move you becuase they have a stockyard show and are booked up.
YOU WILL. bring only what you need with you to this other hotel.
YOU WILL take all your other belongings and put them in a STORAGE closet provided by the hotel.
FOR MALES....
You will be rooming on campus at the academy.
The rooms are very very small and simple.
some males may be fortunate to get their own private room.
others will have either 2 or 3 roomates.
You willl have use of the computer lab and wireless internet.
You will have free use of the washer and dryer.
You will have use of the kitchen.
There is 2 showers each.. there is a womens bathroom with showers and a males.
Males are ONLY allowed to use the womens when the females have gone back to the hotel.
There is direct t.v. in the eating area of the dorm wich is shared.
This is a work in progress and I will try to update it as soon as I can.
Ok day three and I am only just beginning to get my first half way chance at blogging. I ask that you forgive any mistakes due to the time frame that I have. Lets go over some thing that were not mentioned by your recruiter.
FEMALES ONLY
If you are a female.. you WILL NOT be on campus.
this means you WILL pay to do laundry.
also mean that you WILL NOT have computer access unless you bring your own. (hence why it takes so long for me to blog.)
You will have 2 t.v.s in your room.
You will not have use of the kitchen... because there is not one.
you will NOT be in a PRIVATE room. you WILL be in a SHARED ROOM. with AT LEAST 1 person.
school hours ARE from 7 A.M.-6 P.M.
you MUST be ready to be shuttled from the hotel to the school. BY 6 A.M.
THIS MEANS... that you WILL HAVE TO wake up around 5 A.M. becuase your roomate and you have to SHARE a bathroom.
You WILL be provided breakfast AT 6 A.M.
if you decied to stay and WAIT for the second shuttle to come get you so you can eat. you will MOST likely be LEFT. (if there is not enough people for a second trip)
They will not come back for just one person.
Men CANNOT bunk with WOMEN.
the males WILL leave the hotel and transferr over to the schools dorms within the FIRST WEEK. if not the SECOND DAY.
There IS a HOT TUB AND POOL (outdoor)
You need to bring a LOCK for your stuff. Housekeeping does come in and clean the room. if your stuff is locked then there is no question to its safety.
ON THE WEEKENDS FOR WOMEN. DURING THE MONTH OF JAN!
On thursday afternoon you will not be going back to the hotel.
you will be going to the microtel down the road which is owned by the same company. they move you becuase they have a stockyard show and are booked up.
YOU WILL. bring only what you need with you to this other hotel.
YOU WILL take all your other belongings and put them in a STORAGE closet provided by the hotel.
FOR MALES....
You will be rooming on campus at the academy.
The rooms are very very small and simple.
some males may be fortunate to get their own private room.
others will have either 2 or 3 roomates.
You willl have use of the computer lab and wireless internet.
You will have free use of the washer and dryer.
You will have use of the kitchen.
There is 2 showers each.. there is a womens bathroom with showers and a males.
Males are ONLY allowed to use the womens when the females have gone back to the hotel.
There is direct t.v. in the eating area of the dorm wich is shared.
This is a work in progress and I will try to update it as soon as I can.
Monday, January 9, 2012
About me.
Hello-
My name is Danger I am a 25 year old female. I am attending FFE DRIVERS ACADEMY in fort worth tx. Jan 16th 2012. I am blogging my experience to aid in knowledge for other potential female truck drivers. I will be sharing my ups and downs along the way. I will be taking a bus from Michigan and riding for 30 hours until I reach Texas on sunday jan 15th at 1:30 am. I will then take a cab to the school and attempt to check in i am assuming. I have been studying my cdl manual the best I can and hope to be fully prepared when the time comes to test. when you go you are allowed 2 bags and your bedding on the bus. I will log back on with an update as the days near. There is only 4 to go!
My name is Danger I am a 25 year old female. I am attending FFE DRIVERS ACADEMY in fort worth tx. Jan 16th 2012. I am blogging my experience to aid in knowledge for other potential female truck drivers. I will be sharing my ups and downs along the way. I will be taking a bus from Michigan and riding for 30 hours until I reach Texas on sunday jan 15th at 1:30 am. I will then take a cab to the school and attempt to check in i am assuming. I have been studying my cdl manual the best I can and hope to be fully prepared when the time comes to test. when you go you are allowed 2 bags and your bedding on the bus. I will log back on with an update as the days near. There is only 4 to go!
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