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.
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