Almost ready to hit the road....

You wouldn't think so, but there is a lot of paperwork involved in becoming a truck driver. First, I had to go to PennDOT and get my CDL Learner's Permit. While I was there, I also renewed my Driver's License (As it was set to expire in Jan '09). After that, I took my Airbrake and Hazmat tests, along with a General Knowledge test. All said and done, I was at PennDOT for the better part of 5 hours and a cost of a little under $200. Then, I had to run to Carlisle to the Social Security office to get a replacement Social Security card as I had laminated mine back in high school and lamination invalidates the card. Once all that was done, I thought I was good to go. That, however, was not the case. Turns out I had forgotten that Kris and I had been rear-ended last spring going to a train show in Allentown. Even though it was Kris's car, I had been driving and I completely forgot about it, so I had to fax in my police report about that.

Now it's the Wednesday before I'm set to leave for Richmond, VA where the training center is located. I have 23 straight days of trucking school and then I'll be out with a driver trainer for 6 weeks after that. Figuring it out, I'll miss Thanksgiving and Christmas, but should be back in time for Karen and my birthdays. My calculations bring me back to Harrisburg around the 17th of January (My birthday), so we'll see what happens.

During that time, I'll get no pay for the first 23 days, then $400 per week for the first 4 weeks, then $500 per week for the last two. Once I'm out on my own, I'll be earning $.26 per mile for the first 3 months, then $.27 until the end of the first year. It doesn't sound like much, but I plan on "running my wheels off" to earn as much money as I can.

So all that is left at this point is to pack my bags, round up my paperwork, and head off this Saturday. Keep an eye here for updates. I'll try to update as much as possible, but with a 6AM to 5:30PM school schedule, it'll be tough!