Beginning of a New Journey

On Thursday, Jesus and I went to Roadmasters Trucking School to get information for getting my CDL. The gentleman there was very helpful and even had some toys for Jesus to play with while we talked. The information I received from them indicates that trucking is a good paying profession and is recession proof, at least to a degree. There has been a shortage of qualified truckers, so finding work won't be an issue. The best part about Roadmasters is that they provide more hands on training with the trucks than the other schools that I have investigated. Also, they have put their training and education materials online where I can review them, even after I graduate.

After this meeting, I took Jesus over to the local truck stop and we had a cinnamon roll and drinks, he had hot chocolate and I had coffee. Jesus enjoyed himself and this was reminiscent of when I was a kid and my dad would take me out to share a cinnamon roll and drinks. In hindsight, it is nice to see an old family tradition continuing. Those times were fond for me and I hope they will be for Jesus too.

We then went over to the Department of Workforce Services, to see if they would pay for this training, and I have a follow up meeting with them on 21Nov2011. If they don't want to pay for it, that is ok, as Werner Enterprises (a company that I am looking at) will reimburse me for the training and Roadmasters will finance the training if needed. This will be an adventure, and the possible rewards are very promising, specifically a significant increase in pay, benefits and options where I can move into management or become an owner operator and hire truckers under me. I will keep you all posted on how things go. The best part is that Werner Enterprises allows riders and pets, so I am hoping to be able to take the boys on the road with me for short trips so that they can see what I do and also experience the open road. Of course, they will still need to do their homework, but we will have fun with that as well.

Last night I invited my mother, Jennifer, and Rob over for dinner. I wanted to break the news to them about my choice as well as to ask them for their assistance, as Colleen and the boys will need extra support while I am on the road. Rob has volunteered to be a proxy-father for the boys if I am on the road. Also, all three will keep in touch with Colleen and the boys while I am away. This makes me happy as we will have three boys and having the extra support will be great. The nice thing about today is that the technology exists where I can stay in touch with my family over the internet via video conferencing. This didn't exist when by biological father or brother were truckers, so this is one way to stay in touch with my family and be a part of their lives. The best part is, I can also use Live Meeting or GoTo Meeting to help my boys with their homework as these tools allow me to share their screen and do whiteboards where I can demonstrate how to do things, like math or assist them with their homework. I will also be taking a book on the road where I can read sections from it and post it here on the blog so that they can follow along with me at home.