Originally Posted by Cabhappygal

Hi, it's been a while since I was a rookie with Lisa Motors. As you know by now, there are problems with a lot of trucking companies. I was pre-hired while I was still in school also. I went down to Fort Worth with my CDL in hand feeling very hopeful. I had to pass a driving test right away, but that went fine, although I was very nervous.

I thought it would be great because it's a small company which is a subsidiary of FFE, a much larger outfit. During orientation, they provided a solid take-out lunch, and then took us out to dinner at Cracker Barrel at night. The dorm rooms are tiny as closets, but ok.

I was a little concerned during the class because we were told that we had to sign this agreement stating that if any produce in a truck we were driving was damaged because of refrigeration problems, we would be 100% financially responsible for the whole load. Now that could be a few thousand dollars at least! They also showed us a film where we were supposed to not only monitor the temperatures on the outside unit of the truck, but also buy our own special thermometer and jab it into the middle of EVERY forklift load, as it was being loaded.

Ever been in a warehouse during loading? This would be virtually impossible.

The teacher of the class said: "Once you sign this, don't come crying back to me if you get in trouble." But, of course, you had to sign it or go home.

Anyway, I was teamed with a clean-cut man in his 30s, an experienced driver with the company. I won't go into the details, because I don't want to be liable.

The main issue I had was this "trainer" insisted that I cook my logs. His own log book was total fiction. He told me I was too inexperienced to drive, so he seldom gave me the wheel. I nicely asked several times for us to take a couple of hours when we had time and go to some deserted parking lot or something where he could run me through the techniques he thought were necessary. It never happened.

School really doesn't teach you much, as you realize when you're out on the road, in bumper-to-bumper traffic, or trying to get through all those gears in a hurry when you want to slow down to get on an off-ramp. And if you're driving late and try to pull into a truckstop when there aren't any more parking spaces and you have to parallel park around the outside of the circle - whew!

I had a good attitude, and I really wanted to learn and do my best.

But something I said or did bothered him, he decided he didn't like me, and he called the dispatcher to say he had to take me back to the terminal. Now remember he had never given me a chance to drive except he let me take the wheel out in the middle of nowhere on the highway, always being sure I pulled off so he could take the wheel for in-town traffic and deliveries. He was upset pretty much all the time in general, nothing to do with me really. He talked a lot about his parents and his love life, and I am not qualified to be a psychological counselor, if you know what I mean. You have to say something, and whatever I said, on whatever, he must have held it against me. It was like walking on eggshells all the time.

I was able to sit in the passenger seat for a lot of miles, from Texas to Maryland, to Colorado, to Georgia, back to Texas.

Back at the Fort Worth terminal, they said I had to do another driving test right away. Frankly, I think they were upset because I kept asking questions about my log book.

Anyway, stuck in a traffic jam on the freeway in Fort Worth, hardly moving at all, I stalled the truck. It's not as if I had had practice driving recently! The man giving me the test had been very antagonistic, and I had really been under a lot of stress. Back at the terminal, he told the manager I had been impatient behind the wheel, because traffic was slow. Huh? Impatient?

Anyway, they fired me on the spot. The whole thing seemed rigged somehow.

I recently reached by phone a great guy late 30's who had also been in orientation with me at Lisa, and he had run his own electrical company before trying his hand at trucking. This fellow was mature, had a son in the Army overseas, was just what I would think would be the perfect level-headed driver and good employee. He was also a recent CDL grad. He told me he didn't last with Lisa more than a couple of months also. He left the truck and trainer he was assigned to, in disgust. Sorry, I forget the details of his story.

This man found a dedicated run near his home in New England, and he's very happy. His son is back State-side.

Lisa Motors talks about "safety" all the time. And they post up photos in the terminal of tractor-trailers who have smashed into overhead phone lines, bridges, etc. And you have to run through those computer video lessons multiple times. But I was a little shocked when their safety manager didn't want to hear about what it was like for me to be driving team with a man who was behind the wheel 18 hours a day illegally.

May I suggest you keep looking around? Let me also add that the trailers Lisa uses are in such bad shape that un-hooking them at a drop means one of the two people in the cab has to bang the latch with a heavy hammer while the driver rocks the lurching truck back and forth. Fun.

Originally Posted by Marinegreen1775

I have been on the road running lots of miles, that is why it took so long to post something. I do not know who these "trainers" are but I will bet that they are not there anymore.

Listen, I have never said they were a perfect company. Read my posts. But I do like them. That I am sure you get by now. I am not sure what to say about your experience. I have been driving for a while now and have seen only 4 other company's.

They show pictures of accidents like I am sure most companies do to show how seriously you need to take this job. They do take saftey seriously. My truck is down because of a leak. A LEAK.

I have gotten home 3 times now in 2 months. Each for 3 days. That is more than enough for me.

Like I said before, every company has their own little problems and Lisa is not exempt from that. I am sorry you had a bad experience but I like it so far.

Originally Posted by jbird

Just curious if anyone knows what areas Lisa Motor Lines hires in?