That is so true. alot of people who get into this have no clue what driving a truck is about or even what its like let alone the lifestyle and how drastic a change it is from what they are use to doing and how they are living, let alone the drastic sacrifices they will have to make to do this. Whats worse is that the recruiters and the staff at the schools dont even sit them down and properly inform them first of what its about and like before they get involved or over thier heads $$$ wise. Now you have states willing to fully pay for the schooling under job re training, so they walk in with the wrong attitude right from the get go and a I dontcare attitude not realizing that that fundig comes from tax payer money. I think anyone looking to do this, should first have to watch a very informative film on being a truck driver, then sit in a class where veteran drivers come in and talk about it and allow them to ask questions, and get real honest ansers. but that will never happen, all the schools care about is hitting thier numbers so they get a killer pay check, and the company recruiters, same thing. once again, it all boils down to fairy tails and greed.

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You can't play with the Big Dogs when you pee like a Puppy!

Yep I agree 100% !!! I have done a lot of research trying to find a good stable company to work for and for a recruiter to come in and offer some people jobs done with nothing more then "smoke and mirrors", just kills me.They try to paint a perfect world to us and if you don't know any better, you're be hooked. Today my class was getting better but I wonder if these people even have a clue what they are getting into.
To me this is not just a job change, it's a career-lifestyle change! If I didn't have the support of my wife and family, I wouldn't be doing this. They all know how much this means to me....

So when is GTI going to put apu's on ALL THIER TRUCKS?
Walmart and Marten did.. and thier drivers couldn;t be happier.
I have a friend whos been with GTI for 5 months, and she has the dispatcher from hell, whos' always yelling at her, cause she is idling to stay comfortable while sleeping.

only the trucks that have are numbered in the 3000 range have or get apu's, the reason for not putting them on the trucks who number starts with a 2 is they are too old and when they get ready to replace them, they dont want to lose out on the money spent to purchase andinstal it, its like 44 hrs just on the install. zif DM is yelling at her, she needs to contact safety then, but if she is idling whe its like 55-60 out, then they are going to yell at her. she needs to goto her fleet manager first if DM not willing to work with her, if nothing, then safety.

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You can't play with the Big Dogs when you pee like a Puppy!

Does GTI ever go up into canada? Just wondering if I need a passport or not...

Over here at JB Hunt they put a heater in my truck, it's called an ESPAR. It doesn't do AC, that's the downside, but it costs $800 per unit and it only takes 2 hours or so to install. They put it on all the trucks, even the ones with more than 500,000 miles on them like mine. I was skeptical of them at first because there is no engine, they run off the truck's batteries. It is diesel fired, though, they said it uses less than a gallon in 24 hours. They are pretty impressive I must say. The thing puts out better heat than the truck's regular heater.

yes we do go into canada, more so british columbia, so if you wanted to ya, but I have been there since august, and my team mate and I have only been asked once if we would like to go, but it was after nov 1st and we dont have passports, so we informed them of that, they kindly said ok, no problem.


ya, you need to have your family behind ya. It has been a major change for me and the family, but they have been behinde me all the way and when I run solo, the wife even comes out with me.

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You can't play with the Big Dogs when you pee like a Puppy!

Some of our older trucks do have those, but Gordon is one of those that i not going to just throw money around becuase it has it. If they due not see a profit coming back, they will not do it. That is one of the reasons they have been aroundfor so long and in these times is one of the most finacialy sound companies out there today when others are filing chpt 11 and 13, closeing and everything else.

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You can't play with the Big Dogs when you pee like a Puppy!

Recon08,
I understand what you are saying about your family being behind you. Mine are behind me 110 %. That helps me a lot ! I am rocking thru our school and freaked everyone out in my class when I went to DMV and took all required tests and got my double/triple endorsement 2 days into class...It wasn't that difficult at all because I know and understand what I need to do to make it a good career and what it takes to get the job done... It also helps that i've been in the auto industry for over 26 years and know what a kingpin is...LOL. I do have a question though...What truckstops does GTI deal with for fuel? Thanks

Yeah. Times are tough right now and it usually seems that trucking is almost a guaranteed job. What people don't realize is that it is a lifestyle and not just a job. I only drove for 4 months six years ago and am getting ready to get back into it now, but I know that it's a lifestyle. I'm excited to get back into it and even with only 4 months experience my entire life, I have a good idea what to expect. I just hope that these people who have no idea what they're getting into end up enjoying it and doing well at it.