Well, I finally made it to the Little Rock Terminal last Saturday and all I could think about was that “I was no longer in Kansas, Toto”. For Real! It was definitely unlike other training facilities I had known before.

From the moment of entering those gates, it was almost like it had its own little community. I was greeted by one of their instructors and was directed to a room in their private hotel that they have there on the property. Now before you go getting all “WOWed” up thinking that I’m suggesting that their hotel had all of the comforts of home, let me state this; “Forget about ALL of that”

Upon entering into the hotel, we walked through the “Driver’s Lounge” which had the usual, coffee maker, TV, microwave, 2 refrigerators and a few tables. Other than that, that was it. We did have 2 BBQ grills out back in which we were welcome to cook our meals if we so choose. Other wise, it was microwave dinners or a nightly trip to the local area fast food joints.

When I got up to my room, that is exactly what it was. 2 double beds, 2 storage areas for luggage, a sink & mirror in the main room. In the restroom, all we had was a shower stall, and a toilet. And forget about having internet access, unless you have it through your cellular company, as you WILL NOT have any access while here on the company property. Why? Who knows why, as I could never get a straight answer.

When I got unpacked, I went down to the smoking area outside the driver’s lounge to meet a few of my fellow students / drivers. Shot the bull a little and found out that while you are on the property, if you needed to go somewhere, (Wal-Mart, out to eat, etc) they had a shuttle that ran from 7am – 8pm virtually every day. (however, if you ever plan on catching one of them, you had better be real quick as these guys do not wait for nothing. You are either there, or you are not. It’s that plain & simple. Of course, once you get hired on or get your employee badge, you may use one of the 3 company vehicles to take you where you need to go, but even then, there is a time limit. They are not there for joy riding & you had better be where you say you are going, or you won’t be using them again.

We began our class on Sunday morning at 7am with about 30+ folks in attendance. Of which, we had some going into the refrigerated, sand, OTR & specialized divisions. The instructor went over the usual, meet & greet, the rules while on Maverick properties, & while I’m here, let me state that if Maverick is footing the bill for one of the outside hotels, YOU WILL NOT BE DRINKING, or You will be fired. It’s that Simple. While you are here, weather or not you are on the grounds, while you are going through training, you will not be permitted to drink.

Also on Sunday, they will scan your Driver’s lisences, SS cards, go over various policies, take your picture, go over things like Hours of service, Qualcomm, and what to be expecting on Monday. They also made it very clear that working for maverick, it’s just not a job, it is definitely a life changing experience. They hold all of their folks to a very high standard and if you have any doubts as to weather or not you can live up to those standards, they tell you out right, that maybe you should go ahead and plan on going home, as this is NOT the place for those that are unsure. You either know it, or you don’t.

On Monday, the first thing we did was go & do our physical and agilities tests. Talk about a work out. It is not for the faint of heart, let me tell you. If you have any kind of medical condition, High BP etc, & you are taking medicine, you had better not only bring you documentation from your doctor, but you had better be taking it BEFORE you go to your physical, as they WILL SEND YOU HOME!!.

As for the Agilities test portion, unlike what many others on here has stated as to what one needs to do, our class did things a bit differently. Yes, we had to be able to prove that all of our joints were well greased and fully functional and very flexible, we also had to be able to show them that we could climb a set of stairs relatively fast in a short about of time. After that, it was picking up various amounts of weights in wooden boxes, setting them on counters about 4 ft off the floor & then back down on the floor, as well as lift those same boxes with the same weights, over our heads.

If you do not have either the leg or upper body strength, THIS IS NOT FOR YOU!! As Maverick WILL SEND YOU HOME!! What other things will get you sent home from Maverick?

Lying about or attempting to hide anything from your past; tickets, any criminal charges from way back when, previous employers, etc. If it CAN be found out, It WILL be. The best suggestion I can give you if you are in any doubt, do the following: Gather up all of your previous tax records from as many previous years as you can go back. Look at and write down all of those employers for that year. This will help you to re-assemble your previous work history. Next, go to every county & state in which you resided in and have them pull up a complete criminal back ground check. Do the same for your driving history. Get all of this information together BEFORE you attempt to fill out an application for Maverick. Then list all of this down on that application. Remember, if you attempt to hide it, and they find out about it, YOU WILL BE SENT HOME.

The same goes for your medical history. Go to your doctor, the hospital that you went to for what ever. Have them give you a complete history of every time you went there. You will need this information when you go to do your physical. Remember, DO NOT HIDE IT!!

While I’ve been here, I’ve counted well over 75+ empty trucks here on the lot, and about 200 nation wide at their other terminals, all of which are waiting to be filled. How ever, as strict as Maverick is on their safety standards, they would rather let these trucks sit empty than to even come close to attempting to place one single questionable driver in behind that wheel. TO Maverick, everyone out there on those roads in those cars, truck, or what ever, they are not just another 4-wheeler etc. They are our families. Your Families. Can you even imagine what a 20,000 lb coil traveling down the hwy at 55mph, could do to a semi traveling at 55mpg? It would be like sending a tomahawk missile at it. Now what about lets say, a little Honda civic? Or a Cadillac for that matter? If you are not sure, all I can tell you is that you may as well just bring a large broom & dust pan as that is all that would be left. Now think about those lives that were driving those cars/ trucks. We really need to truly think about others out there on those roads folks. How would you feel if you knew that the flat bed driver driving beside you on that hwy was one of those drivers always taking short cuts to try & get that job done? And we all know what can happen when too many short cuts are taken, right? It’s just a matter of time before someone pays the ultimate price.

As other’s on here have spoken about Maverick’s strict safety rules, I have to agree. They are among the top and strictest in the country. In almost every single side by side comparison, using both the FSCMA’s as well as OSHA’s rules & Regulations, Maverick’s tend to superceed them by an easy 10% or more of higher standards. That alone should say something..

If you are ready to be 100% honest with more than just yourself, If you are willing to give it 100%, & If you are looking for more than just another job, looking for a company that seems to truly care about their drivers & their families, this is definitely the place.

As of this writing, they are currently seeking the following:

Refer drivers, Bulk Sand Drivers, True Flat bed drivers, Specialized division drivers (Glass, Heavy equipment, Large Stone, etc). If you have a year or more experience, you could easily be looking at up to .43/ mi. + . If you are just out of school, you could easily be looking at somewhere around .31 / mile. Both of which comes with a $500 sign on bonus after 6 months.

Students, would come here for a period of 3 weeks of orientation & load securrement training, & would then be sent out with a trainer for a minimum of 21 days. After which, providing your trainer feels that you are ready, you would then come & get your truck & go & grab your first load. That first load would most likely be the one that would take you by the house (plan on being away from home a minimum of 2 months while in training).

IF you would like to know more & are SERIOUSELY thinking about joining Maverick, Be Sure to drop me a PM to gather some info BEFORE you apply as well as this will allow me to attempt to put in a good name for you. It seems to work better that way.

Well. I’m off to Laurinburg, NC for my specialized training for the next 2 weeks so If you don’t catch me on here, it will be because of not having internet access..

Will update as I can.