I am currently attending one of those wonderful CDL mills......

After paying my tuition in full, and after classes had already started, I was told it was "mandatory" that I fill out an application for Werner and Stevens.

Going back to the old adage of "pick your battles".... I filled out my two "mandatory" applications..... I used invalid and inaccurate information...... but I filled them out.......

In addition, I wrote the following comment on each page.......

"This is a mandatory application - I am NOT interested in a job with your company."

Werner called the school and got my correct phone number "because I must have made a mistake on my application when I wrote it.".........

AND THEY CALLED!

The boy seemed very confused when I told him to "go Google himself" if he really could not understand my adversion to his employer.

I'm now picturing the Werner corporate office as a large field full of holes.... and the executives as big fat birds with long necks......

Mandatory when you paid cash? That's ###### up. I could see mandatory if you are trying to be sponsered but paying cash, you have you own pick of the crop. Something tell's me that they are loosing business with those two companies if they don't start sending more driver's their way. #### that! If I paid cash to a school, I'll fill out application's for companies I choose, not their "mandatory" app's.

Goes to show, a good portion of people at the big blue screw really are dumb. That dude called you about it. *get's vision of dog chasing it's own tail*

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"I'm not a truck driver. I'm a non refrigerated load relocation engineer".

good call!
1. they are just too big to give a rats behind about drivers.
2. the FM's will do anything to coerce you into do stuff both stupid and dangerous
3. anyone at werner can say and do the most outrageous things and not be held accountable (except drivers)

now they are so big you can get away with stuff, but you also get lost in the shuffle.

here's a quick story about how no one knows whats going on in the company. my boss (i drive for eagle they lease to werner) got a call from the indy terminal saying he had a truck there, been there for a year. they give my boss the truck number he doesn't have as an active truck.
he gets back to them after researching for days and told them it was a truck he turned back over to them in april '07. a year it's been just sitting, he could have said "oh, ok I'll pick it right up" and brought it back to tucson and sold it they would have never known.....

working on my first year of experience, and then I'm soooo gone!!!

All trucking companies are. I've had JB Hunt call me, and I told him not interested and hung up on him and they called back within 3 minutes left a voicemail like "How can I tell you about our great employment offer if you hang up on me?"

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I am a Camaro Girl because IROC!

You have unlimited chances to go too slow, but only one to go too fast.

Good stories. To the thread starter, That me laugh that not only did you follow the schools directions but succeeded in letting them know you were not interested. IROC, I would have done the same thing but would have blocked their number.

King

See, I guess I wasn't even good enough for any of them to even call me at all and I have a good clean record except a little accident but damn. Well, at least Prime is taking me on and I know this is a good company as long as you stay away from their lease program. Thing is they actually called me. The first of MANY companies I have applied for.

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"I'm not a truck driver. I'm a non refrigerated load relocation engineer".

From what I hear, even the independant schools get a kickback if they refer one of their students and they clear training.

I am actually amused when a JB recruiter calls me. I play along and ask him what he has to offer. After he is done I compare my current pay, benefits, and assigned equipment to his offer and ask him if he thinks I could seriously consider working for that much less. Normally they respond with no I guess not but if you need a job in the future just keep us in mind!

It normally takes about 3 to 6 months for them to call me back after that.

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Knowledge is Power

I know Prime recently bought out TRL. Is this the company you will be working for or do they have another company division?

Just curious.

Regardless of the reputations of these mega carriers they do serve a purpose. They do allow many drivers to get their first job in the trucking biz. Just be aware that there are many other better paying jobs out there after you get a year or two of experience under your belt. They are using you and you will be using them. So long as you understand that up front you will be ahead of the game.

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Knowledge is Power

Well, I've been talking one-on-one with a bunch of of the driver's on a Prime drivers site that's not affiliated directly with the company and was started by a couple of their drivers. From what I have experianced while being with my step dad when he leased from them, their not as bad as he make's them out to be. At the time they didn't have company driver's and that's where I'm going in. I don't want to lease. My step dad just won't get it through his head that he's the one who drove himself into the ground financially because he wouldn't keep his foot out of it and manage his fuel milage. I've been doing extreme research on them talking with the driver's, the company, plus what I already knew.

Their training program is top notch. They don't stick you in a school for 3-4 week's then go with a trainer for another month then kick you out on your own. You have to take the skill's test after orientation get a permit then go out with an instructor where the trainee has to get in 100 hour's wheel time. Then come back and get matched with a trainer. You then spend 60,000 miles with the trainer running as team and I haven't heard anything bad about their trainer's so far except one where the two guy's had a disagreement. I'm confident with this. All the trainer's and driver's I have been talking to are really great informitive people and one or two of them is here on TheTruckersReport. One is Shortround. Really cool guy.

This company also has a far better starting pay than a lot of the other companies I have looked at. Down side is once you get in a truck with the instructor for your 100 hour's you get a $240 advance every week to help you out while on the road, but you don't have to take it. However I will have to take some of it but I know how to manage myself on the road. Once on with a trainer, you get $600 a week or either 10 or 12 cents a mile (forgot which one) but they pay you which ever is greater. From what I understand though, these guy's run hard and it normally take's "about" 16 week's to complete training from start to finish, then you get brought back in to take the CDL test so there's more than enough to for anyone to get their act together to pass the test's.

To me, right now, it really doesn't matter though. I finally got a company to take me on so I'm not gonna turn it down. I just didn't sound like I was desprit when I talked to the recruiter and that's "key". But, if I have a bad experiance I will definitly respond, but I'm not going to quit. I'm gonna tough it out.

OK, edit: Make that two (2) guy's who jumped off a trainer's truck. Just got the word on the second as it just made new's on the site.

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"I'm not a truck driver. I'm a non refrigerated load relocation engineer".