Good for you? Good for me!

Well, you're on the right track already!
You found us here, which means you're reading about trucking from truck drivers and doing research - you're going to school at TDDS - and you're planning to go with Transport America!!

I went through the 16 week program too... and thought it was a good way to go, since it was at a pace that allowed things to sink in (sometimes the pace was painfully slow - but it served the purpose - to get my CDL). I had Scott for my class room instructor, too!
Tell him I said hi! See if he remembers me (Mike Holliday).

Good luck with your plans! Hope to see you out on the road with Transport America in the near to distant future!

 

Transport America doesn't repay students for school. There are benefits available for veterans under specific circumstances - look up 'VRAP'. Luckily I qualified, and got reimbursed through that program.

My goal was to be out on the road for 3 weeks and home for 3 days. Transport America has a lot of different opportunities for drivers. Their general OTR program is 2 weeks out and 2 days home. Basically for every week you're out, you qualify for a day at home.

Because my terminal (North Jackson, Ohio) was located between the major lanes that the company operates, I was getting home more than every 3 weeks. As for miles - I rarely sat for any length of time. I only collected layover pay one time, and only sat for over 24 hours, 2-3 times, waiting between loads. I never had a chance to work off of my 70 - I always ran out of hours within 6-7 days and had to do a reset.

I was averaging $640 a week... with most of my loads around 500 miles, and a few longer runs mixed in.

But - and this is a big but - I also have a Hazmat endorsement, and a Passport. I got paid .36 per mile, for all loads - empty or loaded - just because of the Hazmat endorsement. I think I got paid .02 more when I actually hauled a placarded load. When crossing the border, I got paid $25 for going into Canada, and $25 when coming out of Canada.

I would highly recommend getting your Hazmat endorsement, if you are going to work for Transport America. They haul a lot of loads for FedEx and retailers, that require the endorsement - whether the loads have Hazmat or not. If you have a Passport as well - you will never sit with this company! They will put you to work!

You probably notice that I'm speaking in past-tense. That's because I've been terminated. I was involved in an accident that damaged another vehicle. About a month before that, I hit a metal/concrete post in a customer's parking lot, while backing into a dock.

After hitting the post, I bought a Dash-Camera with dual lenses - that records both the traffic ahead and the driver. After hitting the car, I gave the company the media from the camera, that showed the accident. Nobody was hurt and no citation was issued - so my driving license is clean - but my DAC is now destroyed.

Without going into all of the details - suffice it to say that there were things in the recorded video that showed me doing things that warranted my termination... prior to and after the accident.

In the 3 months I was with the company, running solo, I went to 18 different states and into Canada 2-3 times each month. The company operates mostly east of the Mississippi.

What happened to me, was my own doing. I don't blame the company. In fact, it only reinforces the fact that Transport America is all about safety. It's why I chose them in the first place. I didn't really know what was on the video, until they showed it to me. It would make a really good training video, about what NOT to do, and what things the company does and doesn't want to see drivers doing - from one thing to the next. It really was my bad.

So, although I really loved working for the company, and being a professional driver was something I really enjoyed doing - and could see myself doing for years to come - it's probably better for myself, the public, and the industry, that I'm not driving, for safety reasons.

I really enjoyed the challenges of hauling Hazmat and going in and out of Canada. There are a lot of drivers who don't want anything to do with either of those. I liked the challenge - and the added responsibility for doing what had to be done, to be compliant and get the paperwork in order. I was good at doing Pre-trips and finding things that needed to be corrected, to be legal and not get into trouble. If I was as good at driving... I'd still be working.