stunned...........

Hello all.......

I went and got my CDL as an upgrade, from driving cab in Jacksonville florida. ( there is no money in taxi business, in alot of cities in usa, jacksonville is one.

I did like driving ....hey CDL jobs are EVERY WHERE, why not get CDL license and get a job ,driving Truck.

Soooooo silly ? I graduated from school and went to work for werner .out of 5 weeks 3wks i drove racking up 176 hrs.Lord I had no Idea you have to

join the CIRCUS/ARMY life to become a trucker.I guess Im not a TRUCKER, just a man looking to drive a truck and get paid.

I was abandoned in a hotel room for a week. truck broke down. A week later , truck broke down again ...for a week +. What werner expects you to do is sit and wait at a economy hotel ,usually in, remote areas with no access to go anywhere or do anything. Yes, you getting paid .......but you are no where, in waiting till nobody knows when.

Now what is the big deal....family is waiting for training to be over, but with two weeks waiting for repairs that postpones, the return home time.You have no comforting answers to wife and children wondering when you will be home....I dont know honey !! is not comforting .

I wasnt contacted enough to to feel informed ,I felt like, they went home to their families, left you hanging ,they come back all refreshed and Im still in limbo
waiting .......in a hotel .nothing to do no place to go to go just waiting still.

You can not get a job, till you have experience, you can not get experience without working for these large abusive companys, that use you to deliver loads all over the us.Your stuck in truck stops,with high priced everything and again no where to go .

You see some truckers that have it together...... but the majority of new truckers, do not .

Truck stops are full of truckers walking around in pajamas , some look so exhausted, dishoveled , and non-professional.Truckers walking around with shampoo in trash bags ..using trash bags as luggage. Shuffling around like homeless people.

The big companies use you .They all promise you the world and once in you get what they give you .

After orientation I was told to go with another trucker student to pick up two rental cars .There were four students per car and we were told to drive to Texas terminal ,to meet up with our trainers. They told us to chip in for gas and we would get paid , when we got to Texas.

What is up with that ......I drive with three other guys that have no money and I paid to get to Texas .At Texas terminal they said ..."oh you will get reimburst in your first pay check" WELL THAT IS NOT GETTING YOUR GAS MONEY BACK WHEN YOU GET TO TEXAS !!! That was a ripp-off tactic.They should give you a gas card expect new students to have cash to buy gas ...its WRONG !!!

I left the Hotel room, in Texas saturday morning, after being broke down the previous thursday, knowing full well, I wasnt getting out of the hotel at least one week.
The shop working on the truck said they wouldnt even look at it till wednesday the following week.

I took a bus back to Florida! See my family ,hell every one I talked to on the phone at werner would call me back when they got back in the office ,they went home ......

I call my student driver manager he was out .I talked to his temp replacement guys they had no idea about my circumstances..."isnt there some thing in the notes? " Well you sdm will be back in the am call him. I called HR and told them what was happening ...again no one answered left voice message.

Monday at 5:05 I get a return call from HR . I explained to them I came home because I felt abandoned out on the road and I wanted to see my family instead of waiting staring at four walls for a week +.

I was assured from HR, that this is not, the way the company wants, to treat the student drivers and someone would return my call.
With in minutes I got a call from a temp sdm taking calls for my sdm who was home and woul not becoming back to work till tuesday morning.

Thursday to Monday is already 5days off road not driving and yet to be in contact with someone to tell me what was going on.

The temp sdm said oh you left to go home so you quit werner ! NO I WENT HOME TO WAIT AT HOME INSTEAD OF STARING AT FOUR WALL IN A HOTEL ROOM IN THE MIDDLE OF TEXAS WITH NOTHING TO DO AND NOPLACE TO GO !!

What is the difference stay at hotel waiting or be at home waiting six days is six days. Tnis temp sdm treated me like it was my fault the truck broke down and I was on hold for two weeks out from my training time while every one else treated me like a job task and not a human being stranding stuck in a hotel under their control.

Again abussive actions and not making me feel like they have any concern for drivers at all.I was paying for meals out of my own pocket to stay in a hotel till I didnt know, when even so Id rather be home eating with my family, then stuck paying for restaurant and fast food joints.

Im was just getting a CDL license and get a local truck driving job to support my family .I didnt want to drive thousand miles from home and send money home like Im in the army .

I want a local job driving truck ,I dont want to be a Trucker , just a truck driver that goes home and has a job.

I called werner driver placement , at school the recruiter shows you an arms length of local , and dedicated jobs they have .I asked the driver placement department if when i got out of training they had work driving near home so I would be with my family more this long haul driving is not for me at all.

they had one job two weeks out two days off .you take away travel time to get home and you end up with hrs home not two days .NOT A JOB DRIVING TRUCK another give up your life to drive a truck job.

Werner had again told me they had one thing ( remember the gas pay back deal ,we will pay you when you get to Texas ! ) and once in the company they give you what they want .

I quit werner and currently looking for a job driving truck in jacksonville fl area where I will be home and get a pay check ,like a normal working dad .

Looks like I have to join the circus/army of trucker life, till i get enough experience, to get hired by a local company .

Seems like only the big companys give you the "experience " to get a trucking job and it seems like for every bad story there is a good story ,to counter .

I wish I had not ,got a loan and got my CDL. I had no Idea this job is a life style. My wife joined a few trucker wives groups, and she is shocked by all the stories from ..missing truckers ...to abusive employers.To no home time complaints from most everybody.The number of families broken apart by this life style
from male/female trainers ...to lot lizards ...to husbands staying out like they arent married at all, never HOME.

The trucking company has to change this life style doesnt not fit modern times .

 

Welcome to Trucking Boot Camp.
Now quit complaining and get back to waiting.

 

How did you know........that is exactly what Im doing .....this time Im watching the Bills Pile up on the hall table as I have no answers or means to pay them.
Any newbie local driving truck job suggestions please post ...Ive been applying every where.
,everyday ....'" call us back after you have more experience ,we will be happy to talk with you !!! "

 

If only you joined the forum sooner we would of gave you some advice then.

Go ahead and put some local applications out. Try a beverage company like Pepsi or Budweiser. I know I've had dump truck jobs that ask if you have a CDL, nothing else. Yes I do....you're hired. You can even try a LTL company. They might put you on the docks and work your way into a seat. Another idea is work for a factory as a yard jockey shuffling trailers in and out of the dock doors.

If not talk with drivers on here and you can get a better idea of another starter company.

 

Unfortunately you have just described and experienced exactly what occurs when dealing with mega trucking/training companies.

Looking back the OTR life alienated the relationship I had with my child. . My wife and I dealt with it and oddly enough after dealing with all the time apart. . We divorced after I had gained enough experience to get away from the large companies and be home more.

My daughter is grown now and she realizes the sacrifices I made to provide for the family. . And that relationship has healed.

Your right, trucking is a lifestyle. . It's a very difficult And expensive lifestyle. .a lifestyle that is truly not designed for families.

There are good companies out there. . They understand family and the desire to be home. . Florida is going to be tough but if your willing to try. . I'm sure you can find a way to both provide and be a part of your home.

There is a GOTO guy on TTR. .Chinatown. . He probably has the best knowledge base for drivers looking for specific criteria at different companies. . Try sending him a pm.

Good luck

 

I've never drove for a mega carrier but I wouldn't of lasted 2 wks with that bs. Get a local job any local job. At least you sleep in your own bed or couch depending on the night.

 

comcar dot com

 

Im talking to comcar currently .they have six in orienraion for three local jobs unless I can get hazemat and tanker endorsements which seems to be another hundred bucks.......another job you have to pay toget then you dont make enough money in your pay check to cover all this investment .

Seems comcar will reimbuse you for your hazemat....(Oh no ..my eyes are glazing over, another..." we will reimburse you", company ....down the rabbit hole, again, to this alternate universe, known as TRUCKING !!! )

 

I sleep in my bed always ......my guitar gets around though !

 

i love the yard jockey job alot .I saw a few uPS depots that looked like an ant farm there were Yard Dogs every where like bees buzzing in a flower garden. You get to be come an expert at backing thats for sure and home every night ......( what a dream job ....)

I hear they are hard to get as they are ussually filled by guys with OTR issues or drivers on lite duty.

But yes while I was doing 46 states I saw my share of yard dogs and was envious .