My Reaearch Has Concluded These Things.

$1800 in CA PM me if interested..

 

Wow, Is Michigan the only state charging 6k-10K? Figures, This state likes to rip it's people off.

 

Ohio I have seen anywhere for a 3-4 week course $4000-$7300

 

Well, at least you have realistic car insurance, it is ridiculous up here!

 

Up where? ?

 

In Michigan, It's a joke. Soon as you leave the state your insurance drops in half. If you ever come here on your routes look at all the cars around you, most of them probably don't have insurance because it's so ridiculously high here. I believe we have the highest car insurance in the nation or one of the highest at least. All because of that stupid no-fault policy. They need to just cap it and drop rates in half and join the rest of the country in the modern era. Michigan is a very backwards state though, that's why we have so many problems.

 

That may be one reason so many people are leaving Michigan and relocating to the Southeast & Southwest.

 

There are many ways to get a CDL.

1. You can attend a CDL Mill. There are thousands of these.
2. You can sign a contract with a training company.
3. You can attend a driver's education course at community college.
4. You can have someone teach you, and rent a truck to take your CDL. As long as it's a combo with air brakes.

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The process of 'getting' your CDL depends on the method, but it takes about a month. Depending how you went about getting your CDL you may or may not have to search for a job.

The choices are many, but really despite what most people say the companies that will hire a newbie are mostly the same outfit.
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Have your CDL? Have your Company? Now you're going to train most likely with someone you will dislike. Why? Because you don't know them, they don't know you, you both smell different, like different things, and probably have different opinions on the right/wrong way to do things. It doesn't matter, grit your teeth and power through it.

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Time to roll Solo / Team, training wheels off; first few days is going to be rough. The super truckers in the world will mock you, but those guys don't matter. "Old times this, paper logs that, in my day this." Who cares. Some of them can help you, most of them won't.
First thing you want to do when you are assigned a truck, is a VERY thorough investigation of it before you put your stuff in it. Check the fluids, lights, brakes, belts, chains, fifthwheel etc. The importance of a good pretrip is massive, it could save your life do not simply run the clock out while sitting on your arse.
Also on your first inspection you are looking for DAMAGE. Things the previous driver/drivers/transporter may have done to it. Most companies have a document you sign with a list, the list is for notating dings and dents. NOTATE them. The most important rule in play here is CYA (Cover your ###). Even if it seems minor to you, notate it. If they do not present you with a sheet to sign, notate the damages you find in a message over the Qualcomm to your FM/DM/DS. They cannot erase Qualcomm messages as records of the messages are kept.
Another thing that I saw many new drivers fall victim to is being pushed into a dirty truck. Yeah it happens (a lot), you can clean a lot of that crap. But some of it you can't. Personally I have bad allergies so I always put up a stink when I was forced into a truck that had clearly been home to a pet. You do not 'have' to deal with it, as far as I know no carrier will make you drive away with a disgusting truck (most of the big companies have detailer crews that do a fair job of cleaning.) Make sure you also get a clean mattress. Keep in mind however that being a diva about a dirty truck will probably net you more waiting time before hitting the road, so you might have to overlook some things; but don't eat dirt on the deal. If it's reasonably clean, in good mechanical order, with a clean mattress feel free to lug your junk in.

You will get the hang of things. Remember to be patient (Especially with yourself) Getting into a tight backing situation sucks, take your time, don't hit anything. I promise you in the future when some other employer is verifying your work history they won't say "Well this one time at Coca Cola in Dallas it took him an hour and 45 Minutes to get into a spot". But you can bet your red blood they'll mention "He smashed his truck into another truck, then ran away screaming and crying" if you happen to do that. Also it takes time to learn the system, don't be disheartened by your first few months of pay because:
-You're learning!
-Your dispatcher is building a relation with you.
-You haven't learned the tricks that will eventually put money into your pocket.

You don't want to compare your check to other driver's checks, because that starts a chain reaction of "Grass is Greener on the other side." When you go places to look for info on companies the people that 'usually' post are the ones upset, not the happy campers. I promise you if your company hasn't just out right snubbed you, you won't be doing any/much better somewhere else.

Here are some examples:
Werner (Have worked for them, I did my job, I made money)
Con-Way (Have worked for them, I did my job, I made money)
PAM (Have worked for them, I did my job, I made money)

Out of the three, I would go back to Con-Way before the other two because they were the most driver oriented, but you could find horror stories on all three of these companies easily; but I can tell you first hand that my checks were about the same at all three. My job was identical at all three. I did not have my DAC ruined by any of them. None of them charged me outrageous fees unbeknownst to me. I got home more or less when I requested it, and my truck was road legal.

Do not lease (I mega agree with this, you need experience to really understand what you are getting yourself into. If you have a few years experience and decide you like it, then start thinking about it.

Communicate with your fleet manager/driver manager/dispatcher whatever, they are your link to your company. They are not hellbent on making you sit in 100 degree 100% humidity, they want you moving making money, I promise. The best way to do this is to communicate with them. Send them ETA's on the Qualcomm/ICC, let them know when you're empty, loaded, delayed. Let them know when you have mechanical issues. Let them know, they have GPS tracking but they are not omnipotent.

Don't overdo it. Don't push yourself. Stay Safe. You don't want to let someone sitting in a desk a thousand miles away drive your rig by proxy. You are the driver, you are the lord and commander of that rig. So long as you are doing your SAFE best, they will not fault you.

It is not You VS Them either, your company doesn't make money off you not making money. Every tractor in that fleet has a cost to operate, and they do not recuperate that cost by letting you sit. In a big outfit (Mega Carrier) you can fall through the cracks, remember the communicate part.

There will be times when you sit, but it isn't your fleet manager's fault. They cannot conjure freight for you. Be polite, prompt, and courteous on the phone. You represent yourself firstly in this world, your carrier secondly. You can take off a Werner shirt, but if you're a dingus, out of the Werner shirt, you're still a Dingus.

Be friendly on the road, road rage gets you nowhere. Do not emulate everything you see other truckers doing (AKA being slobs, peeing all over parking lots and other assorted nasty behavior). It can, and probably will get you in hot water.

Get all your reward cards (you have to get the PETRO/TA card mailed to you, so do it in advance).

Loves: Go to a Loves store, get the card, register it at KIOSK or fuel desk (Fuel desk if you're unsure)
Pilot: Go to a Pilot/Flying J, get the card, register it at the fuel desk
TA/Petro: You have to apply for this and have them mail the card to you, takes about 2 weeks.

USE THOSE CARDS, you get a shower every 50 gallons and you definitely want that shower. Depending on the company you work for this may be more or less important. For instance, Con-Way Truckload will reimburse you for showers.

I know this post is mega rambly so I will close with a few tips I wish I had known starting up.

1. All mega fleets are mostly the same. Don't buy into the Horror Stories, or the Grass is Greener adds. Pick a company with a terminal close to your home, worry about cherry picking a winner after you get a year or two of experience.

2. If you are going into a CDL school, and know you will have to team up (Like at PAM). Try to find someone in your CDL class, or Orientation that you can stand. It's a million times better than being introduced to someone by being forced to share a studio apartment with them.

3. Pack smart, here are the things I found most useful:

-Smartphone
-Bluetooth headset (I used a blue parrot b250-xt). I used this mostly to listen to Audio Books without disturbing my teamate, and without occupying both my ears.
-Clothing, I personally brought 5 sets of clothes, and did laundry weekly.
-GOOD jacket. Trust me, you don't want to slog around in wind and freezing rain with a hoody from Loves.
-GOOD boots. This does not mean go buy a 300$ pair of redwings. Get some sturdy, slip resistant boots. Coleman makes a nice pair for about 40$, water/oil proof, slip resistant, and comfy.
-Bathroom Bag. A shaving kit, I kept a toothbrush, toothpaste, floss, razor, shaving cream, nail clippers, deodorant, Shampoo/Conditioner, Soap, Handsoap and pack of wet wipes in mine.
-WET WIPES. Mentioned in the Bathroom Bag, but these are something you should have. You sit on your bottom all day, so you want it as fresh as humanly possible. And they are just plain better than using 1ply standard TS bark. They are also handy to keep on the truck for a plethora of things.
-Paper Towels. I personally buy the blue shop towels, I find them to be the most useful.
- Commercial Road Atlas | GPS (TRUCK) The Atlas for planning trips and correlating with GPS routing, and the GPS to help find places to park for the night.
-GOOD Cell Service. I've used all the carriers, I used to drive for Google and without a doubt the absolute best coverage is Verizon, you want Verizon if you're going to be trooping all over the continent.
-Cooler. I bought a coleman cooler WHEN I WENT SOLO. Do not bring this on your trainer's truck, and verify if you're with a teammate that they are cool with having it on board. It takes up a lot of space and makes noise, remember; be considerate of your fellow driver.
-SHOWER Shoes, self explanatory.
-Gloves. Do NOT touch the fuel pump handles with your bare hands. For one they are gross, for two the scent of diesel lasts for a very long time. Wal-mart and many other places sell the grey rawhide gloves cheap, I buy about 3 pairs of these at a time. They last about 2-3 months of fueling before my hands start coming out of them smelling like fuel.
-Good Flashlight. You want a small battery operated LED flashlight. Small enough to be easy to handle underneath your trailer, use it to verify your Kingpin is secure. Also it's very useful for your PTI, and a thousand other things. Keep it handy, and keep extra batteries.
-Few Handtools. Contrary to popular belief, a CDL holder is not automatically a mechanic, so you won't need anything fancy, some companies even supply basic tools. I suggest bringing: Claw Hammer, Bolt Cutters, Channel Lock Pliers, Multi-tip Screwdriver, Needlenose Pliers, Sharp Pocket Knife, Clear Packing Tape (HAZMAT Placards), Highlighter (For HAZMAT BoLs), Paint Scraper (For Getting Rid of HazMat Placards), WD-40 (Many applications) Duct Tape, Electrical Tape, Small Socket Set. This will let you handle the overwhelming majority of things that you might need to handle yourself (AKA mudflap hanging by one bolt, save yourself a trip to service and fix it yourself). Personally if I needed more than these to fix what was broken, I would usually request a service. Also some companies have strict policies on self-servicing a maintenance issue, so follow their guidelines.
-Zip Ties (Various Sizes), Industrial Strength Velcro, Rubbing Alcohol.
-Comfortable Tennis Shoes for driving. You do not have to keep your boots on constantly, for one it is very uncomfortable and will create stress. For two it will make your feet funk up the whole truck. Flip Flops + Driving is not advisable in my opinion, but it is comfortable.


All of this should neatly fit into a DUFFLE BAG. Do not bring HARD LUGGAGE, unless you're getting onto your own truck by yourself.

 

good advice

 

Yeah, I don't blame them either. There's plenty of other reasons to leave too. Me and the ol lady have thought about it ourselves but the young one is in a good private school here and all of her friends and grandparents are here and we don't want to take her away from that. If wasn't for that we'd be gone too.