Starting out for rookies

If you have a valid CDL, and have a diploma from an accredited truck driving school, you can get all kinds of prospects just from searching online. Do a google search for your area, that reads something like "Trucking companies that hire students in Miami" or wherever you're from. Here in Ohio, we have Falcon Transport, and they often hire students from a local trucking school called "Hamrick Truck Driving School".

 

I have beeen in a very sucessful business for more than 30 years and my business has really been going down hill for about 10 years to the point it is time to sell it and move on as I can no longer make a living at it.

All my life I wanted to be in the trucking business and when I was younger I use to go with a freind of mine who taught me how to drive mostly tanker and dump trailer, in the old days thats how you learned, I also had an uncle who was an OTR driver who also taught me a great deal but there was never any opportunities for me to go trucking because I was making good money at other jobs, I am a good mechanic and can also work on trucks and I always made good money, wrenching and working the family business.

After reading all these post on getting strarted in Trucking with the training and all the Bad Companies out there I got to tell you the truth I dont think I want any part of it. Am I hearing all about the bad Companies and experinces. Are there good ones out there?

I have a freind of mine who is actually working for Werner did all the Training and ect. and she loves it. She hauls regional in the PA DE NJ MD area and gets .50 per mile and is home 3 times a week on good weeks and home once a week on bad ones.

Any advice would be greatly aprreciated, so I can make an intelligent decision.

 

I am looking at starting trucking school with Central Refer in July. They have a 3 week CDL school and a cost of $3000 ($1200 paid back at $25/wk for 1 year, then central pays off the remaining $1800) After that there are 5 weeks of otr training where you will get paid $450/week. Once your training is complete you will go solo at 28cpm. From what I can tell this seems like the best option for me as a new driver. Does anyone have any other companies that they can recommend. I want to make an informed decision. My hot points are lack of out of pocket cost (I'm poor) low commitment (I don't want to be tied to a company for multiple years, pay (does not need to be the greatest), home time (I have a wife and 2 kids, I would like to see them every now and then), finally anything you experienced drivers know are important that I as a newbie might not think of.

 

if you cant afford to pay for school yourself, this isnt the worst way to go trucking, just DO NOT sign a lease. And be prepared to stay there for how ever long their commitment is.....or you WILL regret it.




American Trucker

 

Just to let everyone know I went to school 3 months ago and i'm now driving a 2010 pete I went to JBS Carriers they have been Great! good pay and awsome bennifits. they are the largest beef producer in the world. They recently bought pilgrims pride. I have been running!! lots of drop and hooks and you never touch frieght. thats my two cents pm if you want more info.

 

Drivers like to complain and tell war stories. It is just as likely you will make a smooth transition and have some fun along the way. A lot depends on your attitude and how much you want to be a driver.

 

Here's is my $0.02:

I got layed off in 2004 from a well paying office job. I decided to look for another carreer. Driving a truck seemed to be a good idea. I qualified for truck driving school and paid myself $3600 at Smith& Solomon in New Jersey to get my CDL.
They referred me to SWIFT, going out of Jonestown, PA.
After a 3 day orientation I was sent home to wait for a trainer. A couple of days later my trainer called me and asked me to meet him in south Philadelphia on Monday afternoon. He had a dedicated run from NJ to Pittsburg, 5 nights a week, and was home every weekend. After 2 weeks, SWIFT had lost the account, and so my trainer was reassigned to NE regional. Needless to say, he was not a happy camper. He argued with his DM, and FM on the phone every day. It's not easy to go from an dedicated run, where you know every inch of your route, and every rock in the customers yard, or parking lot, to go back to a life where you don't know where you're going to be sent to the next day. We found ourselves on tiny local roads, lousy parking lots and awefull rest areas all over the from Maine, all the way down to Baltimore. My trainer began smoking again, and listening to rap music (very loud), while I was supposed to sleep in the bunk. After 2 weeks of this he decided to go on vavation, leaving me to go home and wait for another trainer (with no pay). I was already late on my rent, so I decided to move.
Two weeks later SWIFT called me to hook me up with a new trainer. Because I had been home every weekend, I didn't have enough hours on the truck to make 4 weeks. I needed another 3 weeks with the new trainer. This way I got to drive an almost new Volvo. This was good, my trainer liked to go out west and asked me if it was ok with me to run to the west coast. I had no problem with that, and so within a few days we were getting assignments that moved us west into KS, CO, and then over to WA. We drove like a team, running 1000+ miles a day.
When we came back 3 weeks later I tested out with another driver, and was assigned to my first truck.
Day 1: I checked the tractor out, and found that the A/C was not working. It was summer, 95 deg in the bunk at night. I asked for this to be repaired, and was sent to the hotel for the night.
Day 2: My tractor is still in the shop.
Day 3: Tractor is ready. I get my first assignment, and I'm on the road.
fast forward: Things are going ok, but I have major problems finding places at night, trip planning etc. I figure things out, get a GPS on my computer going, and it's getting better. I keep getting weird assignements that will get me over 70 hrs a week, even though I do my driver stats every day correctly, I think. Nobody tells me that I might be doing it wrong, and that may be the reason for those weird assignments. I don't like to refuse assignements, but sometime I have to, because it would make me illegal. Still I bring home about $500/week, when I'm out 4-5 weeks.
I get into trouble with some log violation, because of this.
I'm determined to get this right, and keep on sucking it in. I asked to be home on a certain date for a family obligation, 2 weeks ahead; my DM confirms the date.
I got a load going to VT in the beginning of that week. When I get to the cosignee, I was told to park in the back and wait to get called on the CB to get the dock number the next morning. I wake up the next morning at 9 am, no calls yet. I try to call them on the CB, no answer. I go to the phone booth nearby and call them on their phone. Ok, I get a dock appointment at noon. No problem, I'm still on break. While they're unloading, I get a new trip. 150 mi north still in VT, to pick up some lime stone product going to PA. I get the permits, and by 3 pm I'm on my way there. I get to the shipper around 6 pm. The instruction on QC say, the trl is sitting in the lot ready to go. I find the lot, drop my MT and look for my loaded. There are only 20 trl in the lot. I can't find the assigned trl. The papers are supposed to be in the pouch on the trl. So I start looking at the papers for the trls that are there. Two loads are ready for NJ, but the one assigne to me is not to be found. My cell phone has no signal, since I'm in VT AND in a lime stone quarry, surrounded by rock cliffs 100 ft high. Satelite still works, so I send a QC message requesting assistance in finding my load. No answer. 1 hr later I send another message; still no answer. I realize that it is now 7 pm and my DM has gone home, so I'm dependent on the night shift. I'm starting to worry, because I'm supposed to be home on Friday afternoon, and it's now Wednesday night. I sent anothe couple of messages. I have no food, no drink on the truck, and only 45 in my wallet. Spending the night in VT is not an option. I still have 8 hrs drive time. I send the last message to dispatch. "I'm leaving, see you in Jonestown"
Two hours later, while I'm already in NY, my QC starts beeping. I pull over in a rest area. Message reads: "Go back immediatly, load will be ready by midnight." LOL, I'm already 1/2 way to Jonestown, see you tomorrow morning, I'm going home!
See, I don't get upset easily, I don't swear at all. You'll never know when I'm getting upset, 'cause I will not show. I will use the f*** word now and then, when I'm alone, and nobody can hear me, but you will never hear that from me directly.
I'm nobody's slave. I will work hard, as long as I'm getting payed, but I will not watch tractors and trailers sitting in a parking lot for free.
I got chewed out the next morning by the FM in Jonestown. [Clearly, the night shift gal had left her post unattended for several hours that evening.] I did go home on time, and attended my family function. Then I came back the next tuesday, cleaned out my tractor, handed in my keys, king pin lock etc, and said good bye to SWIFT.

To be continued!!

 

Yodler, that last line set you free. But that could have been many places not just swift.

$500 take home for 70 hours sucks!

Good luck on the next place.

Mikeeee

 

Big Don is right!!! I haven't even started driving yet and I know that any local job driving has been snatched up by folks with experience and the ability to be home each night. With OTR under your belt, in time, you will be the guy snatching up a local route or dedicated route, at least, but as Don says, sometime you have to make sacrifices to get where you want to be in the long run. I'm 50 years old with three kids (2 still at home). Married over 20 years. Never drove a truck in my life but am ready, willing and able to do so (and will soon) because I will do whatever it takes. Being laid off from a major corporation (NYT) that payed good money teaches you that nothing in life is etched in stone. Sometimes god steers you in directions that you never would have thought possible just 5 years ago. I'm #### excited about my new career. I expect somethings to suck from time to time, that's called work. But, my mother always told me, if you do what you love the money will follow. I wish you luck Mack E-6 with whatever you decide. Remember, the light at the end of the tunnel is NOT a train.

 

So my wife oked trucking, but she wants some stuff done around the house before I leave (paint the house, build a shed, low care yard, and some other odds and inns) I agreed and set a start date with my recruiter 3weeks out. However as I said we are quickly running out of money, so I picked up a serving job at Denny's to make ends meet, but now I am so tired when I get home, I kind of work on the list, but there is no way I can get it all done in 3 weeks. I don't know if I should push the date back more, blow off the list, or starve for the next 3 weeks to get all this stuff done. Any thoughts?