I Start With Averitt in January 2012

Day 3: We had a one hour maintenance orientation and the rest of the day was taken up by safety class. If you don't like to follow rules or pay attention to detail, Averitt isn't the place for you. They do not seem like too much to ask of a driver, but some folks don't want to do anything but pick up and deliver. I guess that is why the pre-hiring process is so extensive to even get on at Averitt. I loved the fact that the safety director that directed the class wouldn't put up with endless "what if" questions that can so easily get out of hand and take up half a day to answer. Any of those kinds of questions he was glad to answer, but only on breaks.

Tomorrow is Truckload orientation and then I meet my Fleet manager and will be on my way back home. I got all my training paperwork and will meet my trainer on Sunday and off we go.

I talked with a couple of drivers who have been with the company for awhile and were there just to attend the safety class. Both had great things to say about the company and were very happy they had made the move. So far, not one driver has had a bad word other than occasional frustrations that are common with driving a truck. I am really looking forward to getting the training started.

 

Yes indeed. Home weekends during training. Now, I am out of the Chattanooga terminal and so is my trainer. If my trainer was from Birmingham or something it might be different.

I finished up orientation. Got my driver number and comdata card. I will call my trainer this afternoon and get the 911 on when to meet up with him and get this party started. I am very excited about getting back in a cab. Being with a company like Averitt makes it all that much more enjoyable.

Thanks to Mustang, and other drivers who have helped me along the way and answered questions. I will start a new thread when my training gets started and share my adventures and misadventures.

 

Hello. Sorry it's been awhile since I gave an update, but I have been super busy during road training and the last thing I have wanted to do on home time is get on the internet.

My trainer has been fantastic. A very fun guy, but very serious when it comes to training. I haven't had much of an issue with the paperwork, trip planning and mapping, qualcomm, pre-trips, driving, etc. He has been impressed with my ability to grasp all of that very quickly. Where I suffered after not being in a truck for almost 3 years is my backing. It was coming back pretty slowly to me. He has been great at helping me. I am really thankful he is helping me with blind side backing. I never had to do that much.

Weeks 1 and 2 went by fast with no issues. He told me he would be willing to release me to my own truck at the end of week two if it was up to him. This is my final week with him. We leave out of the Chattanooga service center tomorrow morning headed for Miami. This week he is along for the ride. I do all the planning, routing, make all the decisions...basically run the truck as if I were on my own. He can take some drive time but that is about it.

It looks like either this Friday or next Monday I will get my own truck and be solo. I really do love Averitt thus far. Everyone seems to enjoy their job. Other drivers are nice and helpful. Customers speak to you with more respect when you show up in an Averitt uniform. I look forward to getting out on my own and putting some miles under my own truck.

So far we have been all over the southeast and midwest. Up as far NE as Jersey and as far N as Wisconsin. I hit a pretty good snow storm in Indiana, but it didn't last but an hour or so.

I would highly suggest Averitt to anyone who is looking for a new company. It has lived up to everything it has promised thus far.