Starting Soon

I head to Fontana on Dec 10th for Central's school. I've been reading as much as I can about Central (and every other company with a training program) and have seen people mention the good and seen some people who were also unhappy.

I recently read that Central is good with hometime-- is this something that other Central drivers agree on? If I request to try to get home for a specific day in Feb (i should be solo by then) do you think it'll happen or is it a hold your breath and cross your fingers kind of thing? I know it really depends with your DM.

I've also seen a wide variety of weekly miles listed-- I know there will be slow weeks, and I know there will be busy weeks-- does anyone have an average for what a solo driver would be running? I was kind of hoping for 2500/wk but am starting to get the feeling that might have been a bit wishful thinking.

If a driver has a preference for Southwest, are there many dedicated/regional options within Central? Do they have long waiting lists for those positions? Are they only for l/o's? (I have NO intention of leasing). What do you think the chances would be of someone getting into a dedicated/regional line after request? How long after going solo might someone have to wait until those opportunities might open up?

I actually lucked into my planning because starting on December 10th, my recruited checked into it and told me the orientation wouldn't actually be till the 26th for those drivers because of the christmas holiday. This will actually allow me to head home Saturday night and spend the holiday with my girlfriend before leaving for OTR training.

 

As I recall its 2000 miles driving with a trainer, which is estimated at about 3-5 weeks.

I wasnt talking about being solo after CDL school, I was talking about being solo after I've completed my miles with my trainer. If everything goes as planned (a big asterisk there), then the time should be taken care of in early feb if I get my trainer either right before the new year or right after.

And I have read through a lot of the regular Central thread, although there is admittedly a LOT to read in there-- I decided to start this separate thread for multiple reasons-- so it won't interrupt the flow of the thread with the pros, and that it can be answered at a drivers leisure without getting buried in other posts of other subjects.

 

Yeah, I am thinking I may have gotten the miles number wrong, because that doesnt add up right. When Big Rigg went through training and made a thread about it-- he got going solo early (in about 2 1/2 weeks) but he was running 10 hour days right from the start. And 2000 divided by 18 days is only 112 miles a day-- which would have meant he'd have been going 11mph. Time to go back through that thread to find the actual number.

Yeah, I figured it'd be unlikely to get a dedicated any time soon-- every so often I see stuff talking about being able to ask for dedicated after X months, but I think thats just recruitment pandering and that it is unlikely.
I've got an awards banquet for the race track near the end of February (before hte new season starts up that I won't be able to run), and I was kind of hoping there'd be a chance I'd make it, but I've pretty much preparing myself for not making it. I know, especially as a green driver, that what I want will be the last thing the DMs are worried about.

I'm used to being at the bottom of the pecking order and am preparing myself to be pushed around a little bit. I'm still excited either way.