Scoop on USA Truck OTR and Working for them

I just recently quit from USA truck about a month ago. I was a trainer for them for about a year so I can tell you everything you want to know.

Standard training is four weeks. You only need to train longer if your trainer thinks you suck, basically. Then you might do up to six weeks, any more than that and they will either get rid of you or put you with another trainer.

You will probably be doing most of the driving during the first week or two. Standard procedure is that the trainer will not sleep while you are driving until they are comfortable with your skills....... but, if they have a "hot load" or if you are unfortunate to get stuck with a dedicated trainer you will probably never even see your trainer except to wake him up and switch out.

I wish I could recommend a trainer for you but honestly... I knew a lot of trainers but never really got a chance to get to know them personally since you are pretty busy most of the time as a trainer.

If you have more questions feel free to ask!

 

No problem... here it goes...

I mainly quit because of the hometime policy. One week of work for one day off? I have nothing against working hard but I ain't for working stupid. If you can put up with living in a truck for 95% of your life, then thats fine. I actually enjoyed it for a while... thats why I stuck it out for two years. But eventually I missed having a place of my own (I didn't see the point in paying rent for a home I would see four days a month). Also I'm 30 and single... and not being able to socialize with decent women (strippers were fine, but lot lizards were off limits for me...) was kinda getting to me.

I'm sure its possible to have some sort of a "normal" life as a trucker, but you have to work hard at it. I'm actually looking for something a little more local right now. I haven't got another job yet, but I can afford to be choosy.

I can't complain about the pay, I did make pretty good money. And not having to pay for rent, car loan, insurance, etc... can save you a LOT of money. I went on two vacations last year... once to Hawaii and a cruise to the Bahamas. So I can't really complain that much, lol.

As far as trainer pay goes, you basically make almost twice as much as a solo driver would (for the same rate of pay). You earn all the miles paid to the truck... thats it. You don't get any extra pay for being a trainer, you just get more miles because of the extra driver.

After my second year raise, some weeks I did earn $1500. And yes, I was on per diem. I can only imagine how much the 5 and 10 year veteran trainers were making per week.

But it is not an easy job. Every trainer is different (and thats a whole 'nother conversation)... but I made my students drive during the day and I slept during the days. Which you can already see means I didn't get much sleep at all.... you have to wake up and help them back into the dock, help them park at the truck stop (which is always frightening), help them fill out the qualcomm, help them not get lost or take the wrong freeway exit.... etc etc.... your sleep is disrupted a LOT. So if you can handle that, then the extra money is worth it.

The first week is usually easy cuz you both sleep at the same time (there are two bunks) and dispatch knows you are taking it slow. But after that.... its GO GO GO and you will be driving in shifts. If you are a trainer stuck with a slow learner your life will be hell.

But hey, if it was so easy, they wouldn't pay you so much and everybody would be doing it, right?

 

Good luck with the trainer,just remember once you are solo things are a lot better than while you are with your trainer.You will be able to drive during the time you are most comfortable driving,take showers when you want to etc

 

Good luck with your trainer. I just finished my first week with my trainer and am back at the hotel (my trainer is dedicated, and is off on the weekends). So far, so good. I was told, however, that since my trainer is dedicated and off on weekends i'll more than likely be on his truck for five weeks instead of four, just to get the same amount of time as someone running general freight. Oh well.

 

Jarhead i am a driver for USA live down the road from ya here in BlueRidge