I've been driving for 3 months and my last employer said i wasn't cut out for it!

its true driving isnt for everyone, there was a time in the beginning I asked myself if I was cut out for it and decided I was and just needed practice. I struggled with stuff like backing and judging turns correctly but with practice it eventually came natural. Even with experience everyone has a bad day here and there, I do more backings in a single day now than most otr do in an entire week, you better believe there are times occasionally where I have my bad day and then think to myself wtf is wrong with me today, then I think about the situation and how I could of performed it better and then prepare myself for the next time. Trucking is easy as long as you are cut out for it and accept it, nobody hops into a truck knowing everything. Practice practice and practice some more, always goal and do your best to not hit something, eventually it will become second nature. We all make mistakes, some worse than others, just make sure you learn from that mistake and not repeat it.

 

I've noted in other threads with new drivers that have the same propensity to change companies frequently, it is always best if you try to stick it out for a year with your first company and never job hop without putting a year in with any company. Obviously if a situation is particularly bad, then by all means seek a better position.

When I started out in the working world my dad gave me some sage wisdom. "Always commit yourself to at least one year with any company. Even if it gets bad, stick it out. Every company will give you bad days and good days." I've stuck by that wisdom and it served me well. There's been times I wanted to quit earlier than a year, but always stayed with it.

For truck drivers, if you are constantly changing companies then you are almost always changing to the bottom rung of a new company. It is rare if you are going to be hired at anything but the lowest rung(s) of the pay scale and you certainly aren't putting yourself in line for the best jobs within the company right off the bat. Job hopping is a guarantee that you will continue to earn less than your potential.

Regarding the OP's dilemma about being let go because the company felt they weren't cut out for the job, well until we have more information on the specifics of exactly why they were let go then there's not much point in further discussion. We can't give advise when we don't know all the facts.

 

Perhaps you should take their advice,


:


before some life changing event occurs.

 

Actually, that what I did. Never went to a school, never trained, went and took the test, passed, and started driving.

It sounds to me that OP is having troubles with the elementary thing...the things they taught in the school. The shifting, backing, setting his brakes when he parks, releasing the brakes so he can go, forgetting to put your foot on the brakes to avoid rolling backwards, looking out the mirrors to make sure the trailer clears a turn...etc.

The reason why I say this is we will have drivers come in to the company, work their way up the ladder by pulling bigger and bigger loads. They will be decent drivers, go through the wind blade driving course and start pulling blades. Either it's the dealing with the 2-3 pilot cars, police escorts, or the sheer size of the load but these drivers will forget the basics and screw up. Not checking their 5th wheel to see if they're locked, fueling, reading the permits, watching your turns... Stuff they should know. And they will screw up, and screw up and screw up. And the company will take them off blades and say to them, "You're not cut out for blades."


Edit

If someone went to a school and rode with a trainer, and is having trouble with the basics, that's not necessarily a sign that the student is a failure, especially if he is trying. A good trainer should be able to teach in a way that makes sense to the student. So the trainer has to understand the mechanics of trucking to a degree that he can explain it and teach it in multiple ways. Teaching is an art, and being a trainer is no different (kind of difficult to master the arts after only 6 months of driving, you think? Not impossible, difficult.) The first sign that a trainer isn't really adept at training is when they start yelling. You never see the great wise KungFu masters yelling. Yelling is not teaching, yelling is a sign of frustration.

To to be meek is to be teachable, to have a willingness to learn. Some people are unwilling too learn.they've shut down their synapses when they became teens, and those neuron connections shut down. You can reopen those brain connections (it's worlds harder to do as an adult though, I HAD TO DO IT). So if you're not a good listener and a quick learner, and you want to be, with work, you can change the brain to work better for you. It's not an easy overnight process, but it can be done and pays huge dividends.

Driver wannabes, want to be good student drivers and world class truckers? Sharpen up your listening skills BEFORE you go to school. I will guarantee that you will come out ahead.

 

My boyfriend never attended school either.Got his CDL and started driving for his dad and later on became the owner of that small company of 6 drivers..Dont know exactly what happened here but forgetting the basics over and over and over would be understandable why the company doesn't think hes cut out for this field.Never thought of that.

 

There are some that aren't cut out for it but then again there are drivers that aren't cut out for training. Without knowing your problem areas it's kind of hard to judge across a computer.

I waited on a driver one day for 30 minutes while he tried to make a straight back into a dock. I ended up backing for him. He claimed to have one year experience. I road tested a guy with two years experience that couldn't shift. I've helped a few that were clueless to things and it would click over night. Some people learn quicker than others but I've seen very few that can't be taught. I would give it a second chance. Another company might put you with a known good trainer if they understand your weak points.

The story of two mice falling in a bucket of cream comes to mind. The first mouse gave up and drowned.
The second mouse swam and swam until the bucket of cream turned in to butter and he crawled out! I love a happy ending!

 

Trucking is not for everyone. It takes a certain type of person to do it. I wish the industry had a bit more respect, instead of being a place to go when you cant find anything else or cant keep a job at Burger King...

 

there he is,can you tell us what your weaknesses are so we can better help you or give you much needed avice?