Anyone have experience with Vitek Transport out of Sacramento?

Thanks! Just applied. Wow, pretty long application process. They go back 10 years in employment history, but 10 years ago I was in the custody of Uncle Sam and was forced to disclose that fact when explaining unemployment gaps. :/

I have my heart set on OTR or western regional. The open highway, so to speak. When I went to trucking school, hauling gravel or tomatoes was not what I had in mind (which is looking more and more like my only options at utilizing my CDL). No offense intended to those who do haul those types of products and drive those types of routes.

-sigh-

Not giving up yet though. We shall see.

 

Update: so they called Monday and said to show up at the yard at noon, said there was a run up to Washington and I'd be going up with a trainer. I had been expecting to go back to my previous non-trucking job by then if I still hadn't heard anything from them and continue my job search. So I show up, and the truck they sent me out in smells like some combination of ashtray and homeless guy and is just ###### disgusting. The trainer himself is this older black dude who almost could pass for homeless- dirty, unkempt, dressed in sweats that look like they hadn't seen a washer in months. And half the time I'm not even sure he's all "there." Mumbles to himself constantly, doesn't seem to understand or hear my questions half the time, didn't seem to know what I was trying to do when I was trying to get the hood up to do my pretrip. I could tell pretty quickly that this was just gonna be a 1-run deal where I get my feet wet, get a little bit of experience, free practice, because this was not a company I would stay with. So we got going (had to tell him right off the bat that I do not smoke, lest he light up in the truck, I was already dying as it was even with the ac blasting outside air in,), got to Fremont to get the load. Sat for like 5 hours. Oh, and I noticed to my horror, when I was walking around to stretch my legs and get fresh air, that we had a bad inside tire on the trailer- not just bad, it was missing a section of tread and had a hole about a foot long and about 2" wide. Yep, should've done a thorough pretrip. Lesson learned. (Oh, and my "trainer" goes, "Well, my codriver just did a pretrip on it last week." Yes. Codriver. Last WEEK). So I call it in, and the office directed me to a place to get the spare swapped in and mounted. Ended up swapping trailers though and having to pass that task on to another driver though, because the loads got somehow mixed up. But whatever, at least they aren't making me go to Virginia- yes, they called and asked if I wanted to take the load destined for VA. I only had 2 changes of clothes and, besides, I was not going any farther than WA in that truck, which by the way, is a 900k-miler rattletrap so out of alignment that the wheel is at the 8 o'clock position going straight.

We fueled up near Eugene and when I pulled up to the pump my "trainer" goes "fuel it up" and disappears to his bunk and pulls the curtain shut. I had to tell him I don't have a fuel card and had not fueled before (needed to know what info to enter, etc).

Yeah, some trainer he is. I'm a better driver than he is- he apparently hasn't figured out cruise control (or even maintaining a steady speed), maintaining lane position, or the proper way to descend grades (which does NOT involve rapidly pumping the brakes! WTF!).

I dont mind the driving itself though. I'm using this as a learning experience, like I said. I'm going to call Western Express back (recruiter called Monday). I will not be driving for Vitek again.

I write this on my phone as I prepare to head back down from Kent, WA. I need a shower. And I feel like I need to sanitize everything I brought with me, which wasn't very much. And I pray we don't get a DOT inspection between here and there.

My "trainer" is down on his bunk talking to himself again.

 

I forgot to mention the time we stopped to see if we could get the driver's side window to roll back up (lol) in some little town a couple hrs south of Eugene, Oregon. Codriver said he really had to go to the bathroom. I look over and HE HAS HIS HAND DOWN HIS WAISTBAND HOLDING HIS JUNK!!! (At least one can hope he wasnt, but...well, let's leave it at that). Then he got out and went behind the truck somewhere.

Yes, there was more than one occasion I seriously considered hopping off and arranging a ride home. That was one of them. Glad I carry Purell with me. Holy s***. The rest of the drive, it took great willpower to keep holding that steering wheel.