Maverick Transportation School Q's

They used to offer sponsored training but they discontinued that. They told me it was because of the wait time between school and their orientation/finishing school. I filled out an application with them and i still havent started school but they call me once every 6 weeks to see if i have stared school. I guess only one minor accident in 5 year in my personal vehicle and no tickets makes me an excellent canidate with them.

 

Finished the Little Rock orientation (like the military ) they have an extensive training program and abilities test...must follow directions...road test.. pretrip (should already know how to do a good pretrip before you arrive), is easy...again if you FOLLOW DIRECTIONS..logging and trip planning...qualcomm...ect...LOTS OF HOMEWORK...(follow directions and will tutor you if you have problems in any area)and then securement for steel.. roof shingless , sheetrock, lumber ect..then went to laurinburg NC for glass training,(in a glass factory) and LOTS OF HOMEWORK..in trainer truck now, already one week, got to come home because trainer lives close to me.. ( even still have HOMEWORK for trip planning)then for 2 more weeks and then go back to test out. It is challenging , not all make it this far...but it is worth the hassle of training. If you dont like to work, it isnt for you. I personally think it is a good way to start a career, but realize it isnt for everyone. When i get back by the house i will post again...

 

Finished training in Laurinberg, NC. went out with a trainer, finished that (good experience taught me alot about trucking, and not just about Maverick and securement) Met Notarps in Gary, got my own truck now, the miles and money havn't been there yet. Alot of what they teach you is great, but there are loads I have gotten not in the book, but a phone call or two and you will be in business, Maverick drivers and Maverick support are awesome (though some drivers won't help you at all) seems to be in the minority though.. i didnt file for detention pay,after waiting forever to be loaded, learned about that, won't happen again, sometimes in the glass division these glass plants make you wait for hours, no sleep (because you have to monitor the CB channel and wait to be called in), then have to load and tarp these live loads, takes hours ( kicks your ### sometimes), especially when already tired.... Maverick seems to treat you okay, though i almost got hit by a UPS double, came into my lane at 60 mph and i made a decision to move over and I clipped a barrel moving over to avoid the accident, they called it preventable, that has me a bit pissed...( i minimized damage and was penalized for it), gave me 2 points, which I think will screw me on my DAC report...later on.. otherwise they sent me home friday with a flatbed , no load till monday and it is a steel load, so another week of suck pay...being new I will see how it rolls, I have to give it time, I hope it works out. at this time I still think Maverick is going to work out...have to learn the system...and that comes with time.

 

Hey I hope things pick up for you soon. Starting out is a little akward at most co's. It is a learning curve. You have to feel them out and they need to get to know you. Once you see what they expect it usually smooths out. I am not real familar with the glass side, but after I seen you at gary and then down in SC I went back there a couple weeks later. Was the 1st time I have ever stopped at that yard. That place is a dust bowl... I did run into a glass driver just last week at villa rica ga. He was delivering there too. He used to be in the US div and was in it for 2 years and went to glass. He said he likes it better. Said it paid better. Plus all tarping was inside. He has been hauling glass for a year.
Once you get a system down and learn the ropes and the lanes it gets a lot easier. I had a bad week last week myself. I took home a little more than 900 last week, but this next check will be bad. I avg between 800-1200 to the house. So the money is there. You just got to get in the swing of things. They pay ya'll more on the glass side so even if you are slow starting out it ought to pick up soon.
I wish you the best and hang in there. You still got my number? Feel free to call me if you need anything. I think you asked me for it when we met at gary.
Sorry to hear about you clipping a barrel. With me tho, I am not going to leave my lane. If I seen a kid or something I would, but by swerving you can actually cause and accident and be charged with it. I try to leave myself an out and if you are in a sideswipe lock down your vorad. It will lock in all data around you.

 

I got your number in Gary , I am getting a grip on the system, one is, be loaded so the delivery can be made on Monday...can't make money picking up on Monday ... even if i pick up a 1100 mile run from laurinberg it will probably tap me at about 1800 miles...for the week...as far as swerving, i made a calculated move over...i didnt swerve, remained calm, made a decision, rightly or wrongly, I didnt feel like getting hit at 60 mph...my life is important to me...even if Maverick doesn't think so...I still believe the decision was right...and i got penalized for it...makes me wonder if I made the right choice in Maverick...I won't let this incident be the decision maker...but i believe i should have some say in it...fleet mamager says safety has their rules , thats fine...said all I had was my word about the accident, well, if my word isn't good enough, why have me as an employee, but some things are an exception...feels like maybe they want me to have bad marks right off the bat... and thats very unfair to a new driver.

 

The only thing they or any other company would say is if it was a calculated move why did you hit something? Not coming down on you, but one thing that helps is to expect the unexpected and have a plan for it. That comes with one getting seasoned out here. Now how does one get seasoned? By hitting stuff and learning from it. Seriously though, when you are new to trucking there is a lot going on around you. You have a lot on your mind and after you been doing it awhile. You will train yourself to look for the unexpected and will have a little more grasp on how much room you need or take.
A seasoned driver in a split second can have something happen and be involved in a accident or incident as well. Not long ago there was a driver killled from another co in a accident. He was the spokeperson for truck safety and had a lot of miles under him. It can happen to any of us. Just try to take your time and be carefull. Don't let this incident worry you into another one. Just keep on and do your best. Good luck and take care.

 

that's kinda like the "do i swerve for a deer" thing.
if you swerve to miss a deer and run off the road, you have NO EVIDENCE that it was a deer. if you "truck" a deer... well ya got evidence

 

Mav has a clear cut policy on deer "HIT IT"