25 years a pro truck driver, won't hire me

GATOR IS FOLLOWING ME..HE REALLY LIKES ME.I LOVE YOU TO GATOR

 

hey guys, just got out of my classroom studies at driving school and the stats are the same as what our instructors told us. and as much as i hate to say it, think about it. it really does make sense.

 

Just my two cents, if you will permit me. I went down and tested for my class A the day I turned 18. I went to work immediatly for a local company driving a dump truck. I quit running in the dirt hoping to work my way into a TT by driving a straight truck hauling local freight. As i started applying to the big OTR companies they all were shocked when I told them that I had NOT gone to any truck driving school and that I was raised in this industry in a large family of truck drivers who had taught me to drive and to back trailers at a very young age.

I was told to go to a school and contact them when I graduated. I've never been a guy that played by the rules... I found a local company that had a fleet of end-dump trailers and contracted with OO's to pull them. I went to work driving for a farmer driving his truck pulling an end-dump trailer. That was how it began... that was years ago.

Up to current, I have been off the road for a few years and ran into the same brick wall as you all have. I was told I didnt have any recent experience and so I couldn't drive their equipment, I couldn't even get into a truck with a trainer.... I was ready to swallow my pride, go in as a rookie driver and let them put me with a trainer. Forget the rules, there are always ways around it. I found a local company that pulls tri-axle belly dumps all winter. When we are finished this spring and the company lays us off I will be able to walk into most any OTR company with 8 months of current TT experience, and 6 of them being winter driving with no losses of any kind and no tickets.

I recommend playing the game, but not by their rules. When I go back OTR I may have to spend a short time with a trainer but so what, I can deal with that. If I didn't want to do it that way, I could find a very small outfit that would recognize my TT experience and my ability to handle a TT on winter roads and go OTR for them. After a few months, maybe a year with them, moving into a truck with a large carrier would be a breeze.

All of this driving experience and not one day in a classroom.

 

Did you try TMC they are their own insurance company you might have to go to TMC training 3-6 weeks depending on how they look at your experience.

 

A person can get back in, but you have to know, or be lucky, where you look. I have never been to driving school, been off the road for over eight years, and not sat behind the wheel of a truck for over 1.5 years.

I just got back from a 5700 mile trip. I was hired by a local company that runs coast to coast and some in between. My years of experience, driving record, and the couple of entries that were on my DAC got me the job. The few entries I had all said I was rehireable with an interview.

It can be done, you just have to look small family business.

Oh, guess what. The interstates were still there, as were the truck stops. Some of the old ones were gone, and new ones had taken their place. I was even able to find the right pump that had USLD and use the Comdata card with out help. How did I manage this without paying a school.

The Quallcomm still worked like it used to, and shippers and receivers are still where you load and unload. Even numbered roads still run east and west, odd numbered roads still run north and south.

I can't believe I was able to navigate the road without returning to school with things being soooo different now, yea, right.

I was lucky, as I was the last driver they plan to hire unless several quit. Things may slow enough that they let me go since I was last hired, I don't know. But, I did find a job in an industry that tries to kick you every chance they can.

 

Interesting reading, my problem is I got all sorts of current experience.
I have a perfect safety record, never had a moving violation in a big
truck, driven just about everything on the road, but worked with some
companies I hated, never got home, and basically had a bad attitude, I
treated companys the same way they treated me (ouch) Now Im up in
Prince George and noone will touch me because of bad references. Dont
want to mention truck company names but if I mentioned them to you
guys I'm sure you would understand why I was upset. Looks like now I
will just have to get out of trucking, I dont wanna cross the border
anymore and without referances all the jobs I would be actually happy
with and do a good job for are not interested. I dont know whats worse,
people not wanting to hire you because of time off the road or people
not wanting to hire you cause some previous company says your the
anti-christ. And they wonder why there is a shortage of truckers in
Canada.

 

Is there really a shortage in Canada? Why would you think that?

 

Actually, let me rephrase that, no shortage of drivers in Canada, just a
shortage of ppl willing to do the job for the hours and pay that are
offered.

 

i would be willing to do slave work as long as they hired a noob