Hello I am Tierael, I am new to all of this obviously. I have been on the forums here for several weeks doing research into just about everything related to trucking I can. Thanks to all of you my Fiance and I have chosen to go with CFI. I am creating this thread here to illustrate our journey through the training process until we are both upgraded into our own truck. After which I will mostly post in the What's Your 20 Topic.
So for some background, we have had a rough time of it the last several years ever since we met. Financially things just haven't gone our way and we ended up here in eastern Virginia after a recent eviction in our home state of northern Indiana. Can't say we really miss the place, we never wanted to be trapped there anyway. We were lucky my grandparents owned a bit of land here and are nice enough to allow us to stay at their property on this mountain. So how did we come to trucking as the answer? Well local work around here is really sparse and both of my Grandparents were truckers for a long time, my grandfather is still at it in fact. So I did my research and figured this was a good line of work to get us off this mountain and hopefully climb out of debt eventually.
I know the journey ahead will be incredibly difficult and I have a good idea of what we are getting into. We both agreed on this course of action and we choose CFI thanks to the recommendations of those that frequent this forum. Since we are new to the industry we wanted top-notch training and CFI seems like it will provide that. I really like that they run newbies and trainers as a solo outfit as compared to the rest of the industry. Plus we really don't have the means to afford schooling/training on our own so a company sponsored thing was our best bet.
So right now, we have our 2-Year DOT Medical Cards, and we are preparing to take our CLP test this coming Monday. After which we will contact the recruiter again. It was touch and go there for a bit as I didn't have us apply early enough it seems. Our work history kind of sucks due to the lack stability and we really want to be somewhere we can work at for awhile especially considering I'm about to be 30 and she's 26 so getting a solid retirement built up is at the front of my mind. Anyway luckily despite my fiance's work history we just received a call today and were both accepted. We've already been studying but we felt we were in limbo waiting for that call because we had our hearts set on this company. Now that it is out of the way, I am going to help my Fiance finish her studies and we will both be hitting the practice tests hard in preparation for Monday.
A Couple's Journey With CFI
Discussion in 'CFI' started by Tierael, Apr 19, 2019.
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paul_4lp, Cerberus XVI, austinmike and 1 other person Thank this.
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Good luck.
You'll find plenty of help and support here as long as you're receptive to advice from those of us that have seen about everything there is to see.
How long will you have to be separated from your fiance while you're each in a trainers truck and can then team up together ?
Can she request a female trainer?
If not, can she get off that truck if she's not comfortable for some reason? (Hygiene.. smoking.. getting advancements made toward her.. unsafe practices) IT HAPPENS.
Check these things out BEFORE you ink the line.
You'll be ok.. you're a dude.
(I'm assuming I have the genders in the correct order, or sequence.. no judgements or offense intended.)
Protect her well being.austinmike and Tierael Thank this. -
From what I gathered based on my research, CFI does 7,500-10,000 miles with their finishers-trainees. So about 3-4 weeks I gather. This is something we have both discussed, and we are already prepared for. We really hate being apart for more than an hour, but we've been preparing for that as a means to an end in regards to our training. That is why we will make a good team I think, we have worked together at other jobs in the past, and we compliment each other well, and truly enjoy spending every waking minute together.
Last edited: Apr 19, 2019
Reason for edit: COMMASaustinmike and jammer910Z Thank this. -
Awesome. You're a step ahead of most. Best to you both
BE CAREFUL !Tierael Thanks this. -
take a look at this thread: CFI Driver's What's Your 20? (2017 edition)
@RoadRooster may be able to answer some of those questions. seems like i remember a fresh husband/wife team talking on there recently. -
Last edited: Apr 19, 2019
Reason for edit: Repliespaul_4lp, austinmike and jammer910Z Thank this. -
Welcome you two! I want to share something with you. Its personal, so I don't usually talk about this stuff but since you mentioned financial issues and debt, I decided to share in an open forum and hopefully it will help you and others.
Long story short, I left my marriage a couple of years ago. No dependent kids so I was footloose. Wife got the houses, cars, and most of the cash, I got $5000 bucks, clothes, and sports equipment. Nowhere to live, no car, no biggie.
My stuff went into storage. I visit it now and then. I travel for 6 to 8 weeks. When I go home, I stay in an "extended stay" place. Has a kitchen, I only cook breakfast and maybe a few lunches when I go home for 8 or 10 days. I rent a car. They pick me up and drop me off at the truck stop where I park. I spend about 65 a day for hotel, 25 for the car. Paid off my student loans, and now have over 35 k in the bank. Savings should go faster since student loans are gone, wages are going up, and I'm focusing more on not eating out while on the road. I expect it to be $50k by the end of the year.
Don't know what your debts are, but look up a guy named Dave Ramsey. If your debts are 100k, they should be gone in a year. The Ramsey plan will show you how to get rid of your debts, and it will guide you in building wealth. Dave is an Evangelist, but his systems work regardless of your beliefs.
Get rid of the cars, you can rent one when you need it. If you owe on it or them, bank roll the payoff. as soon as you have it, sell the cars. Even a paid for car costs you money while you are on the road. It ain't worth it. No credit cards, debit only. Car rental companies make it a little painful ( less convenient) for debit users, but figure out what the requirements are, and when you can meet the requirement of a debit card, then you can go home for a few days. Work with your creditors, don't hide from them.
Get driving as soon as you can. You should be through school and finisher training in about two months, get busy, no excuses, no stalling. Once you are rolling, this will all make sense.
Your bad situation is not your legacy! Your recovery is your legacy. Read that one again, its one of the most brilliant things I've ever said.
You are picking a career that enables you to turn everything around.
Stay focused on your driving, focused on the financials, and stay safe.Teacher2Trucker, CMBreen, Dreazz75 and 9 others Thank this. -
Much of our stuff is in storage at the moment due to all of the moving around we've had to do the last few years. Her car was repossessed just a month ago, and that weakened her spirits to say the least. My car is all we have left, but luckily we don't owe too much more on it. I will be sure to look into that guy though with my Fiance, so thank you for that lead. I am not sure where we are at the moment with our debt at the moment, unfortunately. Before we moved we were on track to start climbing out of debt, but we slipped due to circumstances. We will have to go over our finances together again soon to get an idea of where we are at.
I have heard a lot about the rental car thing, however I wasn't sure how economical that would be especially considering how far we live away from civilization at the moment. Though we don't care for it much here on the mountain, and would like to relocate eventually. I think that was the other advantage with us as we really have nothing tying us down anywhere in particular. To be honest, it kind of sucks being so nomadic, and having no where to set down roots. It definitely feels like our plans have been set back by this misfortunes, of both our doing and external forces. The idea of living out of a truck on the road for a bit doesn't bother us, especially because of what it can mean for our future.
I definitely appreciate the background and the financial advice and I will definitely talk it over with my fiance. I have seen a few uplifting tales of trucking being what turns people's lives around in one way or another, so I really hope that we both can make it true for us as well. We are both hoping to start as soon as possible and we look forward to seeing you, and the other drivers of CFI out there on the open road someday. Good saying though, I'll make sure to write that down somewhere, very inspiring stuff!
So far the CLP/CDL material hasn't been too difficult for me, but I am finding the Hazardous Materials Section a little bit difficult to absorb. I believe CFI gives us 120 days to obtain the endorsement though so I think we will have plenty of time to go over the material, get the money for the background check, and finally test for the endorsement before the end of that period. We are throwing everything we have into this!austinmike Thanks this. -
RoadRooster,
I do not want to hijack this thread as I wish both of them great success and happiness in this career of choice. It did me very well for 44 years. I just wanted to pass along my heartfelt thnak you to you for a very well written response to their situation.
You are always so enlightening to read at any time with your humor and down to the point responses to everyone who converses with you. But on this occasion your opened your personal life and experiences for everyone to see and I feel helped this couple beyond anything you could have imagined.
My continued following of your adventures has been greatly increased because of your compassion for reaching out to Tierael and showing him that CFI is a great choice. With a little devotion to training they will soon be teaming for a great company and on the road to success. My hat is off to you RoadRooster. You are a great asset to CFI.Gambosa, paul_4lp, crazyrob79 and 4 others Thank this. -
Tearael, what school location are they sending you to?
Best of luck!!Tierael and RoadRooster Thank this.
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