Hey everybody. I'm sure this has been asked many many times, but I am about to start training in a couple of months at a school in my area. I am going to pay for the class myself so when I leave there, I can pick who I want to work for. My question is, what would be a good starting company to start with? I live in Mississippi and would actually prefer an automatic (but that's only because I have a fear that I'll be going down a hill and not able to get the right gear and what not, but I'm sure everybody has had that kind of worry before they were trained). I've read horror stories from pretty much all the companies on here so of course, I'm a bit confused. Also, what are the chances of me having a female trainer instead of a male one? I get along better with women then I do with guys and I'm worried that once I'm in a truck with the trainer, there would be way too many problems between us to be able to be trained properly.
Don't limit yourself to an automatic. You will limit your companies. By the time you are done schooling and training, you will be able to shift fine. And if you can't, you shouldn't be driving a truck. Don't drive an automatic until AFTER you learn how to drive. As for companies, you will find that everyone has an opinion. Different companies work better for different people. Do all the research that you possibly can now, it will make your life much easier later.
Better imo....more personable....more prone to listen to any problems...not always tho....but as a general rule more driver friendly imo... I wouldnt be so intimidated by downshifting with a stick...really not such a hard thing to do as many new drivers think....Ill take a 13 or 15 speed with a clicker in a heartbeat...I didnt like the 9 speed so much..... Probably not gonna get much of a trainer with a small outfit...male or female...I started local then was thrown the keys to a nice Pete 6mths later and told to load and be in Houston first thing in the am. ...but that was 20 yrs ago too.....lol....but good luck any way you go...
Actually you have it backwards, it's way more scary going down a big mountain in an automatic! You are now relying on computer to decide if it wants to downshift or miss a gear, and they do! Also like the above poster said you will really limit yourself to companies because not very many run automatics these days. Don't worry about your fear of shifting it is pretty much every newbies fear along with backing. After one day on the road with your trainer you will chuckle at this post! Your biggest hurdle out there is going to be the lifestyle itself so this is what you need to think about. It's the number one reason for drivers quitting! Aim for the smaller companies your chances of success will be much greater. Stay away from the mega's ie; Swift, england, werner. Try thinking outside the box and not following the herd. Also keep in mind your school gets paid to send you to the mega's so their suggestions aren't always in your best interest. The companies that don't do a lot of advertising are the ones with lower driver turnover rate. Try some of those. Good luck to you.
FYI,You can manually shift an auto-shift tranny placing it in any gear you want to descend a hill,however you are correct in suggesting the OP learns to drive a standard as it is actually harder to master driving an auto-shift.
Thanks for the replies. I'm sure by the time I am done with the class, I will be able to drive a stick, not to mention after a couple days actually on the road. I plan on staying well away from Werner. Something about them just doesn't feel right from the brochures I've read. How is KLLM to work for? They have a terminal about 10 miles from my house. The lifestyle I'm not too worried about as I actually like being by myself. The school I'm gonna be at wants each student to fill out at least 8 apps for different companies so that's always good. Also, what are the chances of getting a regional job right out? I'd like to stay in the South/South East area if I could. Don't really want to go to New York or California. Wouldn't mind going to Arizona though. (I know, I'm rambling now...) I forgot to add, I got my cdl book from the license dept a couple weeks ago. Should I keep studying it or start class "fresh" so to speak?
Learn as much as you can from that little book before you go to school. It will leave you more time to learn other things while you are there and not be so stressed out. You will find quite a few things written about KLLM in this forum. My husband worked for them right out of school for over 2 years, quit trucking for a year, then called KLLM back up and he is driving again for them. It pays to properly quit a company and not burn your bridges.
Automatics SUCK! Learn the right way and you will enjoy the control of being able to shift when needed. Just a better feel all around.
KLLM has a pretty good rep. on this forum. Their pay scale is pretty good for a newbie. Their Safe stats aren't too bad either. Terminal 10 miles from your home sounds pretty sweet.
KLLM also reimburses tuition (not sure if it needs to be a certified school). $37.50 a week and remainder payout (up to certain amount) at the end of 12 months. Other companies you get like $100/9000 miles and need to stay several years to be fully refunded. Mikeeee
