Advice on CDL Training and Employment *Noob*

Did family man say where he lives?

 

Red flag ?

 

Good luck Familyman...if you ever decide to do the food-service industry thing....Home every night, make a decent living, great benefits, just hard physical work. Send me a pm...I did it for 30 years , and retired , still young enough to enjoy it.

 

Look at our current economy. Not many good paying full time jobs exist anymore. Companies are running a lean & mean skeleton staff until the economy shows positive growth. Even if the economy does get better,you think these companies will open up their budgets/payroll ? NO...those days are long long gone! College grads are having a difficult time finding work in their specialized field of study and those with some or no secondary education have to settle for low wage/no benefits waiting tables/call center/c-store type gigs. With that being said, at least at 1st year OTR salary of 35-40k is much better than stocking shelves at Walmart for 8.00/hr. Think about it, Company sponsored CDL schools are willing to hire & pay you for training. I can't think of any other industry that does that.

 

Familyman, glad you are having a good experience out there... just don't be naive. Your recruiter is paid to be nice to you, she is a salesman. Keep up the good spirits and positivity but its also time to turn on the "street smarts"! Don't let people take advantage of you in your new career and surely don't let your kindness get you in trouble. My wife was a lot like you when she first started driving with me and I had to have a talk with her about being so friendly with every stranger she met.

Besides the safety aspect of it, you need to also use some good business judgement when others in the corporate world are being friendly to you. I'm sure that everyone in the lease department will also be your best friend! Truth is you want "good friends" in the shop, dispatch, and payroll! For some reason though its a lot tougher to find a "good friend" in those areas!


Glad to see you are going to start your own thread following your journey as a new driver. I think that its a very good thing for new drivers to document their own individual experience and share with other up and coming drivers. You could really help the next guy who's life is being held up in making a major career decision and whether or not to do it. I think the fact of you having a family at home will be a plus in your experience and give some other guys a glimpse into what it maybe like. Maybe include your days out, your days home and what you are earning.

The school aspect of this is going to be a blast! I really had a lot of fun going through the school. Then once you go with your trainer that should be a lot of fun also. While you are at the terminal and going through school, keep your eyes and ears open for trainers coming and going. Try to talk to as many as you can. If you find one that you think you may "click" with then maybe have them mention to their dispatcher that they want you as a trainee, or vice versa. This will be a big advantage to you instead of just being thrown into a random truck with a random stranger. It makes it a little less stressful. If for any reason though you don't get along with your trainer or you feel they just aren't training you properly then be sure to speak up! This happens quite frequently and really isn't a big deal. Don't jeopardize your career because some idiot trainer wants you to do something illegal or something you don't feel comfortable with! Call dispatch or safety immediately and let them know what is going on. Like I said, its not a big deal and the company realizes not everyone is going to hit it off with the stranger they paired them up with. Also if your trainer is doing something wrong chances are they have done it in the past and this won't be the first time the company has heard about this driver's habits. Make sure you aren't just being used for miles either. You really shouldn't be doing more than 5000 miles a week as a trainee. Always keep in mind that you have a family at home waiting for you and don't do anything that is going to prevent you from seeing them again! I don't care if you only driven for two hours and are tired. If you're tired, your tired! Pull it over, get some rest! Don't let your trainer bully you into doing something you aren't comfortable with! Its going to take sometime for you to get used to driving 11 hours straight and at all odd hours of the day and night.

With all this being said, keep in mind that its going to take a good 3-4 months before you are comfortable with life on the road and all of your day to day happenings. Being comfortable with driving should come sooner than anything else, maybe with the exception of some difficult backing. As far as earning potential, that varies with the individual driver. Some guys are hustlers some aren't. The sooner you can figure out the game the better your earning potential is going to be. Trip planning is going to be your crucial key to your earnings out there. Number one though is going to be your dispatcher! Make sure your relationship with your dispatcher is top notch! Driving for a mega-carrier is going to make this much tougher on you but you need to do things to make you stand out from the other drivers under your dispatcher. At these mega-carriers the dispatchers are responsible for a lot of drivers, sometimes upwards of 100 drivers! If you do a top notch job though and can develop a relationship with your dispatcher then your earning potential will be much greater. You want them to know your name and know that they can call upon you to get a job done no matter what and on time! Never, ever tell them "NO" and never, ever BE LATE! The reason I said before that trip planning is crucial to your success is because you can always keep your dispatcher informed as to what is going on so that they can plan loads for you way ahead of time therefore increasing your earning potential. The ability to do this and also keep your DM informed of your available hours will set you apart from the other "schmucks" they have under them! You make their life easier and they are going to love you for it (and also remember you!)!

Sorry to ramble on man....Keep us all posted.......good luck!