Approved for truck driving academy. Getting cold feet

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by CK73, Dec 19, 2017.

  1. CK73

    CK73 Medium Load Member

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    Thanks for all of the brutally honest and nice supportive comments, I was looking for both and TTR really delivered.
     
    Last edited: Dec 20, 2017
    Just passing by Thanks this.
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  3. AfterShock

    AfterShock Road Train Member

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    :biggrin_25521: :munky2: HOLD YER FIRE MEN!!
    It ain't the worst decision, all things considered.
    CK73 coulda decided to sign on with the Son's-0-Chester.
    If he had, we mighta had to go rescue 'em. :Police car: :Casualty helicopter :Ambulance car v2:
    That makes sense. (More on that subject a little later.)
    Key word here is "seems".
    Academy?
    Hmmmmm, ---- That does sound better than CDL Mill.:smile:
    Best in the world? :dontknow:
    I 'spose that's possible.:confused1:
    Please keep us posted as to what you find from inside the academy walls. A report from you would be greatly appreciated. Personally, I hope it is all they "seem" to claim it is.
    Even if the academy falls a tad short of what it seems to be, be aware, --- when y'all are dealt a bunch of lemons in life, don't waste time fretting 'bout it. Get busy makin' lemonade. CDL Mill or Academy, y'all will get out of it what'cha put INto it. Don't expect or depend on the school to do all the work, or even most of the work. The student(s) should want to put forth an honest extra effort to absorb as much related information as possible, even before class begins, and after the majority of students rush to be first out of the classroom so they can relax somewhere and get Big trucks outta their mind 'till tomorrow.

    Books contain information. Your instructors contain the experiences that y'all are destined to encounter, and, if they're former over-the-road Big truck truck drivers, they love an audience when they relate the stories about those experiences. All y'all gotta do is listen and learn. Books can't do that. And those students who can't understand why ANYone would arrive early for classes and remain after classes to learn from the experiences of those who've been there, done that, and will gladly tell of their experiences to those interested, --- as many times as necessary. Maybe even more. Those students will be among those who log in here with complaints about the Big truck truckin' industry, lamenting about how ill treated they are.

    My advice?
    Take advantage of those opportunities if they present themselves. And, as an added bonus, that advice comes with a double the amount you paid for said advice, money back guarantee if you feel misled.

    Those who expect a predictable 9 to 5 workday are in for a rude awakening when they finally encounter reality. The more flexible a Big truck truck driver can be when it comes to working hours, the more it improves their ability to be more productive and content, --- confident.

    As has already been mentioned, that demand applies to those Big truck truck drivers who are a cut or two above the average drivers who took the job more out of desperation than desire, who would rather be doing almost ANYthing other than drive Big trucks.
    Play your cards right and that mileage pay could be doubled.
    You remind me of someone who succeeded in climbing the ladder of success and, truth be known, actually enjoyed the overwhelming majority of the trip along the way. As I recall, the driver to whom I make reference is none other than myself.

    Do tell.
     
    CK73 and Gearjammin' Penguin Thank this.
  4. CK73

    CK73 Medium Load Member

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    Hey thanks AfterShock for taking the time. I found maybe three threads from here and there discussing the Corsicana academy specifically over the past few years. That's not very many considering a new class with an average of 10-15 starts every Monday 52 weeks a year. The guys and gals are probably too exhausted from the 11 hour days (well, one hour lunch in there) to take the time. Which is another red flag. Driving 11 hours is one thing, but 10 hours classroom training for an older 40 year old brain? Par for the course I guess, but 8 hours seems more reasonable for classroom training, not sure what the big rush is but it is what it is and most company sponsored programs follow that model.

    I will do my best to start a new thread but cannot make any promises. Dude needs his rest for all of that information to sink in.

    It's funny, but the long hours really never worried me. I've come to realize that maybe the biggest challenge of all is the irregular hours. Shift workers syndrome is a real thing and they say it's like having permanent jet lag. That may end up being the biggest challenge for me with OTR. The younger drivers probably have an advantage there, the brain and body suffer more sleep deprived as we age and it takes longer to recover, so they say. Maybe I can look forward to early dementia and rewatch all of my favorite shows as if it were the first time? Silver linings :p
     
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  5. Ridgeline

    Ridgeline Road Train Member

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    You can, you're an independent contractor.

    I just wonder what your gross was to put your move in context so we could understand it better, the link didn't answer my curiosity of your situation.
     
  6. GreenMonster9669

    GreenMonster9669 Medium Load Member

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    Do you enjoy tent camping? Living out of a truck is a lot like that.

     
    tman78 Thanks this.
  7. WesternPlains

    WesternPlains Road Train Member

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    Even though we love to make Swift our fodder for jokes.
    I have to admit. I saw a training video on youtube. It was from a Swift trainer. The guy was really good.
    With all those twenty thousand plus drivers Swift has. There must be some who are happy.
     
  8. Gearjammin' Penguin

    Gearjammin' Penguin "Ride Fast-Truck Safe"

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    @CK73 This, right here. I cannot second AfterShock enough in this regard.
     
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  9. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    You can flip from day shift to night shift in a minimum of three days, 5 days is best. That is three days OFF. If you are going from day to night, you put yourself onto night awake hours the first three days sleeping by day and you should be somewhat dailed in before your time to get to driving that night route is on.

    Trucking will flip you between night and day time awake times every 30 hours or so. We are not wired to handle that very well. As humans we are supposed to sleep at night. Well, some things do not stop at night. Although they used to long ago.
     
    CK73 Thanks this.
  10. CK73

    CK73 Medium Load Member

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    Sure, I don't mind sharing but keep in mind the pay, even the base fare and mileage, differ by market, as do the bonuses, especially the bonuses. The bonuses come based on demand in the market, so if you actually live in the area where the driving takes place it's wise to work split shifts during "surge" where compensation can double or even triple during peak times and special events. What I'm saying is, the numbers I give you are meaningless unless you live in Fort Worth, Texas.

    I commute about 20 miles to a "Boost zone", so the "split shift" is not possible, plus I mainly deliver food, UberEats is actually making more revenue vs, Uber ride share in many markets now. So again, if you choose to only taxi passengers, aka PAX, YMMV.

    All I can tell you is that I average about $13 an hour including tips and after gas in my market based on 4 weeks of data. I'm working 50-55 hours a week. To try and break it down would be like explaining arms and legs in a pyramid scheme. In North Dallas, the hourly would probably go up closer to 20, if one lived in that area and worked during peak times only. Hope this helps. The site that I linked has specific sub-forums for all of the cities Uber serves. Bottom line, Uber continues to saturate every market with drivers and burns through an average of $3 Billion dollars a year in losses to date mostly due to aggressive recruiting. Uber is the most interesting company in the world right now, the former CEO may be going to jail, they have countless pending lawsuits, most recent being corporate espionage. I want to leave it all behind, Uber is looking at bankruptcy having blown through several billion dollars again in losses this year, it's a crazy story that will make a great book someday.
     
  11. CK73

    CK73 Medium Load Member

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    Sure do, but I'm thinking it's more like living in a small RV, without a restroom or shower. Which I have, but with the restroom and shower. Tell me about lot lizards LOL, are they still a thing?
     
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