got my call from maverick

Welcome to TTR (this forum) and Maverick. I am the wife of a Maverick flatbedder. He has just started his 3rd week as a solo driver.

I cannot give you first hand information other than what my husband's paychecks look like or how long his time with a trainer was or how much home time he gets. However, if you ask me to ask him a question, I can give you the answer as he gives it to me.

 

lumberjaxx,

heres a little advice for you..i just finished the securement class for the flatbed division.......your first days are gonna be long...and the people here are streight forward and honest with you what you can expect....theres homework and road tests...im about to leave with my trainer in the morning....i plan on sticking with him for about 10 weeks....to learn as much as i can before running solo.....we started out with 23 and finished with 12 in our class....its a big commitment......welcome to maverick...and good luck!

 

Maverick is looking at you during that time to see if you are willing to accept instruction and correction on things. They demand that things be done their way and no other. That is important when you are training people how to flatbed. To do this they will put you under some stress and see how you react.

The instructor has a degree in physcology and uses it to create situations to test you. It is suprising how many people can't take it.

The orientation class I was in had a smaller than normal amount of people fall out. But the class in front of me ended up with almost the entire group quitting and going home. They quit simply because they were all new drivers and were being required to come back in the evenings and take map reading classes and that was too much for them.

I seen another who was an experienced driver, in fact he had a "million mile" patch on his jacket from Arrow. But he was so bitter because of what Arrow had done to them that he just wanted to smart off and complain and tell the instructors how he wanted to secure loads. They don't care how you've done it all your life, they demand that you do it their way.

There are also the the ones who always fall out because they've lied on their application, although it seems that Maverick finds most of them before they get there.

But there are quite a few who don't make it through the physical, because Maverick does more than just the DOT required exam.

If your willing to work and take some direction and do things the way they tell you to do them, you'll be fine.

Now, the one thing I didn't care for about Maverick is all the electronics that they have in their trucks. I personally didn't care for all the bells and buzzers and crap and "collision avoidance" radar that would deaccelerate your truck automatically, just not my deal.

Oh by the way, do NOT be late for anything, they will not tolerate it. That will get you out of there quicker than anything.

 

One thing to add to what biggen0__8 wrote, do NOT walk on Maverick's grass - that is another way to go home (I guess that would fall under "taking instruction").

 

There is a pretty detailed thread that I started over 1.5 years ago called heading to little rock....my entire experience is there plus others as well.

 

Don't worry about walking on the grass if somebody says something tell him you're the landscaper.LOL. Don't worry you be fine just remember the old saying the good Lord gave you two ears and two eyes and one mouth. You can learn twice as much looking and listening then you can buy talking.

 

18 in my class. 16 graduated. One left because he didn't like being told he couldn't wear a hat. One was kicked because she did NONE of the homework and was finally called on it after several days. after graduation, one guy didn't bother showing up for his trainer. So, I guess 15 actually.

It's paid training with a limited amount of time. Learn Maverick's way. That's why you're there. The training cannot teach you everything. It's there to give you a strong foundation from which to base decisions on and introduce you to the resources available to you. There's just no time for tomfoolery. Maverick is looking for professionals, not DIYers, complainers, and blamers. How I got through, I don't know, but I'm glad I did.