How to solve an oxymoron?

Some people just aren't cut out for driving (shifting and long vehicle management) and this is nothing to be ashamed or feel bad about. If you can't pick up shifting and turn management, and become somewhat proficient inside of a few weeks, you should probably consider another line of work. Again, this is not to be taken as a knock on you. We all have unique and special God-given talents, and not all are suitable to trucking.

I'm never going to be a physicist because I'm terrible with math and numbers and can't grasp certain concepts. I'm never going to be an artist because I have no artistic or creative senses. But I was driving tractors and trucks and trailers when I was 14. My mom says I "backed out, blindside" when I was born.

 

Like the other poster said, this just may not be your thing.

On the other hand there are over 450,000 trucking companies in the US! Someone will hire you!

 

Hi EOB-How are you?In that direction STexan is right.Not everyone is cut out for this job.However you did pass the CDL test which i figure came with a driving skills test.So you can drive the truck,make corners,back it up,etc.Just not with a manual transmission.

So,my idea is this-Find a company that has automatics.Impress upon them what you can do.Tell them you have a hard time with the manual transmissions.Do the things and say the things it takes to make them want to hire you.I was fired from a job i had for four plus years because of a bad attitude.I tell prospective employers why it happened,what i could have and should have done differently and why that won't happen with them.They agree with me and decide i don't have a bad attitude until i'm pushed in that direction.

So this will be whatever you make it to be.It might not be your first call or try.After enough times someone will give you the chance you are looking for.Then it's up to you to make the best of it.I hope the best for you.Take care.Brian

 

ask "transampete" about his company,I believe they are all auto's. he works for Transam. training on auto's only was a bad idea. not you, but the training company.
check this for equipment,all auto's.
http://www.transamtruck.com/Drivers-And-Students/For-Experienced-Drivers

hiring area.
http://www.transamtruck.com/Drivers-And-Students/Hiring-Area-Map

 

Try a company that has its own school, they will often help you out plus when you drive with trainer they train longer so will give you more time to get better.

 

Maybe not the cheapest way, but what about renting a semi? To practice with. I know I've seen them here and there, though I have no clue how much. Need the trailer to of course.

Another thought is how much have you seen a semi driven by someone that knows what they are doing? Watching you fellow students at school would only show you the beginers way, meaning alot of mistakes. Technically I was better than my 1st paramedic partner, I had trained with all the newest gear and practices BUT in all reality he was much better at handleing patients and quick assesments. He'd been their and done that for 15 yrs. Maybe a company that does team driveing? IDK.

I think I would have been PO'd when I got to school and found out they only use automatics, unless that was in the class synopsis.

I wouldn't stop looking if it's what you really want to do, but also take a self assessment, if you can't manage gears and backing, then it might not be the job for you.

 

Those 2 things alone would have been a red flag on the school to me - not sure how you would even qualify to drive a coach if there was no city driving???

Sounds like you weren't given enough time at either place to even know if you have the skills to wrangle a rig OTR or at a busy docking station with 3" on either side to move. You may want to do a bit more research on schools or one that will give you an assessment first by a long time driver turned instructor - they know if you have it or not and if you don't, they will tell you what you are geared for like a local package delivery company. Moving into the holidays, check with FedEx & UPS for a "trainee" position, you ride with the driver and help out on load/unload and will learn a lot. They get paid pretty well and get to go home every night and can move up in the company to OTR big rigs over time.
Just a thought....

 

This is an outstanding post. I would only add that there are other companies, don't accept what a few have said, keep checking around, like chompi said, there are 450,000 some odd other outfits around, and rarely will they agree on anything, hang in there and don't let it get you down, keep looking.

 

One other note, think back when you were in school, one teacher might try to teach you something, and you just couldn't grasp it, then another teacher taught the same thing and it just fell in to place for you. It might be that you just haven't had the sharpest file in the drawer for an instructor. You will find that in this industry, discouragement can be very easy to come by, it is what you make of it, that will seperate the wheat from the chaff.