My Carolina Cargo Review of Orientation / Training and Driving

That's a nice looking Pete. I'm interested in this thread and look forward to updates. Best of luck to you Truckmovin. It sounds like you got a great trainer and you've got a great attitude. I'm sure you will go far in this industry and make a great career out of it. Like Chinatown always says, trucking has been really good to me and my family and just ignore the haters that try to dissuade you from continuing on in this industry.

 

Wow, 1300 miles your first 2 shifts, teaming..? Good job bud, but man is that reckless. There's no way I'd allow a student, especially on his FIRST SHIFT team drive. You don't understand now maybe, but that is unbelievably stupid.

The fact that you got to California within 48 hours on your first trip is really alarming in terms of "training". Don't let that trainer push you too hard. When you're tired, YOU ####### STOP! You're a trainee! Trainees usually don't realize this, but listen to me. YOUR TRAINER IS NOT YOUR BOSS! Don't do anything illegal. Once again, if you're too tired to drive, don't let him force you. You're the only one that has your back out there, keep an eye on it. I don't mean to rub things in, you're doing your best I'm sure, but that company does not have your back. Don't think they're going to support you when they try to coax you into something your not comfortable with, for your own sake. If there rep is a shadow of what the rumors are, they're going to ask you to do things you shouldn't. They already have if you actually had to get to Cali within 48 hours as your first load.

 

They're on Elogs.

 

Oh, I apologize, that fixes everything...

You seriously have no other comment about that post or the OP's most recent experience? If he had to do 1300 miles his first 2 shifts, ever, what's next..?

 

No other comments; he's doing great! Looks as if he's going to transition into trucking much more smoothly than most. A straight run from North Carolina to California with no drops or pickups in between; he's doing real good.

2391 miles between Rock Hill, SC & Azusa, CA / probably about the same from where they picked up the load in North Carolina. Average the trip at 55 mph and that's 43.75 hrs. driving. That still leaves 4.25 hrs. for fuel/meals/crossing scales. So yes, that's a team that utilized the Elog to their advantage.

I ran teams for about a month or two to help the company with a new customer, hauling acid in tankers.
Nashville, to Seattle, WA is 2392 miles. We would leave Sunday and deliver Tuesday. Total time at the receiver was 1 hour; that's a team hooking up and pumping off and then the BOL signed and headed back to Nashville. That's running Elogs. We were on forced Elogs because the feds caught us running dirty.

It won't go that good every trip, but a good team operation with a company can make some good money for the drivers and the company.

 

That's his first trip dude... His first 2 FULL shifts split by his first time trying to sleep in a moving truck. If you don't say that's dangerous, I can't place much value in your opinions any more.

Honestly, you're giving terrible advice to new drivers lately.

 

Hi Brandson,Chinatown gives encouraging advice.One of the requirements for this company is Available and physically fit for long haul force.This trainee yes did more then most on his first trip but he could have stopped sooner if he wanted to and let his trainer take over.Some of the new drivers are more physically able then others to haul ### during the beginning of their training.But I also say don't over due it to hurry up and get training over with either.

 

He's not complaining; perhaps he slept good. He's a tough guy; not everyone can hack running teams coast-to-coast. His team mate has been doing it for 15 years with Carolina Cargo, so he's a tough guy too. That's not an opinion; it's fact.

 

I'm not gonna argue this, but I don't agree with you. He has no idea what he's doing behind the wheel yet, he needs to be watched first for a few days at least, not a few hours. I mean no offense to the OP, but trainers like this are putting dangers on the road, with full knowledge of what they are doing. He's essentially been handed the keys and driving solo with no training beyond whatever crummy cdl school he went to. Worse actually, he's driving with no training, but spending his rest period in a moving truck, a situation he isn't acclimated to and some never are. There's no proper defense for making a student's first trip a non stop coast to coast run.

OP, you don't even know what to be worried about out here yet, take things slow if you need to. I'm usually one for not babying people, but I want to stress again to not blindly listen to your trainer. I can tell you without a doubt right now that you are his paycheck, not a student.

 

Don't be so quick blaming the trainer,maybe u should go directly to the source,the company.If they don't care about the safety of the trainees and are forced team loads then how can trainers care.I do think the op is working entirely too hard for an embarrassing wage.For 10cpm that's all the work they would get out of me forced or not I will not bust my ###.They would get 6 to 8 hrs out of me a day at most.