New to OTR and I sort of hate it

The problem is your training time is way too long. Some companies the training is only a few days, but Prime and others drag it out for months, then wonder why people quit in droves. Two weeks max, is more than enough training time. Driving trucks is simple but some trainers and companies compare it to learning to fly a space ship to Mars. You become a good driver after you dump the trainer and drive solo.

 

Please do yourself a favor and call Prime to request a new trainer. I went through a similar thing when I first started out, didn't have a trainer that could teach backing (he just said turn left, turn right, turn left, hold it straight..doesn't help you learn.) Trust me you do not want to go out on your own and not know how to back. How much longer is your training?

Edit: Is Prime one of those companies that sends you out as a team and calls it training?

 

Get your experience with prime and then move on to another company that gets you home weekends. In the meantime just stick it out until you're on your own. Having the truck to yourself is a whole other world. This life in and of itself is not for everybody but teaming will really sour you unless you are lucky enough to be paired with someone you click with.

 

I liked my trainer, still talk to him 3 years later but being on a truck with someone besides my spouse sucks.

I still don't like being on the road but if I were single like you, I'd plan my restart and go out every weekend and mingle with the locals.

It'll get better, once you're on your own.

Backing takes time. Some days I put it in the hole no pull ups sometimes I look like a rookie. Either way doesn't bother me because I refuse to hit anyone.

There's no rule saying you can't apply to local jobs now, you probably won't get to many call
backs but you won't get any if you don't apply.

 

The living conditions get a lot better when you get your own truck. Hang in there.

The trick to OTR is to mentally consider the truck your home. Put anything you need in there to make yourself happy. TV, Xbox, microwave, memory foam mattress, whatever.

After that, consider going home, vacation time. Go party.

 

The way to learn backing is to:
a) Know how to get a good setup (crucial, especially when it's a tight space)
b) Understand how the trailer reacts when you turn the wheel a certain way.

If the trainer is basically turning the wheel himself by telling you how to do it in real-time, you aren't learning anything.

Finish your training, get some experience under your belt, and move on to greener pastures. Just don't hit anything in the process. OTR wasn't for me, personally.

 

Depends on the trainee. Some pick it up fast, some don't, some never do. But if you haven't figured it out in a month, you got problems. Might want to consider another line of work.

I tell trainees they're going to learn everything the first three months by themselves. And you're really going to miss me ten minutes after I'm gone