Please Help!!!

Thanks to all of you with your help. I appreciate it. I now have a few options available to me and I will explore them all. I do know this...I have a great desire to be an OTR truck driver. Once I get my foot in the door I will do what is necessary to get the experience to eventually get on with a good company. I am going to continue to monitor this site and look for the best companies. But I know that whether I go with Swift, Schneider, or even CR England. I will tolerate the madness long enough to get what I want and then move on to a better company. I've tolerated quite a lot more than I am sure that they are capable of dishing out. I just want out of the normal rat race. I intend to be out as long as possible, as I have no significant other, or kids so hometime is unimportant to me.

 

Well I've I'm giving up my apartment anyways. Plus I have over $5K saved for the just in case. I always have a place to go in the event something happens. I have open doors in California, Georgia, Illinois, Alabama, Maryland, DC, Texas, and Indiana. If I need a place to stay it's not a problem. I've worked in the various industries long enough to learn how a lot of these companies work. Like I said before, it's not about the money. I have more than enough saved to take care of myself. I spend 99.9% of my time alone now, so what's the difference? Whether I work for CR England or Marten. I just want to work. Now I also learn from the various industries that I have worked in that treatment of people does go 2 ways. I'm just speaking from experience. I currently work in the transportation industry. I work for a barge line in the boat maintenance department. And I know that the crew on the boats want a lot, but when a crewmemeber calls and has an attitude do you think we are more or less likely to help that crew memeber? Now the worst CR England can do is fire me, or leave me stranded or sitting. Either way I have an out. I'm intelligent enough to know how to hire an attorney if they get too big for their britches and start something they can't finish. Just because I'm a wannabe don't count me out as ignorant, or plain old dumb. The bottom line is that no matter what anyone says, CR England must be doing something right if they are still in business. I understand fully all of the horror stories, and they are duly noted, but as I said before I am just looking to get my foot in the door. Believe me, I am no one's fool ever. So please don't get that confused. 6 years working for a law firm taught me lots and I still have plenty of connections with various attorneys that would love to dig into a corrupt corporation. What I want/dream of is life on the road driving a big rig. For the time being if it's for CR England or Swift then I will do it with a smile on my face and if I sit 7 days I will do it willingly and without gripe. Because at the end of the day I am doing something that I want to do and I think I'd enjoy doing. No amount of pressure or persistance to do anything illegal by them would make me do so. I know the saying of document everything and I know how to use it. I know what to accept and what not to accept, and if they test me they will find out the hard way that I'm not the average employee they can push around. I've done it before with success and I do have the ability to do it again. So no, unfortunately like some of the people on this forum I will not be taken for a ride...I will do my job willingly but if they test me they will see an educated, intelligent person who knows as much, if not more about the laws of this great nation and will teach them a thing or 2 about the treatment of their employees. So, yes I'm a WANNABE, but NO, I'm not a fool!!!

 

And furthermore aftershock, I've seen your other posts. You are a negative person. Swift, Schneider, CR England, JB Hunt, Werner, and all of the rest have to be doing something good if they are still in business. These companies have huge profits. And then you go and want to "tell the truth" to newbies or wannabe's. There are some people that know how to function in society without always thinking they are owed half of the benefits of the company they work for. If you go to work with a smile on your face, say please and thank you, and have an open mind you can accomplish anything. See that's going to be the difference between me and many of the negative people that do nothing but down every company they can. For once maybe some of you should stop and think about someone else other than yourself. What gives you the right to think that you can go around and dash people's dreams? Just because all of them other folks have had bad experiences does NOT mean that mine will be the same. This forum seems to be more determined at downing a company rather than trying to find the good things about them. SWIFT- 2 billion in profits. I don't care what anybody says, that's a company I'd love to be with because they know how to run a business. Either get on board or go with another company and stop complaining. If you guys are so unhappy with all of these companies then put your money where your mouth is. Get out there, start your own competing company, and see how far that gets you. I asked you people for advice, not your arrogant opinions of how bad a company is. I don't care how bad the company is. They can't put me in jail, they can only fire me, and I'm resilient enough to bounce back. Nobody has broken me yet. The U.S. Marines taught me how to be tough and deal with things I didn't think I could. So compared to the Marines England will be a cakewalk. Maybe you guys should focus on guiding newbies rather than all the negativity. Once upon a time you guys had a dream before you became jaded, bitter, people. Some of us don't want that disease. Some of us just have a deisre to drive. Who it's for should be left up to us. Your opinion is solicited on this site, yes. But on this thread that I started I was not looking for negativity, I made that clear. I stated clearly what I wanted, and thanks to all of the people who responded and gave me helpful advice. But the negativity, and degradation of England, and the insulting of my intelligence I find offensive. Keep that for someone else's thread. I am only looking for people who have advice on how I can get with a company, ANY company. If I wanted a good company I would have stated that. After I get my time in I can look for a better company. Until then, I will take what I can get and deliver service with a smile on my face and a song in my heart.

 

Thank you very much road kill. I really do appreciate your honest and HELPFUL advice. And no I am not being sarcastic, i mean that with all honesty. That is all that I am looking for. I do not know what is wrong with aftershock, maybe that is why he's retired. But can someone please get him off my thread. He seems determined to undercut every single last trucking company out there, even though he's RETIRED as he said. keyword being RETIRED. I guess he's got too much time on his hands considering the number of posts and how he goes back and responds to each and every sentence. LOL!!! Oh well!!

To everyone else that has responded to my questions without all of the negativity, I do thank you all. You have given me the guidance and tools necessary to make an informed decision. That is what this forum is here for. I do personally think that newbies need guidance and advice over all of the negativity. I do believe that not all companies are bad, and even the bad ones have good things about them or else they would not still be in business. I've hired an attorney to clear my suspension which he says we have a good chance of getting done. So I will possibly have better options here in a few months. I do intend to keep everyone posted as far as my experiences go. So maybe my experience will help some other newbies make it through as well.

Again, thanks to everyone who responded with beneficial information, your assistance was very much appreciated.

 

roadkill who do you drive for? I too have kind of downgraded my choice of Mr. P. Their trucks look raggedy.