Son needs advice

Thank you so much for your reply. I will tell him to come on here and post. Thanks to all of you who extended a hand with advice. I really appreciate it!

 

I've been posting a lot on the forum just tryibg to learn what my son will be up against when he gets his CDL
Not knowing anything about trucking this forum has really helped me understand. It's hard to not over-advise but my experience is that motherly advice sometimes falls on deaf ears. If he went to CDL school he might take advice better from them.

But really it sounds like your son needs to do an honest self-evaluation or he won't succeed at any job. Two weeks wait for a trainer sounds like a long time but I'm of the understanding that sometimes it takes awhile for a company, esp in winter, to get an available trainer. Did other new hires have the same wait? And with the military guy, well, sometimes you have to grin and bear it when you're a newbie, providing the guy was actually training.

My best advice is to treat your son as a man and expect him to solve his own work problems. He's had a bad start but he can learn from this. But he has to admit that he is at least partly at fault here before he can move on.

It sure is hard not to want to step in, but we all learned through experience and our sons will, too. Point him to this forum as a fellow trucker, not your son.

 

Great post broodmom....We actually like to help the newer drivers out. Sometimes we are somewhat straight and to the point , and sometimes even on the harsh side if the situation warrants it. DH1644 , want's to help her son...in the only way a Mom knows how to help a child. That is to be honored and commended. But she also needs to understand , that while some of the guys on here (including myself) came -up through the ranks many years ago. We were either taught by family/friends or we were in the military and learned there. There were no schools , mega-carriers , or the like. You went out and made it on your own and with a little back-bone and some luck survived the 1st few years , and went on to a great career driving.

If the OP"s son comes on here and is willing to take advice given to him , we'll be more than eager to give him advice , job leads , Chinatown may even give him names and locations of places that he can give a try. But , he must be willing to listen.

 

If he has a lot of cash he's ALWAYS welcome in my poker game!

But speaking seriously, I'd strongly recommend your son get on this site and research his options. In spite of the bad rap that many of the "mega" carrier "starter" companies have, if Swift or a similar company would hire him then I'd say that would be a good choice. I'm getting back in the industry and have been with Swift going on a year now. In spite of the turnover I've met a significant number of truckers that have 10+ years with the company and that speaks volumes.

Once he's had 1-2 years experience with a company, then the doors will open up for more lucrative positions. During that 1-2 years he can apply to work on a dedicated account for more income and steadier paychecks if that would be attractive.

One thing is that he's young and could basically live in the truck and save money while OTR. After a few year's, if he's inclined, he could purchase a truck outright without going through the torture of a lease purchase program.

 

How old is your son?

 

Tell him to go to this website and apply here.....

http://superservicellc.com


This is a relatively small company that will test him to see what he can do. If he doesn't meet their standards, they will work with him to help him achieve those standards. He'll be given written tests and be sent out with a trainer for however long they see fit. If necessary, they will put him through one of their courses. They pay for the bus ticket to their terminal, his hotel stay and orientation, as well as provide free lunch for everyday or orientation and a meal ticket for dinner. Being a small company, they'll know him by name when he calls, not so much by truck number. If he has any issues on the road, they will take all the time they need to explain things to him and work with him through the issues. If your truck breaks down very much or will take long to fix, they'll get you into another truck. Have him apply with them, then give them a call. They don't have the best reputation in the world with the DOT, but they try. I've been out here a while and haven't been treated nearly as well anywhere else as I am here. The other drivers on here are giving sound advice as well. Have him read the thread and take it all in. If he's truly serious about becoming a professional driver, he'll do it.

Best of luck to you both.

 

He can try Super Service. I drove for them for 3 months and just found a better opportunity. They will of course have him go out with a trainer for 2-3 weeks and then he will be first-seat solo. The pay is decent ... .31 cents a mile, with .22 cents of this taxed ... the other .09 cents NOT TAXED. Depending upon the miles per week, he should average from $450-$700. They aren't very selective and probably don't look at the DAC as much as other companies. Main headquarters are in Grand Rapids Michigan with a terminal in Somerset Kentucky and one in Ellenwood Georgia. Cheers!