Stevens Transport aviary

Most people who have never driven a truck OTR are tuned into the 9-5 go home every night scenario and when it comes time to change careers due to bad times or whatever. People are turning to trucking for the first time and don't realize what is needed to do this job. It is not just turning the steering wheel for your 11 hours and then your done. Everybody starts this career thinking they can do it but truthfully it is not for everyone. If you are the kind of person that likes being away from home months at a time and you are a good driver, then I would say this career might be for you. I for one like the open road and enjoy travelling across country. I have a couple friends in trucking as well and they can't stand being away from home.

Take Stevens for example for whom I plan on going with in a couple months. After you get your cdl training and you pass the test to get your license. You will go with a trainer and train on his truck for 5 weeks then come back and get tested at the terminal for what you've learned. (I think I read you can go home during this time, I don't remember) Then you go with another trainer and go out for another 3 weeks. 8 weeks out on the road 24/7. Not 8-4, Not 9-5 or whatever shift you are used to but this is 24 hours a day 7 days a week for 8 weeks (2 months). If you think you can handle that then yes this might be for you otherwise don't waste your money on the training. Now there is more to it than this but I was trying to keep it on the light side. My intentions are not to discourage anyone but I'm also not going to blow smoke up your @#$ either.

 

Wow, what were all the deductions? Just the school payment? That really shocks me, I thought starting out Stevens had pretty good miles. I hate to think that week to week I would be better off making training pay!

 

The miles are pretty good. I was normally getting well over 2000 a week. Its just at $.26 a mile it doesnt add up very quick.

I would have to find my stubs, but they will get you for the school, lodging during school, reimbursement for the small weekly loan ($50? $75?) during school, medical exam, bus ticket and other expenses while you where in school. Then they get you for the normal deductions such as taxes, etc., cash advances, yada, yada, yada. It all adds up quickly. And make sure that you turn in all of your receipts for expenses while you are on the road such as washes, lumpers, tolls, etc. If you lose a receipt you will not be reimbursed. I ate a lumper fee once. Luckily it was only something like $35 or so.

Again, I dont want to be negative or anything but I do want people to know what to expect. I still recommend Stevens school, training and 1 year OTR but in my opinion I think that your nuts if you stay past a year.

 

They key is to stay away from as many deductions as you can... I have not taken an advance, I have not taken a T Check, though they are available, you will pay them back. I leave here owing tuition, lodging and the Physical exam. Of course before I go Solo there will be load locks, A Meat lock and the pulp thermometers, but I can also just pay cash for them and be done with it too. Deductions for school is around $26 a week and for the lodging etc $25.00 a week.

Once again the key is to not come into this blind... Know there are expenses, figure out a way to work around it so you are not indebted to the company. There is the option in your first year of paying off the tuition at only $3600 instead of the $4200... if you leave the company before a year you will owe over $7000... You just have to be smart about it and understand you are not an employee and will not be paid until you graduate the school. Then your training pay is only $350 a week until you hit the Grad Fleet, when you go Solo, then it is cents per mile.

If you do your homework you should be fine. My trainer called me tonight, one of the first questions he asked me was if I had enough money to feed myself. He indicated that a lot of students do not. This I guess this explains why so many people do not make it. They do not understand what all it entails and have not really done their homework.

 

I thank both NASCAR and McQ for the advice. I really think this is something that I would truly enjoy doing. But on a little lighter note, I would love to hear what everyone's favorite thing about this job is, or great places to check out while on the road. Any takers?

 

I feel like I have done a lot of homework. I don't ever want to jump into anything blindly. On top of that you can't ever take the word of someone trying to sell you a product. Honestly it just seemed like out of all the choices, Stevens stood out as the best for me. I am curious about paying off the school in the first year. Thats the first time I have heard that.

 

Let's see if I can remember all the questions...
I get repowered a lot due to my DM. He seems to have it down to a science. He knows where all his fleet is at all times and tries to repower as much as he can within his own fleet. His efforts are to keep people rolling. He was a driver for over 10 years, and hasn't forgotten.

Why do people fall out so often (from this buisness)?
They have no idea what truck driving is all about. There is a fantasy image, developed by Hollywood.
Most people are not willing to work as hard as this job demands.
And there is a poor job of vetting applicants, due to the federal dollars for each person that finishes training.

As for income? I can't remember exactly, but as I recall, my first year with Stevens was either high thirties or low forties. Since then it's always been over 50.

Now for the latest qualcomm update..
I may like this thing afterall. since it didn't record the 158 miles I drove yesterday, it gave me a reset this morning!

 

I don't want to try to explain the convoluted way that the payback actually works, but in a nutshell, you can pay off your tuition at any point in the first year and the total will be $3600 minus any payments you have already made. For example, if you have been paying for 10 weeks at $25 per and decide to pay it off, your total due would be $3600 minus the $250 you had already paid. In other words your payoff would be $3350.

I wish you luck, just remember to come in with a clear mind and ready to learn. They are going to throw an awful lot at you in a short time so absorb as much as you can. Get a Texas CDL guide and Study. The less trips you have to make to DPS to get your written tests done, the more time you will have on the hill getting some wheel time. I passed all 5 written tests on the first try, it still took me 4 trips over there to get it done, mainly due to volume of people there. You will have quite a few in your class that just know it all, and feel they are above a lot of the the things you will learn. The first day I was there a guy sitting behind me in no uncertain terms stated that he didn't need to learn how to read a map because he had a GPS. Stay away from those people. Buddy up with the positive people and those trying to actually succeed at this. You will be able to pick them out by the end of the first few days. Study with them, and apply the practical things and those three weeks will fly by.

There is much more to learn that you think, but in the end, as a favorite singer/songwriter of mine once noted... It Ain't Rocket Surgery!

 

OK. On a lighter note I want to know how my 2 favorite posters got their handles. I know an emulsion is a combination of 2 liquids that don't mix. And TLea, do you love Lea Thompson?

 

mine is quite convoluted... my daughters were into care bares, and gave me the name Tender Love Heart for my care bare name... well when I signed up for this site, I typed faster than the connection speed, and did not verify before I accepted... so TLHeart became TLeaHeart. Just left it.

And monkey I have always liked Lea Thompson as an actress... never thought of that connection.