To the Wannabe Class of 2010!

As someone who has been in this industry for going on 14 years now, I think the only way a newbie is really going to "make it" is if he is hired before he goes for training by a company that is owned by his dad or Uncle or something. To just decide, "Hey, I'm going to be a truck driver" just doesn't work these days.

 

I graduated October of 09 but, I have to sort a few more things out before I am able to go on the road. I should be driving by the end of March. I feel like I will succeed simply because this is what I want to do. The day I decided I was certain this is going to be my career I started reading and researching everything I could. I am determined to succeed because this is my bread and butter, what I want to do and it will support my family. Not to brag, but while I was in school the instructors told me that I was one of the best students they have had. Thats not to say that I didnt need help, god knows I did. But, I tried and studied everything and gave it my all. So I figure if I try as hard as I did while in school I will be successful.

Also, 4 of my uncles and my grandpa are drivers so when they are on hometime I go and chat with them about the industry and ask all the questions I have.

 

Five Reasons:

1.) Research and planning.
2.) Training.
3.) Support system (solid contacts whithin the industry, family).
4.) No pressure (career change, not need-based).
5.) I want to be successful and will work hard at it.

 

I think ya'll should print this out, then tape it to your refrigerator. Every 30-60 days, when you get home - read again,
should be good for a laugh or two !!!

 

Walter you are spot on.
1. When researching, don't forget to research yourself, Test and check your bood pressure, make sure it isn't too high and you can pass the physical. Run your MVR, if there are DUI's or speeding tickets than re-think, no point in going to school if your muddy MVR will prevent you getting hired.

2. Training is important, not just what school you go to, but what training you get. I know for me, being able to say I was trained for 3 months by a driver with 25 years of experience is better than having to admit I was trained by a driver with 9 months experience.

3. You do need a good support system, and if you don't know anyone in the industry it is good to put in the effort to find and develope a network.

4. This is so important. I don't know how many times we read a post with a driver who is going to go to a bottom feeder because they need to get to work right away. That is the worst way to begin a career. You have to be ale to hold out for a better opportunity. You have to be able to make good choices. Also, you don't want to be so stressed and pressured that you make mistakes and ruin your career.

5. Those who want to succeed and will work hard for it will succeed. I know my hard work is paving the way for me. When I started with a small company, they were giving me a chance and I wasn't going to waste it. I worked hard, went above and beyond, and it worked.

 

I would have to disagree. Even in the beginning it is not a level field. There are to many variables. One's history, age, tickets, accidents, arrests, job history, health, even where one lives could make a difference. You could even have two students from the same school and one might qualify at a certain co and the other not meet the co's criteria or standards. Trucking is like no other job that I know of and the hiring process is nothing like it used to be. You could sign on to a bad co and get your DAC dinged and never find a decent job after that. You might get a bottom feeder co that has trainers who have only been driving 6 months or co's that run training trucks like teams or both.

I mean I know of people on here that started and listed their adventures. There is one that even became a trainer pretty quick off the draw and was fired after that he went to another co and ended up bailing and did not return the truck. He is not driving anymore and I am sure is blackballed for a long time. Would it have been better if he started out with someone else? I don't know, but maybe. There is even another one on here that was big eyed and bushy tailed and not even a year later he is getting yanked around by his co and is thinking of bailing and only has a month left on his contract.

Stuff like that tells me that there is all kind of issues involved right from the get go. How many have posted how excited they were only to get to orientation and you never hear from them again; or maybe they only drove a few months and vanished from the boards?

 

I agree with NoTarps. There is no level playing field in the begining and nor along the way.
For me as a newbie, I tried and continue to give mysef the best chances for success through the choices I make.
I decided to go thru a priviate school as opposed to a company paid school.
I didn't just rush off to the first company that offered me a job, I waited and went where I would get quality training by a trainer with many years of experience.

The way I look at it is my first year or two is about learning, gaining experience and building my resume. I am sure it is of value that I have been trained by very experienced drivers and for a longer period.

I journal or document every thing that I learn and do, from changing the oil, replacing the fuel filters and lines, where I have driven and in what type of weather. All of that is what gives me the edge over other drivers. I know that those who get training and experience from a training company aren't learning about the truck, every inch of it, especially under the hood, like I am. Also, being with a saller company and training with an experienced driver my day is about doing what needs to be done, we don't waste time in the hoopla, company politics and games.
My company doesn't deal with dac and doesn't ding ones dac. If they decide to give you a chance and you take it and work hard it will serve you well. When they hired me right out of school with 0 training or experience it was because they would rather hire someone with 0 training and experience and train them right, than hire someone who has been poorly trained and developed bad habits or a bad attitude.

However, I was able to take that route because I was financially able to put myself thru a private school and to wait for the right opportunity. I had more opportunity because of my MVR, no criminal record, work history and stability, I wasn't a job hopper and have been a home owner for over 10 years. It is easier for company to be willing to trust me with their truck and frieght since I can show I am responsible.

There is no level playing field, I had more opportunities available to me from the start and have been ale t make the choices that give me an edge.

For me, if I did not have all of that to start with, if the only option available was to go thru a bottom feeder and hope for the best than I would not have become a trucker, the chances for success would be stacked against me and I would of figured out what I needed to do before getting into it. Build a better work history, wait for some speeding ticket to drop, improve my credit score to finance school or better save up money for school.

I do believe that determination and hard work will get you far, but, we do not all start at the same place with the same resources. However, there are those who had the same chances and opportunities as I and did not make it, just as there are those who are making it despite the odds being against them.

The way I see it, right now I have my cdl and I am driving a truck and learning, after a few years and some up's and down's if I still have my cdl and am driving a truck I get to call myself a trucker...

 

I am hopeing the fact that I have done this before will give me an edge, granted it has been a long time since i have been on the road and alot has changed. I have kept up with the industry, and am aware of most of the changes. I understand that I have to start at the bottom all over again and am willing to do what I have to do to obtain my goal. Will I make it, only time will tell.