Where to go?

Once your wife has her CDL she will have to go with a trainer for 6 weeks or there abouts but you may be able to train her depending on the company's policies. Because your wife has no exp you may have to go with a starter company.

 

There ya go.You drive now and by the time wife graduates you can train her.

 

Your training position will likely be temporary.

Your spouse must understand absolutely when she is with you as a trainee in that truck and you as a trainer... what you say must be obeyed and learned without backtalk or sass.

If she cannot or will not accept instruction from you, then I strongly suggest having spouse run with a different trainer. It's very important that she learns. otherwise forget the whole thing.

Gender has nothing to do with my position, If the trainee was a man I would say the exact same thing.

 

Also, as long I remember it. Be good.

It is one thing to train someone, quite another when you discover that trainee (Your spouse or anyone) has a flaw, maybe heights of mountain work looking down Cajon Pass and it's scary to some people. They freeze up. Or something else entirely. Armarillo Tx had construction on 40 west to NM for 64 miles in my year there and east bound required you to be within 7 inches of a drop off pavement that had 3 feet sheer fall into the shoulder foundation gravel bed.

This particular requirement of the spouse to hold our rig 5 inches or so from such a lethal edge while staying about a foot and half from the wall she hates on the left caused her to cry a couple of times. I told her to be a Marine and reach down for the moxie, the terror will be over once we reach Armarillo.

What I should have done was take the #### thing and let her hide in the berth. Every time we went through that particular road I did not sleep and she would cry. No shame at all. It was not good for either one of us. I should have taken the truck for a while. But I did wonder what good would that do? I would never ask someone to do something Im not able to do myself. And for this she had to keep along the edge just so.

The other truckers trapped behind her gave her a hard time on the radio and it's unfortunate. To some people that scenario is nothing at all. Which is why they abused her with words. You can only do so much.

And whatever happens, about once a week. Park that #### thing and go get a good meal somewhere decent. That is what I mean by being good. Gives both of you a chance to remember who you two were rather than get caught up in the constant stress of trainer-trainee cycle of learning something and sometimes that goes badly. It does not have to.

 

Maybe after you choose a company, you can go there before your wife completes school and then be her trainer. This way you learn the company policies and their procedures for training. When your wife graduates, you'll be prepared for whatever the company considers qualifications for training her.
Check these & ask about pet policy because rules change:
Green Transportation in Holland,MI (specialize in west coast turns)
TWT Refrigerated Service - .60 cpm team pay
FFE (Frozen Food Express) has terminal in Chicago.
Titan Transfer - dry van
Abilene Motor Express - read the other day they just started hauling produce from California.
Nick Strimbu Inc. - refrigerated, Teamsters benefits.
Quest Global - teams doing California turns. An office employee there posted they might waive the 3 mos. experience required for the wife, if the husband has experience. Really nice equipment also.
Covenant Transport - dry van & need hazmat endorsement.

 

Freymiller allows both pets and encourages family training (not sure how long you need too be here first) and they run teams. Good miles as well and definitely not a mega starter company.