Which of the megas have reasonably short training periods?

Wow. Makes me glad I stopped training back in 03. Shortest time I kept a trainee on the truck was 8 weeks, up to 12. I don't understand these short training schedules companies have any longer.

 

I use to be a trainer, and let me say, lot of people coming in think it's the easiest job because well, it's just driving right? Well mr. Do you know how to fine kingpin setting for cali or illinois? If you get stop by d.o.t, which u would because it's obvious, do u have thousands of dollar laying around to pay the fine? Yes, u, the driver pays btw.

Do you know the tricks and tips about hos or the job in general? Do u know how to move tandem with a broken handle? Do you know how to move ur 5th wheel? I much psi does your steer need to be? Do u have to drain your fuel water separator every day? If my bumper is bent, how much can it legally be bent? Does my tractor or trailer require 4 inch of reflector tape?

These question, they usually don't teach you in basic school or orientation. Your trainer should.

Now, to answer your question. Schnieder wad 1 week classroom, 1 week in a daycab with trainer, 1 week classroom again. Of course daycab trainer was just by luck. And it was intermodal.

 

for the sake of you and the rest of us who share the road with you please go to a company that trains you right and suck whatever time is needed for you to get the proper training before you go solo.

 

Trucking in general has schedules that are odd and less than pleasant. Sorry, but you left the door wide open! Remember, even with HOS rules and e-logs, "solar-powered trucks" (easy daylight schedules) are not practical. If you drive OTR, there will be no such thing as a pleasant schedule. That said...

I understand where you are coming from, but I wonder: is it the total length of training, or the amount you will spend with a trainer at any given stretch that bothers you? If you go with a smaller company, or a "mega" with regional runs where drivers are home on the weekends, you will only be going out for 5(ish) days at a time. That's what I did. The total training period was 6 weeks, but it was broken up by weekends at home, which helped. Also, I was with a real nice dude who kept his truck clean. It isn't a universally bad experience as all the horror stories would suggest. And I learned more in that period than I would've learned in a few years on my own.

After you get a couple years of experience, I would suggest going into local LTL P&D work. Then you get your daytime, pleasant schedule.

 

This is going to be the difficult part. One of the problems with the megas that I've heard is that the trainer is incentivized to get that truck running as a team truck as soon as possible if he wants to make the big bucks. It would be easy enough to drop you at a hotel, but I doubt many trainers would want to deal with a minor extra hassle like that.

I for one, slept really well in a rolling truck. Or if we weren't moving, I was so exhausted by the shock of working around the clock that I learned how to fall asleep really quickly.

The megas aren't the only way to go, but most companies who take students fresh out of school are going to want to have you do additional on-the-job training.

If you are a vampire, this job is for you! And yes, I am a funky homosapien. Good luck!

 

Personally, it is the inconvenience of having someone else in the truck to consider. I am at an age where it is not uncommon to get up for a slash during the night. Just the thought of possibly waking someone up climbing in and out of the bunk/truck at 2-3 am is off-putting.

 

I know I'm going to get flogged for saying this but Steven's of all places might be a good fit living in Albuquerque. Now before everyone jumps in screaming, think about this. He could be home quite frequently running repowers in and out of cali if they don't catch him before kingman.