Question Regarding Switching Company

Hello, I just recently finished company paid driving school and after being home for almost 2 weeks my company finally send me out on a greyhound to meet with my mentor in Ohio. Now I'm almost a week here at a hotel waiting for the mentor to pick me up and I'm slowly getting fed up with how unorganized my company seems to be and seriously thinking about switching to a different company. But another driver told me that it would take 30 days before another company could hire me because of my company not releasing required documents (something with DAC report) Is that true and I should better suck it up and wait however long it takes or is that just talk?

Many people here had difficult starts in the industry. Just know that the whole nut roll called training is a short lived experience. Just relax and embrace the suck. It is a finite amount of time. It will pass in due time. Just keep your eye on the prize. Finishing training and getting your own truck.

Maybe the trainer is on much needed home time or had some load plans change. It happens. The company did after all, make travel arrangements for you to be there and are paying for your room.

I hate to say this, but this isn't all about you. The company has freight and customers to take care of and that's the first priority. Secondly, the trainer is a person with real needs and life situations, who VOLUNTEERS, to allow a new driver in their truck for training. This company is DOING YOU A FAVOR by assisting you in obtaining your CDL and willing to accept the risk of training a brand new inexperienced driver. You at the very least owe them the consideration to complete your company training and fulfill your contract.

Be patient and keep in contact with your trainer and training coordinator.

What explanation have they given you for the delay? Freight comes first, then your mentor might be on hometime. You gotta learn very quickly to roll with the punches. Plans sometime change on a minute by minute basis and you have to be ready to adapt. If you don't know a reason, I would ask why you haven't been keeping daily contact with your training dispatcher. Finally, if your at a mega carrier, they're all the same. You would probably end up waiting for a mentor somewhere else. Keep pressure on your dispatcher. "The squeaky wheel gets the grease."

I wouldn't have a problem with the trainer being on home time or so but I don't get any information.... My student liaison said first he would be here Monday, then Wednesday.... My mentor was supposed to call me on Monday when he got loaded and nothing.... And I'm not the only student that has this experience And yes I'm grateful for the training and so on but that doesn't help me with paying bills, getting insurance and so on.

See if they will pay you while you are waiting for your trainer. Some companies will. Like everyone said, that's trucking. Hurry up and wait. All kinds of things can happen on the road to delay us. Shipper/receivers who take forever, traffic, truck breakdowns, load switches, hours of service, etc. There are places in the country with little or no cell signal. He may be driving hard and not have a hands free way to make a call. There is so much you don't know. Just relax and be patient. Another company will not get you paid any sooner. Keep in touch with your training department. You said you are not the only one this is happening to. That should make you feel better. At most companies, trainers are in short supply.

As you do this thing called trucking, you will encounter other delays like this. For example, waiting while your truck is in the shop, waiting for someone to meet you for a relay, sitting traffic for what seems like hours, weather, and so much more. Sometimes the best trip plan blows up in your face by forces out of your control. Before you know it you will be out there making money. Heck, my first check what a whopping $69. My most recent check is over $2000 gross. It will happen for you. Keep your eye on the prize.

I guess the thing that ticks me off is that other students from my school who graduated after me and are with the same company and live where I'm from got already picked up at their home and I agreed to get on a 40hr greyhound ride to get picked up sooner is still waiting....if I would have waited at home I could've made at least some money while waiting

I understand completely. Welcome to trucking. This will soon be in the past and you will have brand new frustrations. Good luck.

That first little bit from when you make the phone call to a company until you climb into your first truck are some of the most mind numbingly terrible times there is in this job, but the good thing is that it isn't forever. You're going through that so you can make great money in an exciting career while seeing more of this country in a year than most people see in their entire life. The few weeks or a couple months you spend in the torture that's school and training is SO worth it!

Then of course there's the financial repercussions... you stated it was a "company paid driving school." If you walk out now, you're going to have to pay them for the tuition up 'til this point, and I guarantee you it won't be a cheap bill.