It’s Official - My Truck Driver Training is Over
After months of research, one month of CDL truck driving school, and 4 months of company training, I’m now going out on the open road as a solo company driver. Wow, sometimes I think back and it’s taken forever to get here, while other times I think back and it’s gone by in an instant. My research into becoming a truck driver began nearly one year ago. I like to compare my truck driver training to when I obtained my Bachelors Degree and Private Pilot License. If we break down my training, hour by hour, I’d say truck driving probably took more training than either of those. This has without a doubt been the most mentally challenging thing I’ve ever done. And I’m not afraid to toot my own horn and admit that I’m extremely proud of how far I’ve come. This was hard work, but I’ve finally made it. When I first started driving, I was almost a little embarrassed to say I was a truck driver. I now tell people I’m a truck driver with pride, and I take a lot of pride in what I do. If you bought it, a truck brought it. We sacrifice a lot to keep this economy rolling, and I couldn’t be more proud to be a part of that, especially with how hard I worked to get here.
I’ve already written a bit about what it’s like to be with a company trainer, so I won’t go into much detail here. But I’ve gotta say, I had a fantastic experience with my trainer. I think I was very lucky. Our last trip brought us to the company terminal. I took a defensive driving class called the “Smith System” and did my upgrade driving test. Once I passed that (which was very easy), it was time for me to get all my stuff out of my trainers truck. Believe it or not, I was a little sad to go.
Looking Back On The Start of Training
I remember first meeting my trainer. I was so nervous. Without ever meeting this person before, I’d be spending 4 months of my life in a confined space with this stranger. I had no idea what to expect. In the coming months, we would spend nearly 24 hours a day together. If I was on the phone, he was right next to me listening. If I was sleeping, he was only a few feet away in the drivers seat. If he was sleeping, I couldn’t play my music too loud and anytime I hit the brakes or jerked the steering wheel, I’d wake him up. When people asked me to blow the horn, I couldn’t, or else I’d wake him up. He knew each and every time I slept, ate, took a shower, and even went to the bathroom. There is almost zero privacy when you’re driving a team truck. That was probably the hardest thing to deal with. Even husband and wife teams have a challenging time sharing a truck.
But luckily, our personalities were a perfect match. While I’m from Chicago, IL, he was from smalltown, North Carolina. A typical southerner. But somehow, it just worked between us. He tried his hardest to make me talk with a southern drawl, and I tried my hardest to make him say “Illinois” without pronouncing the “S” at the end of it. We constantly gave each other a hard time, but it never went overboard. We both enjoyed running hard, and that’s exactly what we did. It was an experience I’ll never forget and I had a blast sharing it with him. It’s the close of yet another positive chapter in my life.
CDL Training Isn’t Always A Bed of Roses
However, sharing a truck with somebody is very tough. You see the best and the worst in the person you share a truck with. And there were a few things I really did not like about him. Strangely enough, it was his driving habits that got to me the most. One of my major annoyances out on the road is when trucks tailgate. There is absolutely no excuse for this dangerous behavior, but it was one thing my trainer was very good at doing. It was almost as if he got enjoyment out of tailgating. If we were in heavy traffic, he would do anything possible to avoid having somebody cut in front of us, even if they were coming from an on-ramp and had no choice. Also, when coming down hills, he’d actually ask me to speed so I didn’t have to use the brakes as often (he’s a lease operator and pays for his own brakes). Sometimes his anger would get a little out of control. Not towards me, but towards other drivers on the road. One of his favorite phrases on the road was “yeah, you’re number one in my book buddy” as he flips off whatever vehicle he’s upset with. And if he’d have the chance later on, he’d purposely “block in” or slow down whatever car made him upset. Very unprofessional. He also treated some of our customers in rude ways if he wasn’t treated exactly the way he wanted to be treated. I’m convinced this caused us to sit more than we had to. continue to page 2 –>
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Last 5 posts by TruckerMike
- Truck Driving - Experience and Enjoyment of the Job - November 13th, 2009
- Truck Driver Appreciation Week - November 11th, 2009
- Making it Financially in Truck Driving - October 14th, 2009
- My Recent Trucking Adventures - Quite A Challenge - October 6th, 2009
- My Truck Driving Career - A 6 Month Review - September 21st, 2009
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Yes, training is over and it does bring some sadness because that is what you are used to. It is your comfort zone now. And you have to leave that and start all over with a diffferent comfort zone.
You should toot your own horn as drivers do go thru a lot to get to this point and you need to celebrate this moment! You are now a PROFESSIONAL TRUCK DRIVER!!! Said with pride, not the other way that the public thinks of us.
It will be a whole new experiance for you now being alone and driving without pedal to the metal all the time. You can now use the radio any way you want and listen to anything you want.
Whatever truck you get assigned too, I know it will be in great hands and get the best of care. Congrats Mike on achieving this goal and reaching for more in the new adventures that await you.
TruckerMike –
As a young teenager, you prepared for getting your Amateur Radio License with a purpose of reaching out to others, and for communication adventures in weather watching and storm chasing… While working on getting your Private Pilot’s License in high school you were dedicated, studied hard, and accomplished something that relatively very few in this world can do… Fly airplanes! Then, while college was something that you knew was right for you to succeed at, the post-college office job didn’t bring you the freedom and enjoyment that you hoped for in a career, and you knew that you needed a change.
However, I have never seen you put so much research, planning, and commitment into anything like you have for becoming a “Professional Truck Driver.” The excitement that you have for your new career is what everyone should strive for in his or her life and work. We only live once in this life, so work should be something enjoyable, and bring pride and fulfillment. You may end up driving a truck your entire life, or it may lead to other opportunities that are unforeseen at this time. But, whatever you do in life, I’m content that you’ll bring fulfillment for your life and the lives of those around you.
As you portrayed in your article, many can claim to be a truck driver, but it’s the “Professionalism in truck driving” that you are personally striving for. You have said OTR truck driving is not a job; it’s a life style. Well, it looks like you have prepared yourself and set the appropriate attitude to excel with excellence in life, and to your new profession. Through your example, and other drivers like you, you can bring a new image for OTR truck drivers and represent a new breed for, The Professional Truck Driver.
As you take your SOLO RUN in your very own company truck… my CONGRATULATIONS are with you in a big way. What an adventure that your on!
–TruckerMikeDad–
TruckerMike,
I concur with TruckerMikeDad’s (well said!) entry. I want to thank you for sharing this adventure with us.
-ike
I am thinking of going to trucking school. I have spent a lot of money and time trying other careers, ( pilot, lawenforcement), and in the end i wasted my time and money. I am almost broke , I want to know if i pay for this training that i will have a job . Can someone tell me what the likelihood of getting hired would be???, I mean do some (competent) people get the cdl and then find that they cant get a job?, assuming that i am a competent driver/employee, am i assured a job?, pretty sure?, no chance in hell?, etc… there is a local small school here in vegas, will i be able to find a job after, or do i have to go to a larger company that trains there own.? Of course all the recruiters are saying that there is always work, i just want to here it from a non recruiter.
Every new job you have to pay your dues, I accept this fact. I just want to know bottom line if this is a fairly for sure job with paychecks and benefits, i feel like i am spending my whole life training for jobs that dont pay the bills. I have spent over 65,000 on flight training, only to find out that there is no way in hell of getting hired ANYWHERE. And then i went through pure hell while going to a police academy which didnt net me a job. I dont need to get rich, i just want a job. I am not afraid to work hard, i just want to get paid for my effort. Any info would really be appreciated,
Hey Ron.
If your driving record is decent - for instance, no DUI’s, no reckless driving, no more than 3 tickets in the past 3 years, etc - and your criminal record is clean, and you go to a reputable CDL school, then yes, there are over-the-road jobs available in the industry for sure. It’s hard finding local work straight out of school, though. You’ll most likely have to work over-the-road (meaning home every 2-3 weeks) for about a year before you’ll have much luck finding a local job.
You can get “pre-hired” before you begin schooling, which means you apply at trucking companies and they confirm that you will qualify for employement after you graduate from an approved school. A pre-hire is not always a guarantee that you’ll be hired immediately by that company, but rather an assurance that if they have positions available when you graduate, they will likely hire you. Getting pre-hires before you begin your schooling will go a long way towards easing your mind that the committment to CDL training will be worth the trouble.
We have a great group of articles about choosing the right truck driving school here:
Choosing a truck driving school
Read them all - especially the one by TruckerMike. Also, we have a section for trucking companies that offer CDL training with a lot of information here:
Trucking companies with CDL training
That will give you a lot of information to help get you going in the right direction.
Lastly, look through our Trucker’s forum and ask all the questions you like!
Thanks everyone for the great feedback. Everything has been going great so far and I’m really enjoying being on my own out here.
And Ron, I agree with everything Brett said. There are jobs out here, but you have to do your research and take the right steps. Feel free to email me personally if you’d like any advice.