Comments By Vicki M.

Fears time again: Because I research, because you kind folks know--and I don't.

My questions surrounding company school isn't that I want to skip town after 3 months to go be a "free agent". And again--I may well go to company school. There are solid reasons for it. Just trying to address all those fears I have.

I'd be happy to sign a contract with an employer to stay with them for a year or more, their school or not.

I'm afraid I'm going to FLUNK and they will throw me OUT. It goes without saying, a good attitude and a great work ethic is essential. I plan on giving 110%. The fear is, what if I'm too dense? What if I cannot learn fast enough and they throw me out?

Let's say this does happen. Company X throws me out, because I'm too slow a learner. Let's also say I was pleasant, with a good work ethic and a good attitude, and had done nothing wrong. I was just SLOW to learn.

I'm on the greyhound / airplane / whatever back home. Now what? Can I just call up one of the other companies I pre-applied with? Am I OUT of the industry?

Sorry for harping, I just really need to know.

My big fat fear is, first I will flunk the theory (MUCH smaller fear thanks to Brett and the High Road Training), and that I will suck so bad at backing & cornering in heavy traffic that they will get rid of me.

I KNOW I can learn. From what I've read they also need you to learn (and get it) within their timeframe.

Can I just call up the next company then? Say company X sent me home because after two weeks I still suck at backing a 70-foot trailer? Or am I OUT?

One more while I'm at it--and I am thankful I have you to help me answer all these stupid questions and get GOOD information so I can put them to rest.

What if I pay the company for their training lump-sum. I am able to do that. Is that a good idea? In theory at least--it puts me equal (in some ways) to a person who went to private school, in that the school contract is paid. In a way, I'd cost less--because they wouldn't be retraining anything the private school did that they didn't like.

Would that put me equal--so that they'd can me if I hit something?

Again--my two fears; 1) I learn too slow. 2) I've had nightmares about backing 70ft trailers into tight holes since I rode shotgun in a semi on a regular basis in my teens. I KNOW the only cure is practice. I'm afraid they'll want me perfect too soon.

I need to know that if I dump the idea of the school that will let me back trailers into tight holes for a year if it takes me that long to learn it, that I won't be thrown head-first out of the industry for not keeping up with the program.

So now you know what I've been hiding. I'm terrified of backing into tight holes. Terrified I'll hit something, or worse, while doing it.

I know between all of you, you probably have a 1000 years of experience, so thank you so much for your time, and please hit me with the good info.

Lil'ScaredOfBackingABigTruck.

I could have written this early this year. In fact I probably did :D Just not all in one post lmao I ended up going with Wilson for their training. I think the only reason they would throw someone out of training is not passing their CDLP test. I failed the first time. Yeah. Nothing like pressure. I sucked at backing. I cried during my CDL test because I couldn't back (It's better now, but still not great.) I demolished the corner of a trailer with my first trainer. I went through 3 trainers. And guess what? I've been out here solo since early September. These companies are more forgiving than you'd think. Don't sweat that stuff. They definitely aren't looking for perfection.

My dispatcher just called to inform me that Wilson Logistics has sold all of it's west coast holdings to Ashley Furniture, who is branching into the logistics business. The fleet that hauls Prime reefers will remain Wilson from what I understand. I am not too worried, usually acquisitions like this are business as usual for a while (been through a few in casinos lol). And I have almost 3 months solo and will have 4 by Jan 1 when this takes effect. So I only need to make it a few months if it sucks lol

If anyone has any info about what kind of company Ashley is to drive for, I'd appreciate the input.

I guess I am the oddball. I talk to my husband once or twice a week. We've been together 10 years...wait...11...married for 8 or 9 of them...maybe. Hell we don't even know our anniversary lol If you need him to call/text more often, tell him. Communicate. That way you can be together for a long time and only talk once a week or so :D

I had to deliver to a federal facility and they searched my truck.

Were you present during the search? And how thorough was it? I mean, did they just looked or unsrewed panels, looked in the fridge, etc.?

I was present. Pretty much he just poked his head in and looked around. The only reason he se my stun gun was because I keep it right next to my bunk

My company has a don't ask don't tell policy on firearms. I also have a CCW from my home state that is portable to almost every Western state. That being said, I choose not to carry on the truck. I do have bear spray, a stun gun and a tire thumper. My big mean attack dog is a 20 lb black pug. I've never felt scared anywhere I have been (even that time I woke up with the cops taking cover in front of my truck lol). As a 54 year old female that drives solo, if anyone should feel the need to carry, then I should...but I don't (I also do Western 11 and don't get to too many scary cities).

I have several concerns with carrying a gun on the truck. First off, I lose more stuff in this sleeper than in my 2400 sq ft house. I might not be able to find it if I needed it! I had to deliver to a federal facility and they searched my truck. The security officer told me to "hide" my stun gun and not to taser anyone :D (It probably helped that I was making him a cup of coffee while he searched lol) If I'd had a gun, it would have probably been taken and held or I'd been denied delivery. It's just not for me at this time.

As of mid April, Wilson only does urine. Might have changed since then, but I doubt it. That being said, I had been prescribed opiate pain meds for years, but just decided to wait the 3 months, even though I had current prescriptions. Better safe than a questionable drug test IMHO

I am looking at trucking school. My needs after training, is a job that offers the following nighttime hours. 11 pm and 11am. Ok with up to 3 days on road, home daily is preferred and in the Las Vegas tri state region. This all being just right out of school…. Am I setting myself up for disappointment? Thanks for your time..

Hi Beverly, fellow Las Vegas resident here, lived there since 1981. So I looked into local jobs before I went OTR. If you can find something LTL, that might be perfect. But many local jobs (such as Brady, food delivery, etc) require you not only to unload, but go into some really tight, near impossible docks. Go downtown sometime and cruise through the alleys and see if you think you can park a truck there...I know people do it, but how I honestly don't know. Also go down to the strip and try to find the receiving areas of the larger resorts. After I saw a few, I knew that local work wasn't for me. Ever probably. One thing you might look into is construction...They have big trucks and seem to work at night mostly. One of my neighbors does it, drives a belly dump with a pup and works nights. I honestly couldn't even tell you where to begin researching, but I'd try Las Vegas Paving as a start. Good luck in your search!

Pics for Anne!!!

This is my truck :) It's like a lot of other trucks. But it's mine for the time being

Passenger area, trying to keep it clear since I'll be picking up my pug next month and that will be her area

My coffee/tea area, or as I like to call it, my kitchen

My bathroom! That camp toilet is the best purchase I made for the truck. It usually has a bag in it, and you buy a powder that gels everything up so it doesn't leak. BEST THING EVER!

The right pillows will make your bunk into a very comfortable lounge area. This is my living room.

And the right foldable desk will make it into a nice office area (or in my case internet play area lol)

Sorry it took me so long girl!

Time for another update!

When your dispatch asked you to retrieve a load from an impound lot, be prepared to wait for emails on company letterhead, comchecks for fees and general bureaucratic BS. Also, the trailer will be in a spot so tight, you can't imagine how they got it there...or how you will get it out. The heavy rescue tow truck was in the way and the guy who drives it wasn't there. Fun times. I had to pull up and 90 the trailer behind me without hitting 2 trailers or the tow truck. Of course EVERYONE who works there had to come watch. I heard one guy say (in Spanish which he didn't know I understand lol) She'll never get it out, girls can't drive. I did a perfect 90, didn't hit anything and poked my head out the window and said "Not bad for a girl!" He was embarrassed lol I need to hire him to come say that to me every time I back!

Got that load delivered and I was told to grab another load at the yard. I get back to the yard and the other driver was disconnected, but still under the trailer. Curtains pulled. Ugh. I called my dispatch and then took a nap (it was barely 6am). Woke up around 9, the guy had moved...grabbed the load, went to scale it out and it was over by 700 lbs. Had to take it back 100ish miles to have it reworked...of course not in the direction that I was going lol It was recyclables, they took a bale off. Took me 2 hours to get my load balanced (but I did learn to slide a 5th wheel, so that was good). Funny thing, I got it all balanced (as much as possible anyway), after 6 trips across the scale, sliding every thing I could slide, barely legal...A trucker watched me do this for the whole time and when I stopped to take a break and eat, he sent his wife over to see if I was having issues and needed help. Nice thought but you watched me struggle with it for 2 hours first!?!?

Got that load delivered, went to our yard and spent 2 hours cleaning out that trailer. 17 bags of trash. 17. And oh joy, I get a local run I have to pick up at 3am. 100 some odd miles away. I go get that load after about 4 hours of sleep and drag it back up to the store it's going to. Well I try. There are no truck routes that I can find. Every road says NO TRUCKS. Or 15 ton weight limit. I got lost. I finally made my way back to a truck stop and called my dispatch for help...his reply was "we send trucks there all the time, you'll just have to find it". I won't lie, I cried, I was sooo tired and frustrated. I called the receiver, they didn't know either. I asked truckers, they didn't know. Finally I just went. After I delivered, a different guy was there and told me how to get out. The road was still marked as local delivery only, but it didn't have a weight limit...but my GPS kept saying it was no trucks anyway. That was a fun day. Took the returns back to the DC, found a rest area, called my dispatch and told them I needed to sleep and slept. The next load went okay...but the one after....

Got my next load delivered at 7am. The load after didn't pick up until 6pm. It was a drop and hook. I was in an area with very limited truck parking. I had 5 1/2 hours on my 14 and 9 1/2 on my 70 and wasn't getting any time back for a day and a half. They wanted me to go 650 miles in that 9 hours... nope. I called my dispatch and he said I DID have time. So I tried to figure it out. Then I just decided to pick up the load and run with it. But of course, now I can't sleep, trying to figure out how I was going to get this load there in my time frame. They wanted it delivered at 730am in 2 days. I called dispatch and asked since I could only drive 9 hours anyway if I could pick up the load in the morning. I explained that I could drive 5 hours, spend 10 hours on the side of the freeway (because it would be midnight in an area with little parking), then drive 4 more, and then park until I got time back...24 hours or so. OR I could rest, be safe to drive and drive my full 9 tomorrow. It didn't matter, the load wouldn't get there when they wanted it delivered anyway unless they repowered it. Dispatch said go ahead and sleep, it's a drop and hook and I'll get the appointment changed. Ok, off to bed I go. When I wake up around 4am, I change to on duty for my pretrip, and a pretty....rude, I guess, message from another dispatch arrives about why I didn't pick up my load, why am I in the sleeper so long, etc... I guess the other dispatch didn't put it in my notes. So I grab the phone and call MY dispatcher. He apologized and said he'd talk to the person who sent it. I sent a very long and pointed message back on the Qualcomm too, just so it would be there for the record. And my dispatcher changed the appointment time so it was all good.

Delivered that load, grabbed a loaded trailer. Realized the mudflaps were torn off and laying on the ground. And one of the tires was showing cords. Wait, 2 tires. No, make that 3! Dragged that trailer to the yard to be repaired. It took them 3 1/2 hours. They wanted this load 750 miles away by Friday morning (this was Wednesday evening by now). Not happening. But I'll get it as close as I can... with my limited recap hours (though by this time I was getting back decent recaps). I drove until about 1 1/2 hours before my time was up and started looking for parking. None to be had. I broke my clock by 12 mins. That was a call with compliance.

Fortunately my dispatch reset the appointment, I am now 30 miles away and on a 40ish hour break. All that and I still don't want to quit!

I was a waitress, then a dealer and a lot boss. 33 years in the casino industry, 22 at my previous job, nice salary, excellent benefits and vacation, the whole package. I quit to become a truck driver. I am happy with my decision thus far.

Getting the CDL was hard for me. I had never driven anything with a trailer, rarely backed my car, had very little mechanical knowledge. I still got it.. I chose to go through a company sponsored program and it has worked out for me. I’ve been solo for a couple months.

The biggest change is lifestyle. I love camping and traveling, but realize it’s like living in a tiny house with no bathroom. Your friends at home will still love you, but cannot comprehend what you do every day. In my case, I have family at home and they don’t comprehend it really either. It’s still been worth it to me.

My main advice is to do A LOT of research on the lifestyle. Watch YouTube. Read blogs. Decide if you really want it. Because if you don’t, it will be the hardest thing you’ve done. All this coming from my few months experience lol