Comments By Kerry L.

Awesome updates, Kerry. That's great to know about how they feel about the 'trainer' situation. Two Sides needs to read that, haha!

You missed my other half by about 45 minutes, darnit! He departed at 1615'ish. Aughh! He's going to Campbell's today, so no need to look at Pep, LoL.

Questions ... re: the safety/training videos; Was one of them inclusive of a trainer named Brian? Also . . have you run into Luc (driver?) or Optical/Josh or Jacob(driver?)

Curious! I'm so glad DML is working out for you, man. Now YOU can be their mascot, on TT...firsthand experience. Love it!

Best always;

~ Anne ~

Have not run into Luc, but Jeff told us about him and said that he has been their top driver for like 5 straight months and shows no signs of giving that spot up any time soon.

One week of so called training and they put you on your own?

They have a decent safety record, so something that they are doing is working for them. I will say that the test they require trainees to pass on their practice pad is not easy. Definitely an atypical method of training.

Hey all,

I currently work for a Amazon DSP. It's not technicaly Amazon, but it might as well be. I work on the XL side, driving a box truck. I forget the exact length, but I want to say from nose to end is 40 feet (or so I'm told, I'm not super sure).

We hustle and work really hard, for little pay. I'll be honest with y'all, I make 17.50 an hour. Drivers here for 2 years make 19 an hour. We load our own packages out, pre and post trip inspection, secure our own cargo, etc. We have to be DOT fit to drive the trucks, but we don't have to have a CDL.

I'm seriously thinking about getting my CDL from a local school. My question is, how much different is driving a tractor and trailer then driving a large box truck?

Welcome to TT,

I worked for G&K Services/Cintas for just short of 2 years where I backed 26' box trucks (total length roughly 40'). I went to a CDL school and earned my CDL. I went through a brief training period with a company right out of CDL school. My experience is obviously not extensive, but I have enough exposure to both trucks to be confident in telling you that the differences between operating the two trucks is enormous. In fact, you won't be viewed by any company hiring you just the same as someone coming in who has driven nothing but a passenger vehicle.

Similarities between operating a box truck and combination vehicle:

Use of mirrors in performing maneuvers.

Use of Get Out And Look.

Going slow and being safe.

Differences in operating the two vehicles:

The differences are quite numerous. It would take me a while to identify them and I would probably forget many.

I went into trucking school thinking that my experience backing box trucks would be helpful. The only thing that was helpful is that when I had moments that I struggled in CDL school, I reminded myself that I learned to back box trucks with 0 experience before starting to learn on the job. My suggestion would be to not think that any of the skills are translatable other than using mirrors and getting out to look.

Here are some links to check out on the site:

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Paid CDL Training Programs

Apply For Paid CDL Training

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing A Truck Driving School
• Article Category: Choosing A Truck Driving School
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Truck Driving School"

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
• Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"

Correction:

You will be viewed by any company hiring you just the same as someone coming in who has driven nothing but a passenger vehicle.

Good luck man. I hope Dutch Maid will be a good fit for you. Keep us posted.

It definitely feels like a good fit so far.

You KNOW I'm following, good sir.

Glad it's working out for ya. Extremely excited 4u!

ps: If you see a FAB Express rig tomorrow around or after 4 pm next door (almost!) at Pepperidge Farms, shout a HOWDY to Tom!! Either truck # 1213 or #2010 depending on weight. One's single screw; other's twin!!

~ Anne ~

I forgot to include in my most recent orientation update that we did not get to the DML terminal until around 17:00. I didn't see his truck as we were pulling in.

Im a new CDL-A holder, worked at a mega carrier for about a month. Two weeks classroom then driving around the city for two days with trainer. One week OTR training. I felt I wasn't trained well enough and asked for more training for backing up. They pushed and said experience is all I needed. On my first solo load, I crushed a small tree in a dark parking lot. It was stuck in my tandems. My fault. No cops. No towing. No ticket. RIP little tree. 😞 One guy trained me on backing up for half a day. I told my supervisor I needed a couple of days practice at it. The trainer did teach me one good trick but I still need practice. She then told me I'd take a test. Pretrip, driving, and backing up. I thought, Oh great! They can see where I am and then I can practice on improving. Nope. The test was to see if they should fire me and needed documentation for their reasoning. Thought it was odd the instructor said he was not allowed to instruct me at all. Now I am fired for "Unsafe Driving Practices." It's fair enough to fire me for not being cost effective, since they churn out about 50 new drivers a week. But don't try to hurt my chances at a new job that would give me more training. My delimma is I have found a company that is willing to hire and train me but they need my DAC report. My first company one hasn't filed it with the state yet. I phoned to ask when they would file it and they said they didn't know. I asked for their copy of it to show my new company and they said their copy is proprietary and they never give it unless a lawyer pushes for it. Is there a legal time limit to make my DAC on this incident available to the TX public depth of safety? Is the company even legally obligated to file it at all? We have a family lawyer I can use but that feels weird to be so pushy. Should I just wait until they are good and ready? Thanks for any advice or suggestions. Much appreciated.

I just started for a company that may very well be willing to give you a chance. The exact opposite of what you experienced, if you need more training after the required 200 hours with a trainer, they will give you the time and training that you need. My employer is Dutch Maid Logistics. The company is OTR, but most of the loads are a bit regional. We are located in Willard, OH (myself living in Texas). The average length of haul for solo driver loads is 350-500 miles. It is refrigerated freight. Outside of Ohio, there are a lot of loads going to Baltimore, New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Chicago. There is a farm owned by the parent company (Wiers Farm) in Sarasota, FL, so all along the east coast are good locations to live in working for this company. I mention all of this because you haven't said where you live and this way you can use the information to assess for yourself.

Best of luck to you.

Thanks Kerry. I will apply to them. I live in Texas too.

Dutch Maid Logistics doesn't have loads going down to Texas a whole lot, so there will be an expectation to stay out for 6-8 weeks at a time, unless you are willing to take home time in areas where they have loads going more often. They will work with you, but just understand that we are outside their typical running lanes.

Greetings everybody! I want to get my CDL A. I have enough money saved up to pay for the school, but big companies train you if you agree to work for them for a year. Which route is better? Thank you!

If you are able to get hired by a company that has its own school or sponsors trainees to go to a school, that is the best route to go. If you have no background issues, have 0 issues with recent drug use, and stable employment history, you can pretty much pick any company you want that provides training to obtain your CDL.

Here are some links to check out on the site:

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Paid CDL Training Programs

Apply For Paid CDL Training

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing A Truck Driving School
• Article Category: Choosing A Truck Driving School
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Truck Driving School"

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
• Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"

Best of luck to you.

I am not able to update my profile. Requesting a moderator update my profile to "Rookie Driver." Thank you much.

Hey all,

I currently work for a Amazon DSP. It's not technicaly Amazon, but it might as well be. I work on the XL side, driving a box truck. I forget the exact length, but I want to say from nose to end is 40 feet (or so I'm told, I'm not super sure).

We hustle and work really hard, for little pay. I'll be honest with y'all, I make 17.50 an hour. Drivers here for 2 years make 19 an hour. We load our own packages out, pre and post trip inspection, secure our own cargo, etc. We have to be DOT fit to drive the trucks, but we don't have to have a CDL.

I'm seriously thinking about getting my CDL from a local school. My question is, how much different is driving a tractor and trailer then driving a large box truck?

Welcome to TT,

I worked for G&K Services/Cintas for just short of 2 years where I backed 26' box trucks (total length roughly 40'). I went to a CDL school and earned my CDL. I went through a brief training period with a company right out of CDL school. My experience is obviously not extensive, but I have enough exposure to both trucks to be confident in telling you that the differences between operating the two trucks is enormous. In fact, you won't be viewed by any company hiring you just the same as someone coming in who has driven nothing but a passenger vehicle.

Similarities between operating a box truck and combination vehicle:

Use of mirrors in performing maneuvers.

Use of Get Out And Look.

Going slow and being safe.

Differences in operating the two vehicles:

The differences are quite numerous. It would take me a while to identify them and I would probably forget many.

I went into trucking school thinking that my experience backing box trucks would be helpful. The only thing that was helpful is that when I had moments that I struggled in CDL school, I reminded myself that I learned to back box trucks with 0 experience before starting to learn on the job. My suggestion would be to not think that any of the skills are translatable other than using mirrors and getting out to look.

Here are some links to check out on the site:

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Paid CDL Training Programs

Apply For Paid CDL Training

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing A Truck Driving School
• Article Category: Choosing A Truck Driving School
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Truck Driving School"

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
• Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"

Day 3 orientation:

We started the day with videos of Dutch Maid Logistics drivers who had been in wrecks or near-misses due to distracted driving. Some of the videos were quite humbling. I won't go into details because I don't want to glorify that part of what happens in transportation.

Went to lunch at Golden Corral. After lunch, we observed training manager utilizing Smith System principles while driving a Suburban. 5 of us new hires took turns illustrating that we are capable of making use of Smith System principles. We all performed very well, with each of us illustrating obvious strengths and each of us showing areas where improvement is needed. No one showed a problem with being capable of implementing the Smith System principles.

Orientation is now complete. Directed to call in tomorrow between 9:00 and 9:30 to be informed of timing to get on truck with our respective trainers. We were told that trainees are always out on a truck with a trainer within a day or two. No concerns for waiting an extended period of time for a trainer, as has been shared by many a trainee with other companies.

I want to mention that a conversation with the training manager came up about how to deal with having a difficult situation with a trainer. He told us that if there is ANY reason that we would like to be with a different trainer, contact him and let him know. He told us to never feel like we have to stick with a situation where we feel like we are not getting what we need out of training. He said to most especially let him know if it's something where we feel unsafe in any way. I then asked if asking for another trainer would ever cause the company to look negatively at a trainee. The absolute and clear answer is no. Each trainer has a different style and approach, so being with more than one trainer can only have positive benefits for a trainee.

I'm in the same boat with tickets and multiple suspensions, however I've never gotten a wreckless charge for anything. All mine were point suspensions, and failure to maintain sr-22 insurance as a result. Again this was all around the 2015-16 time frame and I've held a clean record since. So I guess I just got to keep my head up and keep applying around.

While I didn't have that many tickets in recent, I've had a lot, and some whoppers, including multiple suspensions, a revocation, eluding, and several wreckless due to speeding. Most had long since dropped off but took considerable effort and money to get removed from my record.

I was turned down by a ton of companies before I got hired and was actually rejected by this one at first. Mostly what they concentrated on was speeding that was 15 mph over. It's classified as a wreckless for insurance purposes and they looked intermittently within the last 3 years or 5 years depending on the company.

Try Dutch Maid Logistics. I recently hired on with the company. The training manager preaches that this is a training company. It's a company of less than 200 trucks owned by one family. They might not be willing to bring you on because of the suspensions of your license, but the worst that can happen is that your application is declined.