Profile For Maestro

I've been with them for about 3 months now and I feel like it was the worst decision of my life. They hired me to do local at $15.5 an hour and $25 per load with 3 to 4 loads a day averaging $1400 a week. As soon as I started they started giving me regional loads where 1 load takes up almost my whole day. They'll have me go to do a live load that's 3 hours away then I gotta sit there for 2 or 3 hours while I'm being loaded and then drive the load back. I just feel like I got a huge bait and switch.

What state do you call home?

I pass a small terminal for Online Transport when I pick up loads out of Tyson in Logansport. The terminal is right around the corner from the Tyson plant, so I am going to venture a guess that you will be running a fair amount of Tyson freight. It's a decent location to pick up loads. Watch that reefer. Many a driver has had a load lost to a claim from a customer because something happens with the reefer that goes unnoticed.

Hi there...No, I am shipping Toyota parts from regional areas in Kentucky. :)

Hello Trucking Heroes!

Here are bullet point updates!

- I went to Indiana to complete the orientation a few days ago and everything went smoothly. The ride home to Kentucky was...interesting considering the construction on the roads in Indiana.

- I started my first day today with Online Transport. I will be working with a trainer for 4 weeks and she will teach me the ins and outs of the role.

- We started at the sleepy hours of 4:30 am (OOF) and we did end early (Thank You, Jesus).

- The trainer stated we will start next week at 7 so I am SO thankful for this!

- I was a passenger for today yet she will slowly ease me into the driving role possibly next week.

That's all for now!

Hey Trucking Friends,

I hope y'all are well.

As a baby trucker, which apps would you recommend me to have?

I also appreciate a solid GPS app designed for truckers too.

Congratulations @Nathan on this exciting adventure!

As a new CDL A holder, here is what I would suggest (this is based on my experience with graduating from a CDL A school this month):

- Mindset is everything. Stay humble and don't think that you know everything because...you don't and you won't. Constantly have a growth mindset (teachable) vs a fixed mindset (set in your ways).

You can find out more here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUWn_TJTrnU

- If you are a Christian, praying and finding encouraging Scriptures plus proclaiming them helped me tremendously to calm my nerves.

I would listen to this series about the right mental attitude from Pastor David Middleton:

https://www.doersoftheword.org/audio_bible_school.html#Right

- In addition, I used growth mindset affirmations to help me during the process.

You can find those here:

https://theblissfulmind.com/positive-affirmations-list/

- Start building your support group now...I had my church members who encouraged my family and me through the whole process.

- Master the pre-trip inspection especially the in-cab because if you don't pass the in-cab, you will not progress to the next portion of the exam. If the school has videos, play them over and over again.

- Trust your instructors and avoid information overload by watching YouTube Videos or playing trucking game apps. You may struggle with the offset and parallel...I do have two videos that helped me to understand and still, I had to wean myself from information overload.

- Never underestimate training with a truck and camping trailer...a church member graciously allowed me to borrow his and this helped me in understanding the concept of backing and trailer control.

- I recommend the book "With Winning In Mind" by Lanny Bassham to help you with the whole process.

- Avoid overthinking everything and learn to flow.

- Lastly, if you fail the test the first time...this is NOT the end of the world. A setback is a setup for a comeback. We are here to support you and the most important is that you obtain your CDL so leave the mindset of "One and done" out.

Hey Trucking Friends,

I hope everyone is doing well.

This week I will start my new trucking job and will go on the night shift for 30 days.

(The last time I worked the graveyard shift was when I was in security...that was brutal.)

What tips do you have that can help make the transition smoother?

Thanks to everyone who kept the conversation respectful and listened to understand than to be understood.

Welp...Looks like we are not out of the weeds:

1) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D5leQOnemDA

2) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IjhRt88PhNs

What are your thoughts about this win?