Profile For Nick

My Dad drove commercially for 30 years, retired in 2023. He drove mainly for the television and film industry in California but during the off months (hiatus) he drove OTR for a private mom and pop based out of downtown Los Angeles. I grew up watching my Dad drive commercial trucks and semis, many memories of watching a semi pull up in front of my house. Really nice Pete 359 with a reefer or a Cascadia with a dry van. When I turned 19, I got my CDL for the first time in California (2012 - this was back before the laws changed and you were required to have school training. In 2012, you could walk into the DMV, take the permit test, come back two weeks later and take the drive test and then you had your CDL. It was up to you on your own to find a practice/test vehicle.) I drove OTR charter buses and in town charter/shuttles and at 21 yo was hired by my local transit agency in my hometown driving city transit. I did that until 2016 when I left the industry for a while to peruse the airline industry. I loved that just as much as driving buses. COVID basically killed the industry in 2020 and I also lost my Mom. I lost my way for a bit and like so many, really struggled mentally post-COVID and with the loss of my Mom. In 2023, I got back on my feet and decided I wanted to go back to commercial driving but this time, was going all the way. Getting my full Class A with endorsements and start driving tractor/trailer - maybe still drive buses as a side gig on my free time.

I graduated CDL school at the beginning of 2024 and started working for one of the mega’s shortly thereafter (Schneider). Really trying to gain my experience and get time under my belt and Schneider is a great place to do that. It’s what you make of it. Although, I have no desire or plans to leave. At least not right now. I’ve gotten involved in safety and compliance and am looking into joining the training department. My experience with Schneider’s training program was overall very positive. The only issue I had was with my driver trainer I went out with for a week who appeared to be doing it for the extra money and not because they had an interest in training new people. This is where I hope I can make a difference in the future.

I would say returning to this industry and getting my Class A was the single best thing I could have ever done for myself and the reward has definitely been positive. I know everyone’s experience may be different, especially as it pertains to working at a mega but I can’t say enough positive things about my decision to come to Schneider. Yes, I could be making more money. I’m well aware of the pay gap. But I’d rather make a little less money for the sake of being happy to show up to work everyday with good equipment (I drive a still very new 2024 Cascadia) and have a really good driver manager and overall relationship with the entire management team at my base. Working out of a small satellite yard that’s ran by our base is a positive too considering it’s 7 miles from my house (Base is 150 miles away).

The other really cool part is I get to say I followed in my Dad’s footsteps. I really came to this industry because of him. I always heard stories of people who’s parent’s were a police officer, doctor, pilot, lawyer, etc and they went on to do the same thing after watching their parent (Dad) do it. This is my story and I’m so happy I did it. Yes, the industry is in a bit of a struggle right now but I love my job and the old saying is if you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. Well, I definitely have plenty of days where I work for my money and definitely have those “gosh I wish I was just at home right now” moments but I wouldn’t trade anything for what I have today. I’m in it for the long haul, no pun intended.

That’s my story. Look forward to reading others.

Seems like there’s a bit missing from this story…. Not to mention doing something to gain the attention of a state trooper. Cell phone use, seat belt, speeding (the likely culprit), even something as simple as an ABS light on. And if they were silly enough to have weed inside the cab of a CMV, they have no business behind the wheel of one anyways. Just my two cents.

Just to add, everything that my Schneider recruiter promised me during hiring and orientation has met or surpassed my expectations. I do OTR all 48 although spend more time western 11. But will venture east as well. I will occasionally help out on dedicated accounts when needed, mainly Target and ****s Sporting Goods. It made me realize not to believe all the negative stuff you read online about some of these mega carriers. A lot of it is just personal grievances due to something happening to that person in particular, likely something they caused, and does not represent the company culture as a whole.

Schneider has been very good to me and I have zero complaints. I would gladly tell anyone who’s looking to get their start in the industry to take advantage of an opportunity with Schneider if they have one.

I would also much rather be at a mega carrier right now who has comfortable dedicated accounts and a vast catalog of customers, as well as a large fleet, given these uncertain times right now.

As far as I know, a major DOT road check is supposed to take place May 13-15. Probably going to see A LOT of trucks and drivers placed out of service after that. Funny how if you have all of your stuff in tip top shape, documents nicely organized, and truck regularly checked for issues, an annual DOT road check isn’t much of a big deal or something to be anxious about. I’m actually eager to get mine done so I can get my inspection sticker and continue rolling along without having to worry about it.

I'm a bit experienced now, but parking, especially finding parking, was quite stressful. I've learned to better plan for parking earlier, rather than later when lots will be filling up or full, has helped a great deal. Sometimes the schedule may not allow or other bumps in the road get in the way and disrupt getting to park earlier, but definitely not as stressful as in the beginning.

Parking is indeed a serious issue. I have created a Google maps list of not only trucks stops that always have parking, but of hotels with parking. You will find that as time goes on, you will find your favorites.

Knowledge is power. Use Trucker Path & google maps to give you layouts and good times for parking.

Is this something you have available publicly? To download and add to Google Maps? I use Trucker Path as well and it’s great but having a 2nd option to look at stuff certainly helps, too. I’ve been at this for a little bit now but my #1 biggest thing I still stress and worry about is where I’m going to park. I’ve helped combat this a lot by just changing my schedule I run. Just start running earlier and parking earlier. Try to be done by 3-4pm. Sometimes this isn’t always an option though and I’ll buy Prime Parking as an absolute last resort if I have to. I usually give up on any Loves after 6pm.

Fellow Schneider driver here who helps out with safety and compliance - unfortunately for you, the termination was justified. You had 4 critical events and an unsafe backing maneuver (in front of the head of safety no less) all while in your first 30 days. - that would be a pretty standard grounds for termination at any company to be honest. You’re on probation for your first 90 days. Schneider tells us that even after training, in those first 90 days, you’re still in your interview process in a way. They’re analyzing your performance to see if you’re a good fit long term before you are let off probation. That’s why that 90 day period exists. 5 safety events within your first month. Schneider deemed you not a good fit. And unfortunately, in this current economy and with freight so down, companies are being way more picky with who they hire and keep since the demand just isn’t there anymore for drivers. Schneider is trying to take only the best right now. A smart practice in my honest opinion.

One of my questions is, surely you were coached on all of these events by your leader. I know for a fact hard braking and roll stability events go directly to your leader for them to review with you. So if it kept happening, you have to look at yourself and figure out why. If they didn’t offer any additional training, did you ask for it? Take accountability and say you wanted extra training to ensure this stopped happening? Especially after the 2nd critical event.

All I can say is, you can try appealing your termination to the appeal board and see what happens. This has to be done within 30 days of your termination though.

Learn from your mistakes while at Western Express. If they want you to be with a team driver, it’s probably for a reason since they can see why you were terminated from Schneider. Just learn from the previous mistakes, don’t be picky, and just do what you have to do. It’s not the end of the world, just a little harder now.

I’m at Schneider and tend to be pretty involved in our safety department. At 3 months, you were still fresh out of training. One of the things they teach all of us is our strict no u-turn policy (with the exception of yards and customers of course - so you are not blind side backing.) And I’m pretty sure this is an industry standard company rule, not unique to just Schneider. I do know this rule is posted up in a lot of our facilities though.

You violated a company rule by making a u-turn and got the truck stuck in the dirt and had to call to be winched out. All while still within your 90 days or just off of it. Your first 90 days are a probationary period and any accident or rules violation, no matter how major or minor, are ground for termination. The termination was justified and it is indeed reportable to the DOT. Paying for the winch yourself doesn’t change the fact that you violated a strict company rule within your first few months of employment.

We have an appeal board to appeal a termination and state your case if you feel you should have been given a second chance. Did you do this? Did you attempt to contact Schneider at all about coming back for additional training and being given that second chance? In my honest opinion, at this point, I think it would be an uphill battle to come back. I always wish the best for everyone though, especially a fellow Schneider brother/sister driver.

To add my two cents, at Schneider, our trips are regularly setup for us to have, at minimum, 10 hours off. I regularly can take 12, 14, even up to 16 hours off in between shifts and still make my appointments on time or well ahead of schedule. It’s all about doing a good trip plan and understanding how to run your trips. I am averaging about 2,300 miles a week solo as well.

We have a very strict “Captain of your ship” / Stop work authority culture. And they are very good to us (to me personally anyways) about working with me regarding ANY issues I have with no negative reaction or retaliation against it. If I messaged my leader and said I was feeling tired and fatigued and needed my current assignment pulled so I could catch up on sleep, they wouldn’t even question it. The response would be “no problem, let us know when you feel safe to roll again and we’ll give you a new load.” Additionally, if I said I needed an appointment time pushed because I needed a little extra sleep (or for any other reason beyond my control, especially safety related) they’d simply ask my new ETA and then notify the customer. And that would be the end of it. Safety above all else. They’d much rather deal with a load getting there a day late than calling a wrecker to drag you out of a ditch.

I have found that open and constant communication is absolutely KEY and paramount on virtually everything I do. It’s not taken as a bother and goes a long way with my leader and our dispatchers. Don’t be that person who just shuts down and is late because you didn’t bother to tell anyone. Sometimes, there’s a negative cloud surrounding the mega carriers but I feel completely heard and feel like my leaders always have my back, especially when it comes to any kind of safety concerns whether it be equipment related or, as it pertains to this post, concerns over fatigue from lack of sleep. Remember, don’t believe everything you read online about these companies because often times, they’re just personal grievances that were that person’s fault and don’t represent the actual company culture as a whole.

I echo all of the comments above as well. Most companies are roughly the same. Don’t give up your current seniority to start over somewhere else because it might not be any different. Remember, same job, same industry, different name on the truck. If you’re hitting stuff in the yard as a rookie, you need to be looking at what you can do better. I always say, everyday out here is a learning day. I’m constantly learning and improving at my skills. Anyone who says they’re a perfect truck driver would be lying. But you can be good. And a vast majority of members on here are probably great! Learn from mistakes, own them, learn the truck and how it handles, how the trailer tracks when backing (learn the differences between the tandem position and how that changes how the trailer tracks). You definitely take more accountability than a lot of posts on here from new drivers who think everything that is their fault is someone else’s. Keep on trucking!

I have a lot of complaints about them, so here is the short version.

Way too often the truck picks up a phantom objects in your path including shadows, bridges, road signs, vehicles on ramps that are not infront of me. The truck especially Internationals will hit the brakes with no warning.

The lane departure warning will buzz for, concrete sealer, water, old lane markings, warning concrete or for fun as I'm centered in my lane and it just buzzes.

For all the above reasons I do not trust them. I can not think of a time they helped me avoid an accident. But I know of several especially in internationals were I felt like it almost caused one.

This is everything I would have added. The lane departure warning is pretty bad. And then half the time doesn’t tell you when you actually are leaving the lane. But will buzz at you for concrete sealer. The forward collision warning that never works? I lost count of how many times it randomly throws on the brakes for a shadow or something that’s not even there.

All of these safety systems I have found to be a much bigger distraction for us drivers than they are worth.

Well, first you made a choice, not a mistake, to take a substance which caused you to test positive on a drug test. And that was before you even had your license. Now, that is going to stay with you on your Clearinghouse for every prospective employer to see, especially the part that shows this happened prior to you even having a CDL.

You unfortunately may have ended your career before you even started it. Especially with how the opportunities are right now. Companies are being way more picky with who they hire because they are far from desperate now. Not long ago, a company closed its doors and now an additional 2,500 drivers are looking for jobs, all of whom I would assume would be considered first before someone with a failed drug test on their Clearinghouse. You unfortunately put yourself into the position you’re in. I know this may not be what you want to hear and I certainly do not mean this in any kind of rude way. I’m just trying to be honest.

I’ve been on this site long enough now to know my response will likely be echoed by those who have been on here a lot longer and have way more experience than I do. All you can do is keep applying literally everywhere. Don’t know what kind of restrictions you have placed now on your license, if any. Wish you all the best and good luck cause you’re gonna need it.