Profile For John P.

Hello All,

I finally got my CDL and I'm off to Melton Truck Lines in a couple hours. I just wanted to write and say thank you for the tools on this site, all the great advice and for the encouragement when needed. I'm going to try and write about my orientation at Melton and my experience with my trainer but we'll see how it goes. ;-). Anyway, Best of luck everyone. God Bless and be safe out there!

I'm 45 and in the same boat. It's sad what this country has become but we have to adapt and overcome. I think trucking will be a tough but rewarding career. I'm starting with Melton Truck lines on July 19th if all goes as planned.

Congrats, Wilson! I'll be going to Melton on July 19th after I get my license. I chose Melton for a lot of the same reasons you did. Good Luck and be safe out there!

Congratulations and Good Luck!

Stick it out Brother, you can do it! A year is nothing in the grand scheme of things. I'll be right there with you in a few more weeks.....BTW don't you just love this forum? What a bunch of rock solid human beings.

Oh-oh, get a tight grip on that fish John.

Yea, buddy! I ate that sucker!

Good Luck, John. Melton is a good company...and skateboarding...well.....there ain't nothin' better !!!

Thank you, Brother. I appreciate it! Be safe out there.

Hey all,

Ran across this article and thought I would share it.

http://www.trucknews.com/transportation/us-restart-rules-one-step-closer-postponed/1003057276

J.P.

Looks like I'll be heading out to Oklahoma after I get my CDL training and license. I did a final phone interview with Melton this morning and I've been accepted into their company orientation. I'm really looking forward to it. I should be taking my CDL test on 07/15/14 so if all goes as planned I will soon be training to be a rookie solo skateboarder. It sure is nice to have something to look forward too. I will try to write about my experience with Melton if there is time after I starts but we all know how that goes.

Tim, I hope there are many other drivers who share your sentiments, and recognize the problem as one that they can make an effort at changing. At any trucking company, the drivers are usually the low man on the totem pole. That doesn't mean they should be treated disrespectfully, but with any large carrier there are so many layers of management staff to make things work properly that it just kind of ends up that way. Then what begins to take shape is that the layers of management are constantly trying to adjust schedules and logistics to "fix" what the drivers have messed up. It's certainly not always the drivers fault that things don't go as planned, but often times it is. Whether it's due to stubbornness, or lack of proper planning, or maybe even just laziness, most drivers don't even realize how much work they create for the people at the office that could be avoided if we were just taking care of our business in a professional way. I've experienced some real success at a trucking company that is filled with malcontents and whiners - I always encourage drivers that I meet to take care of their business, and then see how they are treated. Once you develop the reputation of being a driver that can "get er done" your support staff will treat you like a king.

Respect is earned in any profession, and we as a collective group (drivers) have done a very poor job of earning it. It is sad that so many drivers have had such a negative effect on our profession that we all pay the price for. But I would still encourage any driver who enjoys this profession to take the necessary steps to produce the level of respect that they think they deserve, and those drivers who don't enjoy it to please quit driving and move back into their mother's basement. The tide rises slowly, but being deliberate about causing that to happen is a burden that we as drivers must bare. I'm not sure we can ever really completely change the whole industry, but we can stand out and shine as individuals. And once you get to that point you will find that only the uninformed or completely inconsiderate people will treat you poorly, and unfortunately the world will always have it's share of those folks around.

Very well said!

Congratulations and Good Luck!

2nd week 3rd Day,

Worked on 90 Degree Alley Dock and Straight line backing in the Morning and worked on the Pre-trip in between my turn at the wheel. Went out to "kindergarden" in the afternoon and worked on right hand turns with a 48' trailer. Shifting is still very problematic especially downshifting but even so I took my first run into traffic "yikes!" I would have preferred to get my shifting down first before into into the public roadways. I did pretty well controlling the truck and my space but shifting was a complete disaster. Overall, more positives than negatives but it was a tough emotionally draining day.

Got my permit yesterday! Still a long ways away but I'm in a great school with great instructors! I must thank this site for helping me with the test...now onto practicing the maneuvers...

Great Job!

Thank you so much guys for your help! what i understand is ..if i control it with just medicine is good ! but if i use insulin injection then gonna be problem

You got it, brother! Good Luck!

May 24th 2011 fmcsa changed a few definitions to the type of portal tanks a flat bed could haul before requiring a Tanker endorsement.

Require definition for flatbedders and tanker endorsements

The reason I bring this up is because of what I saw today in a scale house. Got pulled in and had to bring permit book in and BOL. Just turned out that it was a random pull in for permit check. Like the Ports of Entry in New Mexico and Arizona.

Anyway while I was in there the poor driver , poor is what he will be once the DOT are through with him because he did not know, was pretty mad. Turns out that he was hauling some type of really nasty stuff in reinforced small liquid containers. The were about like the herbicide containers that flatbeds carry. Roughly 5ft x 5ft x 5 ft but the ones he was carrying were made of metal and each had 5 placards each on the side. They met the requirements for tanker endorsement cause each container was 1000 gallons and it they were all full.

Danm

Not sure what he was carrying but I know the officer said you did not have tanker endorsement and they would need to call for someone to come and transport the cargo and would have to transfer it off his truck onto another truck since he was an O/O.

After that I was heading back out the door so this next part I can only guess at.....

He would have to pay for a qualified driver to come there to transport the load. He would have to pay for another truck and trailer to haul the load. And then if that was not enough money spent then there are the tickets and fines he will receive for driving illegally with a tanker qualified load and no endorsement on his CDL. I am sure the DOT will come up with a few more things that I have not thought of yet. And let's not forget about the lost of revenue since he did not fulfill his contract I doubt the company that ownes the chemicals will pay him since he did not delivery their product.

I could easily see this driver loosing 9k to 10k before this week is up.

Be aware cause ya never know when the rules might quietly change.

Damn, Glad I got all my endorsements ahead of time.....

Week 2, 2nd Day - Finally got in the truck to start straight line backing and worked on the Pre-trip. Went to DMV and took my hazmat endorsement. Got 100% So now I have all my endorsements. Plus I enrolled online at TSA for the TSA background screening that is required before your hard copy license is given to you when you have the hazmat endorsement. I have to say this is alot of work but I sure am looking forward to digging in and doing my job again. It's hard for a fully functional person to be unemployed for a long duration without going crazy.....

I have been all over the country and I have been using Straight Talk for years. I get service just about everywhere except the usual places out west. 45.00 a month unlimited everything. (was 30.00 until I got a "Smart Phone")

I have Verizon and get coverage everywhere including all over the west. Only place I really don't get coverage is in the Virgin River Gorge which is about a 13 mile stretch but since there is no place to pull over there to use the phone anyway I don't mind so much.

Hey Guy,

May I ask how much your paying for Verizon? Thank you.

I have been all over the country and I have been using Straight Talk for years. I get service just about everywhere except the usual places out west. 45.00 a month unlimited everything. (was 30.00 until I got a "Smart Phone")

I read somewhere that Straight Talk doesn't allow roaming. Does anyone know if this cell service is currently working OTR? I'm worried about getting out there and not having service. I called the Straight Talk customer service and they said no you would have to change your zip code to wherever you are using it. When I said I don't have a static address she said it wouldn't work. Just want to know if it's true or not. Thanks.

John, I drive a flat-bed truck and I run into Melton trucks at most of the places I go to. I've yet to meet a disgruntled driver, and they all are driving some very nicely maintained late model equipment. Melton seems to be growing and prospering, and they have a reputation for doing what they say. We have a Melton Driver here in the forum who you could send a private message to, I'm sure he would be glad to respond to you, and if he sees this thread I'm sure he will comment. His name is Larry E. and as far as I know he is quite happy at Melton.

Old School, Thank you for the reply and thank you for your many inspirational posts. It's awesome to have people on here that are positive yet honest about the experience of being a truck driver. I will check in with Larry E as well. Thanks again.

Hi All,

Anybody have information on Melton Trucking/ Are they a good outfit? Thank you.