Comments By John P.

Maybe you can get a current May driver to chime in I'm only going on what the recruiter told me. Her name is Rebecca at the Brooks Oregon terminal. As far as starting pay I think they are average for that. I'm currently starting with Primes flatbed division, if your looking into flatbed I like my experiences with Prime so far. Except I got a bad trainer but beyond that it's been good. Prime trucks have APU's and inverters in all their trucks, pretty nice comfort features.

How does the pay stack up against hauling dry van or reefer?

Well i started my new career in trucking by attending the tda school in sacramento on march 10 2014. got my cdl permit 4 days later. March 16 i left for fontana ca for the rest of my schooling and on march 31,2014 tested and received my class a license. April 5 I started the real learning with my mentor for swift/central refrigerated and have been out until i returned on to the swift yard on may 14 2014. I then upgraded to company solo status on may 14 2014. And after another small class that i had to do I was issued my first truck. A 2014 freightliner cascadia evolution with less than 70000 miles on it. And then the fun started the very next day on friday. I finally made it home for the first time since March 16,2014 for home time. I head out again this saturday for what i hope will be a couple of very good runs. but i will do just about anything they want me to do. any run less than a 100 miles is considered local pay and it pays a flat rate plus miles. I want to thank everyone on this website for answering my questions and helping me out. I look forward to meeting some of you out on the road. I find it very cool to drive something as big as a truck. P.S. My parents and my wife and all my friends have new respect for me and they all think its very cool. thank you all again

Good Luck out there Chris!

Thanks Chris! I got some pretty good information on them from a recruiter that was paid by salary and had been a trucker for the last 22 years. She said you can idle all you want to me yesterday even in CA where we have very strict idling rules because all their vehicles are 2011 or newer with new emissions so hopefully she was telling us the truth about that. What info did you get from them about idling?

I really did like the option to run 11 states or 48. Cause let's face it I don't know sh**t yet about driving on the east coast (or west coast for that matter! ) and may find that I don't like it even though my adventurous side is telling me to go for it. Plus, the 90 Day Flat Rate option is a pretty good deal for new drivers that are still green and can't produce the same miles a day as an experienced driver and they give you the difference if you would have made more at your solo rate.

My two concerns are the lower CPM at .30 per mile to start (Is that average? Low or High? Anyone? please chime in...)

and I am still thinking about flat bedding which they don't do...

Anyone out there work for May Trucking? I'm starting driving school on Tuesday, so I'm already applying to several companies to check them out. Please let me know if you have any information. It is seeming more and more like it doesn't matter too much where you go to get your first year in as long as it's a stable company with good freight opportunities.

Hello All,

Well I finally made my decision to get my CDL through a private school called Western Pacific Truck School in Sacramento, CA. Has anybody got any positive or negative things to say about this school? The reviews I've read have all been pretty good.

I'm really looking forward to beginning a new career as a truck driver and I'm leaning towards flat bedding as my chosen direction. I like the idea of breaking things up a little by adding some physical work during the day. Old School kind of inspired me with some of his posts.

Anyway, I'm going to try and update the forum with my experience as I go along....

Oh and Thank you for the high road training tests it is really an outstanding learning tool!

You know, it doesn't take much. You don't have to be a marathon runner. It's the little things that can add up. I'd always park as far away from the entrance of the truck stops as possible. Not only does it force you to walk, but it's generally quieter in the back with less of a chance of being backed into. I'd even pick the furthest fuel island from the store if I had the opportunity. I also had a little trick when doing my daily pre-trip. Usually I'd get lazy and just walk around once or twice. But if I felt I needed to move around a bit, I'd walk around the truck a couple dozen times. For every item I checked, I'd make a complete circle around the truck. So for example, I'd check my steer tire then walk all the way around before checking the next tire, then walk all the way around before checking the next one.... and so on. Not only are you exercising, but if you walk around the truck 25 or 50 times you're bound to see nearly every nick, scratch, and dent on the thing let alone any major issues you may have missed the first 49 times. Grin During the half way point of your day, stop at a rest area. Many rest areas are very well maintained. I used to just walk along the perimeter sometimes for 10 minutes or so. Just to get the blood flowin' again. The trucking industry is going through a huge transition right now. Staying healthy is becoming more of an issue each year.

A lot of truckers use resistance bands and start a resistance training program. You can use resistance bands either inside the truck or outside. A simple set of dumbbells or weights won't take up much room either. But I'd say the main thing is to just keep moving. You don't need a rigorous workout or anything. No matter what you do, you might feel a bit funny or embarrassed at first doing these weird things outside of your truck. But if you pay close attention to other drivers, you'll see that some of them get real creative these days on how to stay in shape. You might even pick up on a few ideas. Anytime I saw a driver doing some sort of workout outside his truck, I never thought to myself "wow, that's weird." I always thought to myself, "I really should be doing that, too."

This is just my personal opinion. While finding time is doable sometimes its not practical. After driving 10 to 11 hours you will be ready for bed and go to be if you are smart. Cause you will be expected to be up and running 10 hours after you shutdown. While you could excerise after your drive shift for an hour then fight to get a shower for another hour to hour and a half which leaves you about 7.5 hours to eat and sleep. While out on the road you will have to learn time management and learn to prioritize what's important. The truck and the load and your job come first above all else including personal time. Now that's not saying you can't find the time to exercise. Many do but its not going to happen everyday. If you are with a company and they are using you like they should and your hours are being used then you will get to ride a bike every other week during your 34 hour restart. Now if you have time to exercise everyday then you might need to question why your not getting the miles you could be getting.

Daniel, Thank you for taking the time to respond. You've given me alot of ideas and answered some of the questions I didn't ask but was still thinking about. I'm hoping to learn how to apply my exercise routines in the course of the lifestyle changes that are going to happen when I hit the road. Cheers! Thanks again!

I can't say that I'm an experienced driver but this issue is one that I also have thought about. My plan is to develop an exercise routine that I can do in or around the truck. A small set of weights to work on each night, jump rope, and even going for a short run. There are all kinds of exercieses one can do in a small space. You can always do your workout after you shutdown for the day or before you head out. This may sound strange but check out prison workout routines on the net. You would be surprised at how creative these guys are at developing a workout that keeps them in top shape while living in a 6x9 cell. I hope this helps.

Thank you for the response it is really appreciated. I actually do Tai Chi and have some resistance bands so your input is going along way to help me prepare for the upcoming lifestyle change.

I just wanted to ask the experienced drivers how they stay in shape. It is actually one of my primary concerns for beginning a career in trucking. Is it possible to develop a regular exercise routine while driving OTR? Any advice or comments will be greatly appreciated. Thank you.