Comments By MidnightCowboy

Thanks for sharing your experience O.S.! The first positive I've heard!

After reading quite a few posts on the subject, it seems there are usually hard feelings on behalf of most companies when any departure occurs....and of course it will for everyone at one time or another. Can a driver just say 'it's been good and I am ready for a change' without ill will on their part? I am planning on starting my career with a major trucking company, drive for 1 year, then re-evaluate for a second year.

Here's hoping this website keeps out commercialism and marketing guru's!

Looking forward to your postings!

Are the practice questions on this forum for CDL testing similar to questions on the real test. I find them to be very basic and some of them are actually silly. I mean no disrespect by this but some of the questions actually guide you to the multiple choice answer. I am primarily asking about the CDL test questions I will get to the other practice test questions this weekend. I am the type that when I take a test I usually over prepare for it so I was just curious.

I just got back from passing my General Knowledge, Air Brakes, and Combination test and got my permit. I studied relentlessly on the High Road questions. They are kind of like the real questions but but in some respects different and harder. I had thought the questions would be identical or very close but, for, they really weren't. Also, we had only 3 choices instead of 4. Hope this helps.

Everyone talks about paying your dues and getting through the first year. There is really no way to sugar coat it, the first year sucks. The failure rate is huge and recruiters are full of s***. Reality is that a recruiter is nothing more than a salesperson and they will tell people anything to get them through the doors. Whether you go to a company school or a private school it does not really matter the job is the same. Anyone who has the false hope that you are going to start with high wages and be home every night fresh out of school is sadly mistaken. The reality is that until you have a few years under your belt you are going to struggle and the divorce rate is extremely high.

It took a long time but i finally got on with a small company where i am home every night and off every weekend. It was along road and i thought about quitting so many times that i lost count. In the end it all worked out and now my family and i are very happy. The best thing i can advise to anyone considering a career in being a truck driver is to just hang in there it will get better and you will get where you want to be if you just work hard and never give up.

Thanks for the friendly advice! Is it best to get wage and benefit agreements in an email with a recruiter? Isn't there also a final official contract drivers sign prior to starting with a company that may include these items as well? Thx

When I was with Decker, the trainers had Sirius/XM in some of their trucks. It is basically only a matter if time, before it becomes a feature in every truck manufactured.

However, the trucks that have them "standard," the driver still pays for. I have a Sirius/XM "dock and play" on my truck. Most truck drivers buy a portable "dock and play" and antenna and mount the antenna to the truck. When I was with Navajo, I mounted the antenna to the mirror above the passenger door.

Dave

Sounds like a good option if the dock-n-play has decent sound...

I wouldn't think so but it sure seems like a perk that could help when a lot of companies are recruiting like crazy

Thanks for looking that up HM!

Undoubtedly, many of you seasoned drivers have experienced situations in which a quick decision had to be made with regards to an approaching snowstorm, tornado, hurricane, or other major weather event in your direct path. How do you react? Do you drive x miles away from it or take shelter? How do most companies react? Paid miles? Weather is a concern of mine as I begin this new journey as a driver.