Profile For Old School

You bring up an interesting subject. Flatbed? Is there an advantage? I had an instructor that suggested flatbed.

Pros? Cons?

Mike, I'm a longtime flatbedder - I love it!

As many times as you've mentioned to us that you're a klutz and that you need time to learn new things, I think you should start with dry-van. Flatbed work adds so many other factors into your learning curve. To me, it doesn't seem prudent for your situation.

By the way, only drivers who have never driven a flatbed believe that silly lie that says flatbedders don't have to have backing skills. All truck drivers have to develop backing skills.

Thanks for posting this Wild Bill.

Everything about your post is on point. You knew what you did wrong. You admitted your guilt, and called it in. You took the punishment without complaint, and you learned valuable lessons from it all. Everything you did in response to your boneheaded mistake was exactly as it should have been. Great job!

There's no reason to beat yourself up over this. Just move on and hold those valuable lessons learned. You've become a better driver now. It's a step in the right direction. I loved the way you said everything. It tells us a lot about you. You are doing a great job as a rookie, and you are going to be a true professional as you keep developing the traits of a Top Tier Driver.

Tampa Truck Driving School, thru their Tenn location is actively trying to place me. They're a very cooperative outfit and very helpful.

Mike, I went through all kinds of disappointing stuff starting my career. One of which was my school being unable to help me land the kind of driving job I wanted. They claimed they were trying to help me, but it wasn't helpful at all. Quit relying on them. Be proactive. So far they've hooked you up with a company that wanted to throw you to the wolves, and another one that wants to force you to team drive. That is not what I would describe as cooperative and very helpful.

Fill out the application we have provided you several different times in these conversations. You'll finally start getting contacted by companies that know how to help a rookie driver succeed.

Mike, you can apply to as many companies as you like. There's nothing about doing that which will affect your DAC negatively.

One thing that will limit your opportunities is to wait for several months before getting your first driving job. The companies willing to hire rookie drivers will consider a new license as "stale" if you delay your entry into the career after completing your schooling.

Hello Jeff, and welcome to our forum!

Embedded in your question is the misunderstanding about trucking that says, "If I own my own truck, I can pick and choose how and where I run, and I'll be making more money so I can be home every weekend." It simply isn't true.

Trucking requires a great deal of commitment. Also embedded in your question is the simple fact that you are not very committed to this career...

I don't want to get into a sticky area that I can't get out of.

That's very convenient. That's like saying, "I want to invest in the stock market, but I don't want to risk any of my money." It doesn't work like that. If you lease a truck you'll have to commit to it. Nobody wants to lease a truck to the guy who is going to bail out at the first sign of difficulty.

You seem to be just looking for a job that satisfies your demands, and that's great, but trucking will never be that job. You can't make trucking bend to your desires. It's a common rookie misunderstanding.

The best way to get into trucking is to allow someone else to pay for your training, and you commit to working for them one year. After that is done you'll be able to decide if this is the kind of thing you want or not. You'll have a much better understanding of the career, and you can kind of tweak your approach to it.

Hey Mike, I know we've provided this link before, but here it is again. After clicking on the link, scroll down to option 2 and enter your zip code. That will provide you a nice long list of companies hiring in your area.

Truck Driving Jobs

I know Knight and Swift hire in Florida. They've both got terminals in Florida. You should also contact Cypress Truck Line. They are a fine trucking company in Florida.

That link I gave you also has an application that you can fill out once, but have it sent to multiple companies.

Old School and Mike C... the two of you have NO IDEA how much reading your posts concerning you ages took a major load off of my shoulders.

Rodney, welcome to our forum!

As long as I can remember, we've had people coming in here really concerned about their age. We always try to calm their fears. In the trucking industry they just don't care what color you are, what gender you are, or what age you are. Here's what they are looking for: Motivated, safe, productive employees who take responsibility for their results. That sums it up.

I was having a discussion with a management person in our very large company recently. They acknowledged that I was getting near the one million mile mark with this company. Then they transitioned the conversation to, "Hey, you aren't considering retiring anytime soon are you?" They commented, "We were hoping you'd stick with us for a couple of more million miles. It would be wonderful for you to hit three million miles with us."

That would put me late into my seventies, yet they are already encouraging me to stick with it. If you can be safe, productive, and easy to work with, these trucking companies are glad to have you as a driver. Those three qualities will set you up for a long term relationship in trucking.

I might have just been lucky which is OK.

You definitely were lucky.

Joseph, we have no problem with somebody being an O/O. We have a huge problem when they come in here trying to tell rookies that they are making several hundred thousand dollars per year. That's nonsense.

We know the trucking business. We know the numbers, the risks, the liabilities, and the pleasures of being on the road. We're thrilled you are enjoying working at a small company, but we would never advise people just getting started to follow your example. Why? Because we teach best practices. We teach the most reliable ways for newbies to start their trucking careers.

So far, you've done well, but for each person like you in our forum, I can think of about 15 people who took your route and didn't survive it. That's just the ones I can confirm. There are others who didn't want to admit to us what happened.

Yes, you got lucky, but it's not OK. You were fortunate, and we are all glad to hear it. We simply can't recommend your method just because it worked for you. It has backfired terribly on most who attempt it.

As for the OP, Danny B, I think you'll find that most O/O's will consider the additional insurance for an inexperienced driver to be cost prohibitive. I know something about this because I've had trucks and drivers in my former career. I would be wary that any O/O hiring inexperienced drivers was somehow skirting the rules or being dishonest. It's very rare for newbies to find this type employment.

Dave, I went to an orientation at PGT, but they rejected me. I was a new inexperienced driver, and they were just starting a program to hire newly licensed drivers. The funny thing is there were four of us in the orientation, three of us were newly licensed, and all three of us got sent home. They hired the one person who had experience.

That's not information meant for you to use as a basis for your decision. They are a fine company with a lot of freight contracts with the steel industry. Personally if you want to really gain a lot of experience with a wide variety of flatbed freight, I would choose Prime over PGT.

You need to decide what you're looking for in terms of types of freight, hometime, and pay potential. Most of what you get out of trucking will forever be shaped by what you put into it. You can make a fine career at either company. I just happen to believe (based on my interaction with Prime drivers) that Prime will be a better starting point. Their dispatchers seem to be trained well and very knowledgeable at helping the newbies jump in with both feet. In other words they will push you a little to help get you up there making some real money. They just seem to have a good system working.

I am almost ceritan if I took the CLP test for New Mexico I could pass it, but as I do not have a way to practice I am holding off.

Our free training program is the best there is. Stop thinking you don't have a way to practice. You do - here it is...

High Road CDL Training Program

Rita, I'd encourage you to stay where you are. None of the issues you mentioned have anything related to your gender. It's always hard for newbies to understand how all this works. They usually just blame their issues on the company and start looking for greener pastures.

I completely understand your frustrations, but I'm not sure how you can connect any of them with the fact that it's a bad place for a female driver to be. Trucks break down. Even places with great maintenance programs suffer break downs. We all get short loads occasionally on the weekends, but especially the newbies. Guess what you're going to be at the next company? If you guessed the newbie, you get a gold star!

It's almost always best for a new driver to figure out how to make it where they are before they start launching off somewhere else. You have to lobby for better miles. We all do that. You do that by always taking care of what they assign you and getting it done on time. Be proactive. If you get a 300 mile load on a Friday, ask if you can drop it at a terminal or drop yard near the customer Friday night or Saturday. Then maybe they can set you up with something else that will have some miles on it.

You have to be creative about how you work with your dispatcher. You have to prove you can get things done on time without issues or complaints. Most newbies think it's the company's responsibility to "give" them good miles. It's actually a big responsibility that rests on the driver. I can assure you that there are some really successful drivers at your company. You have to figure out how to be one of them.

You can do it - I know you can. If you'll stick it out and learn how to make it work for you, then I have no problem with you looking elsewhere. Just make sure you stay for a year and focus all your efforts on improving your results. Trust me, they want to see you earning a thousand dollars each week. The more you are earning means that you are a productive member of their team.

Check out these articles and see if anything in them resonates with you. I want to see you succeed, but jumping ship as a rookie is very seldom a path that gets good results.

Show Me The Money!

What It Takes To Be A Top Tier Driver

I previously worked in an office job for 16 years through September 2019...

Do any of you guys have any knowledge as to whether my employment gap is going to be a problem with all the carriers?

Hello Tim, and welcome to our forum!

You've got a strong work history. Someone will give you a shot. You're going to have to put out more applications. New drivers get rejected fairly regularly. It's really hard to know the reason behind it. I had a long list of rejections when I first started.

As far as that employment gap. Just document the time period, and explain that it was during the covid down-turn. Somebody will overlook it and bring you on board. Here's a list of some really solid companies offering paid training programs.Paid CDL Training Programs

Also, here's what we call our "starter kit." Do some reading in these places. You're going to learn a lot by doing so.

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Hey John, welcome to our forum!

You'll have to start just like a new rookie with no experience. Recent verifiable experience is a requirement now days. Somebody will give you a shot for sure, but they will put you with a trainer. That time will help you get a grasp on the HOS rules and electronic logs.

I'm 60 years old and love my OTR job. There's no reason you can't do this.

We have a convenient way you can fill out one application and have it go to a lot of different companies. Click on this link and start getting your name out there.

Apply For Truck Driving Jobs

Moe, it's called leverage. It doesn't work on everybody. Some people will go for years with a suspended license. We've had a lot of inquiries on this matter.

That's awesome! I'm thrilled to hear this, and I know you'll do an incredible job in the interview. I'm hoping I can work my schedule to hear it.

What happens if you break your contract with a company?? He said we'd owe the company all the money back? But I didn't know if they'd just allow us to make payments or if they'd ask for the whole sum? Also idk if this will effect anything else?

You are going to owe them the money. I can't say if they will accept payments. You should always get a copy of any contract you sign. The details are in the contract. More than likely they will demand the entire sum. If you don't pay the money then it will go to collections. It will affect your credit score in a negative way.

I'm sorry Antonio, nobody can hire you as a driver while your license is suspended. You'll have to get that issue straightened out first.

I didnt want him to be a trucker but he did so I was trying my best to support him. But his low checks are getting to us both especially for the amount of time hes not home. He also is really starting to miss us he says. We have a young daughter thats 2 and its just hard on us all and with the holidays this winter I honestly dont think he's going to make it.

Just one more thing Jessica. It's possible trucking just isn't the best career choice for you guys. There's no shame in that and any truck driver can understand that. Still, I would encourage you guys to complete your contract. It's an obligation - an agreement you've entered into. You can't go wrong by keeping your word.

At this point you need to realize that being a rookie comes with disadvantages. The only way to get past that point is to persevere and commit to excelling at this career. Otherwise you may just want to hit the reset button after completing your contract. I wish you and your young family the best. We are more than happy to help you guys if we can.

Welcome to our forum Jessica!

You guys are in a tough position. Your husband is experiencing what most rookie drivers go through. Don't be so quick to lay full blame on the company. There's just not a group of "bad trucking companies" out there that don't pay well. I can say that with some authority. I worked for just such a company that was slandered unrelentingly online by the new drivers trying to establish their careers.

In trucking your paycheck is a measurement of your productivity. That's why we get paid by the mile. We measure out our own pay by being productive. It sounds simple, but it's not as a rookie. There's so much more to being productive other than being able to stay awake and drive. Communicating effectively with dispatch, managing the HOS rules and clocks is critical.

Rob is dead on. Your husband needs some help. He needs some gentle mentoring. I promise you he can do this. His biggest problem right now is that he doesn't understand how to be successful at this challenging career. Would 50 grand a year make him feel differently about the career? He could do that. I've seen plenty of rookie drivers do that, and there's some who do better than that. A few years on and he could be earning 70,000 or better. Plenty of the drivers here do that.

I can't think of a time we've encouraged someone to break their contract. It's simply too early in their career for them to burn those bridges. We teach people to succeed. That's what your man needs. He just needs some success. No company succeeds by cheating their employees. Your husband's company desperately needs successful drivers. Don't believe that internet nonsense that says you chose the wrong place to start your career.

We had a great 4th at our home. I cooked a huge pot of seafood gumbo, and a couple of our grandkids got to be with us. Here's one of them in a 4th of July photo shoot we did.