Profile For Old School

My troubles have come with compounding interest. Once I got set up for the eye surgery, I traveled to Houston, TX and got myself checked in at the surgery center. That was the morning (Thursday Aug. 27) hurricane Laura hit the Texas/Louisiana coast. That storm caused me much less trouble than my own looming storm.

Just as they were getting ready to roll my gurney back to the surgical rooms the anesthesiologist asked, "Is your heart rate always this high?" I responded with, "My heart rate isn't high. At least, I'm not feeling it." "Are you nervous or scared," the anesthesiologist asked further. "No, what's wrong," I asked.

My heart rate was showing to be 135 or so, and I kept telling them if my heart was beating like that, I'd surely know it. They insisted on doing an EKG, which showed I was experiencing A-Fib. They refused to do the surgery until I could get clearance from a cardiologist. Because of the Hurricane I couldn't get any cardiologist on the phone, so I went back to Nacogdoches and got an appointment set for the following Tuesday.

In the meantime I got myself tested for Covid 19, and also for the antibodies. Both results showed negative. I've never had A-fib before, and I had just had my annual physical with my regular and long time physician on July 1st indicating I was in great shape. The cardiologist said my whole heart was weakened from something, but said when the whole heart is weakened like that, it usually indicates a viral infection has damaged your heart and not a heart attack.

He also expressed amazement at how I was tolerating the situation and said, "Most people who come in here like this are gasping for air and can't even take a flight of stairs." I told him, "I just took a two mile walk this morning going uphill in this Texas heat. I did that just because sitting idle like I'm doing is driving me crazy. I need physical activity." After a complete examination including an Electro Cardio Gram he approved me for the surgery with the understanding that I'll be back to rectify this cardio situation. I agreed, and had my eye surgery Friday, September 4th.

It takes a month to recover from this detached retina surgery. Right now I have to remain in a face down position all this next week. They put a gas bubble in my eye that holds the retina in position as long as I'm face down. It's a pain in the neck (literally) but I'll soldier through it.

I just can't be active here right now, but I'll be back when these clouds begin to part. I miss being here with you all more than you can know, but for now an focused on getting healthy so I can stay in the game. I look forward to better days ahead.

Well, when it rains it pours. Now I've been sidelined with a detached retina in my right eye. Going to a retina specialist in the morning. I'll update you guys when I can.

Congratulations Joseph! Five years is awesome! Watch those bridges!

If you fail to see how TransAm is a bad company, that is because you are reading my comments and automatically viewing it from their perspective. That's fine. TransAm's reputation as a bad company is well established and no secret in the trucking industry.

It's important to realize we live and conduct our business in a free enterprise system of economics. Part of that practice eliminates companies that are treating people badly. Workers don't go work for companies that treat us bad. Customers don't use the services of companies that treat them badly.

I find it ironic when a person who can barely land a job in an industry has the gonads to shout from the mountain tops how "bad" a company is that gave them a consideration that no one else was willing to do. For me, you can't come up with a better description of a "great" company. They reached out to this driver in a magnanimous way. The driver still failed.

It begs the question. Who is really the "bad" guy?

The driver is non stop in his comments. I'm sure many of them have been deleted. He's tireless. He's relentless in his diatribe. Had he put nearly as much energy into his failed attempts at trucking, he'd be a successful driver at this point. Some people comfort themselves by pointing out the failures of everyone they come in contact with. Others focus on their own success in spite of the shortcomings of those they encounter.

For some reason TransAm is still in business, and has a long list of drivers who are happily employed there. For some reason our friend here is at home with plenty of time to complain about the company.

I've never held to this "good company/bad company" mantra. It really makes no sense. In the end TransAm stays in business, and our friend here is still held out from participating. I don't know how you measure that as "good vs bad." Competent professionals can easily get hired into this business. Newbies have trouble sometimes. I'm empathetic with them. I had my share of struggles. One thing is for sure though. The first outfit that gave me a shot got my full dedication. I never looked back.

To this day I realize my success had nothing to do with whether my company was good or bad. Everybody said they were bad. I just went ahead and proved them all wrong. I wish our friend here had that kind of gumption. It would make a huge difference in his outcome.

I’ve been doing a lot ,and a lot of research but I’m stuck on where to go, I’ve looked at Maverick, TMC, KLLM , CR England, and Prime but unsure what’s the “best” with great home time ,great trainers , & equipment.

I think I can help you.

First off stop yourself from trying to find the "best." I don't think there's anyway you can quantify what is the "best." That alone will clarify some of your confusion.

Second, don't concern yourself so much with the company. Focus on what type freight you think you want to haul. You mentioned an interest in Maverick and TMC. Those are both flatbed operations. You also mentioned KLLM, Prime, and C.R. England. Those are mostly refrigerated freight. Those are way different from flatbed. That's going to cause you confusion. Clarify what you want to try first. Commit to that for one year, and that will remove a great bit of your struggles.

Let's just say you decide to do flatbed. That narrows it down a lot. You're going to find a limited number of flatbed companies providing training. Look into them. You also will find some companies like Prime, Swift, or maybe Knight have a flatbed division along with other types of freight. You may want the option of moving to another type freight within the same company. If so focus on those companies that offer training and multiple divisions.

Don't get carried away with thinking you've got to find the best training. You will be sufficiently trained at almost any place you go. They may all be different, but they know what works for them. Schneider has very limited time they spend on new drivers. Prime spends months on training. Both companies have great records and get results. How can we determine which is best? We cant. Some drivers get sick of living in a truck with a stranger for months. Maybe Schneider is "best" for them. Some new drivers are slow to catch on. Maybe Prime is "best" for them.

The main thing you need is commitment and dedication. Those things will see you through your training. It's really all about you. It's not about the company. I know that's a novel idea, but it's the truth. Focus on your commitment. Make a choice and follow through. Your first year will be monumental. You will learn so much. It's trucking. There really isn't much difference from one company to the next.

You will determine your own success. Jump in the fray and get the ball rolling. Good luck, and keep us posted.

Welcome to Illinois! We do things differently here. If we can figure out how to seperate you from your money, and get most of it in our pockets, we will be happy to have you as one of our residents.

In some ways, I am glad it didn't work out. I know so little about driving a tractor trailer. I would be out there and so damn lost. I would end up with some sort of violation on my record that would have me forced to stick with TransAm. I really believe that this company intends for that to happen to new drivers

Kerry, you have a unique way of rationalizing your own shortcomings. We are all truckers. We all know about the difficulties of starting this career. I had a similar experience to you. Nobody would hire me. One company finally gave me a shot. You wouldn't have ever found me badmouthing them. In fact, I met a TransAm driver while fueling one time. He saw my Western Express truck and told me I needed to quit and come to TransAm. That's what he did, and he couldn't stop telling me how great TransAm was.

Here's the real problem. You were as green as grass. You didn't understand how to handle the situation you found yourself in while waiting on a truck. That's a common occurrence at any trucking company. You certainly could have handled it better. What's done is done, and you botched the whole situation. Now you're trying to convince a bunch of seasoned truckers that this is TransAm's business model. Don't keep trying to fool yourself. It certainly doesn't fool experienced truckers.

All trucking companies want really great drivers who are flexible and creative at getting things accomplished. TransAm is no different. They don't make a business plan that traps the losers, and keeps them like bond servants, unable to go anywhere else. That's a recipe for disaster in trucking.

Perhaps trucking just isn't a good career for you. If that's true, you'd save yourself a lot of grief by acknowledging it. Spare us your assessments of a trucking company's relevance or value. You have absolutely no credibility to lay the blame at their feet. It's laughable to listen to your remarks. You screwed up. The sooner you recognize your faults the sooner you can mend them. I certainly don't carry any water for TransAm, but it's really disturbing to see a total greenhorn act like he's an authority on something he knows nothing about.

I don't doubt you felt emboldened to make such unfounded statements because you've seen other whiners and complainers making such comments about TransAm. They were just as foolish and inexperienced as you. The internet is fully inhabited by self declared experts. The wise among us recognize them and their folly. You could have gotten your career underway just like I did. You chose the low road. You decided to lay the blame on a company that's merely trying to make their way in a challenging business. I wish you had taken an approach that was more determined to dig in and make this one shot opportunity work out. You didn't. You now see the consequences.

I know there's limitations in doing it this way...

But it's the route I felt made the most sense to me.

I plan on trying to start with Western Express.

I heard on this forum... (actually from you)... that they are willing to take on new CDLs without school.

Plan is to start and train with them... get some experience... and hopefully down the road I'll have more options.

Okay, so there's all kinds of opportunities out here, including companies willing to pay you $700 - $800 per week to train with them, but you determined that limiting yourself to one company is "the route I felt made the most sense to me."

Sounds like a plan! Not a very solid one, but you've got confidence in it. How are you going to react when they ask you to sign their "non compete" contract, binding you to them for one year?

just needed to get my CDL and start getting some type of income ASAP.

I know NYC is different - they do some crazy stuff there, but you are awfully naive to think freshly printed CDL = income. Whatever gave you that idea?

You have zero experience.

You have zero training.

You aren't even sure how to do the in cab air test.

What is it you think you have to offer?

It's all very exciting! I'm glad to see you are underway. This will be an exciting time. It's going to be stressful at times, it's going to be exhilarating at times. It's a Roller Coaster Of Emotions.

Congratulations!

John boy, I've been reading all of this with interest. Here's my biggest concern...

My girlfriend wants me off the road and i gotta admit im not cut out for not having a home life.

Have you considered getting out of trucking? Would you like to start a family with this girlfriend? Do you think working for a LTL outfit will give you a "home life?"

I just see a lot of questions you and your girlfriend need to be tackling. I'm not sure the two of you are on the same page. If you're not, you need to have some serious discussions about your objectives. LTL work pays well, but the low seniority guys are generally given the less desirable jobs for the first two or three years. That means working the night shift. That's certainly not going to give you any sort of home life.

You seem to be hung up on finding helpful research on LTL companies when the biggest research you need to be doing is, "What exactly is this girlfriend of mine looking for?" Get that settled first. It may change your whole direction - it may change a lot of things. That's the way I see it.

Congratulations Donna! It's been a pleasure watching you take to this career. Not many do it as well as you. I always enjoy seeing someone who "gets it."

While I don't have actual experience at what you're looking into, I can say that most trucking jobs that are paid on a 1099 basis are far from being worth the trouble. They are set up to fool you, and it works on those who are willing to be duped.

Be your own boss and work when you want to work and how you want to

Okay, those are your reasons for doing this. How are you feeling right now? It's funny, you're in here asking us if the high costs you're experiencing are fair or normal. How much is your pipedream of independence worth to you? Do you honestly believe you can now "work when and how you want?"

Learning to be a truck driver is relatively simple compared to being a successful owner operator. I never recommend it.

When Is The Right Time To Become An Owner/Operator?

Kalyn, there's no way I would recommend you take that risk. One failed drug test, and your new career is over. It will likely never get started. We all metabolize drugs differently. You need to be 6 months clean, in my opinion, before submitting to a hair follicle test. We have folks quit our orientations all the time. As soon as they realize we do hair testing, they run away.

Here's some helpful information on Drug Testing Methods And Time Frames

Hey Josh, I'm just curious ‐ what's the lure of owning your own truck?

There's no mandate. You can use whatever transmission your employer provides. I've pulled oversize loads with both. It worked fine both ways.

Who will hire new grads in Vegas?

702FiveOh, I haven't jumped in on your quest yet, but you've got to realize you're going about this all wrong. We do not recommend starting in this industry with a local job.

I understand you think that's your only option. You've got to reconsider your approach. You've got to think long term when establishing a career. Your shortsighted approach has a lot of potential to kill or abort your goals.

We teach best practices. There's solid research and evidence why you want to establish your truck driving career as an OTR driver. I know it's a huge sacrifice for a family man, but it's also a sure fire way to assure yourself success and opportunities as a local driver. Right now you're doing everything you can to force a square peg in a round hole. Don't you feel it? It's a huge mistake. A one year commitment to OTR driving would set you up with lots of local opportunities. There's a solid reason for that. Don't ignore the proper path that leads to what you want.

Why You Should Not Start Your Trucking Career As A Local Driver