Profile For Old School

Hey Clayton, it's great hearing from you!

Man, I'm sorry to hear what's going on with you. Trucking can be ruthless. You're finding that out. Have you tried Western Express? I would keep trying to land a company driver position. Try everywhere you can. Even if you don't have the best situation, by staying there one year, you will open up a lot of opportunities. One year without another accident says a lot.

That's been a policy with many Trucking companies. After they terminate an otherwise good employee for an accident, they will usually hire them back after they work somewhere else accident free for one year.

You probably need to rethink how you want to start this. First, you don't have to work for a company based in your area. I live in Texas. My trucking employer is based in Phoenix, AZ. I seldom ever go to Phoenix. I may have been there four or five times in ten years.

There are plenty of companies hiring from the New Orleans area. You just need to do your research and get on with one that will train you and help you get that CDL.

Follow this link and you can find companies hiring from your area. I think there's a place there to put your zip code in and it will show you companies hiring from your area.

Truck Driving Jobs

You said this, and I'm not exactly sure what you mean...

What is the best way to start small in the industry?

The folks who hire you will be looking for a productive member being added to their team. They aren't too interested in small starts. This is an asset based business. When they assign their valuable assets to you, they expect results. They need each asset to be producing good revenues. You can expect to be working long hours from the very beginning.

Is your Dad in Maine? If so, that's going to be tough. There's not a whole lot of freight running in and out of there. It's not likely you're going to find a job running up there frequently.

Lastly, you make this confession...

I'm not looking to burn out after a few years.

All I can say is nobody enters trucking looking to burn out after a few years, but many do just that. This is not an easy career to get started. It's an even tougher one to maintain. A lot of truckers burn out quickly. I see it all the time. Even here in our forum it's obvious.

I wish you the best, but don't romanticize this career as a great vacation that will allow you to go see the country and your Dad. That's just not how it works.

Hey, don't worry about it. They are going to show you their preferred technique which is very similar to what you're doing. You'll be fine.

That's an easy one!

Here you go... click on this link.

High Road CDL Training Program

That's all you need.

Hello Ahmalia - it's great hearing from you again!

Your situation seems odd, to say the least. Most LTL jobs like this are really strong on seniority. Yours is being ignored. I'm not sure what's going on based on your words.

Just a few comments...

There's no way they are going to increase your pay rate after reducing your load of work. That's not going to happen, and you already found that out.

You said...

Unknown if this is temporary or permanent

How is your relationship with your dispatcher? This statement shocked me. The first day I realized they were reducing my work load enough to cut my pay in half, my driver manager and I would be having a discussion. I'd ask lots of questions and they'd know how unhappy I am with the current situation.

I'd have some clarity on what their purpose was and I think I'd know how to respond. They definitely don't want to lose me, just as I'm sure your employer wants to keep you.

I'm thrilled to hear from you, but the folks you need to be talking to are right there in your company's chain of command. There's some kind of reason this has happened. You've got to get some clarity so you can mend the breach. There is no way we can do that for you.

Also, I agree with you completely about people leaving and then returning. I've been running on the same account for more than a decade. I see this happening all the time. This particular job is a gravy account in my opinion, but knuckleheads always find a way to figure they're being mistreated. It usually takes them about 2 months elsewhere to realize what a boneheaded choice they made. Don't be a knucklehead!

Communicate with your bosses. Find out what's going on. You're a smart girl, but you're in the dark right now. You can't make a good decision without factual information. Get what you need, focus on whether there's actions you can take to make things better, then you can make a proper decision.

Welcome!

I'm sure you've found it difficult to make sense out of what you read online about how to start a trucking career. One person thinks Schneider is great, and three people think they are scumbags. Nothing ever adds up or makes sense. I've often said trucking is the most misunderstood career there is.

Here's the basic truth... it's hard to get started in trucking. So many fail and then blame the company they started with. There are only so many trucking companies willing to hire inexperienced drivers. Each of them has their haters. Just ignore all the trash talk and get started with whichever one is willing to take you on. Commit yourself to one year with them, and then re-think about what's next.

I stayed about a year and a half at the company I started with, but I got a really great offer that I felt I couldn't refuse. I'm still with that second company more than ten years later.

The bottom line is that we make or break ourselves in trucking. The name on the truck has nothing to do with the driver's success or failure. Schneider has plenty of successful drivers - we've got some of them here in our forum. Schneider also has a lot of quitters who blame the company for their failures.

Your husband needs to realize he holds the keys to this. He may prove he's incapable. He may have great success. He cannot expect Schneider or any other company to hold his hand and help him extensively. They all need independent movers and shakers in their trucks.

The question becomes... What can I do to be successful at this?

Hey Robert, welcome to our forum and to trucking!

Getting started in trucking is really a radical change for most of us. That's why there are so many failures. That failure rate has convinced people that you have to start at just the right company or you're doomed. There's no truth in that. I started at Western Express, and I have done very well as a trucker.

As you begin this career, don't focus on who has their name on the doors of your truck. Focus on who has their hands on the wheel of your truck. That's where success or failure lies.

It's going to be a hard transition no matter where you start. Settle that in your mind. The problem with most newbies is that they blame each problem they encounter on their employer. Don't do that. Just realize trucking has extra difficulties at first.

Rookies are under a lot of pressure because it's all new, and we're still learning a great deal. Our training only covers the bare minimums for us to get started. We can always improve our performance out here. We can always work at being easier to work with. We can always be safer. After well over a million miles, I'm still learning things out here.

Focus on being productive, safe, easy to work with. Don't be argumentative or disgruntled. Take on each new day as though it were a gift from God to start fresh. You'll be amazed how much a positive attitude helps bring success in trucking, and a negative attitude compounds failure.

I poured my years of success and experience into a book specifically for new truck drivers. If you're interested, it's available at Amazon. Just go to their website and then type Hit The Road by Dale McClure in their search bar. It should come right up. It's available as an e-book or a paperback.

Hang with us here in our forum. There are a lot of voices of reason here who can help you get through that tricky first year. Hang in there. You can do this.

In your decade long research you still want to pursue this? What is so important to you about being the owner?

I'm genuinely curious. As an owner of several businesses, I've never thought the economics of being an O/O in trucking made any sense. If it weren't for the "coolness" factor associated with big rig ownership, I seriously doubt we'd see a lot of independent operators like we do now. Many of them struggle at it while most fall by the wayside.

Totally agree with everything said.

Trucking can drive you crazy! It often makes no sense. It seems the longer people are in it, they either become jaded, or manage to enjoy it immensely. I'm still in that second camp. I'm earning some very decent pay, and I'm still enjoying the lifestyle.

If your jaded, it's probably time to step away. Sometimes a whole new perspective can be refreshing. Good luck sir!

Great responses!

Charles, whether you end up getting fired will mostly depend on your response. Don't lay blame on anything like GPS, or night time. You have to accept your responsibility. You made a mistake.

They want to know you've learned what went wrong, and how you'll handle it next time this happens. If you can present a better approach and plan based on what went wrong this time, they will give you a second chance. Be humble and teachable.

You'll always be learning while involved with this career.

Keep us posted. We want to know if we helped you stay in the game.