Comments By Erik M.

That's awestome Tracy!!!!! Congratulations!!!!!! I'm sure you're going to find the right fit for what you want to do. Now that school is over it's easier to slow down and take it all in. Next week I leave for Denver to begin my training with Werner. I'm going to stick with the training as long as I can. The more the better. See you out there.

I know about 7 people that have went to roadmaster and few other schools and they all said that the only thing they teach you how to shift, back up, and parallel park, and of course the pre-trip

I can tell you this much that's what most schools do. The school I went to cane right out and said the first day "we are here to help you get your license. Everything else you will learn on the job". I think they do this for two reasons. First is there is just way too much about the industry for then to possibly cover in the short amount of time they get. Second is to let the companies teach their employees how they like things done and how it should be done. I.e. strapping loads, sliding tandoms, etc. They just want to give you the basics to get started. Hope this helps

Ditto with what Heavy C said. My school was the same way and the companies that hired us knew we didn't know everything about the industry. That being said, they will give you what you need to get started. The rest is up to what the company wants you to do.

Thanks for your comments guys. That confirms what I've been thinking. You really have to do your homework when considering this as a career. There's a whole lot more to being a truck driver than just driving. For every "plus" there's going to be a "minus". It's important to know what they are.

While I was at school a recruiter came to speak with our class and I was very surprised to learn that companies don't recognize driving in the oil fields as having real truck driving experience. In fact she went on to say that if you come out of the oil fields you will most likely be sent back to a trucking school for a refresher course. This was a shock to many of the other students since they were planning on starting their driving career in the oil fields. Is this true or was it just that one company's policy?

Thanks for the input. At this point I pretty much narrowed down my search and I'll be going with Werner. I do hear good things about their program. The equipment is also fairly new and they have continuous training after you go solo just to keep you sharp. Some time in the middle of May I'll be heading down to Denver to begin my new life. Thanks again everyone. I'll stay in touch.

Hey Tracy, I'm glad to hear that you're coming back and finishing up. If trucking is your dream then you should never give up on that. You'll do fine. Best of luck to you. See ya on the road.

I just finished my training with Sage trucking school. I passed my exam for the CDL and now am looking for a place of employment. The number one issue for me right now is to get good solid training before going solo. I'm not too worried about the money since I know I won't make a whole lot my first year. That's to be expected. I want to be a safe and efficient driver and that comes with good training. Any suggestions would be helpful. Looking forward to hearing from you.

Hey Wilbert, sounds like you have the same idea as I do. I just got my CDL this week and am now looking for a company to work for. One thing I did learn was that living in your truck is easier if you're with a company that lets you keep it. Some companies always want you to return to a certain location or terminal. Also I found that if you are away from the truck for more than seven days (in most cases) you have to turn the truck into the company and when you come back you will get a new truck. That means you'll have to take all your personal effects out of the truck while you're away. So if you want to keep the truck you have don't take long vacations. Other than that it is a great way to save money and get lots of good experience OTR. Good luck to you.

Well, after many hours in the classroom, doing pre-trips, backing over many cones, and scaring everyone on the streets of Post Falls ID, I finally have arrived and got my CDL. There is so much more to learning to drive a truck than shifting gears and backing. Watching your space around you all the time, knowing what all the road signs say, and not running over anything when turning a corner are a few important things to know. Will I be able to stop this truck if the light changes too fast on me? In the end I learned that this career has a lot of mental stress that a lot of people aren't aware of. I discovered this after driving only four hours with a fifteen minute break. I'm sure I'll get better in time but there will be more daunting challenges in the future. The people at Sage trucking school are some of the best and I am grateful for all they have done for me over the past five weeks. One of the best benefits of this place is that they will help me find a job for as long as I'm in the trucking industry. In the future I hope to meet some of you out there on the road. I'll let you know how things develop.

Hi Tracy I'm glad to see you're still on this site. I want to pass on that I took my test this past Saturday and passed. I feel on top of the world right now. Like you, I have a lot of problems with the backing. The examiner gave me some real good pointers on backing before I started. It helped a lot. This past week I almost gave up in frustration but decided that if I failed I will fail at the end and not by quitting. Also one of the instructors said that if I would have quit he would have kicked my a@@. For new drivers the five week course at Sage is much better than the four week course. One needs more time to practice. I did find the backing range a little tight and cluttered. I hope you continue to pursue your dream. We'll be waiting for you out there.