Comments By Erik M.

I start school on Monday with Sage in Coeur d'Alene, ID. I have spoke to a recruiter at the school from Werner and looking for some input on the training side and spoke to one for May Trucking. Looking into a couple others once I get through school.

See you in school on Monday.

At my school we just had a recruiter from Werner come by to talk to us and he mentioned the felony and DUI issue. No DUIs in five years and no felonies in seven years. Everyones spotty history is taken on a case by case basis. So from what he said it is possible as long as you come clean and tell them the details of what happened. So from what I see you should have a shot.

Well, the moment I've been planning on for the past year and a half has finally arrived. This Monday I begin my training with Sage trucking school in Coeur d'Alene, ID. I honestly feel this is a very good school that stands behind their students the whole way. I suppose one thing that impressed me about them was that lots of recruiters go to their schools to recruit. The companies must feel the shcool is giving what the students need to get started.

I choose a private school over a company school so that I would have the freedom to work with who I wanted. Also, a private school is less likely to be impatient with new students. Company schools can be very demanding at times. I choose the five week class over the four week class to give myself as much training as possible. I don't think I can ever get enough of that.

As time goes on I will keep ya'll posted as to how they do things and my experience throughout the process. I want to thank Brett, Gujax, and Starcar who have encouraged me with their advice and suggestions. Over all this time I haven't given up my dream.

Wine Taster - It seems as if you and me have something in common. I'm leaving next week for trucking school and I most certainly share your fears and doubts. The two things that help me overcome those negative feelings are knowing that I will be trained well, and that if I keep things safe and by the book I'll be fine. One experienced trucker on this forum said that the fear is a good thing. It keeps you sharp and alert. If you're not afraid of what you're getting yourself into then something's wrong. Have faith in yourself and keep moving forward.

I'll play devil's advocate on this one because right now I work for one of those big box stores. One reason they don't want stuff coming early is they often don't have the space to put it due to the other deliveries arriving on time. There isn't a lot of space in our receiving area and if we get three trucks at the same time and one of them is early then he'll have to wait. What comes off the truck has to be put on the shelves and that takes time. These big stores have ten's of thousands of items in their inventory and it's a lot to juggle. If you put yourself on the receiving side of the equation you'll see what I mean. Oh yeah, these people are underpaid and work damn hard for it. It's good to step back and try to look at the big picture.

I've been accepted at the Sage trucking school and will be moving up to Idaho in about a month. In the mean time I've been filling out applications and speaking with recruiters. One recruiter from Steven's Transport told me not to fill out the application until I had started school. He told me the school would help me with all the paperwork on applications and he could have a pre hire letter sent the same day he gets the paperwork for the school. That was good news to me but I was wondering if most companies do their pre hires that way when recruiting out of private driving schools. I kind of got the same reply from another company after I had sent in all my application papers. They won't give a pre hire letter until I'm at the school. Looking forward to your input.

Hey Phillip, I understand your dilemma. I was overseas teaching for more than ten years. I loved every bit of it. It didn't make me rich but it did make me happy. Why am I now getting into trucking? Well, like you trucking is very interesting to me and I just feel it fits my personality. I also wanted to live back home and try something new. I suppose the bottom line is that you should only do something that you will be happy doing. On a practical note, getting a degree in a profession is easier when you're younger. As for trucking, if you're older the door is still open. It's your choice.

Starting a new career at 57??? Many drivers have started out right where you are now and they don't have a problem with it. One thing to think about is driving flatbeds. Driving flatbeds will require you to do a lot of physical work tying down freight and folding and unfolding tarps. People pushing 60 have told me it does become more challenging to do that kind of trucking. I'm in my mid fifties and will be starting my career in trucking in a couple of months. You're in good company.

I got my application for the Sage trucking school and one of the health questions puzzles me. They want to know if I'm color blind. Does this disqualify someone from trucking? I do have a slight color deficiency but I can see red, yellow, and green like everyone else. Anyone come accross this problem?

Guyjax is right. I can take the truck home with me. One reason I want to live near a terminal is that on my off time the truck can be serviced more frequently if I an always take it to a terminal. Why Las Vegas? Well, I live just outside of Vegas and I grew up here. My folks are still here and I want to be nearer to them now that they're getting older. I will relocate if I have to but being here is my first choice.