Comments By Mike L.

All these responses are on the money. Miles vary, pay varies, conditions vary, it's simply the way trucking is. Training pay (does not matter what company) is going to be on the crummy side. Once it's finished and you become your own professional, the pay will get better but it will always vary.

Heck when I started my road training with Central Ref last year I only made $250 a week and it barely got me by. Then it improved when I was on my own but it was always up and down. Sometimes it's not just the miles you ran but when you actually sent in the paper work for the load. I've had a $300 paycheck followed by a $1400 paycheck followed by a $500 paycheck. Just how it goes in logistics.

I'll go on a limb here and say most people aren't very thorough with their online researching. If prime is the topic of the month then students will end up being swayed that way. I went with central because they had the least complaints online haha.

Qualcomm (or other electronic log/communication device) is usually the best way because it goes on record unlike a phone call. I'd also like to add that a good smart phone is a blessing on the road. You'll get unlimited minutes/texts but also you'll get a data plan so you can get on the internet. Satellite photos of streets and locations have relieves a lot of strain when I make deliveries. Also being able to get social media on the road helps you from going crazy from loneliness.

Yeah losing breaks scares me a lot as well. As Daniel said, drain your tanks regularly especially in cold weather. Doing a FULL break inspection every day is not only the law but is important to catch issues before you reach for the petal downhill. It's not just for your job, it's for your life.

After all is said and done. S... can just happen. Such is life.

So now, here is a dumb question.... why would you want to pick up 100 lbs when you could use a dolly to move same amount. Is this allowed?

I believe it's more of a stress test if you're talking about the physical you have to take. It's less about you being able to lift the weight as it is seeing how your body reacts to the strain.

That and sometimes a dolly just isn't available unless you have one stashed in your cab.

Good advice and thank you Brett and Woody. I'm glad it's behind me and I'm looking forward to getting some real experience. Thank you once again for making the training and practice tests available online and free.

Oddly enough they were even surprised I went through the TSA background check before I took the tests. Who would go through this kind of hassle without making sure they've been cleared first?

...and when I got in I had to also take Class C, Class A General Knowledge, Combinations, Air Brakes and then finally the three endorsements I went in for.

You know that moment when you didn't think to study for for 50% of a test but you already paid $40 to "renew" the license you got 1 year ago that was still good for another 3 years? Yeah...

Good news is I passed them all in the first go and even got my eye wear restriction removed. They were as surprised as I was that I legally don't need glasses.

Word of warning! Try to stay clear of England. I've heard nothing but bad things about that companies training as well as how they do business.

Mike you should know better by now than to speak ill or bad about another company on this website. Its not what we do here.

For one as you stated you HEARD. So you are going by hearsay from people but you do not know if its true or not.

I was a lease op with England for 3 years and had no problems at all with them. Matter of fact i paid for my house in cash as well as two trucks.

Rumors are for those other forums. Not these one. CR England is no different than any other starter company out here.

Well I've seen their training camps of 100 students per class and seen their stats of 300% turner over rate so I'll take the flack for what I said and stand by it. To say all training companies are the same is absolutely not true but I'll just leave it at that and keep the experiences to myself.

Thank you for the advice guys and I've decided to get the endorsement. I'm a little nervous about driving doubles/triples because I don't have a feeling for how they react on the road buy that's life.