Comments By Michael W.

Hi Everyone. I need some advice from Seasoned Truckers.

I'm a Retired Trucker who has been out of Trucking for a considerable amount of time. I still keep my CDL (with ALL Endorsements) and Medical Card Current. One of the things on my Bucket List is to get back into Trucking. I was a Local Driver for a Large Grocery Company in Southern California for over 30 years (I now live in the east coastal area in Central Florida). As a Local Driver I never did any real Long Haul except for some day trips to Las Vegas and back. I drove many years pulling Doubles until 53 footers became the norm. We did Paper Logs and only had Manual Shift Transmissions back then.

I know it wouldn't be hard to get back into the actual Driving of a Truck. The problem I see is learning Electronic Logs and Time Management. Seeing as I was a local driver, the only thing I had to worry about then was running out of hours. If I did, I would simply start my shift a few hours later the next day. Long Haul is a different story. From what I've read, Planning several days in advance to keep your hours in check is a big part. And at the same time making your appointments on time...plus lots more.

In talking with some Recruiters, I get different stories on their recruiting of Drivers that have been out of Trucking for a period of time. Sure would appreciate any advice from Seasoned Drivers on subjects from getting hired, to Time Management, to a Company to work for and any other pertinent information.

Thank You, John

My story is somewhat similar to your. I drove in the 1990's for a few years, got out, removed CDL from my license, and 15 years later went back. The good thing for YOUO is you kept up the CDL and endorsements. Half the job is already done. All you'll have to do, as Old School mentioned, is go out for training driving teams for a couple of months. Like me, you'll probably find driving in general is like riding a bike. You'll fall right into it as if there was no break. The technology has changed, but driving itself hasn't.

Logs are easy enough. Everything is done for ya! All you have to do is make sure you're properly logged in and keep an eye on that time.

Now, since it's been so long, you'll probably have much the same reaction to the new trucks as I did. "Geez, man," I said to my first trainer, "this is an f'n spaceship! Does it fly??" Not a joke. I really said exactly that. If you're thinking of going back local again, then find a small company. Usually, they'll put you with one of their drivers for a week (or until you understand it all).

If you're going OTR or overnight regional/line-haul, then yeah - you'll do 35K to 50K teaming to fulfill company/insurance requirements. Like me, you'll probably be mildly irritated after 2 weeks because you'll get it and be ready. Thank God I had great trainers who cared and that I liked.

You'll be okay. You just have to be patient with the standard training pay structure companies LOVE to use for trainees in team situations.

Hi y'all trying to get my pat-down before going to training in 2 weeks. And I tell ya...IT'S HARD!! I got the outside frame nearly down pack. For example:

I start from the bottom,up; As I'm standing in-front of the truck I will look for any leaning. This will indicate a suspension problem or a tire problem.

Now for my bumper,I will make sure it's not cracked or broken,have abrasions,that it's not loose off it hinges

Headlights; I will checked that it's not cracked,broken or have abrasions,that they are clear & of proper color.

For the windshield; I will check that it's not cracked,have chips or loose debris from the outside environment

with my overhead lights I want to check that's it's not cracked,broken or missing lens and that they are the proper color

Now for my mirrors.My driver and passenger mirrors (start with driver side than passenger side) that they are not cracked bent,broken and are securely mounted to the truck.

Now for under the hood I want to make sure the red water inside that clear white container is filled to the top ((at this very moment...she knew,she ****** up)).

See when I get to under the hood and with tires and suspensions,I suck big time. HELP🥺🥺🥺🥺

😃ALL RESPONSES WILL BE APPRECIATED!!😃

Yes, doing it a specific way to pass a test is intimidating. But, once you get through that, it becomes really easy with one simple philosophy: CHECK EVERYTHING! Even if it's not included in the test lists.

Once that test fades into your past, you'll be surprised how easy it is after that.

Hi guys. Here’s what happened. I applied to western express and as I did there orientation and filled out all the paperwork online I didn’t realize I signed a non compete contract that was for one year. After I completed orientation I was told I had to do 240 training hours and I decided to quit. now because of the contract I can’t get hired by another company because of the contract. Do any of you have any suggestion on what I should do or if the contract should still be valid since I didn’t receive any compensation or training from western express

You didn't read the paper before you signed. Did you them go back to read it after finding out what it was? What did it say, specifically? A non-compete is designed to prevent former employees/contractors from stealing clients for a certain period of time. Were you intending on using their Lease-Purchase to buy a truck? Were you actually working for a LeaseOp or OwnerOp while driving under WE's authority? More info is needed. If these are the case, then it makes a little sense for them to request a non-compete.

If you were a company driver...the non-compete is legally unenforceable. The ONLY way to enforce such a retarded agreement at OUR level is through bull**** DAC entries and collusion of various companies agreeing not to hire anyone under that contract. There is a class action suit right now about that very thing, and WE is one of the many companies (all training companies, btw) included in that suit. It's going "so well" for them in court, Schneider (not included in that suit) actually felt it necessary to file a motion with that court supporting the contracts. What can YOU do about it? Nothing. Make your choice and go with it.

But, honestly, if you have 5 months experience now, what's 7 more months? Even if under "contract," you can leave for greener pastures before the term of the contact ends without skipping a beat. The bottom line is no one except the companies colluding together will take that contract seriously. You are not a CEO or high-level executive, you are not a special contractor working just for them, you are not hauling special freight under contract that might require an NDA as well. You are a common driver hauling common freight. After your 12th month total experience, leave.

Consider this, too: no trucking company has ever sued a common driver for breaking one of these non-competes. Not once. Why? Not only would they get nothing but seriously awful PR, but also it is technically unenforceable at our level. For US to leave does them no harm unless we abandon a load en route - but that's a different thing altogether.

They will probably settle the class action...eventually. That means they'll continue doing it. So, adjust and know the facts. Search the web for that class and the list of companies being sued AND in known support of the defense, and then do NOT apply to them if you leave before that stupid "contract" expires.

Agree with Old School in that safety is a benefit for everybody, not just a monetary plus for the company.

Michael your perception of a pervasive safety culture is truly warped. We all benefit from safe operation out here...all of us do!

I guess my word vomit worked against me. It was not my intention to state that safety only benefits the companies. I was trying to outline why and how that affects hiring practices. Nothing more. Of course safety benefits us all. I was also attempting to explain how wrong some are to say insurance companies have unfair or undue control over trucking companies.

I certainly do not mean to convey that money and self protection are the only reasons for safety. Are current rules and regulations perfect? No, but there are reasons they exist. This really was to show how a company must approach things.

My apologies for the failure.

Is no insurance and/or expired tags a moving violation? And is it required that I report them on my application? Also, are they not supposed to care about anything 10 yrs or older?

Tortuga is correct. The offenses you listed are not moving violations.

As for the 10 year thing...

That's just to look back at 10 years of employment or schooling, if such records exist. At 21, for example, they really don't care to see what you did or schools you attended back when you were 11. It will be limited to your 18th birthday if you are younger than 28.

For driving violations, they go back 3 years for moving violations, 5 years for accidents (your fault or not). DUI and drug related driving offenses are generally limited to 7-10 years.

Criminal histories go back 3 - 10 years, depending on your state or municipality. Most companies ask for 7 years. Some 10. A few just ask for 3.

There are exceptions where a background checks will go back to your 18th birthday. These are jobs requiring some type of low-level security clearance for facility accesses and/or certain types of special cargo. That will include the driving records, if your state keeps a lifetime abstract.

Hello all,

I just got off the Phone with Prime. I really like how their flatbed training package sounds. I've been accepted by TMC but prime's training plan is appealing to me.

Any suggestions? Thanks.

I trained with Prime in 2015, but not flatbed. A good friend of mine did do flatbed, and he was open about it. I do not know much about TMC beyond what come of their drivers have told me.

For Prime:

If I didn't have a medical issue cut my time with them short, I might still be with them today in some capacity. Good company, still privately owned, EXCELLENT training. Back in 2015, I only had to do 30,000 miles before being released to solo. I had previous experience driving rigs, so that was enough for me. Had I been a total rookie, 30K wasn't enough. I'm glad they raised that to 50K. Hopefully that applies to Reefer side, too.

Anyway, my pal also trained Reefer through them, left for a bit, then returned for flatbed training. Even with 1.5 years of driving experience, he was still required to go with a trainer for 2 weeks. Although they did show him how to secure and tarp at the terminal, there is nothing like gaining real experience. After that, he went solo again and loved it. As he put it, "This is a REAL MAN'S trucking job, man!" After another 2 years, he left Prime to do Heavy haul (which Prime does not do). That man now makes $150K+ per year as a company driver elsewhere (again, heavy haul - big money there).

If you just want experience coupled with awesome training, Prime is an excellent choice. Since Rob Low was a driver and still runs the joint, he's pretty good at keeping the offices respectful of us cranky, stinky, sometimes really stupid road nuts.

Last I knew, trucks are governed at 67-68 MPH. That's Lease. I think it's lower for straight company trucks.

I will warn you, though. Don't go Lease. I went Lease. I did okay, but ONLY because I had no actual home and only a storage fee for expenses. If you intend to be out ALL THE TIME with a rare few days off aside from the reset, then it may be a good choice. I do mean all the time. Not exaggerating. The Lease payments are WEEKLY and the payments do NOT stop if you take a few extra days off. If you are out 4 weeks and then go home for a week, Prime will not stop you. HOWEVER, that payment is due and if you have nothing to pay that week off you WILL pay it the next week PLUS that week's payment. You can be in the hole for two weeks. Most fail because they don't work long enough to pack away the money to pay for the lease during the week off. They provide a way for LeaseOps to do exactly that, but they kinda avoid telling you that you'd really have to be out 4 - 8 weeks straight just to have one week packed away to go into a 4 on 1 off rotation. You CAN ask them to pack away more to get that done quicker, but most cannot afford to do that right away. Just be aware of that.

Also, their Lease payments are pretty high. The average when I was there in 2015 was $650-$800 each week, and that's JUST THE TRACTOR (not the related fuel and maintenance expenses).

For TMC:

I have zero experience with the company and only limited to what their drivers have told me. I will also refrain from putting in any and all whiny driver complaints (there are always a few). Only the good things and friendly warnings.

I do not think they offer a Lease option. I may be wrong.

Anyway, they still govern their trucks at 61-62 MPH. To balance that, they seem to know how to schedule dispatches accordingly, even for long hauls. TMC doesn't usually sit around for very long in between loads. The company does like to pre-plan loads, sometimes 2 loads in advance.

They do allow a choice to be home weekly or weekends, but your check WILL reflect that. They prefer you stay out 10-14 days for a reset at home, or 3 weeks out with 2.5 days at home.

They train TOP notch. They take care of their equipment. And...they require that of you, too, even on the inside. There seems to be a consensus that attitudes from the offices are not what they should be. That's all I know from what TMC drivers have said.

Honestly, if you want to train for flatbed AND be paid very well, look into Maverick. I do not know if they train for get CDLs, but they will take rookies. If I ever go back to flatbedding, that's where I'll go.

Good luck!

Not trying to hijack this thread but him mentioning 6 points. How do companies view points on ones license when one tries to get a new job with points on their license?

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But, that's not all for the trucking companies! They also must be vigilant over their FMCSA scores. THOSE scores can make or break a company. Every violation (traffic, inspections, and such) reflect through that score. Keep it low or otherwise acceptable, no problems. When it reaches a certain level, FMCSA will intervene. If it reaches the highest limit, the company loses it's authority to operate. FMCSA scores also affect the loads a carrier can carry AND whether or not they can deal with certain brokerages and other private businesses requiring shipping services. That equates to a loss of revenue, which can and frequently is a business killer. ALL suffer for that. The company isn't making the money they used to and neither are the drivers. ALL drivers, not just the bad ones who got the company there. The company not only loses revenue but also loses their better drivers. Lower income for the company and the need to keep the trucks rolling then translates into lower pay per mile for new hires and the burning desire of the company to shed the higher paid veterans (or cutting their miles to the point they move on).

Lastly, I'll touch on FMSCA scores and YOU as a CDL holder.

Most are under the impression that CDL holders are also scored. Yes and no. FMCSA PSP reports assign points to inspection discrepancies, overweight warnings/tickets, and accidents (at fault or not). There may be one or two more, I am not sure. That report also shows whether or not there were injuries, fault of driver (or not), deaths, Out of Service orders, or non-OOS. One does not have to receive a ticket or summons for an entry to be made. While inspection violations are NOT held again the driver's CDL, it is held against the company via CSA scoring and only listed on PSP under the driver's name (violations for 3 years, accidents - at fault or not - for 5). The GOOD thing is the CSA points do not follow a CDL driver to another company. The BAD thing is the new company can see that list upon request and can decide not to risk raising their company CSA score. MOVING violations are NOT included on the driver's PSP report.

HOWEVER...

As mentioned above, moving violations can score points against an individual's driver's license (depending on if the issuing state has such a system). FMCSA adds points to the COMPANY CSA score for each moving violation IF that violation was in their CMV. If, for example, an Improper Passing violation is 4 points to the CDL holder's license, it's FIVE points to the company CSA score. Not all moving violations are covered. Only MAJOR violations are covered. Speeding less than 15 over the speed limit is minor, while 15 and over is major. States may still consider 15-19 over a minor, but FMCSA calls this reckless driving (even if that's not the charge). As such, heavy points (I think 10) are assigned to the company CSA, an entry MAY be made to a driver's PSP, while the state only adds 2 points (example) to the license itself. For CDL holders, INSURANCE companies use the FMCSA weighted scores for their DMV calculations. While a state may assign 6 points for a Lane Violation (2 points) and Improper Passing (4 points), INSURANCE companies will calculate the 2 points for Lane Violation but FIVE points for Improper Passing. On the license itself, 6 points. For trucking purposes, it's 7.

I know the above is a lot to take in, but that's what I've learned just recently through my own situation. Hopefully it wasn't too confusing. And, I apologize for the word vomit posts.

Michael Wonch

Not trying to hijack this thread but him mentioning 6 points. How do companies view points on ones license when one tries to get a new job with points on their license?

Now this I can help you with. Depending on the violation, a certain number of points are assigned for each moving violation. The number of points depends on severity of offense.

Points on the license matter in three ways:

1. State

2. Insurance

3. Company

With a CDL, any points matter even more than a regular license.

At state level, points determine where and when the DMV must penalize a driver (CDL or not). States do vary regarding this. Some states are tighter, while other are more lenient. The state usually use points to determine whether or not to restrict, suspend, or revoke a license. Some states don't use a point system while choosing instead to decide the above mentioned penalties on how many moving violations someone receives within a certain time-frame (usually 12 months). Most states share violation info (some do not) with other states when exchanging licenses, thus transferring points from the previous state to the new one. In these cases, the points are assigned (if any) at the amount for the NEW state even if the OLD state assigned less. In the case where the OLD state does not assign points, but the NEW state does, the newer license will reflect points from the new state.

For insurance, any and all moving violations (and a scant few non-moving) increase rates; you probably already know this. Regular AUTO insurance assigns rates heavily based on the driving record. Insurance companies usually use the state's assigned points, but can also use their own. They use their own for those in states without official scoring. But, some companies have their own system regardless of the state's official tally. Mostly, moving violations and accidents will cause rates to rise, but sometimes the customer's record can cause cancellation of refusal for coverage. This is even more so for CDL holders. See below.

Trucking companies are very safety oriented. Although they say it's for everyone's benefit, it's really only for themselves. They have ONE good reason for that: costs related to liability and risk. Trucking companies can hire anyone they wish at any time. If they ignore a DMV report that red flags the potential hire and that person ends up really being a problem on the road, then the company WILL be sued (especially when damage, injury, or death is involved). That's liability. THOSE costs can destroy an entire company in one verdict. To mitigate the risks associated with bad drivers, INSURANCE companies will set a certain criteria for new hires (or even current employees). Now, they do NOT have a say in who does or does not get hired. Insurance companies, however, will inform the trucking company of the added costs for hiring that driver (or keeping them employed). Usually, Trucking Company can hire a high-risk driver anyway after agreeing to pay Insurance Company a greatly inflated rate for that driver. By greatly inflated, I mean that the carrier's $75,000 normal rate can and WILL become $135,000 if they hire or keep a driver considered high-risk. Most will not be willing to do that, even if they adore the driver or potential hire. Just not worth it.

Now, there are many cases where a company effectively insures themselves. These companies must register as an insurance provider (among other things) usually through starting/owning a seemingly separate company under their corporate "umbrella." These companies assume ALL risks associated with tickets, accidents, and so on. The most common of these are the so-called MEGA carriers. It's cheaper in the long run to insure themselves due to the number of trucks increasing violation and accident chances AND...they usually hire and train new drivers (which increases risks a lot more). These companies may hire as they wish. Some are strict, others are not. MOST pay the lowest to their drivers across the board, and that is ONLY because they take full legal responsibility for risky hires and driver who become a risk. A lot of people whine about insurance companies having too much power over trucking company hiring practices. That is NOT true. Insurance companies only have power over the rates they give if any) for each driver they hire. Hiring decisions are always up to the trucking company. If they wish to fully cover an uninsurable driver on their own or accept higher premiums for a high-risk hire, that's totally up to the trucking company.

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Hey, all!

I am not a new CDL driver. I have seen a few threads similar to the following, I note most (or even all) are from the new CDL Students or the soon-to-be. I do not know if my situation will be viewed the same as theirs since I have enough experience to know better. So, here goes...

I worked the CDL side of trucking from 1995-2000. I gave up the license for personal reasons. Skip forward to 2015, I attended a MEGA school (Prime) to regain my license, which I did. I've remained employed ever since.

I kept a squeaky-clean driving record until September 2018, when I was clipped for driving that restricted left lane in Illinois. A year later, I brain-farted and did it again in Kentucky. I'm not used to getting tickets, so I was pretty upset with myself for WEEKS after that. Problem is, and what I did not know at that time, is Kentucky calls that Improper Passing. A straight Left Lane violation is considered minor, but a second under the title of Improper Passing I have recently learned is a MAJOR violation.

Before I knew it was such a major violation, I left my home and job in Illinois for San Antonio, Texas. I love it here, so I decided to live here. I had a large enough savings to take it easy and take great care on the new job search. That was 2 months ago. I usually secure a new job before leaving a current, but this time I figured I could just chance it. After all, even through COVID, a lot of companies were hiring. They still are, just not me. I finally got one company manager to clue me into why. As you may have guessed, it was not just the two tickets, it really is that last ticket. Improper Passing is major, and coupled with that ticket the year before, I now have 6 Points against my CDL. My heart sank and I felt gutted as I suddenly realized I had completely F'ed myself by allowing complacency to replace common sense and vigilance. After years of climbing that income ladder, I was now slapped back to the bottom. Again, no one to blame but myself...but it's done and I am left with extremely limited options. bad luck? No. Three bad decisions (the tickets and the decision to move without the above knowledge). If I can find a company willing to hire me, it'll be OTR again. Just the next two years driving a lower gig will be a constant reminder, especially that part that my last gig paid .55/mile loaded or empty. See? F'ed myself and need no more lashings...

I am now in the unenviable position of requesting help with companies which will likely hire an experienced trucker with a messed up DMV. I also ask to not be lectured. I'd only agree with you which would make the interaction no fun for you. See? I'm keeping my spirits up!

If anyone can assist with a suggestion or few, I would be quite appreciative. I live in San Antonio, TX.

Thanks in advance,

Mike

Heck you can pc to that spot

That depends on the company policy. If said policy restricts PC to NOT include just a quick move or even to find a safe haven, he'd be badgered by Safety and a small black mark put on his company record. There are companies who do that.