Comments By Lady Lanes

talking or texting hand held will get you fired first offense.

As well it should. One of my biggest pet peeves is all of the drivers I see out there texting while driving, 4 wheelers and truckers alike.

I was driving in a rental Penske truck this past weekend from Las Vegas to Reno. Halfway between my trip I see a Truck Driver in front of my swerving pretty heavily. He was literally going in and out of two lanes while I was trying to stay at a safe distance behind him. Now mind you, I WANT to be a truck driver but I do not have professional driving experience yet. So, basically, to put it as simply as possible.... I was scared as HELL! This driver had an obvious affliction while operating his 80,000 lbs vehicle.

Not sure if I made the right decision or not but I decided to try to pass him on the left so I would not be in his way if the unfortunate happened and he suddenly stopped or worse yet, drove off the side of the road. Actually, now that I think about it, passing him was probably one of the WORST things I could have done but anyway, I was terrified as I sped up past him. While I was passing, my husband looked over and couldn't BELIEVE what he was doing.... TEXTING! Well, not sure if he was texting, reading a book, looking for directions, watching porn... whatever! That fool should not have had his phone in his hand while putting himself and others in danger while operating a commercial vehicle. Unbelievable!

From what you've told us you're certainly hireable. If you want to go through a Paid CDL Training Programs then just apply like crazy to all of em and see who is willing to give you a shot.

Looks like I may have to Brett. At first I wanted to focus on the best ones, based on my research and employment needs, which were Prime, Rohel, and/or Swift if I wasn't accepted by the other two. I am going to go ahead and apply for Swift today but now I can see that I can't pick the trucking company I want to work for. The trucking company will pick me.

About a year ago, maybe less, I applied to a local transit company (bus driver - MV Transportation) and was hired. I trained for 3 days with a Class B driver's permit but decided not to go through with the job because I really wanted to be a Truck Driver. After I quit I applied for Prime. Not sure if I screwed myself out of getting hired with a trucking company or not but I do know that a Prime recruiter stopped working on my application half way through and AFTER she called to ask me something about records from the bus company. I never asked why and did not follow up with the application. Apparently, she could not get some kind of paperwork from them OR she didn't like that I quit after 3 days. Not sure which.

Now, I still want to be a Truck Driver and am once again applying for a job. I just finished filling out the application and before I was able to push submit and finish, I notice that the last question on the application was about verifying my employment for MV Transportation last year (during only a one month period).

Again, I have no idea why Prime stopped working on my application and thinking back, I really should have called to find out why. I really can't do anything about that now but I am curious... am I hirable even though I quit after 3 days of training last year? Someone please help...?!

Thanks all for your replies. All of the responses were very helpful. However, I have decided not to go through with trucking... AGAIN. The reason I have been posting a new question, then disappearing for a few months only to return again to post a new question and repeat, is because my husband doesn't like the idea of me being on the road. That's either with him or without him. I have managed to convince him a few times but after he thinks it over in further detail, he finally decides it's a no go again. I am pretty sure that my final decision is NOT to become a Truck Driver at this time, although, if I did go through with it, I would have chosen May Trucking. I am sure that Prime is the overall better company but for my personal situation, May would have been a better fit.

I say that because for one, the Truck School here in Nevada has a connection with them and they only charge $2500 for the whole program. I can also stay as long as I need to learn. Two, I have 5 more months on my yearly apartment lease and May's 11 state regional runs will allow me to stay on the west coast, closer to my current home. On my 2-4 days off, my current job will allow me to go in and work for a day or two (no schedule needed) and I can stay at my comfy apartment while I'm here. Once my lease is up and I got a few month's driving experience, I could ask to change to OTR going all 48 while living out of my truck (I personally wouldn't mind doing that). When I called and spoke to a recruiter at May, she even told me that I could take my days off in a different state each time, as long as they had a drop off location nearby. Although, who knows if she was telling the truth or not. Let's hope that she was for the sake of the potential new students/drivers who might be reading this.

With Prime, I would have had to go to a Prime approved school which is not anywhere near Nevada and is around $3,500 - $4,000 or more if I'm not mistaken. I could have went through their company sponsored program but I would be locked in at a high cost of dropping out if it didn't work out. Of course, I know I shouldn't drop out AT ALL, but just in case I absolutely could not bear the trucking life, it is nice to know that I would have the OPTION to drop out with a lower risk at May. Also, with Prime, I am pretty sure I would have had to drive all 48 with no option of staying in the west. While it would be very enjoyable for me to drive to new parts of the country that I have never seen before, I like the idea of starting out in a particular area that I am already familiar with first BEFORE moving to all 48.

Anyway, like I said, I can't go through with it anyway since it would not be in the best interest of my family (and we do make family decisions, no feminist "I can do whatever I want" selfishness here). However, I did want to post the reasons I would have decided to go with May Trucking as opposed to Prime just in case it might help someone else in the future, if they decide to read this.

Thx Old School for your detailed reply. It seems that you are the most knowledgeable here, probably because you have been around so long (in this business). In the future I'm just wondering if I should just skip the forum and direct my question to you first. Lol!

I am still hoping to get some more responses but for now, it seems like Prime is the best company of the two. However,May is probably the best option for me starting out. We'll see if I have the same opinion once I get through school. I still have to enroll first. :-/

I am thinking about going to trucking school soon. Do you know which company will be best for me to start out with? May has a guaranteed pay structure for one year, which I like but Prime seems to pay more. I am just afraid that if I go with Prime I might not get enough miles after I finish training.

I also have to take my husband with me as a non-driving passenger (he has his own career going). Do you know if Prime will allow me to take my husband with me full-time even as a new driver in their lightweight trucks?

Thanks so much for your advice. I really need it! :-)

Ernie S. (AKA Old Salty Dog), do you know if Prime will allow me to take my husband along with me, even as a new driver in their lightweight trucks?

First of all, what is a "puppy mill". I have a guess but can you explain just in case I have the wrong idea? Also, not sure if I am going to go with May yet or not but I can give an update once I have decided and let you know. Would that be okay?

I am a female and want to take my husband on the road with me as a non-driving passenger (he has his own business going). It seems that May has some good benefits but Prime seems to pay more. As of now, I am siding with May because they have a guaranteed payment plan that you can choose for a year. My fear with Prime is that I might not get enough miles as a new driver once I finish training.

Does anyone have any suggestions about who I should go with? Also, if you know the positives and negative comparisons of both, I'd love to hear it. Thx all! Missed being on the forum the last couple of months.

Weigh stations are there for the structural integrity of bridges (so drivers do not damage them).. At least that's why they were initially created.

As far as I know: You're given a citation for being over weight, are rendered inoperable until the issue is resolved. Of course: That is entirely up to the discretion of the officer.

I might be incorrect though. So don't quote me! :)

Well that raises interesting question. Isn't the company responsible for the weight of the load? Maybe I am misunderstanding something here but why is the driver issued a citation for being overweight? Do we have to load our own trucks? Do we have to weigh our own trucks before the trip begins? As far as I know, many drivers are responsible for just driving and don't have to load or unload anything. Why would a driver like that deserve a citation for being overweight?