Profile For Daniel B.

I would not want to be OTR with a newborn. My best advice would be to go local asap. Every ltl company is hiring to the point where most don't even care if you have experience or not. Why miss out on that wonderful 1st year?

Yeah I would call and ask. However why can't you just park at a walmart on hometime?

Oh snap I've been cloned. Are you friend or foe?

What terminal are you trying to drive for?

Wanna hear a story? When I was in school in 2012 I had the same struggle. I had everything else down except the ability to properly come off of a stop without stalling.

I was worse off than you though! We drove a '96 Columbia truck with bench seats in the back. 5 people inside the truck total (driver, passenger, 3 in the back observing). I had to stop on an uphill and I immediately started getting nervous. And for good reason, as soon as I tried to take off I jerked the truck so hard that two of the students in the back suffered injuries. One even went to the chiropractor because I injured his neck. So you can be frustrated all you want, at least you didn't send someone to the chiropractor when you were learning.

I wouldn't punish yourself too hard or stress too much about this. I've taught 8 students to their license so far and if there's anything I've learned is that every student struggles at different things. The job of the trainer is to identify these stuggles because everyone has them.

It boils down to the more you practice the better you'll become at it. Which is easier said than done because getting consistent driving time at a school can be a challenge sometimes.

Here's my tip though. I don't think it's the clutch that's the culprit here. I think you're not letting go of the service brake in time. With both clutch and brake pushed, practice gradually releasing them in sync but always releasing the service brake first, then the clutch. Remember if you release the service brake you are essentially in Neutral and are prone to rolling backwards so you cannot wait too long to release the clutch once the service brake is released. I would practice as much in the yard, this way you don't have the added stress of being on a public road.

Good move sir! I would have walked away too. I would also specify that this is the specific reason why you are quitting every opportunity I get. If OD made us wear two masks I would quit too. But I doubt they ever would - corporate is from North Carolina and the executives are great people (I've met lots of them because they come to every terminal once a year to discuss annual raises). They didn't come across as sheeple to me.

There's way too many great trucking jobs out there that are desperate for drivers. I recommend P&D its really not a hard job if you're an experienced driver and know what turns you can and cannot make. Best work/life balance in the industry.

It's a shame that you feel like you have to do this because you don't have security in your marriage. Not a good way to live. I would sit down and discuss this topic with your husband. No one is saying you should depend on him, but it sounds like you're bracing for impact.

I did OTR and now I drive locally so I know both sides. First things first, $17 an hour to drive a Class A truck is terrible pay. I would rather work at a warehouse with predictable days and hours.

I do local and while my start time is the same everyday, the time I get off is not. I could get off as early as 4pm, or as late as 8:30pm. This would create a nightmare for planning with your daycare person.

I would focus on taking care of the kids and supporting the husband as he builds his career. He will eventually make enough to support you all but it won't be in that first year.

I think ultimately the hurdle we need to focus on is what appears to be your lack of confidence with you two staying together. I wouldn't wish this on anyone. And I would use my energy to gain that confidence back somehow so that you don't feel obligated to abandon the kids and seek out additional income "just in case".

The unknown company was during my time with my driver mentor. We got there and they told him it was a 4-5 hour wait for 1 pallet. He told them he wasn't waiting and they had two options. Option 1 he can take it back and they'll get charged redelivery and storage for refusing it. He said that the route was his area so he'd be the one coming back tomorrow and the day after so they would keep doing this everyday.

Option 2 was they can send someone out with a forklift to unload it.

They chose option 2 and the pallet was off 5 minutes later.

I love doing this and I do it more often than I want to admit. I love having some actual power over these receivers as a local driver. Definitely a huge perk.

Also, leaving because they are taking too long and telling them that is pretty awesome

I love Sysco as a local driver. Back in and go to sleep knowing I'm still being paid my full hourly rate. "Oh Mr.Lumper you're behind and understaffed? Go ahead and take your time with me im in no rush"

Greetings Mr.Eugene!

My comment wasn't directed at you personally. Judging by your profile picture you clearly don't fit my description of this society that I speak towards.

Also, since you kind of gave your background story I will give mine too so that maybe you can see where I'm coming from.

Though I rarely post, I'm the local Russian guy here. My parents fled communist USSR Soviet Union and the KGB. Obviously I don't want to reveal too much publicly because I don't think my father would appreciate it. But he became a Christian as a young man while drafted to the army. Christianity was against the law and when he was discovered he was beaten to near death and hunted afterwards. He fled persecution and long story short here we are.

Now you have to realize we Russians see this entire situation through a different lens than you Americans. There are a lot of similarities between what happened back then to what is happening now. A lot of steps that were taken in correct sequence back then for government to achieve total control and it may seem we might be at the beginning stages of the same correct sequence done many years happening now. I hope I'm wrong, I pray I'm wrong. The common denomination is mankind and his sinful quest for power. The denomination hasn't changed, nor has mankinds heart.

My stance comes from the fear of government being able to tell people what to do, how to live, being able to close down church and assume the power to lord over overones business. And the scariest thing? People happily listen, obey, and change their entire lives for an entity that cares not for them. Listen, my country got absolutely F'd, let's not let that happen to the greatest country in the world. I agree, It's not fair to even compare USSR to todays USA. But USSR didn't become USSR overnight. Once government knows they can control you, you're in big trouble.

Such an unhealthy and obese population. This was our chance to finally stop and think about our health and choices we make and continue to make that got us where we are in terms of health.

We could change our ways! We could eat healthier, we could exercise, we could treat our mental health more seriously. We could do sooo many things to boost our health and our immune system so that we can be confident that our body will be able to fight off illnesses better. This is our chance.

.....or..... we could further our enslavement to big gov and the pharmaceutical industry and depend on a "vaccine" for our livelihood whilst living in fear because we are told to, all the while shutting off our own ability to critically think and reason for ourselves.

My wife got it at about 34 weeks pregnant confirmed at hospital during a checkup. She lost her taste and smell, had a mild fever. It wasn't much different than a low-mild fever but the hardest thing about it for her was the shortness of breathe. We just had to be a little more careful to not strain herself physically since pregnancy at that stage already had its own shortness of breathe issues.

When baby was born 4 weeks later they tested him and he came back negative.

Obviously I had it too though I never got tested. My immune system is an absolute beast so I knew my system would destroy it quickly if I had gotten it. I had a super small temperature and a persistent headache for about 3 days and that was it.

You can't be a FF and drive truck at same time. FF would need to be logged as On-Duty so it will not work with your logs.

And the current has shifted!

So much to think about! So many great points! So much perspective! Only you can decide!

Greetings!

I've been doing P&D going on 4 years now at OD and I'm a Driver Trainer at my terminal so I'm actually one of the guys who takes new hires who want to get their license from point A to Z as well as doing driving tests for new hires who already have their license.

I think you would be wise to take that LH position. For rookies, dispatch tries their best to slowly work you in to harder stuff as you get more experience but even then its still extremely difficult. I wouldn't risk it especially in NYC. Linehaul is less stressful and pays more. Driving doubles is intimidating at first but its really not that hard once you learn what trailer whip is and how they behave.

You're actually in a wonderful spot right now because of the severe industry-wide shortage and because of how slammed we are due to covid. A few years ago you wouldn't dream of this opportunity. OD loves to promote from within (dock to driver) but they are a lot more hesitant hiring from the outside. They would usually prefer to invest and train a guy on the dock for a driving position than hire a guy from OTR so you're blessed.

Whatever you do just keep your head down. Don't complain, don't moan and groan to everyone. Have a positive attitude and you'll do well. Communicate well with dispatch and get your trainers' phone numbers in case you hit a tough spot and need their advice.

PS Anne: the baby arrived January 11th! He's happy, healthy, and is showered with love on an hourly basis by everyone. He just hit 6 weeks old yesterday so its definitely getting easier for us and we are getting our sleep back slowly. God has blessed us more than words can say.

Going the dock route isn't a bad route. They'll have you yard hostle so you'll have a massive advantage with backing when you go out to do training. Pay isn't terrible.

Every terminal is different with their requirements.

Look into LTL. Every LTL company is hurting badly right now and he could definitely capitalize on this opportunity. Home everyday and local work. He can do city driving (which I don't recommend for rookies) or Linehaul (driving hub to hub). Don't jump to the first opportunity you get.

You don't need to move to Sacramento (you wouldn't want to, believe me...). You apply to the position in Vegas and once hired you work the dock until the next class starts assuming you get approved. Could be months or weeks, if my memory is correct we had 2 or 3 classes held in N Cal last year. You won't just get hired and go straight to school the following day.

Let's assume your schooling is in Sacramento. You won't be here long. You arrive here for 3 days of yard training. Day 1 of yard training is heavy pre-trip with straight line backing. Day 2 we add offset backing with alley dock. Day 3 we add a parallel parking course. All days we have a truck running for shifting practice. That concludes week 1.

Week 2 you'll do classroom M-F (back for a few hours of yard training on Friday to end). The classroom portion is hosted by the regional safety meeting. She does a great job, is backed by over 20 years experience, and has a genuine passion for this stuff. This concludes week 2.

At this point you're back to Vegas. It is now your responsibility to get that permit asap. Your trainer is ready for you and everything is in line for you to begin. As soon as you get your permit you hit the road for a minimum of 190 hours then get your CDL. After you get your CDL you go with a linehaul trainer for roughly 2 weeks.

After that you do an extremely thorough driving exam with the regional safety manager. If you pass then you're solo enjoying your .70cpm+ pay. Its not hard to hit 6 figures as LH.

Hey there. I am a P/D driver at OD in Sacramento and one of three trainers in the Northern CA region. You will most likely be going to Rialto for training. Just like every other company, we are starting to be extremely understaffed for driving positions. Its near impossible to hire a good driver due to covid since no one wants to leave the security of their current job. So they opened the training program to anyone (usually they required a year or two of dock work). I highly encourage you to join asap as the next class is nearing capacity. They only do it once every few months. This one is aiming to be had for February but that's not verified neither is the location. If its in Northern CA you'll see me.

The key is to find an older truck no one wants to drive and make it known its yours. Park in same spot. Cone it off. It takes time but eventually you'll own a truck that isn't assigned to you but everyone knows its yours. This is what I did and I have been driving the same truck for 9 months without sharing it ever at OD.

Go city dude