Comments By Sonnydogg

Congratulations Deb! Keep on truckin' and stay safe!

Trucking has always been a dream of mine, and I'm proud to say that today, 12-23-2015, I passed all of my tests and am now licensed to drive a truck! I look forward to sharing my experiences here on TT and want to thank everyone for their input on this site.

Well, we had a Schneider recruiter come to our school, and he said tanker drivers can earn 65,000 +. Take it for what it's worth. He also mentioned that 1) you need Haz mat, and 2) NO facial hair. He said you'll be wearing full coverage suit, hence no facial hair. I was strongly considering going there, but Mid-west dairy had a posting to haul milk, and I have an interview with them next week.

Is there any way to contact your mentor and ask? You will be basically living in their truck, and I would think they'd appreciate you asking them personally. Just my $.02

I know that in my area, a lot of trucks use the 24hr McDonalds & B-King also.

It's really sad that ppl are so rude these days. Thank you for all you did/do. One thing to consider is a companies rider policy. Most OTR places have them now, which makes taking one of the kids along once in a while possible. They have to be a certain age, and you may have to pay a small fee (for insurance). I know a lot of folks that have had the privilege of riding with a family member as a child say it's something they'll never forget.

I hope to start with Roehl next month and will be bringing the truck home with me.

Speeding tickets aren't a good thing. The shortest time I've heard was none in the past 3 yrs. Most go back 5. Calling a recruiter from those companies will answer all of your questions.

Yes, get your permit first. A guy at my school waited and is now forced to study for that while the rest of his class has begun actually driving in the city. He's way behind now as school is only 4 weeks long!

They will throw a whole bunch of info at you and at times it can seem overwhelming. Researching company's on this forum can help you have a job lined up before you graduate. Learn about pre-hires and how they work. You may also see a number of recruiters while at school also.

Well, I can't be certain of all companies, but from the 5-6 I have spoken with, $75-$90 a day for training and orientation. I'm not sure about reimbursements other than bus/car rentals. Usually they'll only cover the amount of a rental up to the price of a bus ticket.