Comments By Twisted sister

I just wanted everyone to know I started at Western express on Sunday finished my orientation and passed all my load securement tests .. I thoroughly have enjoyed everything about this company I read horror story after horror but this company has been great. They own their own hotel. You get breakfast , lunch, and dinner for free.

The staff are very friendly and more then helpful. Tomorrow I leave for my 2 weeks otr training. Thank you Western.

Which training location? I've heard no free dinner and lunch is a bottle of water, bag of chips, and ham on a bun.

Lunch is usually a sandwich chips Dinner is chix fried steak Mash and veggieand a bottle of water

I just wanted everyone to know I started at Western express on Sunday finished my orientation and passed all my load securement tests .. I thoroughly have enjoyed everything about this company I read horror story after horror but this company has been great. They own their own hotel. You get breakfast , lunch, and dinner for free.

The staff are very friendly and more then helpful. Tomorrow I leave for my 2 weeks otr training. Thank you Western.

Are you training in automatic ? Just curious

Yes they have both but mostly auto

They have their own hotel? Is it a Best Western?

It's called the hallmark inn very nice rooms with continental

I just wanted everyone to know I started at Western express on Sunday finished my orientation and passed all my load securement tests .. I thoroughly have enjoyed everything about this company I read horror story after horror but this company has been great. They own their own hotel. You get breakfast , lunch, and dinner for free.

The staff are very friendly and more then helpful. Tomorrow I leave for my 2 weeks otr training. Thank you Western.

Are you training in automatic ? Just curious

They have both the 2016 are absolutely wonderful..lol

They have their own hotel? Is it a Best Western?

Western bought a hotel just for there trainees.. There really nice room ..

I just wanted everyone to know I started at Western express on Sunday finished my orientation and passed all my load securement tests .. I thoroughly have enjoyed everything about this company I read horror story after horror but this company has been great. They own their own hotel. You get breakfast , lunch, and dinner for free.

The staff are very friendly and more then helpful. Tomorrow I leave for my 2 weeks otr training. Thank you Western.

Are you training in automatic ? Just curious

Yes. I'm flatbedding. All of their new trucks are automatics.

1 dead after fiery tanker truck crash on N.J. Turnpike (Video)

Dramatic dashboard camera footage caught a fiery crash on Wednesday when a tanker truck flipped over a guardrail on the New Jersey Turnpike and burst into flames. The driver was killed.

That's so so sad .. My heart goes out to his family Be safe everyone

I just wanted everyone to know I started at Western express on Sunday finished my orientation and passed all my load securement tests .. I thoroughly have enjoyed everything about this company I read horror story after horror but this company has been great. They own their own hotel. You get breakfast , lunch, and dinner for free.

The staff are very friendly and more then helpful. Tomorrow I leave for my 2 weeks otr training. Thank you Western.

My name is Chris Im a recent graduate, im really having a hard time deciding where to go I have orientation on oct 12 with us xpress.. But I want to g et going I also got accepted to wel orientation starts on the 5 th But something is screaming to stay with my first choice xpress Any good advice out THERE... I dont want to choose wrong but im scared im ginna forget e everything I learned .lol Please help I like that xpress wasnt concerned about my alley docking and they have newer trucks ..

Hi, Chris.

I was asking this very question when I first joined this site. And you know what Brett, the guy who created this site said? He said to make a list of all of the things you want from your trucking experience. What factors are in your life right now that you may need to preserve? For example, if you have kids or any dependents (taking care of a loved one, etc.), then home time will obviously be a priority for you. Do you have a pet that you are hoping to take with you? Then you want to look at a company that allows pets. What kind of freight do you want to haul? Not a lot of people go for flatbedding because it is very hands-on and it is very physically demanding. Imagine throwing tarps over your freight in the middle of the winter. If you can't imagine what that would be like go check out Old School's profile picture. It takes a very special breed of people to do that and not everyone can. Do you need more hands on training? Some companies have longer training periods.

Make a list of all of the things that are important to you. Then research companies. Call them up and ask questions. Surf their websites. Talk to truckers who currently drive for them. Then go with the company that fits your needs.

Hope I helped some. Feel free to ask for more advice should you need it.

Thank you for the info I went with western my first day of orientation was today.. No kids Don't need he time and I want to flat bed ..lol

Ok so I've been on the range 2 days now. The instructors we've had so far are nice.. I think, but I'm kinda hoping that at least one of these "borrowed instructors" won't be there next week. I need a reprieve, and I feel like he is completely confusing me.

Yesterday was our first day on the range. We learned our in cab pretrip and started straight line backing. I was having difficulty and I realized I was being too impatient and probably overcorrecting. So then the instructor that was with my group had some sort of emergency and left early.. leaving us basically with no instructor lol. There was an instructor on the range, but there were a dozen students in 3 different trucks at various stages so he had his hands full. There were 4 of us from my class who were range day 1. He had us get in a truck with him and work on our pretrip and straight backing some more. We all did ok so he told us to continue on and he went to another truck. I did well with my straight line backing yesterday after the one instructor left. We were also in a different truck, which I think was more responsive.

So today a repeat.. back in the first less responsive truck. . In cab which I've mastered and straight line backing. It was a mess.. or rather I was a mess. I did it but it was back to "first time sloppy". Everyone got 3 tries/practices, except me... got 1. Then he moves us to offset backing. That's when it completely went downhill for me.

I totally "get" the maneuver. I'd pull straight through up to the cones. Turn my wheel to start the lineup to the other lane.. begin backing slowly to the point where my drive wheels we're in line with the center of the landing gear, countersteer to put the tractor back in front of the trailer where I could see the cones I needed to get the rear of the trailer in between. But he would either stop me short of having the trailer straight. I'd tell him I needed to go a bit further, but he'd insist it was straight when it absolutely wasn't (and im looking at the side of the trailer and can't see my target at all. I'd continue and get it perfectly straight and he would stop me.. make me pull up putting it back out of alignment, then tell me to straightline back to get the rear of the trailer near the target cone. Well, with my limited skill, I couldn't correct such a poorly setup trailer. Well I did it, but hit a cone and was going to be way too close down one side for my comfort, and said I was too close! .. certainly not centered. While this was going on, another student (who had his cdl years ago) walked back there while I'm backing (to pick up the cone) grrr. That made me really made me nervous and the instructor completely confuses me. Btw, that student hit 2 cones, but still got an atta boy, while I get told I'll get it eventually. . Wtf??

I'm glad he won't be there next Friday and already dreading any encounter with him Saturday. He's likeable, don't get me wrong but im thinking he may not be the best one to help me, but what do I know.. maybe he's the best one. Im very frustrated but I know I can absolutely do this.

Sue it's not that we don't have enough ladies checking the ladies forum to get you an answer, its more so that most ladies who are checking this forum are still in the early stages of the CDL process or deciding to move forward with a trucking career. I am going to copy and paste this question in the main forum and see what responses we can get you. In the meantime, keep your head up and try speaking with the other instructor to find out what the problem might be.

Do not feel bad I just came from a Scholls that was a complete cluster f=!==.. It took me awhile to figure it out ... you can do it...I seen them do that to alot of girls this one girl we were going out to do our road tests just with the instructor she pulled out in front of a rig and almost killed us, passed hers ...I kissed a curb and he failed me I was bent and he yelled at me all day ..til oI flipped out on him.. It sucks if your doing that good already your doing great don't let the negative stuff get you there weeding out the week iny book ...seeing if your gonna be able to handle it.. I don't know if he was trying to see if he could make me cry or what but, I don't give anyone that satisfaction...lol You can do it girl Keep up the good work