Comments By sgtwilldog

The only Schneider account in my area is the Dollar Tree.

So, It looks like I'll be a Swifty or a Primey, or a K Knight or some such thing. Maybe even FedEx. Have some research to do now. And btw filling out applications sucks.

So, I was looking at various Dollar Trees on google maps. Nothing looked TOO bad, but I was wondering about this one:

https://www.google.com/maps/place/Dollar+Tree/@47.6622588,-122.3139878,62m/data=!3m1!1e3!4m5!3m4!1s0x5490148b2022e8a9:0x193c267d25a7a044!8m2!3d47.6622501!4d-122.3134736

I thought the best way to handle this one is to just park on the side of the road next to the parking lot and just lug the boxes a little farther. The spot for a truck to back into this looks like it blocks parked cars. What do you think?

Ok thanks. I'll go to orientation and if nothing else, maybe I'll get the instruction I need.

And i AM POSITIVE but the kicker is, confidence doesn't overcome experience. I just need some time behind the wheel.

I won't be recommending this school. There are so many things wrong. I am not talking about only personality conflicts or reactive instruction... Last week I drove for 2 hours with a right turn signal not working. This week I drove for one hour, and thought HEY let me check if the mechanic fixed that. No lights on the trailer were working. The instructor forgot to plug in the electrical from the tractor to the trailer after the maintenance. The ****ty thing is he is the best and most involved instructor in the whole dam place. It's a hot mess.

You REALLY gotta not be able to shift a 10-speed to get them to send you home. I've watched guys get a lot of chances.

My experience was that the trucks Schnedier has you driving in orientation are a gazillion times better than CDL school.

What do you mean by chances? Does it mean they will test me a few times, or will they no-kidding work with me for 3 days straight. Pretend I know nothing and need real instruction.

So, the way this school works is, you learn on a 6 speed, and then switch to the 10-speed when they decide you are proficient enough on the 6-speed to pass the DMV test. Do a bit on the 10-speed and switch back to the 6-speed a day before the test to brush up.

First, I'd like to debunk the myth that those who never drove a manual transmission will pick this up easier because they "don't have bad habits". I've been struggling the last week and a half on the 6-speed. I have a different instructor every day. Some instructors help me, while others are just blunt, reactive and impatient.

Anyway, I can't blame the school 100%. Obviously I'm picking the **** up slower than others. But, now the 10-speed transmission is shot (probably from my mere 3 hours of experience on it) and I won't be graduating with any proficiency on it.

So, next Friday I will (hopefully) graduate and have a CDL-A, contributing to their 100% graduation rate.

My question is, do any of you who work with any of the mega carriers know if they will hire a new CDL grad that cannot drive a 10-speed and will work with me on it? Schneider uses a 10-speed in their orientation and will just ship my ass back home when they realize I still need a lot of training on it.

I just clicked "report" on something I said that I want to delete. How else can I go about this?

Just looked it up. Rochelle's BBQ

So, since I know you run I40 a lot, there is another Pilot on exit 143... It is the one with the loretta lynn restaraunt and buffalo. Anyhow, in front of the Pilot there, you can get some top notch BBQ food as well. Not sure the name of the place. Best French fries I've ever had. And they have siracha ketchup on the table. Simply amazing. But they are cash only and closed on sundays.

In my opinion it's better to go with a company that has a reputable training program, is safety conscious, and is flexible. I'd rather sacrifice a few .cpm in the beginning for the peace of mind that comes from these things.

Thanks for all the replies. Way more than I expected! My favorite is the bit about treating them like children and them dropping their pacifiers, haha!

I'm pretty happy with my career move so far, passed knowledge/airbrakes/combination and got my permit. week 1 down. 3 more to go. See you all on the flip side (south side). ^^