Comments By Chris aka Shep

Hey guys and girls I was just wondering if any of you know of any companies that still use freightliner classics or Peterbuilt 379's as their equipment. The Kenworth w900 is nice also. I've always been fond of those models growing up and was always interested in driving one. I'm looking to start my career soon once I finished with my medical with prime inc.. I've noticed that most companies don't use equipment more than 3 years old and most use the freightliner Cascadia and Peterbuilt 579 models, which I'm guessing they use because they are more aerodynamic which would help save on fuel costs. I know that they stopped making classics in 07 or 08 I think but freightliner has the Coronado model that looks just like it. The only company I've found so far that uses the latest equipment that looks similar is TMC. Its not a deciding factor as to who I will drive for but one day down the road after I get my career started it would be an option to drive for a company for a Lil while that uses that type of equipment. The only guys I really see driving the Classics or Peterbuilts now are owner operators and I'm not really trying to go that route just to drive a truck, but they do look awesome especially when they have the chrome visor and all the running lights along the sides and bottom.

Thanks Roadkill, I already have my appointment scheduled and having my meds switched isn't going to be a problem because I talked to my Doc about it before I decided to go for it and he told me upfront that if they had any problems with it he would switch it, I'm just waiting on him to come back from vacation. I have a lot more info I can tell from just my 4 days there so if you have any questions just ask. I would have loved to have written more but I was only allowed to use 5,500 characters to type it out. It's a fast paced program and after they go over the paper work with you and how they want it filled out, your're pretty much on your own after that. They give you a schedule on your first day on what you need to do and they suggest to you on how to go about it and after that first orientation meeting your on your own as far as getting things done in the amount of given time. I wish you the best of luck in getting your career underway.

Hello all. I'm back again, I posted in the forum earlier with questions about the equipment in the trucks, and my condition of having sickle cell and driving, and having home-time in different areas other than your home location. Thanks for all the replies on the information. I meant to reply with a thanks but have been quite busy since then. I have been considering a career in trucking for sometime now but for some reason just have never gone through with it. I have a decent job working at Fed-Ex as an operations manager but for various reasons I'm no longer happy working there so I've decided to pursue a career in trucking and this is how it's gone so far. I've done research on several different company-sponsored programs and have put in several different applications and I decided to go with Prime Inc. for several reasons. There program is free and the only out of pocket expense is 150.00 which turned out only to be 132.50. 100.00 non-refundable due at the time of your interview and 32.50 for your permit. They have several different divisions Reefer, Flatbed, and Tanker. So if I get bored with one I have another division to earn more knowledge and experience and if freight gets slow in one area I could switch to get more miles in another. I tend to get bored easily if I'm not challenged or get into the same ole thing day in and day out which was my predicament at my previous job. They have one of the highest paying cpm starting out which I also thought was a nice incentive. I talked with a recruiter and my class started May 21. I had everything pretty much packed and ready to go on the Sunday I'm supposed to leave on the "hound" bound for Springfield, MO. but things didn't go as planned. We had a bad storm come through Atlanta that weekend and it was really bad that Sunday morning, the power went out around 9am but I figured no biggie my bus wasn't scheduled to leave until 7:30 pm arriving in Springfield Mon. afternoon around 1pm. I had everything already squared away and ready to go but Because of the bad storm we had trees and power lines down everywhere and my ride couldn't get to me to pick me up so we had one heck of a time trying to get to the bus station. I get to the bus station around 7:40 and what do you know I MISSED my bus. I didn't panic I simply talked to the women behind the counter and told her my situation and told her I absolutely had to be in Springfield by 7 am Tues. morning and she rerouted my ticket and had me leaving on another bus later that night arriving in Springfield around 1030 that night. Whew,Crisis solved. When I arrived in Springfield there were about 10 other guys and 1 female there that had got off the bus for Prime and we called for the shuttle. We got to the hotel the "Campus INN" and the clerk got all of our names and asked if we were smokers or non-smokers and then he preceded to give us our room assignments along with a yellow book that we had to fill out for orientation the next morning. The book has paperwork such as a paper application, which is longer than the online application, work history, they want you to go back at least 5 years 10 if you can, release forms, emergency contacts, personal references and background check information. Orientation started bright and early at 7:00 and DO NOT BE LATE. They go over the information in the yellow packet, then a nurse comes in and gives you paperwork to fill out for physical. Then security comes in and have you fill out paperwork for an FBI background check and they fingerprint you. They also give you a schedule of what your going to be doing for the rest of the week and its divided up into to sections, the ones with their CDL permit already and the ones without. After that you take your yellow packet to the office where you will have an interview and pay your 100.00 then you take your physical. Please make sure you have your medical forms filled out before you get there or you will be sent to the back of the line. They give you a meal card that you punch out for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. After the physical you either go study for your permit test or you start you Computer Based Training modules or CBT's as they call them. Even though I didn't have my permit yet I went ahead to the computer lab and started my CBT's and finished them within a couple of hours and tried to start my simulator training but the instructor said I couldn't until I had my permit so off to the room I go to look over the CDL manual. Wednesday I took my permit test and passed with flying colors with scores of 95,100,and 96 I was also ready to take the doubles/triples, tanker and Hazmat but I would have to wait until I got my CDL because those endorsements wouldn't transfer to my home state. I referred several people that were having trouble with there test to truckingtruth and told them about the high roads training program and they said it helped them a lot. I got a call from the doctors office for me to come see them and when I did the nurse told me that the doctor said I was medically disqualified because of the pain medicine I was on for my Sickle Cell. They said I would have to talk to my doctor and get him to change my pain medicine to a different one that I could drive with and be off of my current medicine for 30 days. After that I would be able to return and finish the program and be sent off with an instructor for OTR training to test for my CDL. I'll keep you guys updated on how everything else go.

I have a few questions about the trucking industry that I would like answers to before I embark on a career changing move. Right now I'm an Operations Manager with Fed-Ex Smartpost here in Atlanta. I've always thought about trucking since I was kid but I've just never gone through with it. I've tried talking with the HR representative at my hub about how I would go about getting my CDL and getting the company to pay for it. I've had no such luck so far so I've started researching myself and found out that Fed-Ex freight has a driver apprentice program but to be get hired I would already have to have my CDL or CDL permit from the state for the position I'm applying. I've been looking for openings with this program but none have opened up even remotely close to my area. I've looked into getting into CDL school here in the area and paying out of pocket and Fed-Ex pays for some of your school with tuition re-imburstment if it's in an area that will help your career. I talked to the my boss about it and she told me that she is not likely to change my schedule so I could attend school or approve me for tuition re-imburstment. I have 3 yrs and 8 months with this company and only 1 year and 4 months until I'm vested and I was looking to doing this while still employed under the Fed-Ex network but my possibilities for that are starting to look slim. I was wondering if any drivers know of any other program out there that could help me get my CDL without having to quit my current job. I also put in an application with Prime Inc. I've been talking to a recruiter and she called me Friday saying that I had been approved and asked me when would I like to start orientation. I have lot going through my mind right now. I was wondering since she wants for me to come to orientation, is it a guarantee hire if I pass my exams and get my CDL. I would hate to quit my job only to find out that I do not actually get hired on with them. Another question that I have is I was wondering if Sickle Cell Anemia automatically disqualifies you from trucking. I've been researching it and it's not on the list of automatic disqualifiers. For those who don't know sickle cell is a blood disease where your blood cells are shaped like crescent moon and your body receives less oxygen than normal. It's never been an issue with any jobs I've had in the past. Sometimes the cells may get hung together and cause pain sometimes. Most of the times the pain can be managed by pain meds which I have prescription for if needed. I plan on talking to my doctor about this starting next week but I would like your opinion on it. How does getting a DOT physical work. Can I get one from my own doctor or do I have to use the doctor that the company provides. I hear a lot of drivers talking about home time. I'm a 30yr old male who's single with no kids. But I have a ton of friends who are kind of all over the place now. Is there an option if I get hired with a company to where I can select home time in different cities and hang-out there for a few days without me having to actually come home and then go to the destination I'm trying to go. Another thing, how are the bunks usually set up in company trucks. Do most of them have a small fridge or T.V. in them or will you be able to add these things when you get your own truck if they aren't equipped with them. What are rules as far as adding things to the truck like maybe a small grill for cooking or a game console for a little entertainment or movies in your down time if it does have a T.V. Sorry this post is so long but to sum up my main question I have for now. 1. Does anyone know of a program to get your CDL within the Fed-Ex network. 2 Does getting invited to company orientation guarantee you a job if you pass you physical and exams and obtain your CDL. 3 Does sickle cell anemia automatically disqualify you to drive trucks. 4. May I obtain a DOT physical from my own physician or do I have to go to the one provided by the school. (5) Can you take home-time in another place or than the place you call home. (6) What type of equipment do bunks usually come with and can you add equipment such as t.v., game console, or fridge to the truck if it doesn't come equipped. Thanks for you help in advance.