Profile For Big Scott (CFI's biggest fan)

Awwwwwwww. I guess you had to get your grandmother endorsement for that one. Congratulations.

B and D

I was on unemployment when CFI accepted me.

If you have Verizon, stick with them. You will officially be hired by CFI during orientation, after training. Check with them to see if they still have the employee perks. They used to offer discounted Verizon service. Good luck.

Just wait it out. CFI tests you before training. Any failed drug test will seriously harm your trucking career.

So great to hear. You can find the CFI YouTube channel and get some up to date company info. Your recruiter will help you through your training. It is always best to contact them through email. I am happy to help any way I can. I love CFI and felt like family while there. Best of luck.

Vaping was supposed to be the safe alternative to cigarettes. A few years ago my wife and I thought this would be a good way to help her oldest son get off cigarettes. Yesterday we went to visit this 29 year old man in the hospital. He thought he had the flu. He went to the doctor, then urgent care and finally the hospital. He has been in the hospital since Wednesday. He spent a couple of days in ICU due to fluid in his lungs. They are weaning him off oxygen. He's hoping to be released by Monday. He has a long road to recovery.

The nurse was telling us how they are seeing many young people with serious lung issues. She said they had a 27 year old a week ago with a chest tube because his lung had collapsed.

This is becoming a serious problem these days. If he doesn't stop vaping he could die.

I post this in hopes it will make you think. We all need to work at being as healthy as we can. This is about living.

Guess who I still highly recommend? CFI! You would train as solo drivers and once you upgrade you would both team. They would move you right to a team fleet. Teams usually run coast to coast, however CFI does go to all 48 and Canada. I don't know their team pay, a simple call to a recruiter would answer that. They can get you "home" to anywhere in the country you want to go when you want to be there. Good luck.

Congratulations Turtle. That is one of the most difficult driving position to earn. Unless things changed, one of their requirements is three years of accident free driving. You really are a top tier driver. Looking forward to your continued success.

Every time I come on here for advice you guys act like my parents. I know I messed up you don't have to come down on me and be condescending. I was just asking what you think I should do.

Sorry you feel that way. That is a sign of your immaturity. We give the cold hard truth here. We give this from our lifetime's of experience. Most of us also think of the thousands of people who may find this site an devour all the information here. SO, we are also talking to them. You screwed up big time, twice. We can't tell you what other career path to find. We don't know your skill set or work ethic, All we know is you make bad decisions. Many people come here for answers and are never happy with those answers. They can't handle the truth, because they don't want the truth. They want to hear how they can stay in or get into trucking with accidents, failed drug tests, DUI's and more.

The combined knowledge and experience pf those giving freely here, is hard to find on other trucking sites and forums. We have all made mistakes in our lives. How we learn from them and recover from them is what makes us successful or not.

Good luck to you. I advise you mature a lot before getting back into trucking.

The first accident was due to the fact that my job was on call so my sleep schedule was messed up.

100% your fault and you are lucky you didn't hurt anyone. When our butts are in the driver's seat everything is on us. If you have an on call job it is your responsibility to stay rested or no drive when you're sleep deprived. This is a serious accident and you are lucky you had a second chance from that.

The second accident was just trailer damage. Nobody was connected to the trailer I hit. So, I was the only person involved.

That trailer cost the company at least hundreds of dollars of down time. Plus by not reporting it, you have no idea of the costs involved in fixing it. You were worried about being fired if you reported it, and now you will be fired for not reporting it. And you want someone else to let you drive their 80,000 pound death machine down the road?

In my opinion, you need to do some serious thinking about whether you really have what it takes to make it out there safely.

Trucking requires a high level of concentration all the time.

The best tool you could get now is a Rand McNally truck atlas. It is the only product of their's that I will recommend. The laminated one costs around $30.00. You should get a current one. In that book there is information on pretrip, weight limits, restricted roads, etc. It will never die on you. Learning how to use this tool is one of the most important skills a CDL driver can have. Good luck.

There are many 12 volt cooking items sold in truck stops.

When I was in orientation at CFI the then President of the company came down to speak to us. He shared a story of what had just happened. One of his closest friends was so happy when he showed up at work and there was a CFI truck in his dock. The guy was so excited, he wanted to get a picture of the truck under the sign with the name of his company. He was honking and waiving to the driver. The driver opened his window and flipped the bird just as the guy took the pic. He texted that pic to his good friend, the President of CFI.

It is so important to keep a professional attitude and appearance.

You have two reckless driving convictions and are surprised that you are having trouble finding someone to let you drive their 80,000 pound death machine.

Let's see, I went to CFI's Paid CDL Training Programs. After 4 weeks, now 3, I went through orientation and out with a trainer for 7500 miles. Then I upgraded into a fairly new truck. By the end of that first year, I paid zero for my training and was making 41 CPM. I drove for them for two years. The reason you should stay with your first company for at least one year is because it shows that you are in for the long haul. Here is my pay as a rookie driver. Here is my training diary. Currently I am not driving because I did not take care of myself while on the road. I lost my DOT medical certificate. I lucked into a good job while working to get my medical certificate back. Don't be afraid of commitment.

I'm going to speak on one thing, how to make it out here. It is all about attitude. Most of those who make it out here have a "can do" attitude. You have to be self sufficient. Be a problem solver. Be able to handle the days where everything goes wrong. You also have to be able to appreciate having an office with the best view. Most companies will let your wife ride with you. This is a beautiful country. Trucking is a lifestyle. Enjoy it.

I think you left out the kitchen sink. Way to much stuff.

That depends on the rates in your area. You are a brand new driver, how soon are you eligible for a raise? Why did you take the job if you didn't think it was a fair wage?

Like the others have said, it will be up to your company how they allow PC time/miles to be used. Also, they will have their own rules for dropping trailers and bobtailing. The only thing I would recommend buying before training and upgrading, would be a Rand McNally Road Atlas. Good luck.