Profile For Big Scott (CFI Driver and biggest fan)

Try Trucker Path app. There are several truck stops around there.

There is a female driver at CFI who's brand new truck is in the shop getting her seat moved forward. She's 5' 1".

Like your thinking and what G Town said. Get your CDL Training with Paid CDL Training Programs. Drive as a company driver for at least two years. During this time you will learn how to drive, manage your clock, freight lanes and costs of owning a truck. You will also find that if dispatch is hassling you, you're doing something wrong. Good luck.

Here is an example, I went to CFI because a friend was there and said he loved them. I'm thrilled with my choice. I have zero complaints. However, I can go into Joplin and hear drivers complain about the company. This is a career where it is up to the individual to prove themselves. You can be the guy that takes every load with enthusiasm or the one that complains about everything.

As far as fear of the size of the truck, that comes in many forms. Today, I was on a twisty, windy, narrow road with one lane in each direction. I just went slow and was hyper alert. Not a road I would want to do in the dark. Experience breeds comfort in a good way.

Look at these. They will give you ideas on what to look for in a company. For me it was home time policy and speed of training.

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
• Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"

Good luck.

First why only those? I was trained by and drive for CFI. They are head quartered in Joplin, MO. We have terminals in Laredo, Wilmer and Dallas, TX. Also, West Memphis, AR, and Taylor, MI. As far as your size, that won't matter. Can you push a broom, climb 3 steps into the truck, open a door, and turn a crank? If so, you can do this job. Most of my day is spent sitting on my butt. Hope that helps. Have you seen these?

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Paid CDL Training Programs

Like others have said. Talk with Prime and see if they will take you back. You are lucky they didn't sue you for their money. If they will take you back and you go lease, you are putting yourself in deep financial risk. How bad? $5000.00 will seem like chicken feed. Get out here and drive as a company driver for at least one full year. Not 6 more months, one strait year. You need to learn how to drive and back without hitting anything. You also need to learn how to manage your clock and freight lanes. Make sure this is the lifestyle you want. If you want to be home more lease/truck ownership is not for you. How can you take time off with that truck payment due weekly?

Look at what you told us, in the past year you started two careers and didn't give either a fair shot. You need some tenacity. Good luck.

David, Thanks for reading our tough love responses. We all came to this career from many backgrounds. Most of us have taken the easiest path which is Paid CDL Training Programs. Some went to private school and a few went through a dock to driver program. We even have someone who started with their family trucking company, then realized they needed better training and went to a company for more training and experience.

You will never know how many people will be helped by this thread in the future, so don't be upset for starting it. We want everyone who wants this career bad enough to be successful. That is one of the reasons Brett started this site.

Have you seen these?

• Pre-Trip Inspection Study Guide
• Daniel's Pre-Trip Inspection
• Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist
• Pre-Trip Inspection Practice Questions

And these?

• Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
• Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
• Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"

Best of luck to you. We are always here to help.

Unless you and your teamate live in the same city, it is generally more difficult to get teams home when they want. If you need to be home that often for kids under 18, my opinion is wait until the youngest is 18 before going into trucking. Going home every two weeks will deeply lessen your pay. There are companies that have more regional and dedicated routes to get you home more often. Good luck.

Doing on the cheep. I did it for FREE! Entanglements? 12 month commitment. Went by in a flash. Ha! This site is called "Trucking Truth". We don't pull punches or BS here. Like G Town said, you will need that 160 hour certificate. CFI paid for my transportation, and reimbursed me for my permit, endorsements, Hazmat background check and my CDL. They fed me while in school and took care of my housing. I did not pay for my DOT a company paid for it as a pre hire and didn't hire me. (Not a trucking company). All I owed them for that was 12 months of working for them. And during that year I made money. My pay as a rookie. Yes, the law does not require any training, however the insurance companies and trucking companies do. We want you to be successful, which is why we highly recommend Paid CDL Training Programs. Good luck to you. We are here to help.

CFI covers the lower 48. In the year and a half I've been out here the only states I haven't been to yet are North and South Dakota, Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont and Rhode Island. However, I have been to all those states by car. Since you plan to be his passenger, CFI has a very simple rider policy. If you then decided to drive, CFI would train you. Good luck.

Congratulations buddy. There is at least one company that does that where you are a company driver. They only hire experienced drivers. Best of luck to you.

Yes, I have said many times, attitude is 100%. I have built a great relationship with my dispatcher and I treat everyone with respect. On the one occasion I felt a need to *****, I waited until my dispatcher was in and told him I needed to *****. Afterwards, I thanked him for listening. Just a few minutes ago, I had a great couple of conversations with one of our wonderful weekend dispatchers. She really helped me accomplish what I needed to do today and is getting me set up to run in the morning. I made my delivery this morning and need to do laundry.

With CFI we can use it per the law up to 50 miles or one hour. For example, you are at a shipper and run out of hours. We are able to get to the nearest safe place to park for our 10 hour break. The PC time must be used as part of that break. If there is truck parking 2 miles from the shipper and it's in the opposite direction you need to head in the morning and a nice truck stop 5 miles away, guess where you're sleeping? By the way this is old news.

Best of luck. Enjoy your time off.

I live in jeans and T shirts. For winter I have some flannel shirts, heavy coat and hat. You want to be comfortable yet neat. Remember you are the face of the company. You can wear shorts and tank tops, I would not wear that into a customer. I hope that helps.

Looks like CFI takes care of you. If you dint mind answering what would you say you made your first year. And how much time to do spend away from home. My wife and I have agreed first year im gonna keep my head down and drive worry about everyrhing else after I put a year of driving behind me.

On page 3 of this thread is my final pay stub for 2017. I started at lower pay than they have now. As of this point in 2018, I have almost doubled last year. Hope that helps.

Good luck.

11-10-18 here are my YTD totals so far for 2018.

These are cropped screen shots from one scrolling report.

I get ZERO from CFI for bringing in students. If I bring an experienced driver I would make money. I promote CFI here because I love the company and money. I went through their Paid CDL Training Program. I found them through a friend and he didn't know they offered training. I don't get paid from Brett. I just want to help others be successful. This site helped me prepare for this career/lifestyle. We have active contributers who work for different companies. We all love our companies.

First off, everyone is different and learns differently. I went through CFI's paid CDL program. Here is a link to my training diary. 18 months later, I am still happily driving for them. With CFI, it is possible to go from zero to solo in as little as 8 weeks.

I do not know if your accident will hurt your chances. You may have to wait a year. Good luck.