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I'm not sure what the confusion is. I described what my experience has been with my company in relation to the training that I signed on for. What was described to me wasn't what I got, and the company operates in a paint-by-numbers kind of way. The way big institutions operate. Which is impersonal. Which means as far as they are concerned all the boxes in my training have been checked, regardless of the reality. Which for me means fulfilling my contract, then finding a company where I can get the skills I need to do this job.

If I'm not listening to anyone on this board its because your clearly not understanding what I've said. I'm not chasing pay or bouncing from company to company, I just want to learn how to back a trailer up like I was told I would learn here.

I should add that I didn't have unrealistic expectations. My expectations were based solely on the information the company gave me.

In dealing with the company in general I'd say they are indifferent and institutional. It's a numbers game, and my number just happened to fall at the wrong end of things. My tough luck, but there's nothing that can be done.

Josephus, that is the biggest bunch of hog-wash you could ever believe. I started at a company that had absolutely dismal internet reviews - it sounded like the devil himself was running the place. I discovered very quickly that if I could perform in such a way that made me money, then it was making them money also. They loved that approach, and they did everything they could to keep me moving. They need drivers who "get it." You are expecting them to prove themselves to you, and that is totally backward thinking in this business.

There is something that can be done, and you are the person that holds the keys. As long as you take that approach though you will never find success at this. I promise you they are not indifferent, but you will never know it until you step up your game and show them what you can accomplish. I know you are concerned about your lack of training, but that is a typical start for all of us. You have got to get past your unrealistic expectations and move on to proving yourself. I promise you it will get better, but it won't come from the company, it will come from within you.

Look, you all can tell me I'm full of **** all you want. I'm just describing my experience.

When I explained that I had almost no backing training in phase one, that it was a dedicated route, the response was "we thought that might happen." When I followed up with asking if I could get some backing training I was told I could watch the students backing in the yard and to watch some videos. This is the kind of thing you get in an institutional atmosphere. Its a numbers game, paint-by-numbers system. It doesn't make it evil, but if someone just wants to make a buck as a trainer, then pencil whipping all the boxes works as easy as actually training someone. And that's just fine. I signed for six months, I'll fulfill my six months.

Then I'll grab the bull by the horns and find a company that can team me with someone with some experience. I typically drive to within a couple of hours of my mandatory break limit, then try to drive inside the last hour of my shift, usually only stopping for fuel stops. I don't need to prove myself. What I need is feedback when I'm staring at a spot I've been trying to get into for the last fifteen minutes and still can't figure out wtf I'm doing wrong.

I'm not going to argue about my experience. The company indeed did pay for my CDL training, and for that I'm grateful. As for training me, no, they really didn't. I spent a month putting miles on a truck for someone, who in turn showed me how to back up one time. No explanation of port of entries, weigh stations, weighing the truck, moving the tandems, trip planning, projected time of availability. All that I've had to figure out on my own, and I've likely got a few more things to pick up. I got in the truck and started driving, and that was pretty much it. I didn't even get the "meet-and-greet" they show in the videos, just a call telling me where the truck was, then I-80 for the next three weeks.

I had an expectation that in phase two I'd be running with a more experienced driver and here I'd actually learn some things. Didn't happen, and he ended up bailing on a load and the truck for Thanksgiving, leaving me running solo and barely capable of backing. Now add the number of times the qualcomm has sent me down dead end roads or stopped in the middle of deserted highways and announced that I've reached my destination, or just taking me to a completely different destination from the address it shows. I bought a Trucker GPS last week after finally accepting that the qualcomm is pretty much useless beyond messaging.

In dealing with the company in general I'd say they are indifferent and institutional. It's a numbers game, and my number just happened to fall at the wrong end of things. My tough luck, but there's nothing that can be done. So I'm finishing my contract the best I can but once its done I need to find a company where I can team with someone who knows what they are doing. If that's a rare company in this industry then that's just how it is. The lifestyle isn't a problem for me, and I actually love driving.

I did an eight part series on choosing a truck driving job and here are two articles from that series that relate to this:

Choosing A Truck Driving Job Part V: Comparing Large Trucking Companies To Small Ones

Choosing A Truck Driving Job Part IV: Advantages of Large Trucking Companies

One thing to keep in mind is that whether you work for a company with 5 trucks or 5,000 trucks you're going to spend 98% of your time dealing with one person exclusively - your dispatcher. Over the years I worked for companies with 5 trucks, 11 trucks, 4,000+ trucks and 5,000+ trucks and I honestly can't give you one single advantage of working for a small company. You will get to know the right people, the people who can help you get more miles or better treatment, at a large company just as easily as you will at a smaller company.

The idea that you're a faceless nobody at a large company is 100% false. I always knew my dispatcher, my dispatcher's immediate boss, and the operations manager at any large company I worked for and that's the only people in the world you need to know. If you're running into problems or you need a special favor then those are the people that are going to make it happen. If they can't, no one can.

Well, I've never worked for any other company and am only five months into my six month contract but I can tell you I definitely feel like a faceless nobody here. And that's based on my experience not sensitive emotion.

Next do you want to work for a small, medium, or large outfit. Each have their own unique advantages and disadvantages. In a smaller outfit you get to know everybody. Everybody gets to know you. Your accomplishments are easily remembered. Your failures will become the talk of the break room. You will be relied upon to perform. In larger outfits you are anonymous. Another faceless employee in a crowd. Your successes and failures are easily forgotten. But, if you fell off the planet, no one would bat an eyelash. How you want to be known is a personal choice.

I can definitely relate to this. First month with a trainer and he showed me how to back up once. Then on to phase two with someone who couldn't teach me anything, and really didn't even want to drive. From my experience in a big company so far, I'd say its easy to fall through the cracks as far as getting actual training. After backing into someones fender I asked about getting more training in backing and was told I could go watch the students backing in the yard. It just seems like a "paint-by-numbers" system, where if your one of the unlucky ones your just out of luck.

I'm actively looking for a smaller company to get with once my contract here is fulfilled.

Won't deny that I googled the nearest greyhound station after the qualcom gps took me down a dead end street and said "you have reached your destination", which it wasn't. 2am trying to figure out how to turn around without taking out any fences and a partner I couldn't get out of the sleeper berth even if it were on fire I was ready to head to the house and reconsider my options.

I do love driving though. And I've got a six month commitment to fulfill. Instead of walking the 1.5 miles to greyhound and booking a ticket I just put in for some home time. But it was a pretty harsh moment feeling completely left on my own to figure every thing out. Took some of my zeal away.

Now I just accept that I'm the only one I can count on to have my back.

I've barely started in the trucking industry. But I joined the Marines a long time ago, after 30 minutes in front of a recruiter where I didn't listen to a word he said except "Well, what do you think?" I said, "I'll sign." Two weeks later I was standing on yellow foot prints in San Diego. And to borrow a quote from a fellow Marine who explained why he joined the Corps: "If the French Foreign Legion had been in the phone book, I would have joined them." So...

Two weeks into my phase two with CR England, and I've been considering team driving. Just the process of keeping moving versus camping out in a parking lot appeals to me. But, I'm definitely living the reality of a not so compatible team. Teaming with someone (more experienced) who laughs about being late and completely missing appointments, not driving after dark or on Sundays, and stopping for naps during their shift and sleeping for hours. Pretty frustrating for me just trying to do a good job and learn a new trade.

I'd say without the baggage of making truck payments, I'd personally go the team route. But I also don't have a problem with taking "Book of Eli" showers i.e. wet wipes, before crashing out in the sleeper. If the truck situation was a shared ownership versus being just an employee of someone that might be different, but that's a whole can o' worms all its own and too complicated for me. Good luck with which ever route you choose!

Thanks for the responses. Every bit of info helps since all of this is new to me, and I'm also just a curiosity junkie.