Comments By Ukieboy

There's been a lot of discussion regarding trucking and attitude and what we put into a job and what we get out of it. I don't remember where I got this list and as far as being Ancient Sanskrit, well, your guess is as good as mine. It's on my fridge and I read it everyday. I don't disagree with the rules and I admit there are a couple I really don't like but there are some I love and try to incorporate into my life everyday.

#8 is especially appropriate to the discussion.

1. YOU WILL RECEIVE A BODY You may like it or not, but it will be yours for the entire period round.

2. YOU WILL LEARN LESSONS You are enrolled in a full-time, informal school called life. Each day in this school you will have the opportunity to learn lessons. You may like the lessons or think them irrelevant and stupid.

3. THERE ARE NO MISTAKES, ONLY LESSONS Growth is a process of trial and error, experimentation. The "failed" experiments are as much a part of the process as the experiment that ultimately works.

4. A LESSON IS REPEATED UNTIL IT IS LEARNED (I hate this one) A lesson will be presented to you in various forms until you have learned it, then you can go on to the next lesson.

5. LEARNING LESSONS DOES NOT END There is no part of life that does not contain lessons. If you are alive, there are lessons to be learned.

6. THERE IS NO BETTER THAN "HERE" When your "there" has become "here", you will simply obtain another "there" that will again look better than "here".

7. OTHERS ARE SIMPLY MIRRORS OF YOU You cannot love or hate something about another person unless it reflects to you something you love or hate about yourself.

8. WHAT YOU MAKE OF LIFE IS UP TO YOU You have all the tools and resources you need, what you do with them is up to you. The choice is yours.

9. THE ANSWERS LIE INSIDE YOU The answers to life's questions lie inside you. All you need to do is look, listen, and trust.

Enjoy!

1952 here. I discovered TT when I was googling trucking and "the mature driver", thinking like a lot of other folks that I was too old. Obviously nothing could be further from the truth. Last December I picked up a part time job to supplement my SS (that's Social Security to you youngin's) at a commercial food distribution company that maintains retail stores as well; primarily in the midwest. Some of you reefer guys might even know GFS. I was working in the freezer, dry stock and cashiering. I had really let myself go and after my first week in the freezer I wondered if I was going to survive after slinging around 50lb boxes all day. To make a long story short, I've lost 31 lbs and counting, my stamina has improved incredibly and I've gone back to the gym. I just saw my internist recently and got a clean bill of health but I'd still like to lose another 10 or 20 lbs before my DOT test.

Right now Roehl is in my top 3 picks but that could change as I continue to research. I'm currently looking for a better position before trucking since my current job just isn't cutting it and I need to take care of home responsibilities like putting my stuff into storage before I go running off to truck school and OTR for who knows how long.

What I do have going for me is currently no emotional entanglements, no kids, very few living relatives left or they live 100's of miles away. I do have close friends but through the miracle of the internet, mobiles phones and Skype, they won't be that far away.

I've started studying the High Road Training here on TT to get my CDL learners when I'm ready. I've laid it all out in a plan and what needs to be done first and so on. No plan, no results. I've only mentioned to one person what I'm thinking of doing and he's very supportive. The rest of my friends will think I'm nuts. Maybe I am but I won't know unless I try.

So, came across the 2016's Best 20 Fleets To Drive For winners and incredibly, 5 of them were Canadian fleets (mainly Ontario) - got me thinking, since I was already hoping Alaska (yes, I know it's USA!), Canada and Mexico would be included in my nation-wide journeys (even checked the passport's expiration date already). I did google a few times for existing conversations on the internet and for some reason, my browser kept crashing when I tried to read them lol

Anyone have any thoughts/comments about an American applying to and driving for a Canadian trucking company? Experiences?!

According to the FMCSA (Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration) there is reciprocity regarding CDL's between the United States and Canada; whether an American can drive for a Canadian company with a US CDL and not obtain a Canadian CDL, I don't know. I'm a dual national and I want to drive in and to Canada which is one of my search parameters for a prospective company. At the moment I'm researching and considering Roehl, Swift and Schneider...if they'll have me!

This is a great thread since Roehl is one of my top choices. Thanks!

Me too; the more I read the more sense it makes to me. Their Gary, IN, facility is about three hours from me, they serve the upper midwest and I'm in metro Detroit where I want to stay for the time being. They also go to Canada and I'm a dual national with both US and Canadian passports and I should have no problem obtaining a FAST card. I like the look of their training and I especially like they don't expect 6 months of team driving like some other training/trucking companies. And their tractors are red! My favourite colour. I'm indulging my Canadian spelling here; for you south of the border types that's "favorite color".

I just went and got my CLP last week.

Hey Matt! I'm in Michigan as well, Garden City. I went to the SOS today to get my driving record and I picked up a copy of the Michigan CDL manual. Did you need your birth cert and SS card for the CLP or is that only for the actual CDL?

The FTC (Federal Trade Commission) has information regarding background checks and what a prospective employer may, or may not, do with that information. If they decided not to hire you because of something in a background check, they have to give you a copy or the report and who the reporting agency is so you have an opportunity to confirm or dispute the information if it's incorrect.

FTC and background checks

Has anyone here attended International Trucking School in Canton, Michigan? Or, for that matter, any of their schools in Michigan. I'm just starting to do my research of companies and schools. At first, company training seemed to me like a no-brainer because of costs but now I'm thinking a school might be a better situation for me. International offers part time and evenings for those of us who need to continue to work, not to mention the Canton location is not far from me at all and I would prefer to stay in Michigan for training. I also like the idea that I'm not beholden to the company that's paying for my training and hopefully I'll have a greater number of companies to choose from when the time comes. As far as paying for training, I'm not averse to a student loan; I'm not crazy about it but ya do what ya gotta do.

Anyway, all unvarnished opinions of International Trucking School, both good and bad, will be appreciated.

Rick