Comments By a20fan4ever2

I just want to point out that your willingness to find fault with Trans Am or anybody else that gives you a start will probably be stoked the most during the training period. There are no perfect trainers and it is a huge mistake to determine what the company is like based on your experience with the trainer. I had a terrible trainer, but a great start to my career at Western Express.

Your initiative and commitment are the things that weigh heavily in your success out here. That trainer is more a buffer between your rookie self and the thousands of things that can go wrong in a big rig. Don't expect them to teach you everything - you'll have plenty of time to learn all the little details on your own. Do trust their guidance to keep you from a disastrous event that ruins your career before you even get the training wheels off.

My willingness to find fault with Trans Am or anybody else that gives you a start? At no time did I say I would find fault with any company. I did say " one slip up and I'll look elsewhere" which I guess I should have worded differently. I'm sorry y'all took it to heart that I would be looking for a fault. The way I see it, if a person isn't happy doing something, no matter what it is, then that means its time to go somewhere else. I don't want to be one of those miserable drivers out there always complaining about tje company they work for. If I have a complaint then I'll try to work through it before jumping ship like y'all are thinking I'm gonna do. If the same complaint keeps coming up then its only right to graciously leave and find something else.

I don't expect the trainer to teach me everything but I will be asking a lot of questions in hopes that ill have a better experience with the trainer than some. It may work to my advantage and it may not. No hurt in trying to learn all I can.

So as far as this thread goes? Contrary to my original suggestion, I think our friend should go to May. That is where his heart and head are. Regardless of my level of disagreement with his pretentious attitude, I don't want him to fail. He has already preprogrammed his failure at TransAm.

I do have a question though. For all of the support you (the OP) claim to have with your trucker family, why then did you ask for our advice?

Contrary to what everyone believes about me being preprogrammed to fail at Trans Am, that is far from the truth. I put 100% into whatever I do and will do this with Trans Am. Yes I do like what I was offered by May but as I stated before I turned it down because I had already said yes to Trans Am. I do have a conscience and would not feel right about myself if I were to change up like that. It's taken me a lot to get an offer due to my 2014 speeding tickets. I've had to jump through hoops to have a chance to prove myself and that's exactly what I'm gonna do "prove myself"!

Yes, I take what my family has told me to heart concerning this industry but didn't think it would hurt to also have some "outside" thoughts on this situation.

With that said, maybe one day everyone here that thinks I will fail at this, just maybe we can meet and I will have proven that you're all wrong! I will put my heart and soul into this new career no matter what others may think.

And I'd still like to see what you were talking about the 4 weeks of training. Please, prove me wrong. I would be so happy if they changed their training program. 11 days is not nearly enough training in my opinion.

Just a piece of advice, if I am right and your training is only 11 days, make your trainer let you do ALL THE BACKING!!!!! I didn't stand up to mine on that and I wish I had. I never bumped a dock in training and only did two backing maneuvers. The only thing training did for me was help me learn to drive in city traffic and take turns. We didn't cover trip planning, pre or post trips, paperwork, handling dispatch, backing, sliding tandems and balancing loads, or anything else. I've learned all of that stuff through TT, Twitter, Facebook and trial and error.

Chickie, I specifically asked the question to them "After my 4 weeks of training and I am issued my own truck will I be able to go home and get items that I may need on the road?" My post to you earlier is what I got for a response. I was told initially months ago by a recruiter about the 4 weeks. Being that you are an actual driver for Trans Am I believe you that it's not 4 weeks. I also agree that 11 days is not enough to learn everything and I was fine with the 4 weeks they said it would be. Just after that long I'd like to see my children for a few days at least.

I appreciate your advice on what to have the trainer teach me. I was under the understanding that the trainer is supposed to "train" you on what you'll be going through. Trip planning, pre or post trips, paperwork, handling dispatch, backing, sliding tandems and balancing loads are very important to do the job efficiently and should be taught to new drivers in my point of view. I'll be sure to ask about all this.

I just want to say first that I don't agree with your attitude. Not judging, I just don't agree. I wanted to walk away ALL THE TIME when I first started out. Search for Transam and you will find my orientation and training threads.

I know for a fact that you HAVE NOT read them or done your research. Because if you had you would know that you are dead wrong.

TransAms training is 3 days of orientation, 3 days on the driving range, and 11 days (give or take a few days) with a trainer. I only did 7 days, 11 is standard and you can request more time.

So no, they can't immediately turn around and send you home! Hometime is NEVER guaranteed, ever. Although, with the exception of one time which was a series of unfortunate events, I have always been home on time, usually early.

Speaking for the company I work for, go somewhere else. You haven't even been to orientation and you are already starting down the road of bad mouthing. You aren't quite there yet, but you are well on the way. One "wrong move" and trust me, they will come, and you will have nothing but bad to say about TransAm.

Chickie,

I don't see how you say I'm already bad mouthing the company. I haven't said anything negative at all about them.

As far as Orientation and training, I guess I was lied too by the recruiter. I was told 5 days orientation and 4 weeks training. So please don't get upset with me if that's what I was told. I asked about hometime after my "4 weeks training" and was told that it depended on if a run was coming my way and I might be able to stop by my place gor a moment and grab a few things. Give me a few and I'll figure a way to copy the email I received stating just that and post it here!

Chickie, Here's the email I received from Trans Am:

Once you get assigned your truck you can talk with your dispatcher to see if they have any loads available to get you by your house to get more stuff in your truck really quick but we can’t promise that we would be able to do that. For you to take home time we do need an 8 day notice and there has to be prior approval for it.

I understand the prior approval, that's fine. I can deal with that. Just the way they put it didn't seem right to me.

Are these the only companies you applied to? You should have more options.

CT, I have applied to many different companies and even went to Western Express for orientation just to find out the recruiter lied and got sent home due to speeding tickets I got in 2014. Because of those tickets I've been turned down by a few companies

I just want to say first that I don't agree with your attitude. Not judging, I just don't agree. I wanted to walk away ALL THE TIME when I first started out. Search for Transam and you will find my orientation and training threads.

I know for a fact that you HAVE NOT read them or done your research. Because if you had you would know that you are dead wrong.

TransAms training is 3 days of orientation, 3 days on the driving range, and 11 days (give or take a few days) with a trainer. I only did 7 days, 11 is standard and you can request more time.

So no, they can't immediately turn around and send you home! Hometime is NEVER guaranteed, ever. Although, with the exception of one time which was a series of unfortunate events, I have always been home on time, usually early.

Speaking for the company I work for, go somewhere else. You haven't even been to orientation and you are already starting down the road of bad mouthing. You aren't quite there yet, but you are well on the way. One "wrong move" and trust me, they will come, and you will have nothing but bad to say about TransAm.

Chickie,

I don't see how you say I'm already bad mouthing the company. I haven't said anything negative at all about them.

As far as Orientation and training, I guess I was lied too by the recruiter. I was told 5 days orientation and 4 weeks training. So please don't get upset with me if that's what I was told. I asked about hometime after my "4 weeks training" and was told that it depended on if a run was coming my way and I might be able to stop by my place gor a moment and grab a few things. Give me a few and I'll figure a way to copy the email I received stating just that and post it here!

Thank you Tanker Man for the input. It is greatly appreciated. I plan on going in and doing whatever it takes to be successful. I understand that it's not gonna be easy. I don't mind taking constructive criticism from people but when I feel I'm being judged and talked down too just because I'm "new" to the industry then that's when I get defensive. I understand there are plenty of people here that have great advice and I will listen to all of it. Coming from a family of truck drivers has taught me a lot of what I need to know to become successful and it's also taught me what not to do. I don't want people thinking I'm gonna bounce from company to company just because I made one simple statement. In my lifetime I've always put in at least 2 yrs at every company I've worked for. It was simply meant to mean that if I'm not happy then I know I have the option to go elsewhere and the door is already opened to do so.

If you take a defensive driving class it will remove the points from your license BUT the ticket will still be there and trucking companies will see it. My experience has been that any moving violation will be seen and it's up each companies discretion whether or not to accept it or pass you by. As far as Millis, I also applied to drive for them after I graduated with my CDL. I was told by Millis that unless a person attends their school and training that drivers are required to have a minimum of 1 yr OTR experience

Ok the first thing that has put a bad taste in my mouth has to do with hometime. I understand that Trans Am requires hometime requests be submitted 8 days prior and must be approved. That makes sense since the DM needs to be able to route you in that direction from wherever you are in the country. Now I've been told that after a week of orientation and 4 weeks training when and if I am issued my own truck that they can't get me hometime right off the bat. When I asked when I would get home they wouldn't answer me. I asked if I requested hometime 8 days before i get my own truck could they get me home and was told that it may not get approved depends on if they have something in the right time frame coming my way. Does that make sense? I don't mind going through the 5 weeks training but to be gone more than that right off the bat doesn't seem right to me or many others I've spoken to about it. What are your thoughts?

So because I'm not willing to conform to what You say is the truth about rookie drivers you are gonna judge me and think the worst of me? Really Brett? You don't know anything about me except for what you read on here and that's pretty much that if I'm not happy at Trans Am then I'm gonna look elsewhere. What's so wrong with that? No I don't have years of experience like you say you do but that doesn't mean I have to stay working for a company if I'm not happy there. I said before my whole family has driven for many years. Some of them a lot more than you have and I have talked to them about how to go about getting into this industry. What to do and what not to do! What to brush off and what not to. You may know alot more about the industry than I do at this point but that doesn't make you a trucking God or right about everything or everyone. I will do what it takes to be successful in whatever profession it is. That means for myself to be successful and for the company I work for to also be successful. With that said you can think what you want about me cause I could care less since I know my true self and my intentions in this business. If that doesn't fit your way of thinking I'm sorry for that. It does fit my grand father's 60 yr driving and my uncle's 45 yr driving my of thinking and doing things. Have a good night.