Comments By Mike C.

Banks

I think maybe your being a little too tough on Moe.

The reason I say that is the fact that I could be him.

It's easy to say that he in some way perhaps ignored advice on the forum however the very definition of a forum is a back and forth conversation with alot of varied advice.

My beginning of a trucking forum began almost four years ago with my registration on this forum and others. I got my CDL last 19 June I think that I might demonstrate a reasonable due diligence as to questions and answers..............yes? And.............After lots of looking and talking and such, I made a God awful choice for my first trucking company BUT I didn't understand that til I was knee deep in my wrong choice and hauled butt .

Fact is when your new to a subject it's very easy to make bad choices from pure ignorance.

Moe was hesitant about his choice of employment but he rolled the dice , went for it, made mistakes, admitted the mistakes and hopefully now he can recover............hopefully.

That could have been me real easy. I took a job that I should not have taken. I sobered up to the bad choice after a few days of orientation but I weighed the decision to leave before I actually left. I could have made a bad mistake very-very easily.

Moe screwed up a couple times at least and has come to the forum to admit his mistakes and ask for advice.

I suggest to you that maybe advice for him to consider going forward might be a pretty good suggestion?

Hindsight as it was once said being 20/20 gives all of us a great opportunity to look back but Moe needs to look forward.

Moe

Obviously you made a mistake and you've taken responsibility for the mistake. That speaks well of you. I sure hope it isn't a permanent stain that haunts you forever. The way I read the responses from the experianced people is to keep applying and keep trying, keep going on. I wish you the very best of luck with your continued trucking.

At the risk of being boring on the subject, please allow me to suggest you find a company that offers training. Your entire post says you wanted it and you needed it, maybe still could use some............maybe?

I'm with a company that employees 2000 drivers of which over 25% of the 2000 drivers have over one million miles of driving experiance.

Get with a good company Moe that you can stick with that gives you the backup and support and training we as new drivers all need.

Moe, I learned to fly back in the stone ages when it was not very demanding to get a private pilots license.....unlike today. Airplanes only go forward, dont pull a 53' trailer and sure as hell dont have to back one up. With an airplane it's not very likely your going to run over a family on their way to church. It's alot easier to drive a small single engine airplane than it is to drive a semi. People do not give commercial truck drivers the respect they deserve nor do they realize what it takes to be a safe and responsible truck driver.

All of that said, it's upon you as to where you go from here.

Dont give up

Moe

I've read this thread with great interest.

I recieved my CDL on 19 June. Was to begin orientation with a company on 29 June. After about a week of orientation was to recieve my own truck and on the road with maybe a total of 50/70 miles under my belt and none of those few miles solo. I withdrew from the orientation after just over three days.

I'm a FNG with zero experiance and about the same (zero) re trucking knowledge but I do have medium functional brain and some life experiances.

It's beyond my understanding how it's allowed to have someone with no solo experiance on the road with a truck and trailer. I cant bring myself to understand the rationale that permits that?

I've just completed my one week orientation with CFI in Joplin, Mo. I go out with a trainer tomorrow for the majority of a month on the road. I've already passed an internal driving test with a CFI driver before I leave with a trainer. Going on the premise I'm Ok with the CFI trainer for three to four weeks I then have to pass another internal testing at Joplin before I have my own truck. All in all at least three times I have to pass the CFI standards spread out over a month before CFI considers it responsible for me to be solo in a truck. In my very novice view CFI has it down right. How it could be expected that someone with no experiance in the real world solo in a truck is acceptable is beyond me and I wonder how the laws and regulations permit that to happen?

A mother with her children in front of me, zero solo experiance, eighty thousand pounds of truck and trailer, going down a hill is Ok?

Maybe I'm missing something here........you think?

I lucked out...........Big Time!

Strickly by luck I've landed with a first class company.

I see why Big Scott and others are proud to be a part of CFI.

Looks like I've almost completed orientation and now am awaiting my "Finisher" (AKA Trainer). I'm on the road with a finisher for 24 to 26 days beginning in a few days. Going on the premise the finisher signs me off, then I'm solo with a truck. By the time I get a truck and am solo I'll have passed three CFI seperate tests of hands on driving. That includes 24 to 26 days "Captain Of The Ship" as it's put by CFI. This is exactly what I've wanted of a company. A CDL driving school sure does' prepare you for passing the CDL exam but falls way short of putting the new graduate on the road safely. I'm very satisfied that when I am given my own truck I'll be a safe driver still with alot to learn yet to come with experiance.

I cant speak highly enough of CFI. Everything about the company is first class. Everyone there goes' out of their way to be helpful and very friendly. People smile at you and wish you a good day. People seem very happy there. It's a very warm and professional atmosphere.

So, I guess officially I'm employed but I dont think I'll be really employed until after my time with the finisher and my final driving test at Joplin.

These guys and ladies are intense. There's no room for anything substandard with this company and people.

I lucked out..........BIG TIME!

OLD SCHOOL

Thanks for getting back to me.

It's all good.

Friends have poked fun at me for years because it takes me a long time to grasp something and it takes me forever to say it.

Most simple form today to fill out took me three tries before I understood the instructions and completed it correctly.

I wear hearing aids in both ears. A mask with straps that go around the ears. Headphones today to watch some videos over my ears. Glasses on so as to be able to watch the videos hanging on my ears. My ears are not big enough to hang all that stuff on so I had to make choices which excluded my hearing aids thus missed some instructions and didn't fill the form out correctly.

See what I mean when I say I'm a Klutz?

Sometimes it's best to just poke some fun at yourself.

Big Scott Finished my first day of orientation and for the entire part, paperwork and such. What I realize is that CFI is a big company and extremely well organized.

Instructor at orientation made clear that he was going to move fast and alot of info, real fast. He said it was like unto filling a gallon bucket then trying to fit another gallon into the already filed gallon bucket in short time. So, I know what to expect.

What is obvious to me is that these guys are pros They know what they're doing. Everything is very organized and very professional. Building, all the surroundings, offices, and classrooms very clean and well organized. Very friendly atmosphere however I can clearly see it's going to be a very busy week.

I can see why your a big fan of CFI I'm an FNG when it begins with truck however I do have some wordly experiance and with some big companies. This is a very impressive company.

My only worry is as already previosly stated, I'm a slow learner. I hope I can keep pace.

I appreciate your input and hope you'll continue with it.

Thanks to all Ive just arrived in Joplin Looking forward to this..........a whole lot And, I appreciate the input

Old School I have no idea why you would wonder about responding to me? I appreciate the info however it's your call. Your response is welcome

ya'll, people learn differently In my case I learn very-very-very (that's 3 very's) slow..........extremely slow. Today there's words that describe some learning disabilities but when I was a kid those words did not exist. Took me several schools before I graduated highschool. So, I appreciate your patience when I seem to repeat myself. If it bothers anyone I apologize for that and will limit my questions some.

I began my truck driving school with a group of which all passed (except two) within three weeks. Took me six weeks watching other groups come and go while I stumbled some. I try to have a sense of humor about it thus my "Klutz" remarks. Does' not embarress me at all just have learned over decades to adjust and handle it Anyone who misunderstand my very sincere efforts I sure offer my apologies

Ok, tomorrow I begin my CFI adventure and am very excited about it.

Kearsey

Good stuff Great input

After graduating I went to orientation with a company that offered no on the road training at all. A week maybe ten day orientation, then, here's your truck, see ya. I was very uncomfortable with that and withdrew only after I got a little ****ed as well. At the school we learned to identify all the coupling areas BUT never actually coupled or uncoupled. At the orientation I was shown for maybe two minutes then had to couple the truck/trailer. I was slow and nervous because I had never done it before and the instructor became very impatient with me which actually really annoyed me.

There were other areas that we (at the school) had to identify but never actually did any of it. No way was I prepared to go on the road solo after the orientation and withdrew.

I think the schools are intended to get you the CDL. So much to learn that not covered by the school. I guess that's Ok but in my thinking the actual learning comes from on the road with (I hope) a good trainer.

I really want to get this right. I dont want to be somewhere and feel and look like a fool and even worse than that........... dangerous.

Miey B

Yeah, I guessed as much. I read what kearsey said with great interest because I've found what she wrote and your comments to be accurate as I know it from my experiance.

Back in the stone ages when I learned to fly I had an initial instructor who was terrible. Changed instructors and a whole new learning experiance opened up for me. Over many years I've taught people about boats and every aspect of a boat. I consider myself very good because I care and have been kidded alot about taking it too seriously and the like. However, I do care thus I try to conduct myself that way.

I have a friend who graduated the drivers school with me that's on the third trainer.

Again, I find Kearsey's and your comments to be taken to heart and I am concerned who for 29 days I'll be living in a box with and learning from.

Guess just wait and see, huh?

I'm to be at Joplin, Mo. on Monday for orientation with CFI. Then, as I understand it 29 days with a trainer which is good, it's what I want. I have no solo time behind the wheel...........none at all. Maybe 60/70 miles total driving with either an instructor or state examiner. No solo time.

I want a good trainer. I want the 29 days training and have sought it out.

Ok, seems to me though the sword is a double edge, maybe? I'm an eager student, medium smart, 75 years old and been around some. Been thru learning to fly back in the stone ages. If it begins or ends with "Boat" I've done it for a long-long-long time in more than one country.

I'm no genius and sure as heck no when to ask for help and training. I want that real bad.

Ok, here's my question: How do I know I'm getting a trainer who wants to teach me as bad as I want to learn? I've been thru this with airplanes and boats. I've seen extremely good instructors ( trainers per se) and less than good ones as well.

Luck of the draw?