Profile For Tucker

I went through an SAP and completed the return to duty process in November. I was able to drive until 3 days ago. Those same violations that I got taken care of in November are prohibiting me from driving again. This shouldn't be happening. It's expensive and time consuming and I don't want to go through it again. This is very frustrating, and it shouldn't be happening.

I had a drug test violation with the FMCSA back in October that I got taken care of in November. I went through an SAP and everything. I received an email today informing me that the same violation that was taken care of is back on my record.

Does anybody know why that happened, and what I should do? I stopped driving a few weeks ago, but I just don't want this on my record. This makes no sense, and it's causing too much of a headache.

I've only been trucking for 4 months, and I got let go yesterday for too many accidents in a short period of time.

The first accident happened when I was still in training and had to team drive. I was tired and there was road construction. I was driving late at night in a narrow lane and hit the divider. I ended up tearing up one of the outside tandem tires and the rim and I had to get it fixed.

The next time I was coming from a shipper and I misjudged a turn coming out of the driveway. As I did that, I wound up in a ditch and was stuck for about 2 or 3 hours until a wrecker came and pulled me out.

The third time, I was pulling into a Love's to park for the night. I was having a hard time finding somewhere to park. As I was trying to make a turn to circle the lot again there was a truck parked in front of me that shouldn't have been there. I thought I could make the turn in spite of it, so I tried it. I was wrong. I turned into the truck next to me and tore its front end up very greatly. It was horrible. What made all of this bad was the fact that I got the trailer from a lot that had the tandems all the way to the back and I didn't slide the tandems where they should've been before I got into the lot. I was going to slide them in the right spot when I parked. (I now realize how stupid that was.)

Now I obviously need another trucking job. I was wondering what I should do when I apply for another job. I'm afraid I'll have a hard time getting a job or won't get one at all.

Well I'm also broke as hell and I need to pay my bills. So I'm gonna have to get a job. I know the local community college has a free program and doesn't last 10 freaking hours a day like the school I'm currently at does. Also the community college has much smaller classes than what I'm currently in as well.

Ibn, in my opinion quitting the school you are in now is close to the worst thing you could do. Being a private school, I don't know if the information about quitting will follow you, but you tuition bill certainly will.

My advice on that other thread, that you focus and finish there, still stands. I bet you may be able to take a few days extra if necessary to prepare for the CDL test.*

Remember, most companies will help out with your tuition once you do get hired. Otherwise you may be on the hook for $8 thousand plus any other new school fees you have to pay at your new company.

We understand you are in a tough situation, with important choices to make. My feeling, and ultimately the least painful overall, is to complete your CDL work at your current school.

*Legitimate schools must keep a record of their student completion rate. They have an interest in making sure you get your CDL through them.

It's a private school and I'm thinking about leaving and going to a community chiller where It's free. I already know I have to pay touring to the school I'm on once I leave.

Is it a company school or private pay?

But will they know that I didn't complete one and went to them though?

Why would you want to do that? or Did you do that and what were the circumstances? Most of the 160 hour training programs are very similar. Fast paced, No BS. All they are in Business to do is teach you the bare minimum skills to pass your State CDL exam. You do not leave there a "Truck Driver" by any stretch of the imagination. Good Luck!

Say for instance you didn't complete training at one school and decided to go to another. Would that follow you if you tried to do that and would it look bad to potential employers?

So today we were practicing alley docking in the yard and I did it with the help of my instructor, but I didn't mess it up. I'm feeling really confident about myself today. I think my main problem was that I was just getting frustrated and that it's where you start to mess up.

Ibn, first let me welcome you to Trucking Truth. We don't mess around here, and we don't talk trash just to dis people.

Then again, sometimes the truth isn't pretty. What I'm saying is, if you are going great, we're happy for you. If you messed up, we don't call you "stupid" or anything, but we do talk directly and frankly about bad decisions.

You do blame yourself a bit: "dragging your feet", and not taking required tests just because you didn't like to. Your life is filled with situations like this. You need to get used to this fast! If you want to drive a truck, your company will not put up with a driver who doesn't like a particular dispatch, or "can't" drive when he needs to. Start with the resolution to do what it takes, the first time out of the gate.

Your late desperation to go to school got you on a legal hook for your tuition. In your third week, it's too late to jump ship and escape this obligation.

The rest, where you say you can't do a straight back, or get nervous driving in traffic, I believe is part of your "I'd rather not ..." attitude. The school offers you 160 hours of training. We all know that doesn't make you ready to hit the road as a trucker. All you are looking for in the beginning is to simply pass the CDL skills test. No more, no less. Don't be too nervous about driving in traffic. That will pass as you get your confidence. You have a week, maybe a bit longer, to get your skills and knowledge ready for the skills test. Unless you just like being nervous, and want to blame that for your problems, you need to focus much more on setting the final result and how to get there.

Play the brain game - visualize your success, learn from your screw ups (don't see them as failures, but they are mistakes so learn from them!)

Once you are successful in this, and have the CDL license, you should have your pick of companies that will hire you.

I don't think me not getting this stuff is on account of my so called "I'd rather not" attitude. It's just the fact that in life it's always taken me awhile to get things compared to other people. I'm not going to give up on this at all. I just wish I was getting this stuff and that I wasn't struggling.

During the summer I could've gone to a local community college sponsored truck driving program in St. Louis for free. I went through a few of the steps to enroll in it, but then stopped because I'm an idiot and didn't like the fact that I had to take some reading and math tests to get into it (stupid, I know). I kept missing the deadlines for registration for the classes and dragging my feet just being a stupid idiot.

I still wanted to become a truck driver and get my CDL. I was desperate for a trucking job, because I had been out of work since August. So, last month I looked on Craigslist for truck driving jobs and found that Hogan was hiring and that they would train. They told me to call a truck driving school called MTC here in St. Louis and tell them that Hogan referred me to them.

So, I went to orientation and pretty much signed my life away. They had us sign some papers that put us on the hook for $8,453.15 whether we complete the program or not. They gave us 3 business days to leave the program if we decided it wasn't for us. I don't think that's enough time to decide though.

I'm in the 3rd and so called final week of the program and since I'm a slow learner I still don't know any of my maneuvers (I still can't straight back) nor can I drive a manual stick shift (I get nervous behind the wheel and everything I learned goes out the window).

I feel like they're gonna drop me from MTC real soon if I don't shape up and learn this stuff since I'm so far behind. I talked to the director and it seemed like they were leaning towards that. Now, I'm gonna be on the hook for $8453.15 of which I don't have. I only went to this school because I was desperate to get a job since I had been out of work since August.

Anybody have any advice on what I should do? Should I try to go back to the community college, ride out the program until I get my CDL or get dropped, or should I go somewhere else and try to get my CDL.

I know I messed up real bad and will hopefully never do something like this again.

Thanks for reading.