Profile For Timothy E.

I am in School and should be starting at Carter Express in a few weeks.

I am new to trucking and I want to get started on the right track and make sure I enjoy it.

So anything I should know right out the Gate that can make me successful would be helpful.

Thanks for the replies. Funny thats actually the two states I'm looking at.

I don't know what Company you are thinking of Heading off to after school, but I'd say Call Sage at IVY Tech in Muncie Indiana and ask Questions, I'm sure they will know the answers for you, also As far as the permit is concerned here in Indiana it was Super Easy and if you Fail it you can take it over and over til you do pass (as opposed to a State like CA which limits retakes to 3 times per year) without limit so even if it won't work for your situation it's super cheap here in Indiana for the learners permit and you can apply the same day you transfer you license.

I am no Expert, But 1st I'd guess it's upto the State you are wanting to go to.

Now with that Said I am attending Sage Trucking School in Central Indiana and the instructor has said several times that they have trained / Taught people from Wisconsin and Ohio alot but he mentioned that the Training they Teach here is for the Local State requirements, so it might make a difference in the end. The Federal Requirements are the same across the board but the Local Requirements Vary to some degree, Like your Pre-Trip Inspection, the Verbiage required tends to vary greatly from state to state (Per my Instructor)

Just for Starters I'm not here to Name Drop or Make Anyone Look bad.......

I will give a Brief History since this is my 1st Post:

I would say I have been researching Trucking for the last 3 months, I've applied at about 30 different companies and I offered employment in Writing by about 6, about 2 dozen just said show up at their school (Basically) and I would be offered a Job afterwards.

The Company I picked to Work for, after all the Research just is the Best fit for me. They weren't the Company that had the Best offer, they came in at about the 3rd best offer actually when it comes to pay, but they did come off as the Only company being upfront with me, they also where the only company that Interviewed me in person before Offering me something. I also picked them because they are pretty close to my home and they guarantee me that unless I choose my 34hr reset will be at my home rather than on the road

So now I am in School

I just Finished my first week and I am more scared than ever, Mostly because the Class Size is So small and as a Result their is so much down time. We knock out the lessons so quick because of the Low number of students but I can't believe it is so laid back. I can't believe that the Schools only real philosophy is we are only here to help you get your CDL and off you go. There is no Care that I can Actually drive the Truck afterwards.

There are some perks there is alot of 1 on 1 time, and since school usually isn't a good fit for me it helps in some ways. And once done with the In Class stuff there is 8 - 4 hour sessions of 1 on 1 drive time.

I guess the company I will be working for understand this as I have 6 weeks of Paid 1 on 1 training once done with school before I even get my own truck.

Looking forward to week 2, we'll See what Happens Next