Comments By Damon L.

Lmao best quote of the day!

$80,000-$100,000 a year they weren't eating Ramen Noodles and Mac-n-cheese, but they might be soon.

I see lots of people talking about not getting paid or not getting paid on time. Is this a normal issue in the trucking industry?

Does anybody know anything about this company? I had no idea Straight trucks had sleeper berths.

Are there any Simulators out there for public use. I know nothing is like jumping in a real one but I just want to keep my shifting sharp and don't want to lose all I've learned until I start working. Are the big companies the only ones that have the simulator?

Do Companies see your Military Truck Driving time as years of experience in the civilian sector?

Thank You, I am definitely looking forward to whatever is next

Congratulations Damon. I predicted you'd pass on the second try. Nice job...!

I passed the next day. It took a Big weight off my shoulders however I know it's just the beginning of my journey I'm just glad to have CDL in hand at least.

Took my CDL test today smoked the pre trip, straight line backing was good, off set was good, alley dock I got in the box used my 2 free get outs to check my position because I was jacked once and the other to see how far back I had to go. I didn't go back far enough once I straightened up and failed. So I'm taking it again tomorrow and I'm not a happy camper right now.

Haha I see your point but they do have that freedom it's up to the individual and what their goals are. Whether a driver can drive a lick or not he's been trained and if the financial workings are benefiting them to support their families then they have options. If not signing a contract is the best thing for that individual then it's up to them the Company doesn't care if your bills aren't being paid they just want production at the end of the day.

That is odd about making a new driver even with CDL sign a contract, but I see the point of it.

I meant to mention something about this yesterday.

Even though the student coming in already has a CDL, it still costs the company quite a bit of money to transport them, house them, and sometimes feed them for orientation. Then they send you on the road for a few weeks or even a couple of months with a trainer, which also costs them quite a bit of money. Then finally after the driver goes solo they're almost always going to run lower miles for a while, until they learn to manage their time and adjust to life on the road, which is yet again costing the company more money.

And many rookies wind up bumping into one or two things, normally minor things, during their initial few months. Another cost.

So it can easily take a company one full year or more just to break even after hiring and training a new driver coming out of school.

Now consider that most people who choose to pay for a private school will do so with the intention of jumping around a time or two during their rookie year. Well that's the worst case scenario for these companies doing the training. They bring in a new driver, invest the time and money and resources it takes to get them to solo status, and then the driver quits on a whim and goes elsewhere, leaving the company with a nice debt and no productivity to show for their investment. Pretty much a total loss of their time and money.

But it keeps getting worse. It turns out the training company has now trained this driver to work for their competition, who is now reaping all of the rewards.

It seems 99% of the new drivers coming into this industry are completely unaware of the time, money, and resources that go into training new drivers and just how long it takes to recoup that investment. Training someone to get their CDL is only the beginning. It takes most of that first year to recoup the funds for the road training and initial lack of productivity. And yet, how many times have we heard "I don't want to be a slave to a contract".

Yeah right. Poor students. Brand new to an industry, can't drive a lick, costing everyone a fortune and scaring the daylights out of everyone, and yet a large successful organization really, really wants to keep you around as part of the team for the long term. Most people in the world fight for that kind of dedication from their company. And yet truckers fight against it.

Duh. That's all I have to say about that.

So I'm in my 3rd week at Road Masters I can't say I feel great confidence that I will pass the CDL test 1st time around and I'm considering taking the road test in a automatic. We've learned the pre-trip, did some driving, and learned off set. I just have these 2 weeks left to put it all together and I don't have alot of confidence in doing the parking maneuvers. What can I do to improve my off set I need some advice quick I feel like I'm running out of time as it draws near. Would putting a trailer on my car help me practice at home? I'm open to suggestions.