Comments By Stacy M-Yellow Wolf

Hey guys- I am lining up my life ( LOL) to get ready to apply to a company sponsered trucking school next year. I know that work history is a big thing. I have been self-employed as a farmer for the last 15 years. Before that I always had a job, usually staying 5-12 years with the same company. Worked hard, got promoted, have good references. My question is how do I prove my self-employment? Has anyone ever experienced this? I have yearly taxes, can get references from my chefs and store owners that I sell to, etc. Farming was a dream of mine and I have loved it but it is time to move on. I am ready to start driving NOW! And thank you guys who are in CDL school and taking time to post. Those posts are very helpful and I love reading them. I hope to add my own some day and help someone else. Hurricane Irma just showed herself in central NC. Luckily the old girl is fairly worn out now! Drive safe everyone.

What do "T-called" and "repowered" mean, please?

Awesome! Your journey is just beginning-enjoy every minute of it and congratulations!!! 🙌🙌🙌👍

Anytime you can get something done a day early like this you are just setting yourself up to be ready for another load. We speak a lot in here about how the pay on this job is performance based. I'm trying to share with you my methods and the reasons behind them so that you can see the way to success in this career. Staying ahead of the game, and having a dispatcher that understands that you are going to do what it takes to stay ahead will definitely help you stay at the top of the food chain. Don't even concern yourself with whether your company can "give you enough miles" - you just get out there and consistently prove to them that you will do what ever it takes to keep things moving along faster than the average drivers and you will have all the miles you can handle

OS I am enjoying this thread SO much and trying to soak up every little bit of info about trip planning that I can.

I want to turn miles and make a good paycheck and push myself to be better and better. And make time to explore a little along the way.

I love the photo of you and your daughter from Silver Dollar City! OK-now back to reading!

Thank you Brett! It would be so convenient to go to a school near home but I want to go where there is the best chance of me getting a job. I am very loyal to the people that I work for and totally get that they would be investing in me. I am not looking to company-hop and I don't get bent out of shape over every little thing that happens and go looking for someone else to blame. I truly love the tone that you all keep on here of work hard, own your mistakes and stay positive. I don't look at any other forums, no need to. I did download and play with the Truckerpath app and could not believe the whining and childish nature of the reviews. Geez people, lol. Anyway-thanks again-fantastic site. Makes me feel much more confident that I can be prepared and make it through school, testing and training and be a valuable employee for someone. ⛽🚚🚛🚚⛟

I apologize-this is a bit long. I want to drive OTR-like tomorrow, lol-but I have a few things that need to be taken care of before I can be gone for weeks at a time. I would truly appreciate any input and opinions.

Mainly, I am wondering if I should go ahead and start applying to companies with schools or wait until I am closer to being able to leave.

I want to apply to company schools and know ( if training goes well) that I have a job after training. There are several private trucking schools near me, but I cannot pay for them up front.

I do not mind being alone and I love to drive. I used to haul show horses up and down the East Coast. The biggest rig that I have driven was a 5+ton truck with a 33' ft trailer. No trouble driving or backing it, even into very tight spots. I have always been in management or been self-employed so I am a self-starter and like pushing myself towards my goals. I have a clean driving record and I have never done drugs of any kind. I have been self-employed for the last 15 years so I am not sure how I go about verifying employment for that. I have good references from former employers that I still keep in touch with. I work hard for my employers and I don't jump around to different jobs.

I am 53, and a full time farmer. I am single, no children/family. I raise and sell livestock and meat. I want to keep the farm until I have been through school and driven for at least a year. I will hire an intern to live and work here while I am gone.

However, I do have some health issues that I want to work on before going to a CDL school. I was already in the process of losing weight and eating better before I decided that I want to get my CDL. I want to lose more weight and get a good physical before I go to a school. I have a knee that bothers me sometimes and if losing weight does not help it, then I may need surgery. I can climb in and out of a truck right now but it is painful.

So, with hiring and training an intern, getting the farm through the winter and getting my health issues resolved, I am looking at probably March 2018 before I can hit the road.

So when should I start applying to company schools? Should I apply to several at one time? Any benefit to going to one of the local, private schools that I might be missing?

Thank you in advance for any replies!

I leave for Charlotte, NC tomorrow for my first driving job, and my nerves are all jacked up. Its the first job I've ever driven more than an hour for (made house calls as an HVAC tech) and I've never been to Charlotte before.

Hey Matthew- Congratulations for making it to your own truck! I live outside of Charlotte so just a word of advice. Keep your eyes on the other cars and keep a large following distance. The highways going into Charlotte will be just flowing along and then you will round a corner onto 3-4 lanes of stopped traffic ( and you are still outside the city). It bottlenecks with no warning so be prepared. Read your signs to get where you are going and take your time. It is not a bad city to drive in if you have a little patience and watch the traffic around you. You can do it! 🙌👊🖒

Just a bump up. I live in Memphis, TN. The word on radio & TV news, and often posted on highway letter signs, is traffic will be horrible along the totality line. Maybe think Game Day Around The Stadium traffic in that line from Oregon to South Carolina.

Primarily, if you are anywhere in the USA, do not try even glancing at the sun. Read the original post again.

NC has been running messages across the electronic highway signs about bad traffic on Monday. Supposed to be total by 2:45pm here. I am going to sit right on my farm and watch it and the reactions of the animals. Everyone driving-be safe tomorrow!!! 🚚⛟🚛🚚

Yes...that explains it alright. Anyway my point was; the night before you knew your next day was likely going to be a cluster. As a result I would have lined-up parking places along the route of delivery (after your live load in MA) that were something other than truck stops due to the time of day you would be finished at the shipper in MA. Walmart and Home Depot are always good places to start...

G-Town- When you are talking about places to park for the night like Walmart or Home Depot, do you need to get permission to park at these places from someone? Do you tell your dispatcher if you are parked other then at a Truck Stop (business, customer, rest area)? I have noticed that there are usually 1-3 trucks parked overnight each night in a shopping near my house ( there are currently no businesses leasing the end where they park)

Thank you OS, I found it! CM thank you for the FB group tips . I found another one, Cooking Healthy on the Truck. I am definitely not interested in negative groups and people who moan and groan. I will be a few months wrapping up some details with my farm before I can go away for school, so I am trying to learn as much as I can about the lifestyle (as well as studying) in the meantime.