Comments By Jay_Ohen

After asking the fine men and women of this forum for advice on becoming a trucker, I applied to Prime, Inc. on Friday and was accepted today! As elated as I am, I’m terrified of being sent home as many others have been.

I have problem with verifying info from an employer in 2013. I remember that I worked there, however it was a brief time during high school and shortly after graduating in 2013. I have accurate history and verification for everyone else but this employer in particular won’t give me an answer on the time I worked there. They keep hanging up on me. I know I can guess on it but I’m afraid of two things: they will do the same to Prime, resulting in me being sent home for “lying” or they would only send verification through snail mail. I simply don’t want to be sent home as I am looking forward to being a professional driver.

In short, should I report this company on my employment history? I haven’t found any record of being employed there and I left on good terms, they’re just being protective of their info, even if it is my own. What can you lot offer as far as advice on this topic? I appreciate any and all feedback! Stay safe drivers.

Thank you all so much for the responses. After reviewing the information in this thread and throughout the website I have decided to apply for a company sponsored training program. So far I’ve applied for Prime and I am awaiting further feedback from my recruiter.

This is the most helpful forum I’ve ever visited. All of you fine folks make me feel good about considering a career in trucking. Here’s to hoping I’ll be joining you all on the road soon enough. Stay safe, drivers, and thanks again for the advice!

Hello, Trucking Truth members! I'm currently employed by a small equipment rental company in Alabama. I was hired because I expressed interest in becoming a delivery driver within the upcoming months. I've long been fascinated with trucking, especially after I spent a couple weeks on the road with a friend a few years ago. Obviously I won't be doing any long haul with this company but they offered to pay for my CDL and give me on-site training; what a deal!

My concern is this: I yearn for a life on the road more and more each day due to my current home life situation. I'm unmarried and have no children, and wanderlust is a real pain. However, this company only has one truck currently available: an automatic Peterbilt. It is my understanding that testing in an automatic will net an automatic-only restriction on my CDL, in turn significantly limiting my choices for OTR companies in the future (plus I thoroughly enjoy manual transmissions). Let's say that I decide to go with their training and accept the restriction only to decide later on down the road that this isn't for me (startup company, not without its fair share of issues): would companies such as Prime or Roehl allow me to go through their training and remove the automatic only restriction or am I outta luck?

I suppose my question is simple: should I stay on with my local company and accept an automatic only CDL or go with a company sponsored program and receive an unrestricted CDL? I'm so lost I could pull my hair out! Any and all advice is appreciated.

Stay safe out there, drivers! Thanks for all you do.