Profile For Banks

I'm in Shelbyville

I would get some prehire letters before doing that. Reason being, having a CDL does not guarantee employment and it doesn't make that recent failed drug test go away. A prehire letter does not guarantee employment either, but it improves your chances. I'd hate for you to spend all of that money on school just to have trouble finding a job.

There are a number of companies that hire people with no experience and offer tuition reimbursement. Picking the one that's best for you depends on your needs. How often do you feel you need to be home? Do you want to take a pet with you? Would you like to have a rider at some point? Is there a specific type of freight you want to haul?

There are a handful of local companies that offer training. Of course, it's based on their needs and it'll usually end up being a local p&d gig. Saia, FedEx Freight and Estes all have dock to driver programs. The only issue is that you may just end up on the board with limited opportunities to go out. Some of the LTL companies also require a year of dock work before allowing you to take part in their program. Again, it's based on immediate needs. Lastly, local p&d is tough especially for your first year. I see the guys from FedEx Freight and US foods all the time and just watching them is exhausting. Not to mention the increased possibly of an accident because of all the city driving and tight parking lots.

It works out better being honest. You don't want to spend a day on a bus only to get turned away In person.

I get the past coming back to bite you. About 10 years ago I put in an application with NYPD. I got my 60 college credits and even underwent LASIK eye surgery to get my sight to where it had to be. I passed my medical, psychological, physical abilities test and drug test (hair follicle). My investigator got great reviews from my neighbors and employers. I ended up getting disqualified because of my driving record. Even after they disqualified me I paid a lawyer 1200 (he gladly too my money) to appeal. After the fact I learned that there had only been 1 successful appeal with the city.

At the time I was doing local deliveries and I was doing things I shouldn't have because I was being a company guy. I did whatever it took to get my deliveries where they had to be on time. I learned the hard way, but I learned. It make take you a while to get what you want. Just keep at it. Worst they can do is say no. Once there is some space between you and that drug test you'll be fine. Take it as lesson learned and keep your license clean.

The only reason I’m considering the private school route is for the DOT drug test I feel that if I can show recent proof to a carrier that I’m clean that will push me more into the favorable category.

A drug test is required by the government. Anywhere you go, you will be tested. The result won't change a companies opinion.

Everything after this is pure speculation:

I don't think they ask about past drug use to see if you're clean now. They're going to drug test anyway.I It'se so they can gauge your judgment. That's why it's not just one thing they look at. They're checking to see if your patterns and habits are a good fit for them. That's why it's not just one thing. It's employment history, driving history, arrest record, drug/alcohol history. They're painting a picture and deciding if they like what they see. A drug test that you have to take when you walk through the door isn't going to change anything.

Just keep pushing as many applications as you can and continue to be honest.

I would recommend going through company sponsored training. Maybe even trying a second chance company like CR England. They have a nine month requirement to pay off the school, but if you get through your first year you become a lot more desirable. Also, with company sponsored training there is a job at the end of the tunnel.

If you do decide to go the private school route you should try to get some prehire letters. It would suck to drop 5 Grand and then have no offers on the table. I wish you the best

Worth a bump this time of year:

This is the type of insight I look for. Simulators and books are great, but they don't convey the real world experience of someone who has been through it. Sitting through classes about wildlife is one of those things where "that'll never happen to me" would be running through my mind. Call it a New York State of mind lol. In Brooklyn the only wildlife you might hit is a pigeon or a squirrel. Maybe a raccoon in some neighborhoods.

I don't know if it's turkey season yet, but be careful folks. Remember, if you do hit a turkey, through it in the cab because somebody at the terminal will definitely want it lol.

I hit report by mistake... Not sure how to fix that, sorry. Building it up to be the worst year ever is part of my logic. I figure it can't possibly be as bad as I'm expecting so all in all it won't be that bad, if that makes sense. If it is, I'm ready for it. If it's not, that's great lol.

Family dynamics will be my biggest hurdle. That's why I'm taking this time to make sure everything at home is good before I leave. I want my phone calls homes to be smooth. A quick how's everything and the occasional what are you wearing I want to be focused on the task on hand and not make mistakes that I normally wouldn't. Initially, I was conflicted on whether or not I wanted to go through company sponsored training or come out of pocket. I've decided company sponsored would be a better fit. Money had nothing to do with this decision. I like the security of having a job lined up once I'm licensed. If I did get licensed on my own I'd have to undergo training anyway. Company sponsored training is a company taking an interest in my future. The training isn't just getting a CDL, it's teaching you how to be a company driver and letting you know what's expected of you. I also like that it's expedited without cutting corners. The dos and don'ts are drilled in so they're not forgotten and become routine. Lastly, it'll be my first test of being away from home for an extended period of time.

I don't think I'd be able to do G-Towns job better than him just like I don't think I can do old schools job better or any other vet on the road. I know that takes time. I expect my first year to be horrible and this web site and the articles on it have played a huge part in my mental preparedness. I'm expecting it to be the worst year of my life and I've had some tough years lol. My logic is that it can't be any worse than I've imagined it to be. A year without hitting anything would be a success in my eyes.

G-Town explained the hardships he endured, how he prepared for Swift academy and how his dedicated run made him a better driver. He also took the time out to explain the reasoning behind so of his actions. I don't exit here because of this and I'm turning here because of that. I always try to learn from my mistakes and the mistakes of others. That's a key part to anything I do. I don't expect to get different results from similar actions. G-Town didn't turn out of a parking spot because he's tried it before and it was extremely difficult and he cut it closer than necessary. It would be foolish of me to think I'd ever have a different result. Even with 10 years experience the outcome wouldn't change because of cracking the whip and restricted turning space.

While driving to his first stop I paid attention to how he maneuvered the truck. How far out the went when he turned and the directions of the steering wheel while backing up. Once we arrived the receiver was pretty quick to get us unloaded, but ran into some trouble with a double stacked pallet. G-town jumped in to break down the top pallet so that it could be pulled out. Once we left I asked if I could drive. He said no lol. He explained that since the dock workers get paid hourly they don't care to stand there all day trying to pull out one pallet. He doesn't get paid hourly so his goal is get out as quickly as possible. If that means helping them unload, so be it.

Our second stop was a drop and hook at a Walmart that had multiple bays. This time I stood outside and watched the truck movements as he hooked up to his empty. Another thing G-Town does before backing up is he jumps out of the truck to check the bay for nails or other debris that can cause a damaged tire. Something I've never seen anyone else do, but I'll definitely carry that with me. We pulled out of there and headed to a WaWa for his 30. Then it was back to the DC to end the day.

Throughout the day we discussed family and a lot of his experiences. What companies he would consider working for if he wasn't with Swift and what he likes/dislikes about being OTR and being on a dedicated account. It put a lot of things into perspective and I learned a lot throughout the day. Maybe I'll be able to jump on a full reefer day in the future.

It was definitely a great experience and I'm grateful. Going from the the road back into the warehouse had definitely put a battery in my back to get things off the ground.

I almost didn't make it out yesterday. In got slammed with snow and whenever I'm the car I have "protect your license" playing on a loop in my head. The car slid out a few times and I had an idiot tailgating me so I was really nervous, but I stuck it out and made it to the DC. I knew G-town shortened his day for me and I would've felt really bad standing him up. We already had one postponement (we were originally supposed to meet up last Friday, but nor'easter happened) and I didn't want another one.

The first thing I learned was APUs are awesome and when slip seating carry Lysol because those trucks can be grossly dirty lol. After going around the parking lot to find his trailer G-Town took me into the Swift office to meet all the Swifties. Great bunch of people. It put Swift in a whole new light for me because I don't look it as a huge trucking company anymore. I look it as if it's solely composed of the people in that office. People that will help you when you need it and keep you company while you're waiting on a load. It made such an impact that I plan on contacting Swift in the near future.

G-Town walked me through his pretrip and showed me everything he was looking at. A big difference from books and watching videos. Once we were ready to go the guard shack lady turned us around because we had to go through the scraper to get the snow off of the roof. I was definitely seeing it all lol. Once we really hit the road I was surprised because it didn't feel like we were in a truck. It felt like we were in a really high car. I get "watch your wagon" now.

Wife is calling.... To be continued

You're self employed, but your employer has to sign a form within 15 days?

You're unemployed but you have a bunch of miles to make up?

From what I understand, it's a matter of getting you home for home time. If they don't have freight going near your place of residence they don't hire you.

Crossing the GWB isn't NYPD it's the Port Authority. They monitor all the Hudson River crossings. He probably ran your plate to check for toll violations and when nothing came back he let you go. Writing it down could have been a form of labor tracking.

Definitely not the case. Diver was driving through ezpass. the ezpass account holder would receive a notice by mail if their account didn't have a sufficient balance to pay the proper toll fee. Why they do what they do in this city? Depends on the day of the week & the official's demeanor when you approach them for information!! I'm just curious if diver driver was wearing his diving mask at the time of this incident?!

GWB has a long history of owner ops trying to beat the tolls through all types of mechanisms. No EZ pass and no plate make it next to impossible to find you. That's why the officer was standing there. Once the toll cleared he let him go. Wrote the plate down so that when his Superior asked him what did you do today he can produce a list of plates he checked on his shift.

Crossing the GWB isn't NYPD it's the Port Authority. They monitor all the Hudson River crossings. He probably ran your plate to check for toll violations and when nothing came back he let you go. Writing it down could have been a form of labor tracking.

When I spoke to the recruiter from Maverick he told me that temp control and glass are out 2 to 3 weeks at a time.

Walmart does not sponsor training. They require 30 months experience. You may have trouble with company sponsored CDL training because they look into work history for performance and consistency. Apply For Paid CDL Training

That link will let you apply to numerous paid training programs at once and the correspondences will begin flooding in.

The other part to consider is, how will you family get along with you being gone. This is the part I struggle with as well. Like you, I handle most of the house stuff because my work schedule allows it and my wife's doesn't.

I also recommend reading Rob's local diary under the CDL training diaries section. Being local gives you no home time. You work 14 hours, sometimes more. You have to hustle to get your work load done in that time and leaves you enough time to eat, shower and sleep before doing it again.

Hey Aaron, I feel for you. You're in a bad place in life and it's something everyone has gone through at one point or another. My main focus of research on this site has been starter companies and spousal support. The one thing I've gathered is that trucking will not save a marriage on the rocks. A family has to be on the same page for it to work and you have to be of clear mind while learning your trade and practicing it, for your safety and the public's safety. You stated that you've been unemployed for 7 years and your wife just recently sprung a divorce on you. Is her unhappiness coming from a financial standpoint or is their more to it? I only ask because 7 years is a long time to just all of a sudden be at this point. Another question to consider is, are you happy in your marriage? It's a tough question, but one I've wrestled with at different points in my marriage.

The other common thread in this forum is that everyone here LOVES what they do. I say that to point out that you can do this because you have to, but if that's the only reason, you may find yourself at square one within a year or two. There are many companies that pay well and provide many advancement opportunities to their employees. I don't know where you live, but companies like Amazon and Walmart are everywhere and they don't look at experience at all. I know because I've worked for both. Pass a background and drug test and you have a start date.

There are always choices, Aaron. That's what makes this country so great. A door closes and 4 more open. You simply have to work with what you have. Don't focus on what you don't have, that's a waste of time. Ambition and inspiration are the only tools you need at this point. I wish you the best of luck on your search.

The trucking industry is way harder than a job interview. I can BS my way through an interview if I have to. Nobody at recruiting cares what you have to say. Give us the info and 48 hours then we'll decide. An HR rep doesn't check anything. I can put President of The United States on a resume and they'll say "pretty cool, why did you leave?". You're also confused about the signing bonus. You don't walk in the door and get 10K. You'd have to be there a good couple of years to get that full bonus. It's more of a gimmick to offset the cost of training. Additionally they get someone with experience that might be willing to train for a pay increase leading to more no experience recruits that have to pay their dues and start at the bottom of the payscale. I disagree that every Tom Rick and Harry can get into a truck. Look through the threads for the proof. "I have 3 DUIs 20 years ago and nobody will hire me"; "In had 2 preventable accidents and nobody will hire me". I've experienced this myself. I had an accident in a non CDL CMV in December of 2013 and Schneider told me they need 7 years in a CMV. They said "reach out to us in December 2020". No chance to explain no my side of the story. It's all black and white. I'm glad you've found something you enjoy doing and it pays the bills, but don't say that anybody can get into trucking and there's no interview because you don't have to wear a suit. That's bad information and a bad stereotype. Shouldn't be spreading that info.

What's the toy truck idea?

Helps you visualize what is going on when you back.

Oooo.... That makes a lot of sense. I'm going to have to buy a you truck. Maybe 4 or 5. My son will grab 1 or 2 and I'll probably leave 1 or 2 lying around which means they belong to the dogs lol