Profile For Banks

I haven't heard anything about Boyd brothers so I can't comment on them, but Maverick has great training and there have been some diaries here with extensive information as to what to expect.

There are also some other companies that do flatbed that you can look at. TMC, Melton, Prime, Roehl, Western Express and Knight are just some of the companies that offer training and flatbed. I'd say apply to all of them and talk to a recruiter to find out more information.

There is no official way of doing a pretrip. The tester has a checklist and you have to check a certain amount of components to pass. Some things like missing the fifth wheel connection is an automatic fail. Daniel's pretrip is one of the more efficient study guides I've seen.

Paying for school or going through paid training is your decision to make, you've been given good advice on that question so I won't offer more. Just be aware that the only thing having a CDL does is make you exempt from the test. You're still going to have to do everything your friend is doing now because you have no experience.

I would suggest you head over to the diaries section of this website to get a more broad view of the training experience.

One error in the hours they've already put in

this happened at the end of the first week (the turn.)

All the hours is a week?

My friend is exceeding and I'm not just saying that because why lie

How do you know? Are you there? You don't even have a CDL, yet you know whether someone is exceeding or not?

I call BS on this whole story. Nobody is getting sent home after 1 week for not taking a turn wide enough.

FedEx freight is going with these changes and they take effect September 29. I'm happy about it, I hate talking 30 minute breaks.

Paying for school wouldn't change anything about this scenario. Going into orientation with your CDL doesn't guarantee you a job.

If you go in with no experience you still have to go through a training period and you still have to pass a company test that is usually a little more stringent than the DMV.

At FedEx freight, I was allowed one DMV test. If I failed it, I had to pay for a second one out of pocket and hope that I could find a second one that had a close date because if not, I was done. I didn't know that going in, but they made it very clear before I tested. I even had to sign documents saying I understood this.

You win some, you lose some, I disagree with the rule of that company, its good to provide free training but that punishment is not fair, some hard rules are better to maintain the employers behavior's do you?

Companies look for certain things when people are training like progression. If you're not a certain skill level within a certain amount of time, they move on. The trainer let's corporate know how the students are doing. They're not going to lie and risk their livelihood or the safety of the public for anybody.

We don't know how long his friend was in the training process, so you can't call it unfair. They have an expectation of how long it's going to take to get you up to speed before you get there. If you're not showing that you can keep up, it's time to move on.

Liability. That’s the #1 reason a driver would not want you on their truck. Also company policy doesn’t allow it. This site, Brett’s website has tremendous articles that would help you. You need to do some digging. I’d agree that until you actually are in a truck, you don’t know what it’s really like. Some people hate it, some love it. Good luck.

They varies by company. I went on a ride along with G-Town before taking the plunge.

There's a show on Netflix called "Heavy Rescue 401" that focuses on these trucks and their operators. It takes place in Canada.

Are you talking about a heavy duty wrecker?

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

Paid CDL Training ProgramsApply For Paid CDL Training

Those are just to get you started.

Your health may or may not be an issue. Your doctor's opinion on your DOT card is irrelevant because any company that hires you will want you to see their physician for your DOT card. Ultimately, it's up to that doctor.

That's why I'd recommend company sponsored training. You'll know you have a job waiting for you upon completion instead of going through 6 weeks of training to then find out you have some issues.

Do you have sleep apnea? I'm asking because it's usually tied in with diabetes and high blood pressure. You may be required to take a sleep study and be CPAP compliant.

I wish you the best and hope everything works out for you. Please keep us posted on your progress.

FedEx freight trained me and I get home everyday. Some days are longer than others so it's not all quality time at home, but I get home.

Some locations are currently hiring driver apprentices. I don't know where you're located, but it may be worth looking into.

Congratulations

What you mean with the last part of your message ?

He's saying Sysco has locations all over the country. In the 2 years he's been there he has run the risk of running out of hours twice. When you're local and you run out of hours, you get laid over in a hotel for your 10 hour break.

Are you busting your ass as much with the last set of jobs FedEx, UPS, XPO, Estes, R&L?

There are always good days and bad days, like anywhere else. These jobs are based on seniority and you're likely to be working nights to start, especially in an area like Boston.

I'll never say quit, it's just not how I approach anything in life but you have an uphill battle on your hands.

You have no license, no experience and a documented history of drug use. When applying for jobs the drug test questions tend to be formatted as "have you ever" which means a lifetime. You'll have to say yes and that will lead to no. You're going to have to put trucking on the back burner for 3-5 years because nobody will hire you now. After those years are up, try PAM or CR England and see what they say. They pay less to start because they take people most companies wouldn't take.

I wish you the best of luck and keep better company around you.

PJ Moderator,

Yes I have been driving for 16yrs. I will say I do not have OTR exp. but I have been local for 16yrs. I believe I would l haul flooring products such as carpet, backing, yarn, hard wood, etc. or maybe pull for Amazon or FedEx. Something like that. As of right now I am thinking I would just want a daycab to run locally or regional.

I don't know how Amazon works, but I do know how FedEx ground works. You can't just pull for them, you have to buy that contract and they usually cost around 100K depending on the lanes. I'd be surprised if FedEx has any open lanes, which means that you would have to buy that business from a contractor.

It varies state by state. The cost of the hard copy was included in the cost of the permit. When I passed they printed me a new license on the spot. I'm in Pennsylvania, so it may be different in your state but you may not have to pay anything to get your license.

Hopefully, we should have done it already but they are having a hard time finding linehaul drivers.

Congratulations on year 3. I just completed year 1 about a month ago.

That's interesting. Why can't they find linehaul drivers? It's almost impossible to get a linehaul spot off the street at OD here. I'm waiting for a linehaul spot on the dock. I have no interest in doing P/D work so I'm going to wait it out.

It sounds like you have some driving habits you have to work on. A 45 ft truck doesn't move fast from a stop and that's why you got the reckless and prohibited driving. An accident report lists all citations given so when they pull it, it's there even if it's not on your MVR. if I'm doing the recruiting and I hear a 45 foot truck came out of nowhere I hear "I wasn't paying attention" because I know those trucks don't move fast and you skid into it. When I'm driving and I see a vehicle of any size stuck behind another vehicle I'm assuming the vehicle behind it is going to pull out and I approach it that way.

Like Bob said you may have to wait about 3 years and make sure you go through sponsored training. You don't want to drop thousands of dollars for a license you can't use.

Companies say what they mean and mean what they say. Let the recruiter know your situation. A conditional job offer is just that, conditional. They're offering you a job on the condition that you qualify. At this time, you do not. I don't know when Wilson pulls your driving record, but if they pull it up at orientation you get sent home. Some companies send you home at your expense and you have to figure it out.

Now I'm confused.... How did you get it to a terminal if you can't steer and no coolant? That's a lot of expensive damage, not including the body damage.

Can we see the pictures you took? Just out of curiosity because I've never, in all my years of driving, seen a coolant tank melt.