Comments By Eggman

-sigh-

It always feels like I’m getting friction from you guys.

I was already enrolled in this course before you guys “advised” me not to do it.

I chose this five month course because it gives me five months to get my arrangements in order- and also- don’t forget that it’s actually FREE. I get paid 1k a month to attend there as well. This scenario is better for me.

In regards to the tanking aspect- I asked for some insight- to get different opinions and point of views- but it seems we are still hung up on this cdl school decision I made.

I’ve read EVERY link shared. I’ve done tons of research- I am aware of the risks involved.

Here is the mentality it feels you guys are pushing. I’m gonna give you an example- but please don’t take this like I’m comparing apples to oranges, as I’m sure that will come up.

I’ve worked in kitchens for 13 years. 6 of which being in the Army (I’ve got tons of experience driving trucks there, btw). There is something Chefs usually like doing to new hires, especially if they are inexperienced. We toss them in the dish pit. That’s where the totem poll starts. In this case- it’s like-able to dry van. You have to learn the feel of the industry, learn the terminologies, learn how to approach people i.e. servers, customers, management, fellow cooks (disparchers, suppliers, cops, fellow truckers in the trucking world), and learn how to build up your stamina. It takes different levels of experience to handle certain equipment and cook certain foods (like driving certain equipment and certain loads).

I get it.

This is the first time I’ve actually asked for advise I believe- but disregard it. I’ll Continue to post my experiences here- not for you guys who seem to critique my words and dissect my actions, but for myself. I wanna document my experiences somewhere- and I figured Trucking Truth would be a great outlet for this.

If someone reads this and it helps them in some way- then great. If not, then great.

This isn’t intended to get anyone riled up- of offend anyone- or be disrespectful or come off as arrogant. It is, simply, what it is. My documented experiences of the choices I made- discussing my intents for the future. We all know that I am not the only person who is choosing this path.

However- I have taken your concerns to heart. I still have plenty of time to decide what company to pursue. Tons of research to be done- and lots of personal feelings to set aside. I certainly don’t wanna rush things- and kill someone. Until next time-

Eggman

I can imagine how the simulator could be a bit annoying. I’ve seen pictures of how small they tend to be. Interesting to hear someone give an honest review of it.

It’d be awesome if Walmart actually did show up. You should post some pictures If they do. At my school- we had Tristate high security, Schneider, transland, RBX inc, us xpresss, and DOT so far. All very interesting, but all spouting similar dialogues. In the end tho- it’s good to gain experience talking with recruiters- as it makes it easier to ask the important questions rather than getting caught up in the glamor.

Hope your short week goes well! Peace out, Eggman.

Hello everyone.

I wanted to give an update of the ending of last week. Thursday we studied Hazmat- then took the test on Friday. I passed with a 92. They gave me a piece of paper stating that I now need to pay 90 bucks for a TSA background check. I asked my school if this is an expense that they would pay (as I’m dropping almost 10k for the class) and come to find out- they don’t. Now gotta save some money for that.

Next week is a short week due to Turkey Day. Three days of pre-trip inspections. I’m Gonna make it a goal to try to have most of it memorized before thanks giving- and hopefully all of it memorized by the time I return to class the following Monday.

I believe I have made a decision on which company I wanna pursue once I have my CDL. I know it’s not recommended- but Schneider has (from what I’ve researched) one of the best tanker training out there for experienced and inexperienced drivers alike. Tanking is a serious interest of mine- and there is a specific job position I’m looking to snag in Washington State once I have at least 15 months of experience.

If anyone has any thoughts on Schneider- or maybe recommends on another company to train me on pulling a tank that could prove to be a better experience- I’m all ears. I do know that it’s recommended for new drivers to start with dry van. What can I say tho- I’m not following that recommendation if a company will allow me to start on a tank.

I want to also note: I finished Brett’s Book last night. It was a great read. I certainly have more concerns now than I did before. I also feel more at ease too. Nothing really surprised me when I was reading it, except maybe the cheating the log books part.

I definitely have some specific questions to ask Doug (my recruiter) and try to get some things in writing.

Anyways, I hope everyone’s weekend is going swell. Until next time- Eggman

This school sounds awesome! Sounds like your doing great. Thanks for posting your experiences!

Took and passed my tanker and double/triples with a 100 on each. Today class was let out early. Went in for about 1.5 hours to watch a video on YouTube about slack adjusters (how to replace). I suppose this was to give us a better understanding of how it works. The video was only 10 min. The rest of the time was self study.

Then I went home after passing the tests at the DOL.

Tomorrow is Hazmat.

See you then. -Eggman

After a long weeked - Tuesday came and gone. We studied doubles/triples as well as tanker from the cdl handbook. Watched a couple videos about roll overs and attaching a dolly. Today was slow- and all the teachers seemed a bit worried as some big wigs came in to evaluate the school to see if they should maintain their accreditation, which I suppose is something that happens every five years. Of my six logged “classroom” hours- maybe 3.5 was used for instruction. Another hour for self study on Trucking truth and cdl study budy. 1.5 hour of sitting around lolly gagging.

Sure is slow paced... It baffles me a bit that we don’t use every minute available, but I am not the professor. What’s even crazier- is there are students who try to leave early and skip class. I just want my monies worth of education.

Tomorrow I take the tanker and double/triple endorsements exams. Then we begin hazmat. I’m truly exited for the hazmat - as I’m fascinated by the idea of hauling hazardous materials.

Until tomorrow- -Eggman

Tyler, you are brand new at this, and I understand where you are coming from wanting to make sure you are going to be getting lots of miles and making the best pay you can, but you are probably a little nervous about those things because of what you've read online or heard other students talking about.

Here's the deal on how it works in the real world of driving trucks. Any and all of the fairly large carriers, and I would include both McElroy, and Maverick in that group, hove got tons of freight, which means they can give you all the miles that you can handle. The key to your success lies in your approach to the job. I emboldened that last statement because I'm hoping you will see the importance in it. I drove the first sixteen months of my career for Western Express, a company that has had nothing but slanderous lies and ridiculous accusations railed against it on the internet. I loved it over there, made some really good money, and received accolades and rewards for being a "top performer." I would probably still be over there, had I not received a very generous offer from Knight Transportation to participate in a new dedicated flat-bed program they were getting into. You simply cannot measure your success in "cents per mile" or average miles weekly. I never wanted to know how many miles do the other guys average. Here is what I looked for in my job: I wanted to make sure that I was one of the guys who was up at the top keeping those averages as high as they could be. Because let me warn you there are a lot of slackers in this business who do nothing but complain that they are not getting their share of the miles.

Here's an example my dispatcher shared with me last week. He told me he had a couple of drivers who were complaining about not getting enough miles. He asked me if I wouldn't mind running a few trips into some different areas than I am usually assigned, while he let them try running some of the loads that I usually handle up into the North East areas like Connecticut, New Jersey, and New York. I told him it made no difference to me, I might enjoy a change in scenery and I knew I could still get just as many miles because I'm gonna hustle on each load and get it in there early enough so that I can move on to the next load. Just a few days later he dispatches me to Connecticut, so I inquire "what happened to running me in some other parts of the country?" Well, he said "those two guys were more specifically complaining that they heard some rumors that you were doing 3,200+ miles a week, and they thought they were getting cheated, but when I tried to send them to New Jersey, and New York, they started saying Oh No, we're not going up there." You see, they were exactly right about the kind of miles I run, but when the reality of how I do that stuff was presented to them they didn't want any part of it!

Tyler, find a company that you seem to think will fit with your personality and go with it. Realize that for at least a year you are going to be in a huge learning curve - seriously it will take almost that long to get to where you will have enough understanding about the job so that you can out perform the other drivers. Performance - your performance, is what it is all about. The folks who prove themselves and make stuff happen out here on the road are the ones who get the most miles and make the best money. You will never be satisfied if you are continually looking for the best paying company, or the company that you think treats their drivers the best. The best drivers are treated the best - that's a simple truth that most people never understand. Jump in there and do your best, and you will soon discover that what I'm telling you is the "Trucking Truth."

This comment tho! Even tho I’m not the OP- I will be taking this comment to heart and carry it with me.

Thanks G-Town, and to be frank- I honestly didn’t notice that either until after I had enrolled. (Silly me)

I certainly hope the “remedial training” will have more behind the wheel action. There are only four of us in this class at this time- and am hoping due to the small number, I can get some actual hands on time. I have no idea how to drive a stick and they claimed to teach me.

I will go through this articles- thanks for the links, I am glad to have a place such as this for resources. I will be sure to keep a good update on this progress. It’ll be interesting to see how this goes myself.

-Eggman

Thanks and thank you for your service to our country. I mean it. Veteran's Day isn't just about days off and discounts. :-)

Thank you for the kind words.

Yes. This is true. Fortunately- my MVR is good. I’m just waiting for a call back from the department of licensing.

I would like to note tho- the school I’m attending made me do a drug test and print out my MVR as well as get a DOT medical card prior to enrollment. I had to explain and prove that these items on my MVR wasn’t mine. I was fortunate they required me to print one out- because I would had never known about the misinformation being reflected.

-Eggman