Comments By Seabee-J

Way to go ! I'm a bus operator myself , welcome to the SLF world glad to have another here . I drive transit and ADA buses in my local area and it can be quite a challenge at times and some hectic schedules and routes but a good gig all in all .

Just wanted to update this So I took a pass on this deciding while continuing my transit job and furthering my navy career besides I'd much prefer getting the OTR experience and lifestyle to start with as well as heading the sage advice of the forum for starting up a solid career foundation. After some deliberation and research I dont think I'd like being local much anyway, though I love driving the big steel it might wait for now . Want to start smart .

Hey , which company did you decide to go with ? The best advice is to stay calm , try not to stress too much and just remember your speeds and rpms , you'll feel it . Take it slow and relax otherwise it's like swimming in quicksand. If you get too overwhelmed remember to stop before you make a critical error. Always remember that this is YOUR training. You got this!

Got to agree wholeheartedly with Gtown here . Operating a piece of Equipment be it a rig , dozer , grader , crane , airplane cant really be learned from a video . I've trained and operated most and all videos give you are an idea what to expect and what the cockpit and instrumentsor controls do . Dont get a false sense of confidence in thinking your ahead of the game because you watched it . This is one of those skills and trades that must be done hands on and repeatedly to build up the foundation. I watch videos on tips to landing airplanes but again it's for when I'm in the cockpit but I certainly didnt think I had or have any leg up so to speak . The same goes for operating a semi as well you can watch till your eyes bleed and when you get in that seat it amounts to almost nothing because you need to get the feel and sense of how to react to what is happening. Take tips for what they are worth but dont go in feeling like you have it together . A little knowledge is a dangerous thing.

Don't know how practical or what the logistics of it would be but perhaps the larger carriers could have some sort of training program or apprenticeship for people who may be interested in becoming a mechanic with their company similar to the CDL training contracts paralleling the structure. One could apply with some of the basic qualifications and then if accepted sign a contract for x months or year and start with basic assistance and tasks while working up to more complex tasks all while learning ins and outs of the particular company and its SOPs . The company in turn would have their own specifically trained mechanics . I've seen this in some other industries and it does work. It might incentivize nee and younger folks to get into the field as so many high school have eliminated their trades programs and only seem to push for students to go to college. I believe quite a few young men and women have no idea these options are viable and aren't being steered towards them.

Hi Cecelia, I know that channel myself, I don't care much for it really, mostly negative and dissuading info for anyone looking to start out in the field . I'm always on the hunt for a good YouTube channel that is relevant to the the field but his channel is pretty much much a nonstop whinefest about most parts of the job and doesn't really help you find a way to get off to a solid start . Most of these guys are angry about a lot of stuff that really shouldn't matter to you right now so take what they say with a grain of salt . The more I've looked into it and been around this site is that you will get what you put in , No industry is perfect but remember any Yahoo can get a YouTube channel . I've had a solid Navy career so far and have lots of positive things to say but there's a ton of youtubers saying how the military screws you over . I see a lot of parallels with the trucking industry. Anyway good luck to you and keep the shiny side up . Dont let negative people mess you up.

Hi Art , SLF means Self Loading Frieght . Just a little joke with bus drivers . 19a cert is for any passenger carrying vehicle in a municipality like a school bus or ADA bus , Transit . When you sign on with a particular company you need to qualify in that vehicle by taking a road test , it's not to difficult. You would do this in a 10 25 44 or 60 passenger vehicle. If you take it in a 60 you qualify for anything smaller similar to having a A license let's you drive B class vehicles. You take this even if you'd already earned your S and P endorsements and DMV tracks this . A 19a examiner in the company would check you out .

Thanks , How do you guys plan/ coordinate your home time ? Or if someone has an emergency and needs to get back . I.E . One partner needs to get home time to see famliy but other partner would like to stay out or has no family and wants home time out on the road . Curious how you handle the tricky situations.

You could look into transit/bus or home fuel delivery if you have or H/X . I drive transit and its pretty good for my area if you dont mind SLF . It's not toolabor heavy but there is a lot of extra safety involved as well as certain unique regulations to learn and get your 19a certification . Local home fuel is a lot of stop and go and hauling hoses into backyard areas as well as carrying and handling cash in many instances but can pay decently though it is light in the summer months. Towing is intensive on labor and can be demanding on the body but can pay well . You'll need a W endorsement if your from NY . I dont know about other states .

Yes to all the above questions. Class A full road test and you will need training. I'm a Class B myself. I'm sure a few of the veteran members here will be able to give you all the solid answers you need . In short though A is different experience than B .

It's a Long Island position , Suffolk county . I've had some experience backing 48' flatbeds with the Navy and lived and driven here my whole life to this point but I figured it would be more difficult. As for the union I've been in them for some time and know the in and out good and bad . Starting out always sucks and yea it could be awhile which is something I'm not sure I want to deal with again especially if I'm doing well but again if you're the low man it doesn't help too much . I'm just trying to prep myself if this does come to the table .

Hey TT , I just came across this job opportunity and decided to apply and wanted to get some feedback. The position requires a class A permit with tanker , doubles/Triples endorsement and ability to obtain a hazmat . I already have the TWIC and medical for my transit job , Anyway ABF would send you to school for 4 weeks and then train for approximately 4 more I believe . So you would then go into a P/D position. It's an hourly job and the yard is about 20min from my home , I know that they are a union outfit as well and I've heard some good things . Its seems like a decent opportunity and could balance it with my reserve commitment . I dont know if I'll even hear back but they were strongly considering applicants with some military background so I figured why not apply . I would love some of your guys advice if I do happen to get a call .

When it comes to finding a partner , How does that work ? Does CRST help drivers in need of one find each other or do you ask around throughout the ranks ? I'd figure that since it's a team company that they would have some sort of system for this .

I tend to rush and it causes problems

That is the whole root of your issues but you owned up to it . Remember this slow is smooth and smooth is fast . If you get an opportunity with another company tell them you have learned to own things down and be more attentive to what your doing . Don't worry about other drivers attitudes or opinions, that's YOUR Rig and your JOB .

Though I'm not a Class A myself or in the industry so take it with a grain of salt but these accidents seem to show a lack of attention to details or just no focus . The 5th wheel hit is pretty bad and acknowledging you didnt GOAL on 2 of these is telling . I trained on 48' flatbed in the Bees and was drilled on that routinely so I think it speaks more to your training than you . I feel for ya though but these were very preventable accidents and to have that many is a rough sell . Try CR England as well , they seem a bit more forgiving . Hope you find something.

Do you run Coast to coast runs frequently , CA to ME or WA to FLA for example and is it a strictly Dry van company primarily ?

Not the craziest story i've heard. Some years back we had a Master Chief who popped positive for cocaine on a random test . Navy does random tests monthly so using is well , difficult as they WILL get caught . Well this Chief appeals it by giving the story that their SO was putting it on his member when they were having relations on a regular basis , all this was unknown to this person apparently but was said to really enhance the experience. Anyway wound up winning the appeal and was able to transfer commands and retire with full benefits after 30yrs . I'm not saying this guy is 100% telling the whole story but I cant out right dismiss it either. I'm not sure if he's able to take any legal action or what it would cost in this case but yea hes in a lousy spot .

We still need humans in the cockpits of any modern airliner and there's even more automation and systems in them than anything on the ground . I dont think well be seeing autonomous airliners anytime soon so I believe the same with anything on the highway. Plus systems can be hacked and fail if no ones is there to manually take charge well then what?

I think the biggest challenge for some of the corporate people going into this type of work would be the humility . I know that you are at the mercy of shippers receivers and pretty much everyone else to get your job done and that will affect your performance. I certainly dont come from a corporate environment but mid to high level workers are used to having a lot of weight so going to this type of industry were it is substantially reduced would be a huge culture shock , I'd think .

At first it seemed like a decent channel but after looking at some of the videos its just a guy talking about what he hates about trucking and "It don't pay like it used to" videos

Yea after more viewing I have that feeling as well. It's too bad I do like quite a few of the earlier videos and did find them informative, oh well .