Profile For David T.

Well, I am packed up and ready to go Saturday. Any tips to keep from getting nervous?

Keep in mind that the most important things for new drivers are:

• Willingness to listen and learn
• Strong work ethic
• Positive attitude
• Fierce determination
• Easy to get along with

In trucking they figure almost anyone can learn to drive a truck, as long as they're willing. But they also need you to be part of a huge team of people that make these trucking companies operate, and they need someone who can endure the ups and downs and stresses of the road. So you need to be the type of person that can learn the skills, be part of the team, and handle the hardships and challenges.

Show up there with an awesome attitude, an eagerness to learn all you can, and a willingness to be one of many important members of a huge operations team. They already know you can't drive a truck and they don't expect you to be any good at it for a while. What they want to figure out is if you're someone they can teach, and someone who is willing and capable of becoming a top tier driver.

At some point it's going to become about your performance, but in the beginning it's much more about you as a person and your potential to learn this trade. If they believe in your potential they'll work with you until you have the driving part figured out. If they figure you're too much trouble and don't show much potential to be a great member of a complex team of people then they'll likely pass on you. So show em you're the kind of person they will want to invest in, the type that will go on to become a top tier driver.

Numbers 1, 3, and 4 I Got. Number two is a work in progress but I have come a long way from where I used to be. Number 5 is good with me unless or until I see someone that ain't right, such as a driver doing drugs or other illegal activities. In that case, would it be ok to politely avoid them?

Well, I am packed up and ready to go Saturday. Any tips to keep from getting nervous?

"Idiot drivers"?

You only worry about things YOU can control, that's the best way to work through this career (and, if you'll allow me a moment of #NotesFromTheRoad philosophical mumbojumbo) and life in general. You will become the pilot of an 80k vessel capable of destuction and mayhem on a massive scale. YOU control that. Every second you are in that seat. Following distance. Lane position. Constant mirror checks. Speed management. And a daily dose of humility pills.

Nothing they do should rattle your composure or diminsh your professionalism. YOU are the professional driver. Demonstrate that to all.

THAT'S how you deal with idiot drivers...

My opinion only...

Ok. How do you deal with and control your self?

I recommend a book called "Verbal Judo" by Dr. George Thompson. The concepts are valuable in ANY career. They served me well for 25 years (the first few I wandered, lost in the desert of angst) in my previous career, and they are GOLD in this one

Thank you. Can I ask a question on something a little off topic? What tank is in your profile pic? It looks to be a Sherman tank?

Ok. How do you deal with and control your self?

Dave gets pushy:

I think I can make a good go at it because I push myself really hard if it means getting something I want.

We only know stuff about you by what you wrote here. Keep in mind everyone who posts here simply want you to make the decision you can live with. We have described our impressions of the realities of the job and we push you (in a good way) to take a close look at your history, your abilities and whether you might be able to stick with it.

We all hope you'll handle MTC and USXpress, and keep at it regardless of the difficulties because you must simply keep your eyes on your prize.

Please bring anything up here, both your concerns and your successes. Trust me, we've seen it all on this forum, and we'll stay on the level in supporting you.

Ok. If I may ask this question, how do y'all deal with idiot drivers? I used to get mad and act like an idiot myself. Nowadays, I still get mad but tell myself that keeping my cool will the tickets away.

Do you rain on people's day? I got that distinct impression. I prefer a sunny day and will carry an umbrella with a light in it if necessary.

A little rain can cleanse the soul. Don't let that umbrella prevent you from seeing the rainbow you were handed...

Good point. I hadn't thought of it that way. My comment wasn't meant to be serious though. I just happened.to notice to profile name and it it struck me odd.

Thats awesome!!! just remember tge entire process is an interview. You will be observed constantly. Be sure to answer the questions honestly and answer only what they ask.

good luck!

Thank you. Excuse me, ma'am but may I ask a question? Where did you get the idea for your

Thats awesome!!! just remember tge entire process is an interview. You will be observed constantly. Be sure to answer the questions honestly and answer only what they ask.

good luck!

Thanks. Ma'am, if I may ask, where did you get the idea for your profile name? Do you rain on people's day? I got that distinct impression. I prefer a sunny day and will carry an umbrella with a light in it if necessary. 🙂😀

Update on the trucking school. I received a notification text message stating that my school application has been approved. I am calling the lady tomorrow morning to confirm it and to see what the next steps I need to take are. Just thought I would keep you all updated.

Another thought. Could I get my CDL license while I work a local job? Just wondering on that. It would be like killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Dave, there are plenty of companies that offer Paid CDL Training Programs, meaning you don't have to pay up front. However most of the hiring process happens before your school starts. This means you are all but hired when you get on the bus to go to school.

Taking a local job, even if you have a fresh CDL will be more of a waste of time than a way to get your foot in the door at a major trucking company.

From reading your later posts here, I have to ask you to take an honest look at yourself. A trucking life is not comfortable. It isn't something you do for a week or two then go home. It's possible for you to be working/driving any hour of the day or night, Monday through Sunday, in almost any weather - hot, cold, wet, dry. You'll be living in a small box right next to your "office" - the driver seat. The nearest bathroom might be 75-100 yards away in the truck stop building.

You'll most probably have a lonely life, since the only regular contact with people you know will be over the phone or texts. And the shippers and receivers you talk to may be friendly enough, but there's someone behind you who needs their papers signed, too. (It's all business).

If you can adjust to conditions like this, you just might end up with a job you can love. I'm a little harsh here, but many people come in all starry eyed, wanting to see the USA through the windshield of a big truck. You get that, certainly, but you have to put up with the whole nine yards.

Most of us on Trucking Truth have gotten to the point where we want to get into our truck, and hit the big road. And we want you to be able to enjoy the experience, too. Just be realistic about your choice.

I understand this. I am grateful to you for this answer. To give an answer to this, I already pretty much have a lonely life as it it. Not many friends. Stay at home 99% doing yard work and such. I know that driving a truck is difficult to say the least. However, I think I can make a good go at it because I push myself really hard if it means getting something I want. In this case, it means me getting work experience and financial independence. I don't have many bills at all to pay. The only bill I have is my phone bill and that is 30 dollars a month. I hope that none of this is seen as being belligerent.

Hello everyone. I have some possible good news. US Express has told me that I can be hired after driving school. They have gotten me in touch with a school called MTC. The school has gotten my info and I'm just waiting to hear back from them. The lady I spoke to said that I will likely hear back from them tomorrow.

Another thought. Could I get my CDL license while I work a local job? Just wondering on that. It would be like killing two birds with one stone, so to speak.

Ok. I understand. My apologies. My only problem with that is the jobs around here are either part time of no more than 25 hours if that many at minimum wage or under that table. Granted now that I don't have a vehicle to maintain and repair, I could theoretically save money faster for schooling. However, with no transportation or my own, that makes it harder for me to get to work, unless someone I work with has their own mode of transportation and drives by my house. Hmmmm, you helped me answer my own question. One more question though. What should I do if I get a local job here and a trucking company I applied for agrees to send me off to school after I acquire a local job? To me, that would make me look worse than I already am. I just ask that question because I spoke to a recruiter at one particular company that said she would fight to get me on. Trust me when I say I know a pushy person when I see or hear one, myself included. And this person sounded pushier than my mom. And my mom is worse than I am.

Now, I do have another question that is related to this. I hate to get into the trucking industry this way as it makes me feel like I'm cheating, which technically it is. Would it give me more of a chance to get hired by one of those companies if I were to get my CDL on my own time and worked as a log truck driver for at least six months?

Hi David, companies generally want to see a decent work history, with jobs held over the last three years especially. Due to federal security requirements, you'll need to be able to account for the last three years. Have you consistantly had employment over that term? It doesn't matter too much what job you worked, just so long as you did indeed hold a job.

The nature of a felony conviction also plays a roll. Some felonies are outright disqualifying, and others may be rejected by a particular company.

Good luck to you.

Over the last three years, I have had nothing but little side jobs like raking yards and such. And it was only when someone needed me. Never on a consistent basis. The only jobs I had during the last year were restaurants job that I would up having to leave of my Accord due to not making enough hours or pay for the 30 - 40 mile round trip between home and work. Also, along with that, my truck has been broke down since March of last year. As for the the felony, it was an assault with a deadly weapon charge. Mind you that I have kept my nose clean for the ten or eleven plus years since then outside of traffic tickets and such.

Hello. My name is David. I am considering on getting into being an otr truck driver. However, I am having some issues. I have a felony on my background from 2007 and completed probation in January 2014. I also have a some things on my driving record. However the last ticket I got was in January 2015. The last incident I had was where I was rear ended in August of 2017. Other than that my record is clean outside of my work record. Can someone possibly give me some assistance or tips on this? The area in which I live is not really conducive towards getting on my own two feet with regards to jobs and, quite frankly, I'm getting the impression that the only way that I can get on my own feet and be totally self sufficient is being a truck driver. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

P.S. I have applied to multiple companies and most of them have said I do not have enough work experience.