Comments By Noworrez

Here's a side note from those of us experienced enough to see through the lure of leasing... PUHLEEEZ, DON'T DO IT!

Yes sir Old School! That message has been shouted loud and clear. Great advice people, listen to experience. Cheers.

Ok, so here are the seat classes

*4-seat classes *Permit holder will complete a total of 40k *Start to completion takes approx 3-3.5 weeks.

D-seat: At the end of week 1 we head out with a trainer for 10k miles minimum of 75 hrs drive time. Once complete we come back to Missoula for evaluation, interview and actual CDL road test/pre-trip. NO PAY during this phase but they will advance you $200 a week then deduct $25 per week once hired. Something to consider if $$ is tight. Personally I didn't want to start in the hole so opted out of the advance because I had saved $.

C-seat: You've acquired your CDL everything good to this point receive job offer. Pay is .12/mile for ALL team dispatched miles or $600 per week guarantee. Now you must complete 20k miles. IF you are Palmer permit holder, you are credited 10k from d seat plus the 10k you'll do for c-seat = 20k OR you come in as a CDL holder and go out for 20k essentially skipping D-seat

B-seat: B-2 and B-1 pay now goes to .14/mile or $700 minimum. This where it can get confusing. B- seat must complete 20k I don't recall the exact break down but B-2 will be 17 to 18k then back to Missoula. B-1 you will complete a solo week of 2k to 3k consisting of properly operating the vehicle, pre/post inspections, not hitting anything, no moving or dot violations and providing on time service. When completed, back to Missoula for evaluation reports and interviews to determine upgrade.

A-seat: you will attend onboarding in Missoula (unpaid Tuesday-Thursday so plan ahead) successfully pass upgrade skills test is agility, backing and driving. If you've made it this far, should be no problem.

Now you are fully qualified, receive truck and become a solo driver. .44/mile + .05 fuel incentive (material says .40+fuel but think that was raised) for OTR. Regional is .45cpm no fuel incentive running Western 10, very little to no running New Mexico.

Side note: So you want to lease? Sorry but no can do for minimum of 90 days after achieving A-seat.

Welp, think that's about it. Any ?? Ask and I'll do my best to answer.

Cheers!

Thanks Rob T

Avvatar, the Sim is a weird sensation but fun. The instructor liked throwing stuff at us like an overpass to low..watch your signs, or if not checking your mirrors enough you'd start slowing down, air pressure drops you lose your brakes...why he asks? He'd make you sweat a bit then tell you to look in your mirrors and see you trailer is on 🔥. Rain, fog, ice and a blowout on the steer tires, he is a bit of a jokester but it makes for good learning and some good laughs.

Cheers

Day 2 04/02/2019 Van pickup at 7am, filled out CDL permit transfer paperwork then off to the DMV. Between paperwork and testing, took about 2 hours. Passed all 3 tests with 100%. What I recommend is using the DMV Driver genie app set to the state you are testing in, as well, go to cristcdl.com and take those tests, take the test on here and I also searched CDL permit practice test (insert state you are testing in). What I found is between all these, you will find different questions or similar ones but worded differently. I figured if I took several tests from different sources, there are only so many questions and ways to ask them.

Testing is progressive, so once you get 80% correct or 79% it is either pass or fail. The key is to answer the for sure questions, skip the unsure ones, then if/when they come back round, you answer the kind of sure questions. If that makes sense.

So far out of 4 other students, 2 passed all, 1 failed general test and the other failed combo. They will retake the failed portions tomorrow and if they don't pass, find your own ride home time.

It is stressful leading up to the test wondering if you'll pass, but if you've studied, then study some more, no worries, it was fairly easy.

Back to the yard, lunch, pre-trip video then spent the rest of afternoon driving on the simulator and shoring up paperwork.

Tomorrow should be live in truck around town bobtailing.

Cheers.

Alright people's, I'll try to do this and hopefully provide some helpful information..no promises as this isn't really my thing.

Day 1 04/01/2019 Van picked us up at 6:50 dropped us at driver lounge to go back and pick up 2 more people. Sat there until 7:29 when they took roll call. Will be doing paperwork, physical and apparently a lot of busy stuff today. 5 people in our class. Did the tour and met everyone that was here and now waiting 1/2 hour before drug test. Being highly organized, it's funny to sit back and observe where things could be tweaked to capitalize on the time available. However, perhaps it's practice for learning patience.

Several people from California that got here by bus that left Friday to arrive Sunday...ouch! Can't find fault with my 1 hour 20 min flight. Greyhound would have been 11+ hours and I have a bunch of airline miles so after being reimbursed the greyhound cost I should make some $$ on the deal to offset dinner costs, sweet!

Was suppose to have a roommate but no one showed up, even left the light on for them but finally turned it off at 1:20am since it was causing some lousy sleep.

Half hour turned into an hour. 8:28 off to drug test. 😄

The rest of the day was spent going over paperwork and agility test at the truck...in/out cab, in/out trailer, raising/lowering trailer gear and coupling uncoupling. We we're done at about 4pm

Cheers

Hi Rainy, I've read that article you penned, as well many others, thank you!

Any other time in my life I would have said no way, but circumstances change and while there has been a lot of soul searching and a huge mental shift, I am anxious but excited!

Am I ready? I think so but I will never know If I don't try. One can hear all about it but can never fully appreciate or comprehend what is being said or read until it is experienced. I have no illusions that this will be a cake walk. This will be a challenge for myself and my wife, probably more so for her as my scenery is changing, she is left to handle all the things that I have always handled. Will the struggle be real? oh yea but I am confident and hopeful that 20-years of marriage, great communication and our complete backing and support of each other will help us both navigate these challenges.

I don't know what I don't know, I am starting a new career at the bottom, and the only thing in my past that can help me be successful is the experiences of my past, being more mature (aka older), and hopefully wiser. :)

It doesn't matter my success in the past, my ego gets checked at the door as I humbly approach this with an open mind and willingness to learn all I can from those that know WAY more than I do!

I appreciate all the wisdom and positive vibes from this site. Cheers.

BruceK and Old School, Thanks for the words of wisdom. I have been devouring everything I can read on here, lot of great people and advice. I report Monday 3/31 to Jim Palmer/Wilson Logistics in Missoula. Excited and anxious, but ready.

my wife already told me I'm not allowed to do ANY calculation of wages, she knows me well. I do agree as I've seen it in my own business averaging out in the end

Old School's advice is spot on. I can calculate my pay on some loads to be close to minimum wage. Other loads pay really well, but it all averages out to a good wage at the end of the week or month. And the financial benefits get better with time, like most other professions.

Hey everybody, my name is Kelly, I've been lurking around this site for the last 2-weeks and reading everything.

I'm 57 this year (2019) and for the last 14-years have been self employed in the residential window cleaning business. For the last 8-years I have mostly done contract work for other companies and I absolutely love what I do. I have a Bachelors degree received a lifetime ago it seems and spent most of my career in Finance or managing people/product. I've been married to my awesome and beautiful wife going on 21-years and she is my best friend and cheerleader. Our 19 yo daughter is finishing her Junior year in Nursing school and will graduate June 2020.

The company I've been doing jobs for these last 8-years in 08/2018 changed their business model to employee based and since I was a sub-contractor, stopped feeding me work, from full-time on Friday to zero time on Monday! Luckily I picked up work from a smaller company right away but he informed me 2-weeks ago that he wont be able to afford me this coming season. Ouch! (small panic..deep breaths) but really no reason to panic Kelly, you have for the last 12-years taken February and March off, you always save enough $$ to get you through April into May and your wife does really well, (okay, back to first person). I have a couple of companies in my industry that are interested in hiring me as an hourly employee, but when you have been taking a large percentage of the job these last 8-years and operating as a self employed person, becoming an hourly employee is a tough pill to swallow doing the same thing you have been doing for less $$ and less control.

It doesn't matter what we do in life, we trade our time for $$. I have been extremely fortunate these last 8-years that I have made enough money working on average 183 days a year, maybe 6 hours a day which equates to about $33 to $36 per hour. Could I make more money? Yes. Do I need to? No. Would I like to? It's time. Would my wife like me to? Definitely!! Do I have too much time on my hands, yea sometimes. I joke with my wife that I am practicing early retirement and thankfully she has seldom complained as she takes the long commute upstairs to her home office.

What to do what to do? Enter truck driving, something I have always wanted to do but the timing was never right.

Driving truck I can certainly make a larger annual gross but at what cost? Time, family, and maybe health? Honestly the health part scares me the most. My career has been very physical, up and down ladders, on/off roofs, moving heavy ladders, bending, kneeling, squatting, moving from the time I start to the time I finish. Liken it to a really good 6 hour or more cardio program 5-days a week to sitting for ___ hours a day ___ days a week. You can fill in the blanks because the entire time thing is thoroughly confusing at this point in time.

I'm still not 100% sure if this will work, It's taking a big mental shift in my thinking but one thing is for sure, I have never been afraid of hard work and perhaps it's time to not have so much time! Additionally, the timing will never be better so onward and upward.

Thanks for listening...Kelly