Profile For DJames

I have been extremely busy. My last 3 months I've run a little more than 35,000 miles. I'm finishing this month with over 12,000 miles.

That is definitely encouraging to hear!

You get in there and prove to be productive, and you'll never be begging for loads. Ignore all the hype. Most of it comes from people who don't even realize they are not very productive. Those type drivers will get passed over for loads when times are tough.

Yeah, it seems that with all professions there are whiners and trucking is not an exception. These people are generally the last to realize they are the problem.

It doesn't matter if you're a rookie or an old hand - any solid driver will be treated differently than the slackers. Get in there and "git er done." You may never realize that freight is slow. I've actually never seen it slow down to where it affected my pay negatively. I stay busy all the time.

This is also good to hear, I currently work in the public sector where hard work is rewarded not with raises, advancements etc. If you are a hard worker in my current workplace, you can expect to doing the work that the slackers don't do with no added compensation, recognition, etc. It will be nice to get into a field where a hard work ethic is rewarded.

Thank you again sir!!

Cypress is an excellent choice. They run a great operation. I've reccomend them for years to people living in Florida. Go for it!

Oldschool, Just had a couple more thing to run by you if I might:

Cypress is still hiring and states that they have a very strong customer base. However I have been reading in some places that flatbed freight is being hit worse with the slowdown than reefer etc. I don't know if that is just with regards to O/O (to me O/O seems like a risky proposition at any time) or if this is affecting company drivers as well or if it is just a few anecdotal stories and there is no particular concern with flatbed. As a flatbed driver are you seeing any evidence of that?

I am looking at probably late May to Mid June to go in to Cypress CDL school at this point. I could always postpone that for a few months or even a year if necessary. Do you think now is a bad or risky time to go into flatbed as a company driver? As always your input is greatly appreciated.

-Don

Old School, I am guessing you were probably driving during the Great Recession? If so how were things as a trucker through all of that?

Sorry DJames,

I didn't know that you needed schooling from the beginning. Your looking into Cypress will be a good choice.

Thanks for the input, It is looking like it will probably be Cypress.

DJames,

Welcome to the forum. There is also CT, a division of Commercial Carriers located in Tampa and Jacksonville.

Hello Navy,

I realized that I neglected to mention in my post above that I would need schooling. I checked out the Comcar operation a while back but they said they were not recruiting inexperienced drivers at the time. I believe they did train at one point but now looking at their website I cannot find anything on training, possibly that has been discontinued?

Cypress is an excellent choice. They run a great operation. I've reccomend them for years to people living in Florida. Go for it!

Thank you! It seems that Cypress will probably be the way to go. I put in an application in January knowing that I probably would not be ready to make the move until May just to test the waters. I was approved and recieved a conditional prehire so it is looking lke the path is clear for me to Cypress, though I will need to put in another app given that 30 days has passed since my previous app. I also spoke with a recruiter there, Clay, who seemed was very informative and seemed to be a straight shooter. I just need to knock out the CDL learner's permit and get a DOT physical but I don't anticipate any issues there.

It looks like with TMC and Prime not hiring out of FL currrently that my best option is probably Cypress out of Jax. I saw a couple threads on them a few years ago but thought I would ask again in case there is someone out there who has direct experience with them. The only negative that I have found online were that they used to have old equipment but I believe that has changed over the years.

I feel like its already widespread, and isn't as bad as first thought.

I definitely agree that it is probably far more widespread than we have accounted for. We are just now getting a better picture with more testing....however only those that are having symptoms are being tested, which means that there is probably a large population of those that this ran through with no or possibly light symptoms. That could bring the CFR down considerably and possibly into flu or less than flu lethality. This thing has been running alongside the flu since late November but hasn't put up anywhere near the flu numbers as Brett pointed out. Here is a link to a research paper done in China that focuses on how heat and humidity affect transmission: https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3551767 that I found that pertinent as we are moving into spring.

As somebody who currently runs 4+ miles every morning and goes to the gym every day, Flatbed was my only option/hope to be able to maintain any type of activity level.

Have you been able to keep up a fitness routine while OTR?

Not even once.

I ran all through orientation, but the moment I was issued my truck, that was the last time.

Put on 25lbs this year in the truck, and I can count on one hand how many times I ate at a truck stop.

That changes ~Feb 6th once I start my new local milk hauling gig. Can't wait.

Well, you didn't get the exercise in but you sure pulled the cash in....congrats on that! Hopefully you will be able to change things up a bit with the new gig.

As somebody who currently runs 4+ miles every morning and goes to the gym every day, Flatbed was my only option/hope to be able to maintain any type of activity level.

Have you been able to keep up a fitness routine while OTR?

Well, I gave Prime a call but unfortunately they are not hiring out of Florida at this time. I guess I will be looking around.

Thanks for the info guys. Splitter, I was looking to go OTR in flatbed or tanker, I would be fine with all 48 states for the first couple of years and maybe got to something regional from there. I'm not married, have no kids, and don't own a home.....home-time needs are very flexible.

Hey everybody,

I am new to the board and am not yet a trucker, not yet in CDL school either. I am 45 and have been working in the IT industry for the past 20+ years. I am pretty much burnt out and looking for something different to do. I have done some research and was looking to get some opinions on CDL Schools and training programs. One that has consistently come to my attention is Prime, though they have their detractors the overall appears to be pretty favorable. Any advice, opinions, etc. would be appreciated.