Comments By Cece

Errol, I've been humbled many times lol. I can definitely hold my own tho. It's just a great workout and so much fun. Try it one day 😊

And thank you for your input. I feel like everything in life has its ups and downs. I'm sure I'll miss having a full size kitchen at my disposal lol

Right now I'll be heading to my boxing gym.

Jeez, Cece! Boxing! I think you'll do all right in the personal safety department!

For many there's lots to enjoy about driving alone across the country. Things I have missed (beside, as you say, the obvious family connection) is the freedom of going where I want to go, either from having a schedule to keep, or too far from my route, just no place to park a big rig.

Also, you only have so much room in the closet space you call home. Lucky to have an electric cooler, not a fridge (Do your best to do better than a picnic cooler & buy ice all the time!). Washing clothes more often b/c there's, again, only so much room on board.

Just a couple of things that came to mind.

Good morning, I am one week away from orientation then training. Right now I'll be heading to my boxing gym. I already knew I was going to miss my husband naturally of course but geez I'm going to miss going to this gym everyday. Once I knock out my training and first year I'll try to incorporate some workouts while driving. What are some things you all miss while driving besides Family of course? Just curious lol. Have a great day everyone.

Hey everyone my orientation is set for October 21st. Is there anything I should be doing to prepare? The company sent me an email with a list of things to bring and stating I will have a hair follicle test, DOT exam, and a Drive Test along with company policy classes etc. But should I be doing anything ? Or is there nothing to do. I'm always thinking of how to be proactive. I passed my exam Sept 18th I believe so I havent been in a truck since so I'm a little nervous about the Drive Test but cant practice for that. Maybe just look over pre trip and get mentally prepared? Thanks all.

Cece

Carly,

Hey I went thru CDL training through a military veteran program school instead of Paid CDL but if I did Prine's increasing in training miles is an absolute turn on if I can use that phrase. I know money is important. But who wouldnt want to be properly trained. Train as you fight you want a lot of miles once you're solo. Expect a lot of miles training. Best of luck but I think you should look at training as a positive.

I am turning 21 this month and I am getting ready to apply for a company that will pay for my cdl program but im not sure what company to go for, at first I wanted to go to swift but you now have to be 23 to get on with them after that i wanted to go with prime but i learned recently that they updated there training to 50k tnt miles and i think that's just them trying to get more money out of new drivers now i am thinking of rohel but im not so sure about them either any advice or suggestions would be much appreciated!

Drew, Good stuff. I had a friend who did DG for Werner his first 6 months then moved to Regional. He said the money was good and the work wasnt so bad either but he did eventually just want to do more driving and less always unloading. I just dont want to even start in that situation. Best wishes to your friends. What company are you with and what are you running ?

I did about a weeks worth of Wal-Mart reefer dedicated out of Corinne when I was with my trainer. It wasn't too bad. They unload you quickly. You just have to be inside to pull off stickers from each pallet. Not a big deal really. Plus you get to shop at a place way cheaper than a truck stop.

A couple classmates are doing family dollar , dollar General, whatever the account is, the pay is good and they actually like the unloads. They said they have fun doing it, but they're tired after each store. But the money seems to make up for it.

Bird One , thank you for taking the time to comment. What are you doing now if you dont mind me asking? I appreciate your insight.

Hi Cecilia, I keep forgetting to comment on your post because I was Schneider Dollar Tree for 3 months. Pros? You will be in great shape. Cons well.... Its just a very tough account. You have to have a want to sling those boxes. Two things for me were. 1. All my runs were regional. Meaning no more than 400 miles typically. I really wanted to drive more. And 2. When unloading you are being unload by Dollar Tree employees. So you can only move as fast as they are. Which was usually hours upon hours at a store. Anywhere from 500 to 4500 boxes of freight to unload. I can go on but won't. You are making the right call. I believe Dollar General runs alittle different. But not by much.

G Town , About to read the links now. I really appreciate it. Once I read if I have any questions or while in training I hope you wont mind me asking you.

Cecelia asked...

Would you explain how you mean 5 stores. So in a normal day you are delivering to 5 different stores? And how does it work when you show up?

I deliver dry or perishable groceries (in a 3-zone reefer) to Walmart Super Stores and/or Sam's Club. A typical dispatch can have anywhere from 1, up to 6 different stores merchandise loaded onto a single trailer; 24-30 pallets. On average there are 3 stops for a dry grocery load, 4 stops for a reefer load. The majority of dry load store stops are live unload, sometimes the last stop is drop and hook. Reefer deliveries are all live unload.

If you read the link I sent describing; "A Day In the Life"; you can see how the process is handled upon arriving at an individual store. I suggest reading both links I sent you if you are truly interested in Walmart Dedicated.

Good luck!

G-Town, I really appreciate you taking the time to comment and give advice. I spoke with my recruiter and the women who helped set up my orientation. They said my training will be 6-8 weeks OTR. But i will have the option upon completing that to go out with for a few days who is familiar with the Walmart Dedicated. They offered me Walmart Dedicated or MidSouth Regional and I can change but I think I want to tackle the Walmart. I dont mind having to be in training for longer to learn the dedicated route tips and tricks to make me successful. Would you explain how you mean 5 stores. So in a normal day you are delivering to 5 different stores? And how does it work when you show up?

Cecelia

Cecelia, I am happy to assist with information on Walmart Dedicated.

It's obviously a subject near and dear to my heart. I do not want to overload you so please give me an idea of what you want to know, what to expect, etc. Initially I suggest visiting several Walmart docks in your area, approach them as if you had to get your trailer into one of the doors. Also look for clues, signs directing trucks where-to-go. Observe all of it, take it in, because this is what you will be facing numerous times per day at up to 5 different store locations. Your thought process will need to change from one you are familiar with; "a shopper", to one you aren't, "Trucker". It's a transition that will require some time before it becomes second nature.

Not sure how Crete trains new Walmart driver, but at our DC we have the new drivers ride-along with an experienced hand for 2-3 days to help with the learning curve. The absolute best scenario is for you to road-train on the Walmart account. Please ask them about that.

I have written a blog about my first few months as a WallyWagon driver...here is the link: The Freedom of Trucking

Here is the past thread Dave mentioned: A Day In the Life of a Walmart Dedicated Driver.

Good luck and please let me know how else I can help.

Old School,

Thank you. I really just plan on being a sponge learning everything I can. Pray I make smart decisions and avoid huge mistakes that would stop me from driving. Building my confidence is important because even with my CDL I'm still nervous about going out with a trainer. I appreciate your advice .

Cecelia

Cecelia, you're doing the right thing avoiding those dollar store accounts. I think the recruiters are getting extra bonus money for signing people up for them. It's a rough way to learn as a rookie. We never recommend it to newbies.

Crete is a great company. Just remember getting yourself established in trucking takes time and commitment. We all get frustrated, but don't let your frustration cause you to lay the blame on your company. It's just trucking. Switching companies doesn't eliminate a rookie's issues.

Wherever you start just hang in there until you gain some confidence in yourself. It will take every bit of that first year to begin to feel you're getting the hang of this.

Dave :) thank you. I actually just told my husband I'm going to call Crete and schedule orientation with them after discussing each company. I would need more info on Walmart account I'm hoping to talk to G Town. How do you like your company ?

Congratulations!!!

The Crete dedicated Wal-Mart run is a good one if you ask me. I had the opportunity to run on Walmart dedicated for a week out of Loveland CO. It was an excellent experience but not my cup of tea. I prefer the OTR driving way more. If I, for some reason, needed that type of run I would go back to it.

Just my two cents.