Comments By Craig L.

You'll be extremely hard pressed to find a local gig that will take you (not that they don't exist but are very rare) without experience. Might want to look into LTL around your area. Ie ups, FedEx, old Dominion, saia. They usually get home every day. Dunno if they will take you without experience though.

What company is LE? never heard of them?

Getting nervous as the time gets closer? Maybe I missed it, but how long of a bus ride is it?

Yeah hopefully he documents his experience and gives you the details! :)

I haven’t tried out for Roehl although I wanted too. I went to the website and realized that the physical requirements I wouldn’t be able to meet. As I get older; I need employment that require me to drop a load and pickup. I wouldn’t meet Roehl’s physical requirements and they don’t have other opportunities like drop in and pickup. I can handle the other tasks of landing gear, coupling, tires, etc but I don’t want to have to move shipment items unless I’d use a driving forklift not a hand one ( hernias)

Many companies are no touch or very little touch freight.

Some accounts differ. For example Dollar General accounts involve the driver unload each stop, repeatedly throughout the day. The backing is hard enough for a newbie.

In almost 4 years i pulled off 2 very very light pallets and both were at Amazon. Prime does have a floral division which requires the drivers unload by hand, but this is teams only, and although is possible during training, one just needs to explain it to their trainer. i have never done a floral load, neither as a trainee or a trainer.

This recalls 1 job I use to have where me an another guy use to unload these barrels from a semi... man that was over 13 years ago. Who runs the Dollar General accounts??

That is pretty cool. I guess if training did go stale, one could always apply to mega which current CDL and they'll probably hire you with a refresher and you I am guessing one could stay on for a couple months then leave for a better opportunity.

When my first truck went mother-in-law, I was at the OC near St. Louis. Schneider said I was getting a loner truck, but I had to take a rental car back to Green Bay. I asked my DBL why I couldn't get a truck down where I was and pull a load up to Green Bay, since I was going there anyway. Sounded like a sensible, efficient idea to me, right? The DBL said they only had a manual available at St. Louis. I told her I trained on a manual and it wouldn't be a problem for me to drive the manual. She said they couldn't let me drive a manual unless I re-certified for manual, since my broken truck was Auto. I thought that was crazy, but what did I know. (I really, really wanted to drive a manual. It broke my heart.) But if Schneider ever put my derriere in a manual again, they would bring me in to a training center and re-certify me for manual. Guess how long they trained me to drive an Auto? 30 minutes, no joke.

What do you mean train you to drive an auto? I don't really understand the double clutching aspect. Either way, it sounds like I need to learn it but most of these trucks are autos now a days.

Craig, many of the larger companies are already fully auto or becoming so. Anyone who tests on an auto will have the restriction. However, taking the exam later on a manual to lift the restriction would be no big deal because by that time the driver would have down the backing, turning, and handling of surroundings. To only have to concentrate on the shifting that test would be a breeze.

Yeah that is a good point. How would one re test would the company do that?

One local trucking school was telling me they teach double clutching as a selling point but is that still. Necessary in the manual trucks in todays day and age?

Thanks for all the sound advice guys. Yeah Rick, maybe we can set up a meeting. Are you OTR Rick?

Nope - never got out there - yet...

Look me up on facebook...

https://www.facebook.com/rick.stern.756

Rick

You drive all local?

Wow!!! I appreciate the response. I think my ultimate goal is to haul tanker (fuel) or other loads locally. Or even food service. And and Pepsi/Coke doesn't pay enough.

I can get my CDL but I want to come home every night or if not every night at least most of the week I want to be home.

Where can I find these jobs where should I be looking?

You may want to look into Linehaul at a LTL company, such as but not limited too Old Dominion, Saia, Estes, XPO Fed Ex and Ups.

I have been with OD for almost 2 years now, I have my own daytime run,am home every night and off Sunday and Monday. Plus I will be right around 100k for the year.

Wow that sounds great! What is your driving/CDL background? (How long/years, sponsored CDL through a mega or did you foot the bill)

Also how did you get on with OD? just applied and was hired?

Thanks for all the sound advice guys. Yeah Rick, maybe we can set up a meeting. Are you OTR Rick?

Old School advised: "You need to be committed to this if you're going to go through school. Wait until you are ready."

Craig, that's really sound advice. A friend of mine went through Schneider training (they are partnered with a local technical school) and got his CDL through that school and then went to Schneider Training Academy. He quit after 7 months and was billed by Schneider over $2,000 for his training, based on a contract he signed.

Make sure you are committed and/or can afford the consequences.

Why did he quit? Where did he go work when he quit?