Comments By Spartan

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. I really appreciate it.

Day 1 Woke up at 0530 ( I was up and down all night) and was downstairs by 0600 to eat breakfast. Due to the virus pandemic, I order breakfast off their menu and the hotel makes it for you, but you make your own coffee and water. All good. Finish breakfast and wait in the lobby for our van to arrive, which arrived at 0645. Get to the training facility which is about 10-15 minutes away. Walk into the training room and they have your name on a name plate, along with a company hat, safety vest, pen and company folder with training agendas/material. There are 6 total of us. Four of us are new with no CDL and the other two are experienced and going lease/owner ops. They will leave on Wednesday or Thursday and be out on their own. The training started at 0730 with a video about 35-45 min long and with introductions to the trainers. We are given an overview of the company and expectations as students. This company is safety driven and that is a great attribute/culture. They collected our required documents we were to bring such as social, birth certificate, permit, med card, etc. We all went out around 0930 to do an agility test to make sure everyone can do the simple tasks such as opening the hood, climbing in/out of the truck with 3 points of contact, duck walk under trailer to check coupling and climbing in/out of trailer. After that, everyone was taken to the medical clinic for drug testing and DOT physicals. That took a while and we were there about 2.5 hours or longer. Made it back around 1330 to the training facility and ate lunch. Last part of the day consisted of training expectations and requirements. At the end of the day, we found out we are losing one of the guys from the group due to medical reasons from the DOT exam. So we will be down to 3. So far so good. Everyone in our group gets along and it was a smooth day one. We were brought back to our hotel around 1640. Back at the hotel, I have to catch up on FaceTime with my daughters. Especially my 6 year old. She texts me and FaceTimes me from our iPad at home 🤣🤣🤣 Really liking what I am seeing just from day one and ready to see more. So, away from FaceTime breaks (haha), I am studying pre-trip material, watching videos, etc. thanks again to everyone for the encouragement. If you have any questions during all of this please let me know.

Well, I start my CDL Training at Wilson Logistics starting tomorrow. Left Houston, TX at 0545 this morning and made it into Springfield, MO by 1630 after a few stops. This was a big decision for my family and I. After several discussions with my wife, I start on this journey. I told her I couldn’t do this without her support. I was laid off on March 9th due to my position being eliminated. It really sunk in when I walked into my hotel room and started unpacking. That’s when doubt really starts messing with you. ‘Did I make the right decision?’, along with all the questions to really doubt myself. I pushed that off and said I am in this to take care of my family. I researched several companies and Wilson Logistics became my choice. The whole process from applying, speaking with Holly (recruiter) and them taking care of everything has been smooth. I applied on a Monday and was approved for CDL class in less than a week. The wait was due to this virus limiting space. I was slotted for the 25th in MT, but received a phone call asking if I would come to MO on the 11th due to a spot opening up. I said of course. I couldn’t pass up a closer drive from home (Houston) and getting this training knocked out. My plan is to document my journey. I’ve read other driver’s blogs and they helped me tremendously. Maybe my experience will help someone to make a decision when they are researching for themselves, and to provide insight on my thoughts, decision making, and ups/downs.

Jakester, I can tell you are someone that is always staying steady and looking to keep going. That an awesome trait and work ethic. There are dispatchers that are not experienced and no nothing of the trucking side. All they worry about is the load and not the person, aka driver, taking care of the load. Just keep doing what you’re doing and there are those that notice. Trust me, because I have been in that situation. There is nothing wrong with someone that keeps on going, and enjoys the open road. Just make sure you take your time to rest, even if it is for a few days, and make sure you take care of you. This in return will reap benefits for you.

From my experience, and I’ve been on both sides (dispatch/operations and driving side), it all depends on attitude and your drive/willingness. I’ve seen drivers and had drivers that would always have something come up and need to be home as soon as they were out. On the other hand, I’ve seen drivers and had drivers that were go getters or would knock out their weeks and stay steady. Just like Old School stated...you are out there taking care of business and making ops run smoother. As long as your getting tasks completed safely, efficiently and on time (no fault of your own), along with communicating, then you have nothing to worry about. Keep up the good work and don’t burn yourself out. Make sure you make time for you.

Great thread. Enjoy reading about your experiences. How are things going at Wilson? What type of miles are you seeing weekly? I’m starting with them on the 25th in MT. One other question I have, how are the health benefits? Trying to estimate what my weekly deductions would be for health insurance for my family. Any input would be helpful. Stay safe!

Thanks for the info. I start on the 25th of this month. Due to this virus and safety precautions, MO is filled up and I was asked to go to MT. Of course I said yes because you can’t pass up on training in the mountains. To me that is priceless training and different style from the Gulf Coast where I live. What are the medical benefits like, as in coverage and what you can expect to pay out weekly? I have a family, so I’m preparing myself and the wife. Any feedback is helpful. I appreciate it.

I’ll be starting with Wilson Logistics on the 25th of this month, and wanted to reach out to those on here about their benefits such as medical, dental, rx, etc. Just looking for some actual real life numbers of what to expect for weekly deductions for it. I do have a family, so my medical will include family. Any help or input from y’all would be greatly appreciated. Be safe and take care!