Comments By Rev

Hey all!

I just wanted to pop in and say HI and let you know I’m still LURKING around and reading all the great comments and content! Starting my 2nd month solo at Schneider this week.. time flys when you’re having fun!

Hope all is well and thanks for being you!

❤️

And yet - we have a massive shortage of truck drivers in North America. These companies are out of touch with what’s going on… keep your chin up! Don’t get discouraged you will get lots of good advice here and you will land at the right place!

So I am about 1 month away from graduating from CDL school. I have been putting applications out and patiently waiting for replies. I just finished a call with recruiting from my #1 choice. I was denied because of a 30 plus year old Misdemeanor. Hell, they let me join the Navy with that on my record...what gives....Oh, well moving on down the list...Thanx for being positive....Mostly this is just a rambling vent session....

Integrity. It’s what out world needs. Hope your next opportunity double blesses you in ways you can’t imagine. 🙏🏼

Mine totally lied or at the very least didn’t understand the job I was applying for ...

when I ended up talking the account manager and he said “ who told you that you would be home multiple times per week?” The recruiter did and he asked if I that in an email- I said no. Was told I don’t think you understood what she said - I simply sent him his job posting and said “you are advertising multiple time home a week” read your job posting. They switched me to a different account.

The job posting still hasn’t changed 🤣

I’m going to take a wild guess here going off of both charts and say drivers feel that recruiters are lying to them about home time. I felt mine was pretty straightforward.

Welcome!

My brother driver for TMC out of South Carolina. He chooses to run Sunday afternoon (park up points) to Friday morning. Home Friday afternoon-Sunday. He could start Monday morning but TMC has a point system for their sliding pay scale. The pay % of load or you can be paid by miles.

I know the cdl school is 3 weeks. During trainer phase 5 weeks, do you get home any? Also is TMC mostly day work sleep at night or mixture of both. Thanks

Hey KB, welcome!

I promise one of the veterans is going to jump in and send you some valuable information and link a bunch of resources for you to read. Please do so!

I currently drive for Schneider. I’m super new to this industry. I turned 50 in December 2020 and decided to start a 2nd career. Went to CDL school Feb 2021, took my test and went to Schneider two week orientation and one week mentor training in March. Next week with be my 6th week solo on a dedicated flatbed account.

Schneider the company has been good. Had a hiccup with what the recruiter told me for the account they hired me but they easily switched me to another account.

I would advise to do lots of research and starting here is a great place.

You will train and drive automatics at Schneider. The orientation is fast paced and they are good trainers. The one week of mentoring is enough for what they are trying to evaluate you on but I felt needed at least 2 weeks of account based training. I got 2 days.

Hope some of this helps - at least a good start of a conversation!

I'm seriously thinking about getting out of my current industry, hospitality and hotels. I'm forty-eight and this coming October I've got a life changing event coming up as I deal with an elderly parent and if things work out I'm seriously considering getting out of the hospitality and hotel industry. I've just reached my limit with the torn up rooms, folks who don't know when the party stops (both personal and groups), working to sign up folks for loyalty programs they don't want to be signed up for (can't tell you how many times I've made my offer just to be told no...). This evening I'm dealing with a group and my hallways smell of pot (really classy). I've been a line level worker and just moved up to my first management job and it's not what I thought it'd be, it's more often than not handing me my ass every day.

I've always been a fan of big rigs. Company rigs are okay and I feel bad when I see an old beat up one go by me on the highway. But on occasion when I see that big beautiful rig, especially at night all lit up, it's like nothing else. My family says I'm crazy, my mother has all but vetoed the idea (she reigns the family). After reconnecting with friends I went to high school with in the late 80's and early 90's through social media, they travelled and I didn't. All I ever do is go work, home, work, home and quite frankly I'm bored. You'd think working in hospitality and hotels I'd take advantage of the travel discounts, but I've just seldom if ever travelled. I like seeing the country and figure trucking would be a nice way to see this great nation, even if it's loading dock to loading dock you get to enjoy the sights in between. I'm not so much interested in seeing the mega-tourist attractions, but just seeing stuff even if it's just the countryside; just to go somewhere. Cause of cell phones, tablets and such I think now would be a great time if I was going to switch as staying current with friends/family and entertainment (streaming music, television and movies) is a lot easier now. I do have a small house, less than a thousand a month which I'd think would be easy to keep up with the mortgage, and with electronics today I could keep up with the security by remote.

I'm interested in Schneider and Swift, particularly the former. I can't drive a stick car, don't know about a truck, but would definitely be interested in an automatic. But anyone have any real inside knowledge of either? Cause I know any website or recruiter would just tell me what I want to hear to get me to sign with them. It's similar to buying a car or a house, a bunch of yes men...

KB Dallas, TX

If this is your first ever experience driving a big rig- why are you learning on a manual? When you graduate and pass your test- most companies that are going to hire you are going to put you in automatic. I know schools and others push “don’t limit yourself” but honestly, inexperienced drivers are not being hired by companies that will put you in a manual and manuals are become obsolete for the most part as autos are taking over the industry. The school I went to pushed me for 2 weeks to switch to manual and I’m so glad I didn’t...

Hello everyone I’m currently in a CDL school and I’m new to using a stick shift and I’m having trouble coming out of a stop. When I have one foot on the brake and one on the clutch and it’s go time I lift off the brake and stay on the clutch. I’m starting my second week ever driving a truck and I’m beating myself up too much that I should’ve already got it down by now. I would most certainly appreciate all the help I can get and I apologize if anyone has asked this question already. God Bless Truck Drivers! 🙏

I don’t understand why it’s such a big deal with parking. I know I’m new to the trucking world- but, why does it matter?

For example- I park in a couple of independent lots on my runs... there will be 40 open spots and truckers will bypass all the empty spots to back between two other trucks.

I have been told it’s because then they don’t have to worry about others backing next to them, especially rookies.

I think it’s just an industry cultural thing- for me, I always look for easiest place to park... no matter what 🤣

Congrats!!!!

Welcome and congrats you two!

New flatbed driver here myself and I am going teams with my brother for flatbed later this year. What we have discovered with companies and team driving is the PAY. For example TMC (who my brother drivers with and loves working with TMC) pays % of what the truck makes per load and TMC pays on a sliding scales with incentives built in. I think new drivers start off at 28 or 29% and it maxes out at 34%. My brother has been driving two months and has already hit the 33% mark.

So basically if the truck makes $1,000 you get paid what every % you are at. Let’s say 30% your pay would be $300 to the truck not to each driver. In this scenario each driver would split $300. Using TMC model as example, other companies pay by miles but it’s all split the same. So when we see advertised “team drivers $.87 per mile. That’s not each driver it’s split. The thought is the truck doesn’t stop moving so you can roll more miles.

I think you have to determine how much money you need to make each week and how much do you want to be out running loads.

My brother for TMC parks up on Sundays and is home on Fridays. Just had a $6k week to the truck. Not always like.. he averages around $4300 I think he said to the truck weekly.

I work for Schndeider flatbed on a dedicated hourly account. I’m out Sunday afternoon home Tuesday out Wednesday home Friday for the weekend. I basically drive to eastern Washington and northern Idaho from Seattle and make 12-16 stops per run and come home. It’s a good mixture for me and I enjoy it.

Hope this rambling from someone who is just a few weeks ahead of you helps.

Congrats again and welcome!