Starting New Career With Millis Transfer.

Greetings everyone,

I am a new driver coming to Millis Transfer and I am starting Millis Training Institute in Cartersville, GA after Labor day. I wanted to share my experiences and some things I thought would be good to share with others that were thinking of making the career change to being a professional driver.

First some of my thoughts on leaving a good career job to pursue what I feel I needed to do and become a professional driver. My family siblings do not understand the change I am making, my Wife is supportive and is one of the big reasons I am doing the change. I wanted to go into driving 20 years ago but I felt pressure at the time from family and friends to go on to school and get a degree and get a "good" job. Fast forward to now and the desire to do the driving is still strong and we are in a position to be able to do it now so after praying, and many days of taking and consideration I have decided to pull the trigger and do it.

I am looking forward to the training, but being older I am still concerned about going out on the road with a trainer and living in his truck for several weeks. I know I am the type of person who can be calm and learn and be able to have the interpersonal relationship to get it done. I guess its the living part, the day to day life I am worried about. I would like to bring some food and make easy meals but I don't know if my training driver will allow me too. I sleep very erratically sometimes which comes from the job I have been doing for the last 15 years and I have worries I will wake up and have to stay in the top bunk and what to do to pass some time so I do not wake my trainer. I just have no frame of reference to prepare my brain I guess for what is coming.

I have a funny story to share, my boss wanted to take me out to lunch Friday as a way of thanking me for my time with him. He has told me more than once he was shocked I turned in my notice and tried to talk me into staying. We walked into the restaurant and sat down facing the road, and he told me that if I wanted to stay he could make one phone call and all the paperwork would be torn up and I could just stay at my job. I told him that no I was sure of the change and at that moment I looked up and across the street backed into a loading dock was a Millis Transport truck!!

MMc.

Mark mc Looks like a sign from above you should stick with your decision to leave. Hope Millis goes well, thought about them but I hear they have driver facing cams and am not crazy about that. I turned in my notice at a long career this year and changed my mind two days later and decided to stay, now wishing I had not. I am within days of turning it in again and like you am about ready to pull the trigger on something I started to do 25 years ago before the career. Good luck!!

Well my first week is in the books!! I have had a great experience so far at MTI in Cartersville, the training staff is great and they have been very good at giving us what we need to know. I had no idea I would be out on the range on my third day practicing backing maneuvers. I can tell that everyone has a great attitude and I am looking forward to next week. I will try and post more later when I am more conscious.

How is it going at Millis? I am considering them as well. Do you get the physical before you get there and another one when you arrive at training? What do I need to have for training besides the physical??..a Drivers permit..anything else? I live in Alabama and assume I would also attend the Cartersville location. I would not mind doing national for a while but would eventually like to be SE regional.

How is it going at Millis? I am considering them as well. Do you get the physical before you get there and another one when you arrive at training? What do I need to have for training besides the physical??..a Drivers permit..anything else? I live in Alabama and assume I would also attend the Cartersville location. I would not mind doing national for a while but would eventually like to be SE regional.

Rick I start with Millis in Carterville in OCT so i can answer your questions also . Yes you have to have you Dot Card and permit (Class A GK AB and Combo) on the 1st day of school . You have to pay 100.00 up front once you get approved and 400 cash on day one your part of school fee up front. I was told there are lots of openings for regional

My only concern is where i see people posting about small class sizes i was next to last one to make the oct class will be 12 people there that's still small compared to some but i would have rather been there with 3 or 4

Well I called them yesterday and they said they are not hiring from my area..dont understand that because they have ads on craigslist here..they are not hiring south of Birmingham.

Hey Countrydriver glad to hear your in the October class, hey don't worry about the class size ours was 14 and 8 where there the first day and we have lost one more since. The staff at Cartersville are great they have a good attitude and really want you to do well. They split the class up and do half on the range for a week and the other half driving then they switch. Just work out your writing arm and hand for the first two days because you will be doing paperwork but by the end of the week your going driving or the range. I had learned a lot on the range last week and have become pretty good at my backing skills, we started our road part Friday and I have found out I need a lot of help downshifting but that will come as we work out on the road.I am looking forward to meeting my trainer soon and get ready to do my finishing and polishing with my trainer so I can test out for my CDL skills test.

MMc.

Mark that worries me also lol Hope im not one of the ones that has to leave my class................... Anyway are you leaving with your trainer with your Class A permit or do you go get your real lic. first

Countrydriver I have my permit now, I will go out with my trainer and when we feel I am ready we can schedule the Skills Test and request our DM route us to my home state so I can finish out my CDL class A. I have to admit I am a little apprehensive about moving into someone else's truck and sleeping on the bunk for several weeks.I don't sleep well as it is and I am afraid I will be up and I don't want to disturb my trainer so I will have to find something to help me sleep. I have been trying Melatonin OTC and it does not seem to do anything for me. I have tried using Benadryl but it leaves me in a fog the next day so no good while driving.

MMc.

Don't waste your money on sleep aids once you start driving with your trainer you won't need them