Wow

So I've been training with May trucking for 2 weeks to the day. Flew into Denver 2 weeks ago Friday. Had to sit cause trainer did reset so both our clocks were at 70.

First load, pick up in Denver to Spokane with additional stop. First stop wouldn't let us deliver early so a 2 day trip turned into 4 days. Smh. Arrive at consignee night before. Unload in morning. Don't get a new pre-plan for like e6 hours so we got another reset waiting on a pre-plan.

Second load, Washington to Wisconsin. Great run. Get there early and unloaded a day early. Get a new pre-plan night before unloading. All good.

3rd load, Wisconsin to cheyenne. Get an hour out of North platte nebraska and company wants us to swrap a load with another driver that was going to be late to his delivery this morning in Idaho. We swap pick up the extra miles. Get to consignee and unloaded on time.

Tried going to a terminal close but was told to stay in town we at. Figured get a load out of here soon. Well we get a pre-plan at where we delivered but not until Monday. We sitting 3 days in Idaho. Yay!

This is frustrating as hell as I want to do my training driving not sitting for day (s) at a time.

My trainer has told me this is the most he has ever sat with company and sticks by the company. Also heard nothing but good things bout this company and miles from other ppl. The first impression isn't a good one so far. I will be sticking with them for at least a year though good or bad.

Just makes me wonder if possibly me telling a terminal manager that I was going cpm instead of their flat rate pay right out of training has caused all this sitting. My thinking is they want me go flat rate like everybody else does. Odd thinking I know but this doesn't make sense all this sitting after what I've heard and been told.

How long has your trainer been with the company? If he sees this as unusual it's very possible that's true.

Don't get discouraged right out of the gate. The waiting (especially with temp-controlled) is inevitable in this industry. Whether it's simply no freight moving out of your particular area or a breakdown, we've all had to wait at one point or another!

Dispatchers make a huge difference too. Is his regular dispatcher working? Mine took off thurs and Fri and I just knew I wouldn't get a load right away. I unloaded yesterday and parked at 1400. Got a load at 0800. I needed the break anyway but I like driving nights and so although I only drove 69 miles today...after sitting at 01 for 5 hours.. I parked and will roll out tonight. I wpuld rather have gotten a load last night and been gone. My regular FM has me preplanned almost always. But honestly sitting for 6 hours for a load isn't out of the norm with weekend or night dispatch. Sitting for days without rolling... that is crazy.

Is your trainer a lease or owner? That makes a difference cause he could be rejecting loads that don't pay well.

Something else to consider is the weekends....some customers are not open weekends. That happened to me but my FM brought me into terminal and had someone else finish the load so I could roll.

Another possibility is your trainer might be easing you into it. Driving for 550 miless a day takes some getting used to. Even after I did 10k with my permit... my next trainer put me on nights and had me doing 300 to 400 miles per night and moved me up to 550 slowly.

This is a total lifestyle change and maybe he thinks an adjustment time is needed.

My trainer is a company driver and has been for a year now.

From what it seems he has a good relationship with his dm. His regular dm was in today and is also working this weekend.

As far as the loads, he don't reject any loads.well he hasn't since I've been on the truck anyway. I see every pre-plan that is sent and we go through trip planning it all and I send the macros.

What is messed up is that while we was eating when we got to the flying J, they sent us a pre-plan but cxl it right away due to the loadoctor being too heavy for our fuel levels. The load was weighted at 44100. However, the load we just "saved" for the company and delivered this morning for on time delivery was weighted at 44352 and we had same amount of fuel and we weighed just fine. The plan they cancelled was due to pick up tomorrow and deliver Tuesday from same place as the pre-plan we accepted. Just got me baffled and a bit frustrated cause I wanna drive while training not sit.

My trainer is headed home for home time which problem makes a difference. I'm just frustrated cause after this email days it means I've drove 3 hrs in the past 4 days. That is due to the rescue load we did which I'm not going into details on explaining on what we had to do to get that load there on time.

My trainer has done a great job. He eased me into the driving at first to build my stamina which I'm glad he did. He's been very helpful and has given me a lot of info.

I would be patient and it seems with the trailer swaps, it has been bad luck. If he says this is the most he's sat, its probably true.

A lot of times, everything goes like clockwork. Perfect timing with the loads and tons of miles.

Every once in awhile, I get a week with one problem after another. Consignees doesn't want to unload early. Canceled trips. It's like a loosing streak at Las Vegas.

Then, the next week, everything turns around again.

Also, being the weekend, everything closes down. I normally get loads that pickup on Friday and deliver monday, even short ones, so I end up completing my 34hr reset during that time.

During, the week, I am picky about the preplans I accept, If I'm close to shippers. If there is to much time, I'll reject the trip with an explanation. No reason to sit around.

I think this next week will turnaround for you.

I would bet it is probably due to your trainers home time coming up. I know when it comes time for home time there is a lot of waiting and looking for loads because they are trying to keep you close.

First of all, it sounds like you have a great trainer. He's working on a lot of things with you and you haven't said anything about personality conflicts yet so you're already far more fortunate than many new drivers. There are an awful lot of trainers that are simply looking to make an extra buck and aren't interested in teaching or even having a student with them at all. So thank your lucky stars you're not spending every second of your life cooped up in a tiny box with an absolute nightmare for a trainer.

My trainer has told me this is the most he has ever sat with company and sticks by the company. Also heard nothing but good things bout this company and miles from other ppl. The first impression isn't a good one so far.

Ok so you're not impressed by your company so far? Well let's think about this for a second. Here is a snippet from our Review Of May Trucking:

May Trucking Company began in Payette, Idaho in 1945 hauling sacks of cement to construction sites. Today, May Trucking Company operates a fleet of more than 900 tractors, providing transportation services for refrigerated and dry products throughout the United States.

The State of Oregon recognizes May Trucking Company as a Trusted Carrier, due to their safety, compliance, and vehicle inspection record. Special license plates on May Trucking Company tractors identify their drivers to the public and to enforcement agencies as among the safest and most compliant drivers in the nation.

Ok, so you're a brand new driver in training, right? Never hauled a single load by yourself in your life, correct? May trucking has over 900 tractors, has been in business for 71 years, and is in the elite upper 1% of carriers in the United States.

So if you were being evaluated by a top notch professional driver with one or two million miles and a decade or two of experience what type of impression do you think they would have of you as a driver? In case you're not sure I'll give you a hint. A top notch pro would say you rank as one of the most incompetent and dangerous drivers on the American highways today. You know so little about your job and your skillset is so lousy that you need a babysitter watching every move you make, every single day. In short, you're simply awful.

Now of course that evaluation would be true of every new driver in the industry, myself included when I was brand new.

I think my point should be obvious. Be humble, be patient, learn your trade, learn how this industry works, and keep in mind that you have no business passing judgment on elite companies with 71 years of success at the highest level when you're out there driving around with training wheels on, ya know what I mean?

If you expected to keep moving all day, every day and never have to wait on loads then you simply don't understand the realities of the industry yet. You will. It takes time. But I would highly suggest asking questions when you're confused about something as opposed to passing judgment on companies or drivers that are amongst the elite in this industry. We've watched a long line of rookie drivers embarrass themselves by misjudging the circumstances they were in and criticizing their company or other drivers when in fact they were the ones to blame or they were the ones that misjudged the circumstances and didn't even know it. You don't want to be one of those drivers. I can assure you that if things don't go as you might expect it isn't because the company you work for doesn't know what they're doing. It's almost certainly because you haven't proven yourself to be up to the task yet so they're not giving you a heavy workload or you simply don't understand the circumstances you're in well enough.

Be humble, be patient, work hard, ask a lot of questions, learn your trade.

I would bet it is probably due to your trainers home time coming up. I know when it comes time for home time there is a lot of waiting and looking for loads because they are trying to keep you close.

This. Companies can't just wave a magic wand and make freight magically appear going to a specific destination. The load planners probably either know they have or expect to have a load nearby to get your trainer home, and don't want to chance sending you out somewhere that the logistics and freight aren't there to get him back on time. It happens quite often. You just sort of get used to it.

Thank you all for the replies and great info. I was a bit confused and frustrated that I wouldn't be driving much in the 4 days. I've gotten over it with the help of you guys. Much appreciated. Look forward to this next week being a good one!

Was thinking that maybe you can have him practice backing in thw truck stops while you are waiting