It Would Be Nice If A CDL Spoke For Itself.

I understand the sentiment, however going back to the spirit of equal opportunity employment (which I think should be extended to validate standards of education): no matter who I work for, I am the person held accountable for my driving from day one—it is in my best interest to respect this above an employer who does not. If the DOT says I am a professional driver, this should be recognized, given that job requirements are equal, objectively speaking (the safety experts do not care who my employer will be, but that I proved to them I was competent in the first place—I could just as well be an independent operator hauling anything by the book, in their experienced eyes). Given the number of variables involved, the senior drivers are perhaps as likely to become complacent and be involved in a preventable accident as a new CDL holder who has not developed bad habits, while the standards were designed to keep all of us from making that mistake in particular. That's where I am coming from, and I will not take myself any less seriously than this job demands, regardless of who else thinks they know better (than those who made the actual rules of the road). Subjective rules are not really my concern—just an unfortunate obstacle that I might just as well leave in the fast lane (this isn't a rat race, I insist).

I understand how you feel, and what you mean to say. But it all hinges on LIABILITY. Because of this, the insurance companies can dictate to the trucking companies who they can hire. That is why there is disparity in the hiring requirements from company to company... it is their insurance carrier that "helps" them determine the experience level of their new hires. There are also requirements by some shippers, determined by their perceived or the actual value/importance of their product being shipped.

You are responsible for how you drive, but the carrier and insurance company are ultimately liable for your conduct while driving THEIR truck.

Sure, it would be just as nice if I had my own truck.

My avatar is pretty cool though.

Virtual reality aside, I didn't mean to sound antagonistic to the business at large. The rest was merely to say that I have nothing but respect for companies who recognize that my CDL means business (as much as I did for acquiring it). I certainly intend to validate such opportunities with an equal level of respect and loyalty—we can both get it right and stay on the same team.

As for the others, I was just as willing to meet them halfway (but now I'm once bitten twice shy, in other words). Money isn't everything (to me).

Steven, it seems you have a very common misperception that obtaining your CDL means you've actually proven you're a competent truck driver and entitles you to any job you'd like to have.

I think one of the hardest lessons that every new driver has to swallow is the harsh reality that schools only teach about 2% of what you'll need to know to be at the level of the veterans out there. In other words, as hard as it was to get that CDL, that was a cake walk compared with the learning curve that lies ahead.

You're in good company though. A lot of drivers feel that way. They think that CDL means more than it does. Any clown can shift a truck or get it parked on a sunny afternoon in June. But carrying only 10,000 pounds of freight (making that truck like a giant sailboat) across I-80 in Wyoming in the winter with snow-covered roads and 60 mph crosswinds for 200+ miles is not something you've proven you can do by taking a 10 minute road test and doing a few backing maneuvers for the DOT.

Let me say one last thing. A lot of new drivers never make it through their initial training on the road with their first company and the #1 reason is because they think they know more than they do. They won't listen, won't learn, and won't do as they're told. They think they've already proven they know how to handle a rig and they know the laws so they're ready to be a big time driver now. Nothing could be further from the truth and hopefully you'll figure that out quickly. Nothing good comes from thinking you know more than you do or thinking you're better than you are. Stay humble and expect to prove yourself continuously for quite a while. Even once you've survived your initial training on the road you then have to prove yourself to your dispatcher in order to earn the best runs, the best miles, and the special favors that the top tier drivers have earned.

Proving yourself in trucking is everything. It only takes one moment of inattention or one tiny miscalculation to ruin a lot of lives in an instant. Nobody is going to give a rookie the benefit of the doubt with 80,000 pounds of rolling steel and minivans full of children everywhere you look. You have to earn it by proving you can do it over time.

I'm okay with it. There are multiple viewpoints one can have on the matter. My options speak for themselves, so I will trust in them.

Steven B. There is a CDL school in Pasco, WA that pumps out proud, know-nothing cdl holders every 2 weeks. When I went there, they were pumping out proud, no nothing cdl holders in 5 days. I challenged the class, and got mine in 4 days. So why was I special ?? I'd driven truck before...farm truck, cattle truck, logging truck. But all in the safe confines of Oregon. Was I prepared to get behind the wheel of our Pete and head across the US with a trailer load of someone else's crap ?? Hell no !! I was a daily threat to myself and others for weeks and weeks....WHY ?? Because, I knew I'd driven truck before, so I thought all I needed was a cdl, when what I really needed was a swift kick in the azz, and alot of reality check. Looking back on it now, I marvel at the difference between driving a log truck, pulling logs, down a dirt/gravel road to the mill, and driving a Petercar, pulling a load of freight down 2 lane roads in NC. If I'd wrecked with the logs, I'd have hurt me, and the log truck. If I'd wrecked anywhere else on a public road, I could have cost people that were loved their lives. Driving is a PRIVILEGE, not a right. And driving a Big Rig is one hell of a privilege that you have to earn by convincing the outfit that owns it that you won't wreck it/kill yourself/ or others..Its a fact you will have to live with. When you go to get your first driving job, ****y may get you thru the door of the building, but I doubt it gets you thru the door of their truck....

Oh, I had much more comprehensive training than that, so my perspective is perhaps less typical of the assumptions employers make.