First Year

I see some companies that look like they have awesome training programs for new drivers that pay less and I see some Companies that look like they pay a bit more with less training in the first month or so. My first time solo I would like to feel confident that I'm ready.

Damon, no matter how much training you have you will not feel comfortable when you go solo. No one does, nor should you. You will have a long, long way to go from the time you go solo until you have strong driving skills and time management skills.

I spent two weeks on the road with a trainer after my schooling was complete before going solo. Some companies, like Prime, will have you with a trainer for months before you go solo. Honestly I don't feel the drivers from Prime are much better prepared when they go solo than I was. There's only so much you're going to learn with someone holding your hand and watching over you.

Learning to be disciplined, self-sufficient, and self-motivated are critical skills in this industry and you're not going to develop those traits during training. Learning to manage your time on the road by managing both your work life, and your personal life, are also skills you're not going to pick up while teaming with a trainer.

Even your driving and backing skills are going to take quite some time to develop, and most of that isn't going to happen while you're with a trainer. They take a lot of practice to develop. You're not going to learn very much through verbal instruction or by watching your trainer do it.

So most of your development will happen after you go solo.

I highly recommend studying the Logbook Rules and the Weight & Balance sections of our High Road Training Program so you understand the basics of how to load cargo, how to balance out a load across the axles, how to calculate the weight of fuel, and of course you'll learn the in's and out's of the logbook rules so you have a solid understanding of those critical areas. Those are areas new drivers struggle with quite a bit.

Thank You! Yes I'll refer back thanks for the insight helps alot

Damon, no matter how much training you have you will not feel comfortable when you go solo. No one does, nor should you. You will have a long, long way to go from the time you go solo until you have strong driving skills and time management skills.

I spent two weeks on the road with a trainer after my schooling was complete before going solo. Some companies, like Prime, will have you with a trainer for months before you go solo. Honestly I don't feel the drivers from Prime are much better prepared when they go solo than I was. There's only so much you're going to learn with someone holding your hand and watching over you.

Learning to be disciplined, self-sufficient, and self-motivated are critical skills in this industry and you're not going to develop those traits during training. Learning to manage your time on the road by managing both your work life, and your personal life, are also skills you're not going to pick up while teaming with a trainer.

Even your driving and backing skills are going to take quite some time to develop, and most of that isn't going to happen while you're with a trainer. They take a lot of practice to develop. You're not going to learn very much through verbal instruction or by watching your trainer do it.

So most of your development will happen after you go solo.

I highly recommend studying the Logbook Rules and the Weight & Balance sections of our High Road Training Program so you understand the basics of how to load cargo, how to balance out a load across the axles, how to calculate the weight of fuel, and of course you'll learn the in's and out's of the logbook rules so you have a solid understanding of those critical areas. That will help quite a bit. Those are areas new drivers struggle with quite a bit.