My Maverick Transportation Diary

I received a call that I am an alternate to attend Maverick's orientation starting Aug. 12. What this means is I'm next in line if someone should drop from that class for any given reason. I have been instructed to have my bags packed and ready to head down to Little Rock Arkansas if/when they call. I am very excited for this opportunity as I found Maverick to have all of the things that I was looking for.

My journey started with me filling out an application, and receiving a call from one of their recruiters. There was lots of qualifying types of questions to be sure that trucking was for me, and be sure that I was eligible to obtain my DOT physical. I have had some medical issues in the past that I had to provide documentation on before they would approve my application. After sending them the requested documentation I was approved on June 20th and was told that there was a waiting list to get into their CDL training program and that it may be a month or two before I would be assigned to training.

I am going to their flatbed Midwest regional division. This division gets us home most weekends for at least a 34 hour reset. With the newly announced pay raise, they now start at .52 cents a mile with a .06 a mile bonus possible if you meet all of the requirements. For ME - this set Maverick apart from the other companies I was looking into, as it was just what I was looking for. I'm a firm believer that every single company I looked into is a great company as well, I just felt that Maverick was the best fit for me.

I have been told that I will receive a call on Monday with more information to get me ready to attend their program. I will keep this updated as I learn more and experience more.

With Maverick there are some videos on youtube that helped me quite a bit. The two people that I watched the most were Dale Clay and Neil Shane Otts. I had lots of email discussion with Neil and put his name in as the person that referred me because he personally answered my questions. So anyone else that may be looking into Maverick, hopefully my diary here will help answer questions you may have as I learn more, and those videos may help as well. I have thought about maybe creating my own channel on youtube and making some videos of my experiences, but not 100% sure on that just yet.

That is all I have for now. If I missed anything or if you have any questions feel free to ask. I will answer what I know. You all be safe out there!

Are you going to Diesel Driving Academy in Little Rock? Because that's where I'm at currently, and they teach Maverick students here.

Sounds like I will be heading to Arkansas State University in Newport for CDL training. Still on the alternate list - someone has to drop for some reason before I will 100% be heading there.

I'm curious... what kind of qualifying questions did they ask you? It's one thing to make sure you have a solid work history and clean bill of health, but I never considered the actual interview with a recruiter. I'm incredibly interested to hear what kind of questions Maverick asked you.

It was the basic stuff that would qualify or disqualify you from being able to obtain a Class A CDL mostly. They do a great job of doing everything to ensure success once you arrive, and don't have anything that can get you sent home. For me I had some medical issues in the past, they dug a bit more on that. I had to submit documentation from my Doctor to show that those issues would not be an issue to me getting my DOT physical. Once I submitted that paperwork, it was determined that it was not anything that would stop me from getting that medical so they "approved" my application and went onto the waiting list.

Nothing out of the ordinary really. But I do like going into this with a feeling that things should go smooth because I was very open with them. The last thing I want to happen is for me to resign from my current position to go down there and get sent home for any reason.

I'm sure most companies do this same type of thing. There were some companies that had a "come down and we will see if that will work or not" approach to my past medical issues. That scared me a bit.

Be 100% honest about your background. Employment history and gaps in employment. Also, your driving record. ALL DUIs/DWIs (life time) and anything else in the past 10 years down to any type of moving violations. They can and will find it. Also if you have any old felonies, even 20 plus years old, list them. Common theme, the company will find those and if you don't list'm you are done.

I was completely honest on everything for sure. As I said earlier my biggest fear was getting there then being sent home for any reason after resigning from my current position. So I was on a path to look for anything that could disqualify me as well.

Truth is I do have a clean driving and criminal record. Never been in any trouble, and my last speeding ticket was probably 15 years ago if not longer. So nothing to hide at all with any of that.

My only concerns were on the medical side. I was diagnosed with Sleep Apnea a few years ago, but had a surgery and another sleep study done that showed that I no longer needed the CPAP. I just wanted to be sure that was not going to be any issue at all, I know it is a hot topic (rightfully so) in trucking. I provided a copy of my latest sleep study test and a note from my doctor that I no longer needed the CPAP and my application was approved.

For those that may be curious - I had my turbinates removed from my nose, which is what helped me. But if you are wondering about any surgery for sleep apnea certainly see an ear, nose, and throat specialist. That surgery worked for me, but I'm sure it is not a "one size fits all" option.

I did get a call to confirm everything as an alternate still. They just wanted to be sure nothing has happened since the last time I talked to them. So I am still waiting on the call to tell me to head to Little Rock for next week. Hoping I do get the call, I'm excited to get started!

Jeramy, if you are a big guy with a larger than 17 inch neck, or are overweight you might should anticipate whoever hires you to want a new sleep study done on you. Considering your history, I think it's highly likely.

Sleep Apnea is not a disqualifier. If untreated or untested in likely candidates, it can become a liability for these employers. Unfortunately CYA has become it's own sort of cottage industry inside these businesses with high exposure to risks of lawsuits.

There are tens of thousands truck drivers using CPAP machines while sleeping.

Sounds like you did everything on the up and up. The only thing that could cause problems, speaking from my short experience, is not passing the permit test or doing something really silly while driving.

I very much appreciate it guys!

OS - I would certainly go with another sleep study if a company needed it. I do have my CPAP machine still so hopefully I would not need to buy another. The one I have is a newer model that is capable of sending reports.

That said - I know how much better I felt once I was put on the CPAP machine, and I know I feel just as good now without it after the surgery. So based on that I would think I would not need a CPAP. But if a sleep study said otherwise I would certainly follow the doc's orders.

Dave - Yes sir, I was completely honest on everything. I do have my permit in Missouri, but with Maverick training in Arkansas it will not transfer so I will be taking those tests again when I get down there. I am studying up again to be sure I am ready.

I'm honestly going into this knowing that I have a ton to learn. I am eager to get started and ready to work hard! I am prior military (Air Force) and still have that mentality in lots of things. I still live by "if your not 15 minutes early, you are late" and used to staying as long as it takes to get the job done. I think I am a good fit for the industry. I have read lots of stories from people who were successful and from those that had some challenges. I believe I think and act more like those that are successful and enjoy the industry. I fully expect the first year (at least) to be a challenge. I expect to make some mistakes that I will learn from. Going flatbed I expect to be exposed to the elements and have some physical work to do as a part of this. I think I have put in my research and am as prepared as I can be for this journey.

Thanks to everyone here that has posted all of the great information. This forum has been outstanding on helping me learn.