So Today I’ve Made My Decision

Wilson Logistics it is! I have been mulling this decision for the last 2 months or so, looked into various options, e.g. local schools, company schools and most important to me, the pet policies of the companies I may find myself working for. After nearly a month of trying to navigate an option to obtain a grant from the local county for driver training, I have run into the final wall of government bureaucracy requiring the most idiotic things normal people can imagine.

With that, I was off to consider company training and the required commitment to compensate them for the valuable training they provide.

So what was the top of my list? Oddly or maybe not so oddly was, can I take my dog and does it matter how much she weighs :).

A bit about me. I am 59, I have been a professional sales executive for the last 30+ years but I swear I am done. I am done fighting that fight, trying to convince someone who only wants to pay the lowest price possible regardless of the long term costs they will incur. I am done trying to convince someone “my” equipment is better. I just want to work and get paid for my efforts. Don’t get me wrong, I made a very good living in sales, much more than I expect to make trucking but somehow the value of applied effort and reasonable compensation has to come into play here.

So on to my decision to go to Wilson Logistics. I’ve already touched on the government funding of training and the idiocy that is involved with that; but the companies that offer company training and their policies should be closely considered. I feel I’ve done my due diligence and Wilson stands above. Their training focuses on OTR training. The training “pay” is not the best, leaning more towards an advance of future earnings than actual pay but I can carry that. It is really the vibe I get from the idea that the owner is a driver, that it is a family owned company and that the recruiter (Vicki) didn’t try to snow me with what I wanted to hear. In other words, I expect (and give) honesty.

I am so looking forward to getting started down this new career path. A career path that I believe will provide me with a certain self satisfaction for honest work and honest pay. I like driving and recall a time from my youth when sleeping in a motel on our family’s way to Florida for a vacation hearing the Jake brakes of trucks on the highways. The only other sound I keep in the same regard is that of a Harley Davidson winding out through the gears, one I recall sitting in the drive-in back in the 60’s. I ride a Harley Street Glide, now I will drive a rig.

I am on my way....

Jim

Welcome Jim!

Thanks for telling us about yourself. I really liked this statement you made...

somehow the value of applied effort and reasonable compensation has to come into play here.

Let me help you set some expectations. As you begin this career that idea will probably feel a little out of balance. It's no walk in the park trying to establish yourself at this. As you begin, the effort required is going to "feel" excessive to the compensation. That's just part rookie jitters and part inefficiency. We always encourage people to make a one year commitment to that first driving job. That's typically the amount of dedication it takes to begin to gain some of the street smarts it takes to "feel" you're balancing out that equation of effort and compensation.

Wilson runs a great operation - you can't go wrong there. You'll have an obligation to them for your training and that's going to give you another incentive to stick it out for that critical first year. You've made some good decisions so far - Congratulations!

Trucking truly provides you a chance to measure out your own rewards by putting in your own unique efforts. Nobody gets rich doing this, but you can earn a good living and enjoy some really rewarding fringe benefits along the journey. I hope you'll stick around and share your experiences with us. We thoroughly enjoy both watching, and helping, new drivers navigate their way into a rewarding career in trucking.

Hey Jim, one more thing...

Don't get too carried away with this comforting idea...

It is really the vibe I get from the idea that the owner is a driver, that it is a family owned company and that the recruiter (Vicki) didn’t try to snow me with what I wanted to hear. In other words, I expect (and give) honesty.

There's nothing wrong with any of that, but you're going to find that none of it is important. Trucking is unique in that you (the driver) are an entity to yourself. Almost every bit of your success will be self generated or self destructive. You'll have some critical team support from the office, but only if you prove to be productive. Nobody will hold your hand out here. They are going to give you the ball and see what you do with it. Those who can score will be given more responsibility and rewards. Those who can't end up writing there own stories of demise. It's all performance based and you are the one who is being measured up.

You always want to be a Top Tier Driver. That's the single factor that will set your trucking career off in the right direction.

So what was the top of my list? Oddly or maybe not so oddly was, can I take my dog and does it matter how much she weighs :).

Jim

You need to talk with Wilson before you start to see what their policy is. All companies have different rules about pets, including what breeds or sizes they don't allow in dogs, don't allow birds, snakes, etc. If it's important to take your dog with you and not leave at home, you will need to know ahead of time.

Laura

So what was the top of my list? Oddly or maybe not so oddly was, can I take my dog and does it matter how much she weighs :).

Jim

You need to talk with Wilson before you start to see what their policy is. All companies have different rules about pets, including what breeds or sizes they don't allow in dogs, don't allow birds, snakes, etc. If it's important to take your dog with you and not leave at home, you will need to know ahead of time.

Laura

Hi Laura - yes, I’ve checked this as thoroughly as I reasonably can I suppose. Wilson has no weight or breed restrictions but you’re right, many have significant restrictions.

Jim