6 Month Update. Good Things Are Happening For Me.

I’ve been solo for about 6 months now and feeling really good about this major career move. I’m really enjoying my time on the road. My stress level is non existent compared to my previous career. The learning curve has been steep and I continue to learn new things every day.

I’ve developed a great relationship with my FM and she has learned a lot And works hard to keep me running. She started about the same time I did. I feel like she’s fighting for me now. I’m getting much better loads with tight timeframes and have been getting over 3,000 miles per week on average. Those first three months were tough to get through with long lead times, but staying on time or ahead of schedule seems to have helped me get a good reputation now.

Last week my FM let me know she put my name in for the Driver Advisory Board. I’m not sure what all that entails, but the recognition is nice.

Last week I also went through Trainer Foundations to become a driver trainer. Now I know you all are gonna give me flack that a 6 month driver has no business training, And you’re probably right. However, I spent the last 30 years managing store managers. Teaching and training operational processes is what I do. I feel like I know enough at this point to help a new driver figure out HOS , trip planning, life on the road, being reliable, building relationships, using resources, basic backing etc. I know I’m not an expert in every situation, but, I can teach how to problem solve our way out of it. If I feel like I’m not adding value, I can always back out. The bottom line is that the company needs trainers that care about developing people and if I can help with that I will.

Lastly, I got a call about an opportunity for a local job with my company. I’ll get more details in the next few days. I’m not sure if it’ll be a benefit for my family to be home for a short break each day and a reset on the weekends or to continue with a long stretch OTR and a nice 5-6 day stretch at home. It’s nice to have the opportunity and I may try it and if I hate it I can always go back to OTR. More to come on that, I’ll probably ask for feedback once I have more details.

Congratulations and keep up the good work!

Congratulations Wild Bill!

It sounds like you are rocking your new career. Keep it up - stay vigilant. A moment of indiscretion can ruin this career. Always keep your eye on the ball. Never let up.

Congratulations!!!!🎊🎉🎈🍾

Congrats!!! You have certainly put forth alot of effort, and now your seeing the payoff. It is not always directly money. Your starting to experience some of those perks we talk about time to time.

6 months time and looking to train at your company is a huge deal. They used to require a minimum of 12 months incident/accident free before they would even consider someone. Most trainers had 3-5 years with the company.

That’s fantastic. And, it’s always nice to get recognition for a job well done. Well done, man. Well done.

Congratulations on reaching the six months point!

You should pass on training for now until you gain experience IMHO.

Wild-bill,

Congratulations.

I'm glad things are going well for you.

My stress level is non existent compared to my previous career.

I'm right there with you. While there is stress in trucking, it's a different kind of stress: a lot less politics.

Rob.

That's awesome Bill! You're out there killing it. Keep up the good work.

Congratulations and keep up the quality work.