Need Advice On A Bad Job Decision/ Situation

Hello Ladies, I got my CDL A, at the end of July this year. 2020. (I've had a CDL B since July 2019) I live in Alaska and was not able to find a company willing to hire me and train me locally. (I hear other beginners have had a difficult time as well.) So I decided to try and get a job in a different State. I bombed with that as well in the beginning because nobody, hires out of Alaska. That's what they tell me. Uhg!

So, I then got an online real life street mailing address in another State. Finally somebody would talk to me! I explained my situation and that I would fly down on my own dime, for orientation etc. This particular company hired me and set me up with a trainer. Three weeks into my training I received a call from somebody in Alaska about a job. Not just a job, but a driving job that would pay $1450 per trip. The trips would be. Anchorage, Alaska to Seattle and back and I was to be team driving with another woman that I was acquainted with. I was extremly excited and wanted to do this. It was perfect for me.

I explained to my trainer what was going on. So he then took it upon himself to text my driver manager (while I was sleeping) and tell him that I had a family emergency and had to fly back to Alaska right away.

It really ticked me off, that he stuck his nose into my personal business because I had planned on telling my driver manager, face to face, the TRUTH. (We were actually in our terminal city that day) I had no intentions on lying to the driver manager.

However I made the wrong decision to just flow with it because I didn't want to have a bad situation with the trainer and I didn't want to get him into trouble either.

Fast forward to the new job....... it was a farce. This company promised the moon but once I was on location then they tell me that the contract (with the shipper) had not been completed yet but if I need to work and to earn a paycheck that I can drive one of their box trucks etc. I now have a 3 to 4 hour commute from my home, depending on weather, and im working 10 to 12 hours a day getting paid pennies comparitively. This other driving job is not going to come through. I found out that I am one of many who were hired and then set up to drive a box truck.

I want to go back to the lower 48 and go back to work driving and commit one full year of driving for one company before even thinking of changing anything else.

My problem is that the original company doesn't know the truth and my recruiter has been extremely difficult to work with. They told me if I was back in a truck by December 2nd they could just continue the training and let me finish. The problem is, is that the recruiter will not call me back in a timely manner and now because of this it looks like I will have to start all over again from scratch with this company. Then to top it off my new possible trainer tells me today that maybe I should wait until Spring to start driving because of the snow and icey roads. Uhg!

I still have bills to pay!

I've decided I want to scratch the original company. Because of my first trainer (there's more I didn't go into) and the recruiter behaviour I'm just disgusted and done. I've been trying to make arrangements to get back there since A week before Thanksgiving, but the recruiter waited an entire week to call me back. Phone goes to voice mail and she doesn't respond to text messages.

Since I was told I should wait until Spring because of road conditions and because I really do love warm weather; are there any reputable larger companies that train beginners but stay in the southern part of the US?

Do you think my track record so far is going to hurt my chances on a new company?

It's been very hard to get started in this business and I'm not ready to give up but I am getting pretty discouraged.

Any advise would be appreciated. But please don't chew me out for not getting things straight with the driver manager right away. I know I screwed up.

If your end goal is to get a driving job in Alaska you're going to need to get comfortable driving in snow/ice. What better time than with a trainer. You could use this link to Apply For Truck Driving Jobs. Also of interest may be Schneider. They have something they call "Jet Set". They will pay your airfare to and from your home (maybe even Alaska!) And send you to an area they need you. I believe they have you run 3 weeks then send you home for a week but I may be wrong.

I've looked into Schnieder they are not doing the, jet set, in Alaska right now. They're only hiring veterans. It is not my goal to get a job in Alaska. I only came back because of the promised rate of pay that never happened. (It would have helped me financially in a big way.)

I would really like to know of any companies that stay mostly in the south part of the US.

I can easily handle snow and ice in my personal vehicle. I've no doubt that I can learn to handle it in a truck. However, I'm tired of snow and ice and want to be in a warmer climate.

If your end goal is to get a driving job in Alaska you're going to need to get comfortable driving in snow/ice. What better time than with a trainer. You could use this link to Apply For Truck Driving Jobs. Also of interest may be Schneider. They have something they call "Jet Set". They will pay your airfare to and from your home (maybe even Alaska!) And send you to an area they need you. I believe they have you run 3 weeks then send you home for a week but I may be wrong.

If it were me at this point, I would be applying to as many companies as possible. Forget about any self-imposed stipulations regarding the climate you think you would prefer.

Get a driving job first, then deal with the weather conditions as needed.

I tried responding twice and accidentally deleted it. Will reply in a few hours when I have time.

I got my CDL A, at the end of July this year. 2020.

Be aware that many companies will see your CDL as stale and not only will they expect you to do the entire training part over but they may give you a refresher course similar to CDL school and/or "test" you at the company. Not the DMV exam but a mock one to prove you can pass.

So, I then got an online real life street mailing address in another State.

Many people do this and promote it but this is actually illegal and can get your CDL suspended if caught. Not only is it a violation of the Real ID Act but a violation of most state laws. A street address and residence are two different things. Some states have a "non domicile" waiver such as for military personnel. But Pennsylvania for example does not allow that waiver even for college students attending school out of state. You are required to "reside" within the state

So he then took it upon himself to text my driver manager (while I was sleeping) and tell him that I had a family emergency and had to fly back to Alaska right away.

It really ticked me off, that he stuck his nose into my personal business because I had planned on telling my driver manager, face to face, the TRUTH. (We were actually in our terminal city that day) I had no intentions on lying to the driver manager.

However I made the wrong decision to just flow with it because I didn't want to have a bad situation with the trainer and I didn't want to get him into trouble either.

He was trying to do you a favor because the truth is that a company was willing to hire and train you after your many attempts.... According to you someone was "finally willing to talk" to you. So instead of committing to them, you decided to skip after only 3 weeks. If things didnt work out and you needed to return.... As happened, "family emergency" sounds better than "I snubbed my nose at your training and now my greener pastures are brown so i want to return to my second choice company".

Would you want to hire someone you know is always going to be looking for something else? The hiring process alone takes time and money.

Btw... Going with the flow of the lie wasnt your wrong decision. Not committing to your first company was.

I want to go back to the lower 48 and go back to work driving and commit one full year of driving for one company before even thinking of changing anything else.

My problem is that the original company doesn't know the truth and my recruiter has been extremely difficult to work with.

The truth meaning you quit for something better? It is better for them to think it was a family emergency that is now settled.

They told me if I was back in a truck by December 2nd they could just continue the training and let me finish. The problem is, is that the recruiter will not call me back in a timely manner and now because of this it looks like I will have to start all over again from scratch with this company. Then to top it off my new possible trainer tells me today that maybe I should wait until Spring to start driving because of the snow and icey roads. Uhg!

Why wouldnt you have called or emailed a recruiting manager or supervisor? How long were you gone because many places have 30 day windows so you may not have even needed a recruiter just driver personnel or HR.

You are going to have to start all over from scratch anywhere... And some may make you do the school portion over because your CDL is stale. Your class B experience wont count either.

I am not even sure how you had a "new possible trainer" when you couldnt even get recruiting to answer. And snow and ice is part of trucking so I'm not sure why a trainer would say that. Heck Atlanta just had flurries yesterday

I've decided I want to scratch the original company. Because of my first trainer (there's more I didn't go into) and the recruiter behaviour I'm just disgusted and done. I've been trying to make arrangements to get back there since A week before Thanksgiving, but the recruiter waited an entire week to call me back. Phone goes to voice mail and she doesn't respond to text messages.

So during a holiday season you expect a company to jump into action for you, despite having thousands of applicants that havent proven they would jump ship right away.

Everything is someone else's fault...

Companies dont hire out of Alaska

The trainer lied

The other company was a scam

The recruiter is lazy

The new trainer gave bad advice

Where in all this do you take responsibility?

Since I was told I should wait until Spring because of road conditions and because I really do love warm weather; are there any reputable larger companies that train beginners but stay in the southern part of the US?

Southern freight usually pays less so most training companies are over the road. An OTR company is not going to have you in constant snow like Alaska snow. I dont know of any that will train in just the south

Continued....

What is going to happen with home time? Are you going to fly home once a month? It was a 12 hour flight from NJ to Anchorage for me. You would get 4 or 5 days off and be flying 2 and have jetlag? Not to mention the cost of flight?

Are you never going to want to drive in snow? Most companies that would stay south like Davis for example want experienced drivers. Danny Herman is dry van and run across I 40 quite a bit but my friend is in Wisconsin right now. Plus that company doesnt train either.

I would apply everywhere. Accept responsibility for your actions, do some research, realize that it is the holiday season and companies have literally thousands of applicants a week. It was a poor decision to leave the company that was willing to train you.

Good luck