Got Fired From Western Express
Topic 29499 | Page 3
I second this statement !!!!
Zach, if you do not know who your boss is, or the management hierarchy, it is in your best interest to find out.
Jammer you weren't lying bro, dealing with the Bloomington terminal sucks
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Someone else will for sure give You another try absolutely. Be completely honest and be completely humble. You have your CDL check out New Prime inc in Springfield Mo. They will reimburse you gas and pay you a guarantee of 700 a week to Team drive for 2 months or so. I actually finished in 7 weeks and got my own truck. Man i had practically zero mechanical skills, never backed up anything my entire life, always drove automatics, and im on year 6 now. It gets easier and easier depending on the job you have. I did all inner city local driving in Las Vegas for 3 years straight in rush hour traffic with strict time limits!! Now i have a regiobnal run to Phoenix and back. Amazing views. Very little traffic because its night time driving which i for sure prefer. I really needed it and was at a real strong period mentally when i first started. I completely sucked at backing for 2 months straight. Never had an accident yet which i feel extremely fortunate about. I drove like A decrepit Grandma my first year driving. I just always remembered no matter what dont hit anything. All i can is that it gets way easier after that first 6 months to a year. By year 2 even easier but you always improve and get better. You just have to bite the bullet and get this first year otr out the way. Once you get into a rhythm it goes fast. I was single though and stayed out for 2 months at a time before. Home time can actually get you out your rhythm at times.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.
To be perfectly blunt here Zach... you do not strike me as trucker material. Sorry...I call it like I see it. And what I see here is a no win situation for you.
I’d encourage you to look elsewhere...this is not a job, it’s a lifestyle. Love it or hate it...has very little to do with the company name on your truck’s door.
It’s not for you.
It’s all about how you carry yourself man show them your wanting to work and do it!!! If somethings broke fix it nobody can do it for you man get your load and run it in repeat
Jammer you weren't lying bro, dealing with the Bloomington terminal sucks
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Hey Zach, how much you want something + how motivated you are to pursue it x how open you are to challenging yourself to grow beyond your previous limitations = if it's for you.
"My improvement has been night and day from the first day I started.I remember not being able to ally dock, parallel, stalling the truck all the time, messing up my pre trip and now I'm driving, shifting , backing, maneuvering, and pre tripping this truck like a pro. I came a long way from being the guy running over cones on the backing course..."
Where did this guy go??
How's it going Zach, are you hanging in there? I already posted my comment but I'm going to do it again - I think you should stick it out for a little while at least. If you were just starting to think about trucking or you had done it a while and hated it, that would be one thing. But since you just started a job, it's probably the worst time to just decide to quit. Of course if you don't think you can do it safely, that's another thing.
I'm a little surprised by some of the comments you got here. I don't want to argue with anyone's opinion (because I'm sure they are better judges than I am), but my impression of this forum has always been that the standard advice is "suck it up, don't be a quitter". My take on your situation, because I'm somewhat the same way, is that you know you should stick with it but you're having a hard time so you want "permission" from the forum to walk away. I'm just surprised to see you're getting it from some.
Anyway, I hope you'll give us an update, whatever you decide to do.
KH - this is truckingTRUTH.com, and the truth is that trucking isn’t for everyone. In fact, the reality is that trucking isn’t even for most people who explore the career option. To tell everyone to stick with it and power through would be a disservice.
I’m brand new here myself, so I don’t have a clue as to whether Zach is trucker material or not. I have moments of doubt out here on the road myself. But if the mods are telling someone this isn’t for them, it benefits not only the OP, but also anyone reading along in this thread who would benefit from the harsh dose of reality that comes from struggling to find a foothold in trucking.
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
This topic has the following tags:
Western Express Advice For New Truck Drivers Becoming A Truck Driver Company Sponsored CDL Training Company Trainers Dealing With The Boss Driver Responsibilities First Solo Months On The Road First Truck Driving Job Hard Lessons Learned Team Driving
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
Zach, if you do not know who your boss is, or the management hierarchy, it is in your best interest to find out.