Ohh The Nerves

I have decided to do the company sponsored CDL training at Schneider. I plan on applying tonight, but I'm getting really really nervous. It's a big change. The other job (local) I could get will not be until next year, and with that time I could already get a local opportunity with an established major company (this job security).

I started with Schneider. Did two years before switching to a Southeast Regional company.

Schneider was great to me and it was a terrific experience.

Good luck!

So I applied tonight. It it around 9:30pm not to wait on them to call me.

After speaking with a recruiter, who was a total sweetheart and very understanding, I have decided to go to a local CDL school and then I could apply for a home daily job through Schneider that way I can go to church on Wednesdays and Sundays and still persue my dream of being a truck driver.

Hopefully it works out for you Christopher. It is not the way we would recommend, but you have very limited options. I'll just tell you right up front that the success rate of your plan is extremely low.

Most people do not understand how hard it is to start this career without making a few minor mistakes. One of the most common rookie mistakes is bumping into something while trying to back that monstrous truck into some incredibly tight places. It happens. I dare say it happens way more than you would ever imagine. Over the road trucking companies expect a few mistakes from their rookie drivers. They are self insured and are prepared for the consequences. Most local jobs are in a more precarious position with their insurance underwriters. Most of the time they are forced to get rid of a driver once they’ve had an accident.

What happens to the driver in this unenviable position? It’s as though they’ve ended up in some mysterious trucking purgatory. Nobody will hire them. They are caught in a dilemma from which they can’t escape. The other local companies can’t hire them because of the accident, and the large carriers can’t take them because they are considered as inexperienced drivers with a stale CDL. Nobody counts their local driving as experience, and they are typically too far past their graduation date from trucking school to be considered as viable candidates.

You would be in good hands with Schneider, that's for sure. Their training, though concise, is well done. What you do while driving will determine if they can keep you at it or not.

You already know you can't serve two masters, so focus on who is going to be your master and let the chips fall where they will. You may discover that you can manage both of these jobs well. I hope you can. There's nothing wrong with being a pastor and a laborer. Paul was a great tent maker while being an excellent apostle. You have to earn a living, and if the church can't support you properly, then you need a career to help with that for a while.

Please, keep us posted on your progress.

Hopefully it works out for you Christopher. It is not the way we would recommend, but you have very limited options. I'll just tell you right up front that the success rate of your plan is extremely low.

Most people do not understand how hard it is to start this career without making a few minor mistakes. One of the most common rookie mistakes is bumping into something while trying to back that monstrous truck into some incredibly tight places. It happens. I dare say it happens way more than you would ever imagine. Over the road trucking companies expect a few mistakes from their rookie drivers. They are self insured and are prepared for the consequences. Most local jobs are in a more precarious position with their insurance underwriters. Most of the time they are forced to get rid of a driver once they’ve had an accident.

What happens to the driver in this unenviable position? It’s as though they’ve ended up in some mysterious trucking purgatory. Nobody will hire them. They are caught in a dilemma from which they can’t escape. The other local companies can’t hire them because of the accident, and the large carriers can’t take them because they are considered as inexperienced drivers with a stale CDL. Nobody counts their local driving as experience, and they are typically too far past their graduation date from trucking school to be considered as viable candidates.

You would be in good hands with Schneider, that's for sure. Their training, though concise, is well done. What you do while driving will determine if they can keep you at it or not.

You already know you can't serve two masters, so focus on who is going to be your master and let the chips fall where they will. You may discover that you can manage both of these jobs well. I hope you can. There's nothing wrong with being a pastor and a laborer. Paul was a great tent maker while being an excellent apostle. You have to earn a living, and if the church can't support you properly, then you need a career to help with that for a while.

Please, keep us posted on your progress.

Are you telling me I should take the regional job to start with, and then transfer to local? Their home daily routes available are a J.C. Penny account, and there is an intermodal account? The regional account would get me home Saturday morning and I would leave Monday at 7am, but I would be forced to go to NYC as it is in the account they listed.

Chris, Old School mentioned Schneider as a good choice. I agree, Schneider does a great job training and is big in Ohio. I believe they have at least two, maybe 3 operation centers in Ohio.

Oh, BTW, you'll need some blue collar work clothes. I've never seen a driver wearing a suit! Hehe

Chris, Old School mentioned Schneider as a good choice. I agree, Schneider does a great job training and is big in Ohio. I believe they have at least two, maybe 3 operation centers in Ohio.

Oh, BTW, you'll need some blue collar work clothes. I've never seen a driver wearing a suit! Hehe

Lol that was from a recent wedding I was in, and I said it is the last time I will wear a 3 piece, I usually rock cargo pants and a polo

Are you telling me I should take the regional job to start with, and then transfer to local? Their home daily routes available are a J.C. Penny account, and there is an intermodal account?

No, I may have rambled on too much about local driving jobs not being the best to start with. Normally that holds true, and I believe it still holds true for you also. There is more risk involved and it is oftentimes a small local company doing those type jobs. You have a unique situation that requires you to be home Wednesday nights and Sundays. Schneider is a great company and doesn't have the same insurance concerns that a small local company deals with. I would never recommend you to take a regional job that dispatches to NYC. That is just not good advice for a greenhorn rookie. Stick with a home daily route. It is what you need. Do your best and trust the Almighty to help you deal with the additional risks involved.

I can't advise on which one of those home daily jobs would be better. I honestly don't have a clue. Go with what they are really needing most or use your own gut feeling. I know which one I would choose, but it would only be because I don't see much of a future for the J.C. Penney company. Of course I swore up and down that Elon Musk would never make it like he has either. You can never count on my advice for investments. I like to think I know what I'm talking about, but the markets prove me wrong more than I like! Based on my history of picking winners and losers in business, you probably should shun the intermodal account and go with J.C. Penney.