I Wanted To Start Regional Driving.

As of January of next year I will have about 6 months of experience driving a tanker. I currently work for a company that pumps out Grease from various companies. It's a lot more labor intensive than I thought it would have been; after six months and a burn mark I have come to the conclusion that this is not for me. Therefore, I decide to do regional driving more specific western 11 while I did have to back up a lot of the time the nature of my job didn't require me to back in a loading dock I didn't really have to set my truck up or parallel park next to other trucks. It was more of a small parking lot kind of deal. I looking for a company that would send me with a trainer so I can get the feel or some guidance in backing up at a truck stop and loading dock. Please tell me the company and your experience with the trainer.

Hi, Jose. I'm pretty sure there are many companies that would allow you to go out with a trainer for an abbreviated training period. I know for a fact that Prime does, since I requested a short amount of time with a trainer when I transferred from another company. The trainer I had was great. Easy to get along with and very polite. He only drove during the day though and his truck was a filthy mess. No matter where you choose to go it's difficult to get a sense of whether your trainer is going to be a good fit for you. Every company has great trainers and trainers some of us would consider bad. Plus, depending on your individual personality, you might be unhappy with a trainer whom another driver thought was terrific.

Make a list of companies you might be interested in applying to. Send in your applications and ask the recruiter who contacts you if they offer an abbreviated training period for new drivers who have experience with another company.

Some companies may require at least a year of continuous driving with a prior company. If you don't meet the requirement they will only hire you if you go through a full period of company training.

Hi, Jose. I'm pretty sure there are many companies that would allow you to go out with a trainer for an abbreviated training period. I know for a fact that Prime does, since I requested a short amount of time with a trainer when I transferred from another company. The trainer I had was great. Easy to get along with and very polite. He only drove during the day though and his truck was a filthy mess. No matter where you choose to go it's difficult to get a sense of whether your trainer is going to be a good fit for you. Every company has great trainers and trainers some of us would consider bad. Plus, depending on your individual personality, you might be unhappy with a trainer whom another driver thought was terrific.

Make a list of companies you might be interested in applying to. Send in your applications and ask the recruiter who contacts you if they offer an abbreviated training period for new drivers who have experience with another company.

Some companies may require at least a year of continuous driving with a prior company. If you don't meet the requirement they will only hire you if you go through a full period of company training.

Sorry for the late reply as you know it's holidays season and I have become busy.

I was thinking about May Trucking, PRIME, Warner, Western Express, Heartland Express. I was reading more about Regional driving it seems like Regional drivers are out for one week at a time then come home for the reset. Would it make sense in terms of being able to make more money to be out longer or because I am out more it comes out the same because I'm spending money on food, shower ECT.

The only reason I wanted to do the 11 Western states I read that it's relatively easier than driving all 48 states.

Welcome Jose!

We recommend reviewing and studying the links below. Especially Brett’s book.

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

And then this link:

Paid CDL Training Programs

Good luck and Happy Holidays.

Careful what you read in regards to the Western 11 being "easier". Easier than what? See, it's all subjective to the driver. I've been in this latest big storm for the past 4 days, including ID, WY, NE, IA, and MO. Much of it has not been easy.

Would it make sense in terms of being able to make more money to be out longer or because I am out more it comes out the same because I'm spending money on food, shower ECT.

The cost of eating on the road is something you can control. I don't spend much at all on food when I'm on my truck. I actually tend to spend more on food on weekends when I'm home than I do during the 5 days I'm on the truck. On the truck I'm occupied most of the time with driving. At home I'm sitting on the couch and eating as a way to stay occupied. Another thing to consider is that I smoke while driving. Therefore my hands are occupied. At home I do not smoke, so snacking keeps my hands occupied. Either way, it is something that you can control.

So far as spending money on showers, that should not be a big expense. As long as you get a loyalty card from all the major truck stops and swipe them every time you get fuel, you'll earn shower credits. After a week or two you will rarely have to spend money on showers. It's a great deal... The company pays for the fuel but you get the benefits!

Be careful of the phrase, "weekends off" when driving regionally. Your weekend could consist of going off duty 0900 on Saturday morning and having to be in your truck by 8pm on Sunday night. Some companies consider a 34hr reset as a "weekend".

I forgot to mention... Whichever option you choose, you'll only have to stick it out for a year. After you get a year experience under your belt many other options will become available to you. Local companies that require 1 year experience will then be an option. You'll have a better understanding of what you want in a driving job and you'll have the experience to enable you to choose from larger variety of driving companies.

Thank you, I'll definitely keep that in mind. Good luck out there be safe. Can you give me some major pointers when driving through a big Strom.

Careful what you read in regards to the Western 11 being "easier". Easier than what? See, it's all subjective to the driver. I've been in this latest big storm for the past 4 days, including ID, WY, NE, IA, and MO. Much of it has not been easy.

Watch all information sources concerning the weather and the road conditions. Slow down and stay even more alert. If not comfortable, park it. Your experience level will dictate your actions. No trip pays more if you're sitting in a ditch or in the median.