May Trucking Training?

I live in Pensacola, FL and there's not a lot of choices for me being a recent grad and having no experience around here. There is however a May Trucking terminal 15 minutes from my house, I'm in the middle of their hiring process and will most likely be invited to orientation. I'm a competent driver but their training process seems extremely short. They are the only company I've seen that puts new drivers on the road with mentors for 3 to 8 days depending on how fast they get confident. I want to be trained properly and this seems really short ended. I also need to get to work and start my new career. I don't need any discouragement, I know it's not enough and should be more. I am wandering what other opinions there are and if anyone has insight on May's training.

Out of the frying pan and into the fire, for sure. Heck I was nauseous after the lengthy training from Prime 🤣

The important thing is, get there safely, on time, and on a legal route. Oh, and don't hit anything! Good luck!

JP, you are definitely right about the short training period. The general consensus is that training is not adequate industry wide, with a few exceptions. This is partly due to the economics of the transportation industry and the constant driver turnover. That being said, you have few options because of your location. It’s like being forced to learn to swim in the middle of the ocean. Sink or swim. But it is possible to succeed as a driver with an abbreviated training period. Many have done it and you probably can also. The key is taking things very slow and easy at first. Don’t fall into the trap of feeling rushed to get lots of miles right away. It takes time and experience to gradually become productive while being safe at the same time. Try to get an experienced driver to be like a mentor to you who you can call when you feel like you need help. Stay involved here on the forum because it can be like an extension of your training program. You can get guidance on situations you will face on an ongoing basis if you post your questions and experiences as they happen. It’s almost like you are a kid faced with the responsibility of raising yourself.

So, your nervousness is actually a good thing. It will help you be very cautious as you learn from experience. But don’t be so fearful that you lose out on your opportunity with May Trucking.

Thanks for y'all's great advice. It's really encouraging to know that the trucking community here on trucking truth is here to sincerely help other drivers. Thanks BK for the invitation for future help as I'm sure I'll have more questions in the future. I did forget to mention in my first post that I did research May, including looking them up on the FMCSA website and reviewing their scores. They "May" have short training but they're doing things right in reflection of their scores. I would not apply with a company that I felt was unsafe or unethical. I do believe they are an excellent company to start my career with, they just do things a little differently. To all the drivers out there be safe, watch out for idiots and thanks for your hard work.

Just a few random thoughts about company training programs.

I guess training programs can vary a lot from company to company. Prime has a lengthy program, May has a short one. The bean counters at each company probably have a lot of say in the matter, as would the insurance companies. The Safety Dept. might push for longer training programs but the money people might say that the company can only afford to train for so many days. And that is fair because each company has the right to pursue profitability within its own business model.

Ultimately, the individual student/driver has to take responsibility for their own success or failure within the framework of the company training program. For example, May Trucking. They have had students come through their rather short training program that have succeeded and they have had students who have failed. This is safe to assume even though I have no idea what the actual numbers are. The key for new students like the OP is to take inspiration from the success stories and use the failed students as cautionary examples. A driver can succeed or fail at any training program, regardless of the program length.

I totally agree BK. It's the responsibility of the trainee to have the right attitude, work ethic and be willing to learn which means doing your homework and getting it done no matter how good the training is or the length of training. I just wanted to make sure I was starting my career with a good company. After researching May I realized that they have a great reputation. I definitely have the right attitude, work ethic and take it very seriously. The amount of responsibility put on truckers is tremendous and it's serious business. You can go to jail for a long time for making a stupid mistake or making a poor decision and hurting others. My plan is to take it slow, do it right, have the right attitude, stay healthy, be the nicest driver on the road and not hit anything period. Failure is not a option for me. By the way I did get invited to orientation at May. I'm waiting on the call now for start date. Everyone one out there be safe and thank you for your hard work so I can have food and nice things in my house.

I totally agree BK. It's the responsibility of the trainee to have the right attitude, work ethic and be willing to learn which means doing your homework and getting it done no matter how good the training is or the length of training. I just wanted to make sure I was starting my career with a good company. After researching May I realized that they have a great reputation. I definitely have the right attitude, work ethic and take it very seriously. The amount of responsibility put on truckers is tremendous and it's serious business. You can go to jail for a long time for making a stupid mistake or making a poor decision and hurting others. My plan is to take it slow, do it right, have the right attitude, stay healthy, be the nicest driver on the road and not hit anything period. Failure is not a option for me. By the way I did get invited to orientation at May. I'm waiting on the call now for start date. Everyone one out there be safe and thank you for your hard work so I can have food and nice things in my house.

You May have to wait until May. Orientation for May starts in May. Lol