Just Got My CDL! Now What!

Work for Prime now. Got my CDL 2 weeks ago. Got it on the first try. After 2 months in student driver training, I learned what I think I needed to know. In 2nd stage of training now. Driving a Pete now, it's like I'm learning all over again and all the stress (wow). I learned on a freightliner, so for this noob like me, it's like night and day between the 2 trucks and super different. I'm having a hard time :(. I have a disabled son who is my everything! Finally got to see him after 2 months and my dispatcher called today and chewed me out!! He told me i've been home too long, I need to get back on the road ASAP, I have an obligation to them. He told me I change my mind too much; I have too much going on. He was very discouraging. I'm kind of in between a rock and a hard place. My trainer now is an awesome guy but if I go back out with him I probably won't see my son again for another 2 months. If I go back to the terminal I might be waiting around for a few days (I really don't mind) for another trainer. I could go to another company that offers better home time. I've heard from 2 so far, one said I could be home every other week and the other says I would be home every 3 weeks. I just don't know what to do now. Prime is awesome but my family comes first.

Congrats on the success so far...great news. Think about it this way. When you first looked into trucking, same way I have been, it became pretty obvious that unless you landed a local gig right out of school, you were going to have to be OTR with a trainer for awhile. Meaning being away from home and family. For most its the hard part about trucking. I'm sure it will be difficult for me too.

With that being said, and now that you're already hooked up with Prime, I'd suggest you suck it up for awhile until you can get through training and get more regular hometime. Won't be easy, but I doubt it would look good if you bailed on them at this point. Not unless you want to go back into another career field. Maybe some of the experienced guys will tell you otherwise, but I think that you're almost past the hardest part. Stick it out and I believe you be happier and better able to provide for your family with a steady job. Good luck man!

Believe me, I know how hard this is. Start looking for an LTL company that runs locally from your hometown. Keep your relationship with Prime solid and positive, in case there's ever a time when you can go back to them. UPS Freight, Fed/Ex, Con-way Freight, Saia, YRC, just to name a few all deliver locally in major cities. Most drivers for these companies are home every night or close to that.

-mountain girl

Jimbo has a point too. You might want to try talking to a trainer and see what his take is on this. Also talk to Brett Aquila.

Best of luck to you.

-mountain girl

Jimbo has a point too. You might want to try talking to a trainer and see what his take is on this. Also talk to Brett Aquila.

Best of luck to you.

-mountain girl

Hi! I've talked to my trainer. He knows about everything that's going on. He told me it might be best if I go to the reefer division. I will probably get my miles done quicker and I'll be able to get home sooner and more often. My dispatcher probably won't be happy about that at all. Before I came out to get my license I did a ton of research and I talked to family members who drive. I knew I would be gone for weeks at a time and not able to see my family. But when important matters come up pertaining to my family, I need to be here. My uncle and aunt told me that's expected and he's been driving 40 years!!

Secola, my heart goes out to you, I understand completely. I've got a little nephew with special needs, and he thinks his truck driving uncle hung the moon. He literally lives for the brief times I come see him and give him a ride in that "Big Truck"

Look, you have got to stick it out. You made an agreement with Prime, and you haven't even come close to fulfilling your part yet. They have already invested quite a bit in you just to get you taking the baby steps you are taking right now. There is a vast deal of knowledge and experience that you haven't even scratched the surface of yet. You are, at the very best, a huge risk to any trucking company right now. Please don't go putting the blame on Prime for not letting you get home to your boy, you knew what you were getting into. You have got to complete your training, and then start running solo for the contractual agreement you signed with Prime. Once you have proven yourself as a productive responsible driver then you can work on trying to get some more regular home time. I completely understand about priorities, but if you want your time with your son to be your priority, then you have got to prove your worth to the folks who have been generous enough to help you get started in this career. If you jump ship at the first sign of difficulty, you will soon find that it's difficult no matter where you go. You are going to mess up your chance at success if you don't see this through. I'm assuming you did this because you needed a job, and and income to help support your son. If it seemed right when you started, then you need to see it through for both your sake and his.

Hang in there - there's no stronger bond than that which is between a mother and her children, but if you did this in order to help him, then you need to use your head and not your emotions at this point so you can provide the needed finances for you and your son.

I wish you the best.

Hi everyone! Thanks for your words of encouragement. I was planning on going back out with my trainer and doing everything right. That's what I needed to do. That's what I was going to do. However, something happened and someone said something and a rumor was taken over truth. I now have another job lined up closer to home, better home time, and better pay. Prime is a great company, I just ran into some bumps. I will pay them back every penny as I move on to this next company.