Profile For Hayden D.

Seriously, Thankyou for all if the information, and taking time to reply.. I have quit my job, enjoyed a few weeks off, and now I'm in week 2 of Maverick cdl program, glass. Will add cdl diary post later

Hello Clare.

I have found myself in a similar situation. A lot of doubt is not coming so much from family, but from myself. I work in a factory and make 25% above average factory money, with many days off. If I try trucking and fail, hit something early in my career, or have some other problem. in just a month I could be back where I am now, but with no good job. ...However, I love trucking. I have driven regionally in a cargo van hauling single pallets.

I write this to say : do it ! If you succeed you will be in high paying, and very in demand career field. You will rarely have a boring day at work if OTR, especially if flatbed driving. There is a whole world ( USA n Canada, maby Mexico ) out there that most people don't get to see. I've personally driven as far west as Colorado, and as far north as Alaska. This country is beautiful, some sleeper berths can be as comfortable as a hotel, regional food can be delicious. You will see the most unique things going down the road. I've seen a bob cat, waiting in a highway median, all kinds of oversize cargo, something I"m sure was a UFO ( on a truck trailer, it looked like a literal flying saucer ) , You'll may see some wildlife, truck stop showers are a far higher quality then you'd might expect.

These are just the things I experienced driving regionally in a cargo\sprinter van. The reality : if your cousin is a trucker, what they are telling is you, is what trucking actually is, what everyone else is telling you is ''what they think it is''. just my 2 cents, hope this helps :)

If I'm wrong or incorrect about any of this, please correct me, as I do not want to mislead or post false information.

Sliding the fifth wheel forward one notch and sliding the tandems forward one hole would put you real close. Then burning off 8 gallons or so of fuel would get you legal.

How far away is the weigh station?

Being that close, I'd run it after shifting some weight as described above. But that's me, and no one would force me to. No one should force you to run illegal either.

Not a driver, currently applying to student programs, leaning towards Maverick. Just wanted to say, Turtle, it's awesome that you know that kind of information to solve the problem and share it with other drivers. I love how knowledgeable and helpful trucking truth forums are.

question : I understand burning fuel to reduce weight, but what is the benefit of moving the 5th wheel and tandems ? ( I"m guessing : to gain better control ( distribution ) of the weight on the truck to reduce a chance of accident )

Hey I am researching sponsored CDL programs. leaning towards Maverick -VS- TMC.

I seen TMC offers an ESOP plan. Can anyone provide details on how this works ?

Can I buy into it, similar to buying into a 401k ? is ESOP \ stock purchase common and how is done in the trucking industry.

This seems to give TMC a slight edge, yet I've seen some photos of what TMC drivers have to tarp. A lot of large, uniquely shaped, machinery.

Thank you for the long reply. I appreciate the time and effort to write all of this. My job is repetitive, yet easy. I like making money, and traveling. I frequently ( until this job ) would average 60-90 hour weeks. on my days off, I drive to cookout ( local fastfood drive thru ) and listen to music. driving makes me happy. working on an assembly line dose not. Besides this, I think I will regret it if if I don't try.

Thankyou for reading this. I am applying to training programs with a few companies. Maverick, YRT, and Stevens are near the top of my list.

Maverick will be my first choice. There was a minor accident over a year ago. I turned a 16ft box truck, from a turn lane, leaving a red\green light to get onto the on ramp for I 65 I think. I know it was in Kentucky. Officer arrived at scene, only paint scraped on vehicles. We exchanged insurance info, I was told '' neither one of us are at fault in Kentucky, and we each contact our own insurance companies to resolve it '' This was late 2019. I was driving an employers truck as a 1099 contractor.

I had a local, small, trucking company run a driving history, I ran a North Carolina DMV report, and called my insurance. No one can find this Kentucky incident. I recall having to pay a citation for something minor ( not sure what ). My record is clean there is no mention of any of this. According to NC DMV I am clean for 3 years. My concern is telling them something, for which I can't find documentation, and being disqualified or having it counted against me. Is the ''driving history'' an insurance thing, or an honesty test, for new hires, I think probably both.

my instinct is to say nothing, and if found, use my clean NC DMV to say '' I thought I was clear '' and it seems I genuinely am. Yet I know the Kentucky thing happened.

I am afraid to call North Carolina or Kentucky, and then have it added to the record, therefore disqualifying me ( no accidents in last 12 months )

also I had my hotdog cart sitting in my driveway in 2019 , new years. it's beside a intersection and a stop light. someone hit it, it was close to the road. Officer said it was the other drivers fault. my insurance said it was other drivers fault. no citation, we only exchanged info, I called my Insurance and did such a poor job with my side of the story it became my fault. This only appears on my insurance. I was in my house eating dinner when this happened. ( I felt bad for the driver, a single parent, and didn't want to risk it getting in the way of becoming a CDL driver )

It's my intention to say nothing. Any thoughts on this ?

Thank you for reading. I currently work in a new die cast factory. I work 15-16 days per month. gross $780 per week. full benefits. very easy work. a\c controlled environment, lots of automation \ funac robots.

30yr old male, good health, no wife,kids,obligations.

I used to drive 16ft box trucks from Asheville to North. 8hr there n back. I've seen 18 wheelers wreck, I've had vehicles cut me off and slam on their brakes. so many things that can go wrong.

I've looked at Maverick, Stevens, Wil-trans, and Prime, and a local company. NC to Reno,Nevada, teams, $1,100 gross per trip.

My concern is I'll go to a company program for my CDL, and then end up basically taking a pay cut and working more often. or I'll get stuck with short runs for being new. Also, 1 wreck , my fault or another driver, and could be unemployable for the industry.

My employer told me a story. He had a truck driver who was following a car down the interstate. The driver braked for no reason, the truck rear ended her. A state trooper had been on the highway also, and seen the whole thing. He testified in favor of my employers driver. She was awarded 300k plus for her injuries . Could something like this get me put in jail ? Another of his drivers had an eagle fly in front of his windshield shattering it, at highway speed.

Whats it like out there with E-logs, being pressed by company to drive out of hours, waiting to get loaded, how much time are you given to complete a load ? I had 3hrs to spare, out of a 16.5 hour trip ( in a sprinter\16ft box ) or I'd be late. Do you have time to sleep, shower and eat ? Are you penalized for traffic, or dangerous weather ( I know this varies from new-pro and company to company ) ? Can you take time off (unpaid ) I try to travel 2 weeks out of the year. Am I criminally liable for genuine a genuine \ 4 wheel driver instigated accident ? ( I assuming I was 100% DOT \ safe driving )

I"m just trying to get an idea of what I"m getting myself into. Any thoughts would be great.