Profile For Garrett J.

Exordium & Terminus (In the year, 2525) ... just not 2025!!. . . on a lyrical day!!!

How's things with you, Garrett??? Working for Amazon, ports, whom!!??

Check in; I did.

~ Anne ~

Hey Anne!

Things are ok with me. Been at Western Express since August and just quit yesterday. Its off to May Trucking Co now. New year, new company. I was poorly trained and want to get a fresh start at a new company and get more training. I could write an essay about my experience at Western and I might one day but for now I'm just trying to forget it all. It was pretty bad. As far as the job itself, I mostly enjoy it. Just driving in CA sucks and that's where I mostly drive unfortunately. I also have a pretty intense fear of trying to back into a space at a busy truck stop that I'm struggling to get over. Other that that, all is well. Thanks for checking in. Lol, That was a cool song, never even heard of it actually.

Hello all, hope everyone's well and keeping safe out there.

Just wondering if any experienced drivers care to share their personal, step-by-step methods for backing in a tight space? (about 20 meters or less between rows at a packed truck stop for example)

My trainer's method, for example: "Being 4-5 feet away from line of trucks, pull up 3 parking spaces > hard right to 10-11ish o'clock > drive straight about 5 feet > hard left to 7-8ish o'clock > wheels straight, back, giving some right if needed > once trailer tandems are about to cross imaginary line, hard left and chase trailer."

This method has tended to put me pretty far away from the hole and usually makes for a somewhat difficult back.

Anyways, been experimenting with my trainer's method, the WE safety dude's method, stuff from YouTube and with what other driver's have told me, and I'd be interested in what the experienced guys and gals here use as a general method. I understand that after a while it probably becomes more of a "feel" thing and not really a thought-out, calculated thing, but what did you guys use as a kind of "guide" when you were just starting out?

The year: 2025

You find yourself standing in a long line at the Torrance, CA Chinese-owned, DOT-run CDL Class A training facility; one of many that have sprung up in recent months along the west coast. At these facilities, the massive homeless population is fed in and spat out with a CDL assembly-line style and used as cheap labor to deal with the massive backlog of port freight from China. Hours pass as you stand in line listening to Fauci’s voice boom over loudspeakers that 3 masks, 1 bandana and 1 diaper is now most effective is slowing the spread of Covid-24. You finally reach the facility where your blood is scanned by an iPhone 18 and you are found to not be vaccinated with the mandated vaccine for the new “omega-variant” which had just been “discovered” while you were waiting in line. You are beaten, handcuffed and shipped to the Amazon gulag for “the unvaccinated” in Nebraska to be used as slave labor. You cry.

I was, for 2 years up until March 2021. Funny thing, I quit because at that .34 cpm I was maxed out. A month after I left they called me offering me .51cpm to come back. I politely declined as I am making more than that plus have an inverter and APU/EPU in my truck with my current company. Point being, you hear a lot of crap about Western Express but I had a really good experience with them and had they offered. 51 before I left I'd probably still be there.

My recruiter told me I start at .34 solo then get a raise every month till I'm maxed at .50 in 5 months... but that's just a recruiter talking. Every company driver I talk to cant give me a definitive answer and none even know how much they're making because Western stopped divulging cpm on pay stubs earlier this year right around the time they started promising a "pay increase". Hmmm...not suspicious at all.

Its quite frustrating how non-transparent this company is. But oh well, Im just a total newbie looking to get my foot in the door and get experience so I'll stop complaining. They seem to strive to work with those like me who are completely foreign to this industry.

Everything is going ok so far and I have a great trainer.

Unless they've changed it since March of 2021 they indeed DO put the CPM on the check. It was probably a lease purchase driver you talked to. They get paid by the load so there is no cpm listed on their checks.

I've been hired by Western Express and should be starting either Monday or Tuesday. However, I was speaking to a current driver at the yard and he told me that drivers' pay stubs there don't include the pay rate/cpm. Only miles driven for each load, total pay for each load, and grand total payout for the week are disclosed.

Is this abnormal? I suppose you could roughly figure out your pay rate with the information given, but still... just curious.

Interesting...

He may have been a lease-purchase driver. All he told me was he was on his 2nd solo month. I'm going to try to get a definitive answer to this when I'm at the yard tomorrow.

Are you with Western, Mikey?

I've been hired by Western Express and should be starting either Monday or Tuesday. However, I was speaking to a current driver at the yard and he told me that drivers' pay stubs there don't include the pay rate/cpm. Only miles driven for each load, total pay for each load, and grand total payout for the week are disclosed.

Is this abnormal? I suppose you could roughly figure out your pay rate with the information given, but still... just curious.

Also I hope I'll be busy enough/be getting enough loads doing flatbed here in Southern California... It seems most, if not all of their flatbed business is East of the Mississippi.

I should re-phrase that...

I mean I hope I'll be busy enough being BASED out of socal.

Garrett, I did start my career at Western Express. My choices ended up being limited. There came a critical realization during the beginning of my trucking career where I determined it wasn't so important who I chose to start with. What became important was that whoever I chose reciprocated with my choice. Western Express did just that - they chose me. I got a great start to my career and I learned a great deal while working for them.

Truck drivers determine their own destiny. This career is completely performance based. The name of the company has no effect on what you can accomplish. That part is on you. Take your responsibility seriously and execute your tasks diligently. There’s not a company name out there that can do those things for you. Make your own mark out here. Don’t rely on names or reputations. None of it will matter when you are out here on your own.

Most people worry themselves excessively over what they think is their critical decision concerning which company to start with. It really is not a very important decision. Far more important is the decision of how you will conduct yourself as a rookie. You can build your own foundation for a great career at just about any trucking company that hires rookies. It would be far better for people to ignore all the chatter online concerning these companies that hire rookies. Most rookies that post those ridiculous online reviews and comments about "starter companies" don't have a clue about what makes for success at this career. They look for the company to be responsible for their success. You simply cannot do that in this business. You will be the only one who is accountable for your success or failure.

I am proud of the time I spent at Western Express. I learned a great deal about how to succeed at trucking. None of that was taught to me by them, but rather by the way I approached the career. Every time there was an issue, I worked on finding a solution. I never reacted with the knee-jerk reaction that says my company was a bad place to start. That is the current train of thought, and it is as bogus as it is irresponsible. It only leads people to jump from one company to the other without ever learning how to be successful at trucking. Get started somewhere that will take you and then prove to yourself and to them that you are capable of handling this job like a professional. That is the best way to get started. The company name is irrelevant.

Very wise words...

I was starting to suspect a lot of the truths you mentioned there. Thank you for confirming my suspicions.

Got orientation with WE on Monday...wish me luck!

My only concern is that I want to do OTR flatbed but my recruiter said I'll be starting in dry van for a few weeks then they'll route me Nashville to do their securement training and switch to flatbed. Just hoping I can really take his word on that...cuz flatbed is probably the biggest draw WE has for me. Also I hope I'll be busy enough/be getting enough loads doing flatbed here in Southern California... It seems most, if not all of their flatbed business is East of the Mississippi. I just hope my location doesn't turn out to be detrimental to having a steady work flow.

Hey Anne,

My application with them actually expired, but all I gotta do is submit another one. Its no issue. My recruiter is still desperately trying to reel me in.

I am heavily debating Schneider and Knight though. Only issue with them is I may not pass the hair drug test... I just got a hair test on my own accord to see if I'd pass. Schneider said if I fail the hair test they report it to the ol drug n alcohol clearinghouse.

I know..Im terrible.

I appreciate you still being interested in my progress though. Ill keep you updated. I feel I should just suck it up and go with Western though. One thing that worries me about them is that their website is literally nothing but a job advertisement though.

Prime actually sent me home because I failed their virtual driving evaluation of all things...

I just got sent home. It was inevitable, I screwed up in several ways. Basically set myself up for failure. Oh well, live and learn.

I could still get on board with Western Express. I have 8 days to decide. Spoke to my recruiter and he said starting cpm is 51 for dry van and 54 for flatbed. I find that hard to believe though- there must be a catch.

Im considering putting this whole truck driving thing on the back-burner for the moment though and re-evaluating things once I'm in a better place.

Thank you all so much for the support and help over the past few months. I would've been very lost, aimless and discouraged without all the help and insights with something so new and unfamiliar to me.

Haya, Garrett;

Did you go ahead & decide to go with Western this week?

Still wishing you well~

~ Anne ~

I just got sent home. It was inevitable, I screwed up in several ways. Basically set myself up for failure. Oh well, live and learn.

I could still get on board with Western Express. I have 8 days to decide. Spoke to my recruiter and he said starting cpm is 51 for dry van and 54 for flatbed. I find that hard to believe though- there must be a catch.

Im considering putting this whole truck driving thing on the back-burner for the moment though and re-evaluating things once I'm in a better place.

Thank you all so much for the support and help over the past few months. I would've been very lost, aimless and discouraged without all the help and insights with something so new and unfamiliar to me.