Profile For Christopher L.

I was knew to the trucking business and joined up with a small company. I drove for hem for 9 months and during that 9th month disaster struck me. My Uncle past way and I was upset while trying to back a trailer in for a drop and hook and scraped paint with another trailer then trying to prevent some guy from hitting me I had to basically jackknife my truck to the right and got my trailer stuck in the mud with a 40k load. And then on a stormy night bob-tailing backwards into a parking spot that was uphill, I hit the cement lip of the parking area and my truck jumped and slid to the right and I nicked the step on one of our other trucks and tore the step off. When I went into the safety meeting for the last one we had talked about the rash of things that had happened to me and then the subject of my home time was brought up. Out of the 9 months that I was out driving I asked for home time 4 times and never got the days I asked for off except once and that one time I had to fight tooth and nail to get off because my mother was having surgery. That was at the end of August. I asked for either the week of Thanksgiving off or Christmas off cause I knew I wasn't going to be able to get both off and was told that I wasn't going to be able to get any home time off except for Christmas day until after December 7th. I had already been on the road for 2 months when I asked in the last week of October. So I'd have to spend almost 5 months on the road before I could take any home time off. When I went into the safety meeting I knew that I was going to get reemed for the accident and preventable s, what I wasn't expect to hear was "We are having a hard time getting you home for home time and we think it best if we parted ways?" and I agreed and they shipped me off home that same day. A day or two after a long bus ride through 4 states I started the search for a new company to drive for. At first I wasn't getting any responses then a couple of recruiters called me and THAT'S when I found out that my former company had posted on my record that I am considered a safety hazard. I'm new to this, but can they actually do that? It's preventing me from getting a new job and I keep getting told that I have to wait 5 years before these other companies will consider hiring me. Now my savings is almost gone, I lost my car, my bills are stacking up, I'm about to become homeless and am being denied unemployment and I just don't know what to do...

It feels great!

8 weeks in school and I passed my state test. It's official, I am a truck driver now! =-) Thank you all for the words of advice and encouragement I don't think I would of been able to get through this. Now excuse me I'm going to go throw up now and drink a beer......a root beer that is. =-)

I heard a rumor today that after I get done with this school and do my time with the company that when I leave I have to take all these tests again when I go back home to Michigan? Anyone know if that's true?

Studied through the weekend and today. And today I started practice on combinations moving forward and backwards with keeping a foot distance between me and the cones. Coolest thing ever, I didn't even need to be corrected by my trainer like everyone else in my group did. =-)

Whoot whoot, I passed General Knowledge, Air brakes, missed Combination, passed Tanker. Tomorrow I retake Combination and take Dual and Triples and Hazmat.

Thanks Woody, tomorrow I have some study time then before lunch I test for General knowledge, Air brakes and combination.

Good Luck....and you should have gone thru the High Road program....it would have really helped you thru your cdl school......

thanks for the best wish's folks. I started the program but got sent to the school the following day I started the program. So far so good as the practice tests go except the Air Brakes. Air Brake tests is killing me but the more I take the practice tests the better I get. 9 wrong the first time and 6 wrong the second time.....

Can someone explain to me exactly what this statement means? Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.

Got a[[roved for a school and start Monday. After I get my CDL (I hope I do) I start driving for Celadon Trucking, wish me luck.