Profile For John P.

Hello All,

I finally got my CDL and I'm off to Melton Truck Lines in a couple hours. I just wanted to write and say thank you for the tools on this site, all the great advice and for the encouragement when needed. I'm going to try and write about my orientation at Melton and my experience with my trainer but we'll see how it goes. ;-). Anyway, Best of luck everyone. God Bless and be safe out there!

I'm 45 and in the same boat. It's sad what this country has become but we have to adapt and overcome. I think trucking will be a tough but rewarding career. I'm starting with Melton Truck lines on July 19th if all goes as planned.

Congrats, Wilson! I'll be going to Melton on July 19th after I get my license. I chose Melton for a lot of the same reasons you did. Good Luck and be safe out there!

Congratulations and Good Luck!

Stick it out Brother, you can do it! A year is nothing in the grand scheme of things. I'll be right there with you in a few more weeks.....BTW don't you just love this forum? What a bunch of rock solid human beings.

Oh-oh, get a tight grip on that fish John.

Yea, buddy! I ate that sucker!

Good Luck, John. Melton is a good company...and skateboarding...well.....there ain't nothin' better !!!

Thank you, Brother. I appreciate it! Be safe out there.

Hey all,

Ran across this article and thought I would share it.

http://www.trucknews.com/transportation/us-restart-rules-one-step-closer-postponed/1003057276

J.P.

Looks like I'll be heading out to Oklahoma after I get my CDL training and license. I did a final phone interview with Melton this morning and I've been accepted into their company orientation. I'm really looking forward to it. I should be taking my CDL test on 07/15/14 so if all goes as planned I will soon be training to be a rookie solo skateboarder. It sure is nice to have something to look forward too. I will try to write about my experience with Melton if there is time after I starts but we all know how that goes.

Tim, I hope there are many other drivers who share your sentiments, and recognize the problem as one that they can make an effort at changing. At any trucking company, the drivers are usually the low man on the totem pole. That doesn't mean they should be treated disrespectfully, but with any large carrier there are so many layers of management staff to make things work properly that it just kind of ends up that way. Then what begins to take shape is that the layers of management are constantly trying to adjust schedules and logistics to "fix" what the drivers have messed up. It's certainly not always the drivers fault that things don't go as planned, but often times it is. Whether it's due to stubbornness, or lack of proper planning, or maybe even just laziness, most drivers don't even realize how much work they create for the people at the office that could be avoided if we were just taking care of our business in a professional way. I've experienced some real success at a trucking company that is filled with malcontents and whiners - I always encourage drivers that I meet to take care of their business, and then see how they are treated. Once you develop the reputation of being a driver that can "get er done" your support staff will treat you like a king.

Respect is earned in any profession, and we as a collective group (drivers) have done a very poor job of earning it. It is sad that so many drivers have had such a negative effect on our profession that we all pay the price for. But I would still encourage any driver who enjoys this profession to take the necessary steps to produce the level of respect that they think they deserve, and those drivers who don't enjoy it to please quit driving and move back into their mother's basement. The tide rises slowly, but being deliberate about causing that to happen is a burden that we as drivers must bare. I'm not sure we can ever really completely change the whole industry, but we can stand out and shine as individuals. And once you get to that point you will find that only the uninformed or completely inconsiderate people will treat you poorly, and unfortunately the world will always have it's share of those folks around.

Very well said!