Profile For Lilysmomma

Yeah........... right!

What he ^^^ said.

(Here is where a simple thumbs up feature would be cool)

I am ONLY stating my experience.. Did I tell anyone to NOT go to a major company? I don't see that in my post at all.. I am just saying what I have had in the past.. Only trying to give this guy a better option in which I truly believe a smaller company may be a better fit for him. I am not saying the big companies are bad at all, did I?? Geeeez, gimme a break....

Lilysmomma, you're way overreaching by telling everyone to avoid working for the largest, most successful companies in the nation because you weren't thrilled with your short experience there as a brand new driver. Please stop equating your experiences in your extremely short time out there with the size of the company. There's far more to it than that.

I think you have me confused with someone else...

I work for a small Farm operation, Baenen Dairy. There are 5 trucks and 5 drivers. They treat me like gold. I do long haul driving and really enjoy it. When I get back to the farm, they say, Welcome home! I couldn't ask for a better company to work for. I did work for De Boer before that and they are all about the salaried people.. Drivers are just a number there. The dispatchers are always crabby and think you should know everything without being taught.. My best move was to get out of there! I only live 20 miles from where my truck is parked so It is convenient for me and I know where I am going days before I leave so I know what to plan for. I would never work for a big operation ever again!

I'm very confused. Six minutes before this post, you posted that you were with Prime as a trainee?

I work for a small Farm operation, Baenen Dairy. There are 5 trucks and 5 drivers. They treat me like gold. I do long haul driving and really enjoy it. When I get back to the farm, they say, Welcome home! I couldn't ask for a better company to work for. I did work for De Boer before that and they are all about the salaried people.. Drivers are just a number there. The dispatchers are always crabby and think you should know everything without being taught.. My best move was to get out of there! I only live 20 miles from where my truck is parked so It is convenient for me and I know where I am going days before I leave so I know what to plan for. I would never work for a big operation ever again!

I 59 going down to Houston isn't bad once you get used to it. The first time I drove it, I vowed to never go that way again... But, I did and now it seems the more I do it the better it is.. It is going to be the 1 69 Corridor eventually and I see improvements especially on the southern end and northern end.. The in between needs some work yet.

I'm with Prime in PSD training, and today was a very bad day for me. Drove 450 miles, a hefty chunk of it on US 59 from I30 to Houston. Lots of stop and go, along with me struggling with lane control at times. Then on the short drive off the interstate to the receiver, I curbed the trailer and blew a tandem. Luckily it was a double so we were able to drive to a TA to get it replaced. After all of this I was ready to quit. We've been running hard for over a week and I was tired and grumpy and thinking that this is probably it.

As the tire was being replaced, my trainer started talking about going back and testing out on Friday. He told me I'm ready, just have some rough edges to knock off with shifting and mirrors. Said lots of people curb trailers and it's not the end of the world, just learn from it.

This is just the latest example of how I've been treated, by everyone, at Prime. They understand that this is all new, and they all want me to succeed. I've never been treated like a number, or like "just another newbie." Because if I succeed, they all do too.

This site has been the same for me. It has been a refuge after long days in orientation and learning this new way of life. Thank you, O.S. And thanks to all of you here!

I am certainly not telling anyone what to wear, I am just saying dress appropriately and represent your company. The shippers and receivers do judge us when we come in for our load info. If you can wear a skort, more power to ya! I do show my legs too but not to attract any man out there, just to be cool in the hot climate. I also have seen men who have their bellies hanging out and cracks showing and I just look the other way and chuckle... I guess to each his own! I know I will never dress like that in my lifetime....

I have YET to see any Lot Lizards, especially ones at the fuel island at a Love's fueling up her truck.. I won't say which company she was driving for but it was a BIG one... I just cannot imagine someone driving a truck with high heels, unless maybe she has an auto shift... LOL!

Well at lease a pair of jeans and shirt and proper shoes for driving! Who in the heck can drive a truck in flip flops???!! I sure wouldn't take that chance! Safety is our Number 1 priority out there, we have a lot to lose if we have an accident, which means our very valuable CDL, and worse yet someone's life including ours...

Please find a small operation in which who will take you on. Find someonw who will train you at least three weeks and an employer who doesn't push you all the time and give you the proper amount of time to get from one place to another.. I know, a lot of people are bored when they have an extra day to get there... Well, I will tell you right now.. when I was with a big company, I won't name them.. they pushed me to my limits.. Yes, I learned how to drive but the hard way... I didn't have any accidents, Thank God but I was always trying to catch up and did.. and the more I did, the more they wanted from me. I found myself towards the end of my employment there, being less careful to get to where I needed to go.. A car pulled in front of me while I wasn't paying attention and it was toward the start of my 34 hour re set and I had my wake up call! Yes, I am one of those who only go the speed limits on the highways and stay in the right lanes, but have the time to get places and I get paid just as well as not more than a big company. Check it out and find one who will take a chance on you and let you drive for them. Because you have a clean driving record for many years means nothing anymore.. Driving a truck is a whole new baby verses driving a car... Good luck and relax and enjoy the ride.. I know I LOVE being a truck driver!!

If you don't mind putting up a security deposit for your pet which is usually around 500.00 so any damages done by the dog will be at least somewhat covered. A lot of truck drivers have ruined it for us by bring big dogs with them and leaving them while they are in the truck stop restaurant eating and the dog has anxiety and totally trashes the inside of the cab.. I bring my little dog with me and he goes into his kennel while I am not in the cab with him, not that I don't trust him, I just want to make sure he is safely in his kennel and secure. I am also looking into some kind of a restraint in which I can put him in, if the unthinkable were to happen like a sudden braking or an accident.. Want to make sure our pets are as safe as they can be...