Profile For Dominick M.

Most companies will send you out with a trainer for some time before you can go solo. Will the trainer take the wheel for a few hours? Do you drive teams during the training period? I'm guessing if you're spending a 12 hour day on the road the trainer would grab the wheel for a few of those hours. Not sure ...

I'm still in the "considering a driving career" stage. I'm tapping my toes in the water making calls. Every company i've called so far has been wonderful. The starting pay is basically the same everywhere, 35k-50k a year. I made it very clear that i need weekend home time. It wasn't a problem. I also mentioned that I possess a clean CDL but haven't driven a class A vehicle in more than ten years. I was offered a "refreshment course" which is needed big time. I think I forgot everything to be honest. My only problem now is choosing a company to start my career with. It's a good problem to have. Their seems to be a lot of great opportunities out there. It makes me wonder if their is a shortage of drivers in the industry. I'm not a guy who is down on my luck looking for a job. I'm checking out these companies with a fine tooth comb before making a decision. I'm attending a seminar for Schneider in June. Has anyone ever been to one of these seminars?

You're driving in unfamiliar territory and come to a low bridge? Oh no, now what? How do you get out of this nightmare? I have a bridge near my house that is 12'5, i see drivers go under the center of the bridge slowly with hazzards on and make it no problem. Is that common practice? Does the grand mcnally truckers gps sense those low bridges?

Here is a video of one guy unable to make it under a bridge, trying to swing a U Turn and failing miserably! Again, what would you do in this situation? https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=OJ8WKscGo8I

Thanks for the info ... Much appreciated. Is their a time limit?

Every year I drive my car down south to visit family members in GA & FL. The last time I went, I made a conscious effort to visit truck stops and check out some of the various facilities knowing that one day I may be OTR myself. I visited a place called stuckey's which had a truckers lounge and a restaurant inside. I was starving so I hit the restaurant and ordered a burger. While sitting down eating my food there was a trucker sitting two tables away. The stench coming from this guy was so bad that I had to leave half my food and tell the waitress to bring the check asap. I left the restaurant and proceeded to the convenience store part of the truck stop to buy a bottle of water and a bag of nuts. While waiting on line there was a trucker ahead of me that stunk worse then the guy in the restaurant. I tried not to breathe, payed the cashier and quickly got back on the road without seeing the shower rooms. Are the shower rooms equiped with toilets as well? Is there a time limit? What is the fee?

One of my main concerns about trucking is personal hygiene. I need to shower and brush my teeth daily before I hit the road. Will a trainer find my cleanliness annoying? Are trainers clean conscious? I cannot spend hours in a cab that smells like a kennel.

From what I understand, trucking can take a toll on your health and that's why eating healthy and going for walks on down time will be a priority for me on the road.

I tend to over-think and create problems that don't exist in the first place. should this even be a concern?

Dominic Welcome to the forum from what I understand you are in the area to find something close to what your looking for. Are you looking at going to a trucking school or company training? Reason I ask is its difficult to find a company that trains who is not OTR. There are a few drivers from your area that landed jobs like you've showed interest to like heavy c. I am sure they will be happy to provide you with great information.

I don't mind going OTR for 4 or 5 days at a time. Just not weeks at a time. Don't think I can handle that. I would goto school or company training, whichever works best at the time. Is the money i'm asking reasonable? Thanks for the reply

This is my first post on trucking truth as I literally just registered minutes ago. I enjoy reading all the blogs / forums on this site to get a better understanding of what it's really like out there on the road. I curently have a CDL class A but haven't driven in over 15 years and even when I did drive, it was minimal. As you can see, I need lots of training. I'm looking to start training soon with the right company. I would like a dedicated run of at least 2,000 miles consisting of 4 or 5 days out with 2 or 3 days home per week at .40 per mile = $800.00 per week. Am I asking too much ?? I currently live In Long Island NY and it's not cheap to live here. I'm in no position to move anytime soon with step children well established into a great school system. I currently have a great job but it is a young mans job. As I approach 40 years old I have to start thinking future. Any feedback would be greatly appreciated. Thank you :-)