Profile For Robert W.

I'm happy for you sir! But you have some seriously rough roads ahead. I wouldn't ever recommend a smooth-bore tanker to a new driver. I see you're from Texas, that might be your biggest advantage in this. Just remember to use extreme caution, those things are no joke man.

As I am finding out, you are correct. I've been on the job for 3 days now and everything's going pretty good. Couple of revelations in the learning curve. Two of the dairy farms require chaining the drive wheels when it's muddy. So happens, it was muddy. No big deal, I need the exercise. The man training me showed me how to keep the truck from getting stuck in the mud by surging the milk in the tanker but only slightly. It works very well and I have used the technique a couple of times with success. Most of the driving is on Farm to Market roads with little traffic and restricted speeds. I am being careful with the smooth bore in curves and stopping. My trainer says I'm being a little too careful if there is such a thing he added but with experience he assured me of a smooth ride in time. One major let down, I was told all my life that the Milkman meets a lot of women. This is a bald faced lie. The only girls I see have 4 feet and a tail.

Firstly, I would like to thank all the people here posting on truckingtruth for all of the advice. It has been very helpful. I found a job that is willing to train me. I about fell over when the man offered me the job. I thought by this time next week I would be at a company sponsored trucking school getting my training. I was ready to go and I told my wife that if I didn't get a serious offer by Thursday, I would make arrangements to be at school the following Monday morning. I answered an add in the paper that said "Truck Driver Wanted" with no specifics just an address about 40 miles out in the sticks. I drove out this morning and found out it was a part farm, part milk storage facility. Now, you guys don't laugh too much but the job is driving a smooth bore milk tanker and the Truck is a 7 year old International day cab. It's very clean and everything appears to work. The driving is on a dedicated short haul route that is about 240 miles total. I spoke with the man and he said he was looking for an experienced truck driver but he said I was the only one to come out to talk with him so he gave me the job. His son is going to take me on the route for the first week or so, maybe less, and teach me the ropes. So, you can stop your laughing now because I am the new Milkman baby.

Do you have all your endorsements?

Yes, I have all of my endorsements and my HME background check has been completed. It's still hard to find work that doesn't require experience.

What state are you located in?

Look at his profile and you would see he is located in Midland TX.

Ernie

Ok, thanks.

Yes, I am in Midland, Texas. There is a lot of HazMat Tanker work here but now it's a little more difficult to get a job that provides training. I'm still working on it and had some good leads come my way today. Apparently, some of the younger drivers get their panties in a twist really quick so the turnover rate is fairly large. I'm not judging guys I don't know, it was what I was told by two different companies today while looking for work. Both companies seemed receptive for possible employment but we will see. Lot's of flatbed drill pipe and casing work here also. Not near as much as before but still some work to be had. There is some flatbed "hotshot" work to be had for oil field equipment and some dedicated routes from west Texas up into the Rockies all the way into Canada. All in all, I'll keep trying or start school in the next week or so.

I paid for my training and truck rental out of my own pocket and have every endorsement commonly found on a class A CDL license.

Hey Robert, Welcome aboard! It's nice to see a fellow "Lumber Jack" alumni in here!

I am curious, when you say you paid for your own training and truck rental, does that mean that you did this on your own without going through a truck driving school?

In this day and time you really need to have a certificate of training from a truck driving school that is recognized by the companies that are willing to hire inexperienced drivers. That training certificate is vital to getting the doors of employment opened up to you. Most folks just think if they have a CDL they can land a job, but as you are finding out, it is not that easy. Tell us a little more about how you obtained your Class A license and we will be able to help you get that first job.

I'll be horse whipped. Another Lumber Jack.

I should have been more clear on that point, I apologize. Yes, I did this on my own by paying for the usage of the truck and tutoring. I was correctly under the assumption that a truck driving school would be the only place to obtain practical experience and procure a job but I had my reasons for doing what I did. I went to the small college here in town and spoke with the instructor of the truck driving academy. After all of his "war stories" of truck driving lore, he commenced to tell me how smart he thought he was instead of explaining to me why I should go to school at the academy. This is a red flag for me and I decided to figure out all the "grey" areas of modern truck driving on my own instead of getting beat up in his class for two weeks while he gets around to really teaching something. That's kinda harsh I know, and all academics from basket weaving to neuroscience are pretty much the same. If this were any other position I would have folded and joined the class immediately but truck driving on the highways is a serious and dangerous job and I thought it best to do my own due diligence before I went to school. Now, here I am. I'm trying to find a company here that will train me for a job and I have only just started. I get a lot of "If it were 2 years ago we would have hired a one legged chicken with a CDL but not now, we'll think about it". I believe the best scenario would be to go to a OTR company and receive training and be done with it. Any suggestions?

I have only been looking recently at OTR jobs and have no experience driving but I have got my class A CDL here in Texas. I've seen PRIME equipment on the road and was wondering about a job with them. Where is their training facility and do they have much business in the Southwest? Any info would be great.

I have lost my job of 25 years in the oil field. It's sad for sure but you must carry on. I have decided that procuring employment in the transportation industry suits my financial needs for the most part and fits well with my personal life as well. I have no illusions about driving a truck for a living. My father was a truck driver his whole life and I worked for Consolidated Freightways as a dock man from my sophomore year in High School until I graduated from SFASU with a degree in Forestry. With the aforementioned in mind, I respectfully submit that I have no practical experience driving trucks and have only recently obtained my class A CDL license. I paid for my training and truck rental out of my own pocket and have every endorsement commonly found on a class A CDL license. I still have no practical experience driving a truck. What would be the best pathway to experience? I applied online and received no less than 20 replies to join a OTR Transport company offering training programs with all sorts of options and training. Is this the only way to get started? I live in an area of Texas where their are many "day jobs" in trucking but they all require 1 to 2 years experience and Hazmat/Tanker is a plus due to the nature of business here. What can I do to break into trucking here at home and bypass the whole OTR experience and long term commitments to these OTR Transport companies? Is there something I could add to my resume or say that would help me find a job close to home? Now, I know what you're thinking. Like all seasoned professionals you're thinking "hey pal, suck it up and put in your time like I did". If necessary, I will, but not until I have researched all options. I've been away from home for near two decades now and not this 2 to 3 weeks at a time. Months away at a time seeing my family 4 or 5 times a year. There are too many jobs here in my own town that I would like to have, but that old "experience" thing keeps getting in the way. Any suggestions? Respectfully submitted.