Profile For KaSandra

Well 6 string, at 35, and what I feel like has been not much in the way of opportunities in life thus far due to being deemed "stupid" by the work world because of only a high school diploma, and being stuck in a dead end warehouse job at $40K/year for the last 10 years with weak a$$ 2-3% a year raises, with an opportunity like this to make double and potentially more......I feel like I will MAKE IT WORK.

It's the people like myself who these corporations constantly pass up because of a $50,000 piece of paper that have no idea the amount of drive and will to succeed someone has when they are given the chance.

Hey Jared , I'm with you on this...think you're a bit ahead of me tho...I do my drug test/physical with Fedex freight in my town this Monday...I had a DOT physical already but Fedex requires their own...Then honestly I do WHATEVER the hell Fedex tells me..drive,dock,etc..:) (after they send me away to train their way:)...I am just honored to get the opportunity to work for them...I had some personal stuff to deal with after trucking school so have been on a kinda painful trucking pause, but things are slowly turning around for me-this is the kinda stuff that builds character and backbone.. Good luck with everything! ~KaSandra

KaSandra, you seem quite adamant and have a very determined spirit. If you really push forward and seek out every opportunity, I'm sure you will find the fit you need. Make sure and utilize all of the resources from your CDL school, their goal is to help you succeed.

TM, thank you for reading me EXACTLY, lol...you forgot the word "Princess" , lol...but seriously I am pretty driven...and don't wanna lose what I have worked hard for...I am looking towards Sac...found some good leads..I may have to drive everywhere but if that's what it takes...My resume would not really say much..Just another piece of paper or online document...So I wanna try to go into places because I am good in person..Very professional and super personable... ..It's tough cuz of my kids, but they are either grown or at more independent ages...and they totally support Mom ......so we shall see what happens..KaSandra

The picky part came from you wanting smaller companies. That doesn't matter at all and shouldn't be on your mind even. Large companies provide tons of local work and can be easier to get on with.

You'll probably have to settle for food distribution jobs and even then you'll be lucky to land one. Check out Unfi, Sysco, Beverage companies. Also check if you qualify for CR England's dedicated to and from Sparks, NV. I know OTR really isn't very viable for you but even 6 months of OTR experience will be like night and day for you on your attempts at finding a local job.

(Insert smiley face so no one thinks I'm yelling)

you seem matter of fact..I can appreciate that....sometimes ;)..but really thank you for the input..KaSandra

Hey, I have been outta Trucking School for 2 weeks....Not sure the route I wanna go.. need simple answers, no horror stories at all. I need driving experience...Gonna try to find a smaller local company here in California..I live in Northern Cali (Petaluma) but don't mind commuting....I wanna avoid the huge truck companies...I wanna stay Dedicated/LTL/Regional...something.....Any suggestions??? Anyone here from California and have info?? Thank you for any guidance!~~KaSandra

HEYYYY glad to meet another sonoma countyian! I use to live in Rosa and Healdsburg before moving to the mid-west! I can tell ya, finding anything around there is gonna be tough... speaking from expeirence.... I went from Swift to The Salvation Army in healdsburg as there CDL driver.. did more straight truck the tractor trailer though... Was the only thing I could find at the time... Have you checked out craigslist?

Most of the trucking stuff up in Nor Cal close to sonoma is gonna be in Sac and down the i-5 corridor to fresno.... Daniel can confirm that better for me since he's in Sac and I havent been in that area for 2 years now....

Hey, I have been outta Trucking School for 2 weeks....Not sure the route I wanna go.. need simple answers, no horror stories at all. I need driving experience...Gonna try to find a smaller local company here in California..I live in Northern Cali (Petaluma) but don't mind commuting....I wanna avoid the huge truck companies...I wanna stay Dedicated/LTL/Regional...something.....Any suggestions??? Anyone here from California and have info?? Thank you for any guidance!~~KaSandra

HEYYYY glad to meet another sonoma countyian! I use to live in Rosa and Healdsburg before moving to the mid-west! I can tell ya, finding anything around there is gonna be tough... speaking from expeirence.... I went from Swift to The Salvation Army in healdsburg as there CDL driver.. did more straight truck the tractor trailer though... Was the only thing I could find at the time... Have you checked out craigslist?

Most of the trucking stuff up in Nor Cal close to sonoma is gonna be in Sac and down the i-5 corridor to fresno.... Daniel can confirm that better for me since he's in Sac and I havent been in that area for 2 years now....

Hey David...Thanks for the positive vibes:) ...yeah, been on Craiglist....gonna keep at it... .and let me clarify to others.. 1. I was pretty clear that I basically just want a Cali job to gain driving experience...I will drive whatever it takes with wheels to get this experience 2. I wanna stay close because of my children...Women and men both have responsibilities...I have an Autistic child (one of my 6 children) who lives with his Dad but will not understand me taking off for months...or weeks 3. I do not mind hard work..I would MUCH rather work hard than sit 4. By no means do I see any being picky within any thing I have written..I just wanna work and earn a living and not be out for (extreme) days..weeks......Guess those would be the 2 things Brett..I would step to a B to do this (as oppose to an A truck) ..whatever's good..

Here in WI ALOT of new CDL drivers fresh outta school find work with companies like pepsi or coke etc doing delivery routes... its not exactly a straight driving job but it does give driving experience for future employers. few of my friends from my class just started working for scrap recycling companies "older equip and hauling junk so less worried about experienced drivers, pay less"

I saw a company that delivers like bottled beverages..thinking of applying there...what about tow trucks?? they are flat beds...or the one I looked at is...they say they train..It's a B class??..

I haul double tankers in N. Cal. and there are definitely opportunities here but hardly any of them hire without experience.

What's your experience? How many months? Just trucking school? I just want more info before I toss out local companies here your way.

Hey:)..yeah, school is it for me..so wanna get back in a truck ASAP....*sigh*.....

Hey, I have been outta Trucking School for 2 weeks....Not sure the route I wanna go.. need simple answers, no horror stories at all. I need driving experience...Gonna try to find a smaller local company here in California..I live in Northern Cali (Petaluma) but don't mind commuting....I wanna avoid the huge truck companies...I wanna stay Dedicated/LTL/Regional...something.....Any suggestions??? Anyone here from California and have info?? Thank you for any guidance!~~KaSandra

Here's a great section of my book for your situation. It's called Keep Your Head On Straight, Keep Your Act Together and it's about handling the pressures you'll face out there on the road. About halfway down the page I tell a story about one of the craziest deliveries I ever had to make underneath City Hall in Downtown Phoenix at 6 pm on a Friday evening. They literally had to shut down several city blocks around City Hall just so I could get to where I needed to go. The police force was waiting for me when I arrived and thousands of people were sitting there watching me and waiting on me to get backed in so they could continue on with their lives. If I would have had a guitar I would have qualified as a bigger concert than The Rolling Stones in Central Park.

Keep Your Head On Straight, Keep Your Act Together

while learning it sure is hard to keep ur head sometimes...Each day I have a goal RE: school...it could be a skill type thing ...but often it is about my mindset..stay calm..pause...listen carefully to instructor..breathe..etc...:) ...KaSandra

Thank you all:)...I'm working on remaining calm...I generally am calm but have been learning in commute traffic here in Cali -that is good AND bad..I prepare for the worst,lol?...I haven't stalled since :) .. I learned downshifting last night ..not perfected quite yet...There seems to be a rhythm to driving this truck between my left foot and my right hand... -KaSandra

So yeah, my instructor is great but he was tryna help me in commute hour traffic and he might as well have been speaking another language...cuz whatever I did I managed to stall the truck...Know REAL idea how I managed that! I'm "gifted" He was patient..hazards on..don't panic kinda attitude..:)cars will go around us...I am very determined to KNOW what I learn from him...So when we got back to home base he specifically worked with me on the clutch..It went well..I'm doin well:)...I told him I'm getting a tattoo that says " I own the clutch" lol...I just may...;).. .Happy Hump Day !!~~KaSandra