Profile For Browncoat

Old School:

That's kind of where I'm at in the process. And thank you for posting that, it's very reassuring to know that my own research combined with words of experience from someone who isn't just whining about a company that wronged him, are leading me down the right path.

I'm waiting to hear back for sure from my recruiter, which should be next week, whether or not all systems are go. I'm looking to enroll in Roadmaster, who has a facility about an hour from me. After weighing my options, I decided to go with a private school with the hopes of being trained on a more broad level instead of just what one company wants me to do and on their equipment. Hopefully my pre-hires will come out shiny, and I'll be good to go on 7/1.

Everybody seems to want these local jobs, but most don't consider how those jobs work. They get paid by the hour for a reason, that reason is that it is a very physically demanding job. Most people don't hold up well for a lot of years of that kind of work. I had a young strong nephew that did that type of driving job for a while, but eventually he just couldn't keep it up - he was tired of his back hurting him all the time.

I wanted to revisit this because I forgot to address it before.

I misused the word "local", which is my fault. I meant it in the literal sense of the word, not in trucking industry terms. I know there's a lot of hype in working for the local trucking companies like Coke/Pepsi, Frito-Lay, etc. because you're home in the evenings and such. I'm reading that a lot of drivers say that's where the money is. I have a few friends who have done that gig, and it's not really something I'm interested in. Backbreaking labor indeed.

No, when I say "local", I mean there are a few smaller trucking companies who are nearby. One in particularly is headquartered less than 5 miles away from me. Great pay, great benefits. They were the first place I called when I decided to do this, but sadly, they don't offer company sponsored training, nor do they hire newbies with zero experience.

So are you getting into trucking to make better money to help support your photography business?

No. I'm giving up the photography business so that I can better support my family. I'm 38, married, with 4 kids. They are 14, 12, 12, and 18 months.

I think I'm going into this with a different mindset than most people.

My grandfather (God rest his soul) was the smartest man I knew. Growing up, he was just a fun old guy to be around. The kind of guy who would flirt with waitresses and had a story for every single situation that came up, and I do mean EVERY situation. He had been there and done that. He was also full of great life lessons, that even though I was too young to appreciate at the time, would help shape me into the person I am today.

He taught me about carrying boot money. Some of you will know what that is. He also told me one thing I'll never forget: you never make any money working for someone else. Grandpa owned his own construction business. It was just him, a backhoe, a dumptruck, a bulldozer, and a lot of hard work. I've been to college and done the 9 to 5, working for The Man. Sitting in a cubicle crunching numbers all day made me question my will to live. I started my own photography business 3 years ago, turning my hobby into something I get paid to do. I love it, but it's just not putting me where I want to be financially.

My trucking school recruiter says everything on my app looks good. I'm waiting to hear back about my pre-hires and am slated to start school on 7/1.

Yes, I've been spending some time on other sites in my information gathering. Yes, I've been around the internet since before it was the internet and realize how these things work. I only ever half believe something I've read, and usually put very little stock in anonymous forum rants.

There's one particular thread there from a new Swift driver, who started working for them in January right out of school. He kept it updated all this time and detailed his successes, and mostly failures while working for them. It was an excellent read.

I realize that I'm going to have to pay my dues like anything else in life. There are some great local companies that have INCREDIBLE pay and benefits, but they won't even look at me until I have a year under my belt. My family and I are prepared to make the OTR sacrifice in order to have a better financial future down the road. I've worked @ lousy places before, and I know what it's like to be under the thumb of bad management.

Regardless of where I end up my first year out, I know that's where I'll need to be. After a year, so much more opportunity opens up, and I'll go from there.

I assume he saw SWIFT in my original post and is referring to that.

As I've been reading more and more on what to expect, it seems that this particular company has very mixed reviews. I've read success stories, and I've also read what a hassle it is to work for them.

Well, here's hoping anyway.

I pulled an unofficial driving record from the web and nothing showed up. I might just go down to the BMV and get an official one printed for $8.50 to be sure. Besides, I need a break from filling out this Swift application. Holy crap this thing is huge.

Passed my driver's exam today and talked to the ladies at the BMV.

There's no suspension or points assigned when your license expires. If someone had run my report, it would have simply read "INVALID" as opposed to "VALID". That was instantly changed to "VALID" today, so there's nothing that I would have to report on my pre-hire applications.

All systems go!

Hello everyone! First, I just want to say this site is an excellent resource, kudos to Brett and his contributors for pooling all this great information together.

I requested information from a local trucking school and was contacted by a recruiter. He sent me some information, including a couple pre-hire applications (Swift and Covenant Transport). So far, the process has gone pretty much according to how it is outlined on this site.

But, I have a roadblock...

Just before my recent birthday, I went to renew my driver's license and discovered that it had actually been expired for a year! Seriously...who looks at their license? Anyway, I now have my permit and will be taking the driving portion tomorrow to renew my driver's license.

Aside from this, I'm the ideal candidate. I have no criminal record, a decent work history, no DUI, no moving violations in the last 15 years. My license wasn't technically suspended or revoked, just expired. Will this hurt my application chances?