Profile For Sean D.

I through an outside training program, so I don't owe anything. And Knight has great hometime. They're very flexible and I've never had a problem getting home when I ask, but they don't offer anything in my area for regular daily or weekly hometime.

First, I'll start with the six months part. If you're a new driver, who went to Knight's school, I'm sure you still have that tuition to pay off. I doubt you'll be walking away from that. The official Trucking Truth position is to stick with your company for at least a year, especially as a rookie.

Second, I've seen ads for Knight boasting they offer many different home-time programs. (I do almost a line haul job for Swift, home daily.) Did you ask about those?

Swift and Knight are both calling this a "merger" but in all reality, Knight Transportation is acquiring Swift Transportation through stock combination. I know it seems backwards, but basically when this is all done, Kevin Knight will be chairman, David Jackson will be CEO, and Adam Miller will be CFO.

Would it really be that big an issue if it cost even double that of a diesel rig? I mean, one truck easily runs though $1,000 in fuel a week, as much as $50,000 in a year. Even if the Tesla cost over $200,000, it'd pay for itself in fuel savings. I agree though, it'll have to have a generator. Preferably diesel or CNG, for availability's sake.

This is a question for the veteran drivers: what's the best way to leave a company on good terms? I've worked for Knight for just over 6 months, and I'm very happy with the way I've been treated, the miles, the pay, etc. As far as an OTR company, there's not much more I could ask for. But, I'm strongly considering going to work for a local FedEx contractor pulling line haul, which would get me home daily and off on the weekends and has guaranteed pay that is about the same as an average week at Knight. I'm about 99% sure I'll accept the job, but I really appreciate what Knight has done for me. For a regular job, I'd normally give 2 weeks notice; is that necessary (or even a good idea) for a driving job? Or should I just turn the keys in to dispatch on my next home time and bring candy?

I graduate from CT in 2 days. AWESOME program. I almost can't believe how much I've learned in one month. I feel great about getting started in the industry. I'm more prepared than I ever could have expected. If you're considering a driving school in Oklahoma, do yourself a favor and quit looking. Central Tech is your school.

I want to thank everyone again for the feedback. I really appreciate it. After consideration, I decided to go with Knight. I start orientation on October 10th. As I said before, I like that there's a Knight terminal near my home, and that I already had a chance to meet the driver manager from that terminal. One more thing that I was impressed with, and it is a little thing but it says big things about them: I graduate on Friday, October 7th, but I have a doctor appointment on Friday the 14th, so that's a week of dead time, right? Well, Knight set it up so that I will attend orientation Monday the 10th through Wednesday the 12th, but I won't start training on the truck until Monday the 17th so I can get to my appointment. Again, I know it's a small thing, but to me it shows that, even right up front, they're standing behind that "flexibility" they claim in their recruiting pitches. I'm excited about getting started on this new chapter of my life. Thanks again everyone for all your help and advice!

Thanks for the feedback everybody! I'm leaning toward Knight because they have a terminal closer to me. They also sent a driver manager from that terminal (Tulsa, OK) to my school for the recruiting pitch and he seemed like someone who'd be easy to work with. I've only spoken with a recruiter on the phone at Roehl, so Knight kind of gave themselves a leg up there. Again, I appreciate everyone's feedback! Keep it coming!

I just got my CDL today and I graduate next week. I've got my applications in at several companies, but I think I've narrowed it down to either Knight or Roehl. They both have pretty good home time and reasonable pay plus good equipment. I just don't know which one is a better company. Anybody have experience with one or both of these companies?

Thanks Old School. That's actually exactly what I expected to hear. I just thought I'd come find out from guys who know.

As for going back to Prime, I'm sure I could. The reason I decided on going to a school instead, is that I don't want to be tied to a specific company. Though, Prime really did impress me.

Hello everyone! I've just recently joined TT, but I've been visiting this site for information for years. So let me just start by saying that I appreciate this site and everyone involved; it's been a light in the darkness, so to speak.

I've found myself in what I believe to be a unique situation and was hoping to get some feedback/advice from some veteran drivers as to the best course of action.

In February-March 2014, I attended Prime Inc's CDL apprenticeship program for about 4 weeks before dropping out short of testing for my CDL. It's a long story, but in a nutshell: About 3 days into my road training, I got gut-punched with homesickness (I was 22, and it was the first time I'd been away from home more than a couple weeks); the program took much longer than expected (they were short on trainers), I spent 3 weeks in Springfield, and about 5 days on the road (at that time, they didn't require payment if you dropped out before 7 days on the road, so in my homesickness I took advantage of it, and regretted it ever since); my trainer and I weren't "compatible," I guess you could say; but most importantly, I have nothing bad to say about Prime or their program even though it didn't go as planned for me. I learned A LOT in Springfield. I could do my full PTI blindfolded, backward, and in pig-Latin. I could parallel park, 90°, 45°, straight back, blindside, you name it. I felt very comfortable driving a tractor-trailer by the time I left.

Here's where it get interesting: after 2 years of trying to talk myself out of it, I've decided I just have to suck it up and go for it. I've been accepted to Central Tech truck driver training in Drumright, Oklahoma and the funding ($3900) is no problem; I should be set to go up there in early September. But a friend of mine brought my attention to a service in Tulsa that he used to get a CDL called A+ CDL Truck Rental, where you can rent a class A tractor-trailer for $380 and go test out and get your CDL in one day. I already have my DOT physical card and my Oklahoma CDL permit, so I am eligible to do it. I'm sure that I can brush up on the PTI and they say that they'll allow you time to get familiar with the equipment before testing (they also make sure you know what you're doing before they let you take the equipment).

So, CDL school or no CDL school? The advantages for getting my CDL in one day are: I won't have to put my life on hold for a month long program without income and I won't have to repeat the same education I've already received. The advantages to CDL school are: in depth education, even if I've already learned a lot of it; job-placement assistance; and a certificate of completion that (correct me if wrong) would make me more attractive to potential employers.

Like I said, I was hoping some veteran drivers might give me some advice. Could I go through a "refresher course" with someone like FFE if I got my CDL the quick way? Or would it be better to go through CDL school?

Thanks in advance for your help!