Profile For Zach

Wouldnt want to be accused of trolling ,but I've rearended twice ,once by another big truck ,and once by passenger car ,...i could post photos of the aftermath but suffice to say a young woman driver lost her head ,one of her 2 children in backseat also...the other survived ,but i cannot imagine what sort of nightmares she has endured since .

You wanna run to your dispatcher everytime someone is mean to you ,you go right ahead ,i'm going to get in their face and resolve it right away. Whether I get fired or go to jail isnt of consequence ,that bully isnt going to get by with it a moment longer.

Excellent advice for new drivers everywhere - if someone makes you mad, punch them in the face and don't worry about losing your job or going to jail.

Zach, you're a real blessing for new drivers everywhere. Just the lesson we're looking to teach here - throw away your future using violence to shut people up. That's what Zach does and it's served him well I'm sure. Can't wait to hear more.

Unbelievable.

Well believe this ,I'm a borderline diabetic,denying me access to food is tantamont to deliberating attempting to kill me .Maybe you and the rest of your lil friends on here would get a big laugh out of seeing someone going into convulsions, having a siezure,... dying right in front of you ,especially if you had a hand in it .I can always find another job;...under the circumstances I'm sure a criminal judge might show leniecy ,I can't get another life once this one is lost .I will fight to save my life .Hell I'd even fight to save yours ,can you say the same ?Judging by the attitudes expressed on here ,I'd say no .Its real nice to know who has my back and who doesn't .

A very good blog to read about different types of trainers and what a newbie might go through is here:

Your Trainer Will Test You On Far More Than Just Your Driving Skills

I am not sure I could have put up with everything Old School did, but he did and it worked out great for him. We never know what is happening behind the scenes or in the mind of a trainer.

All I can say, is that I am glad I am not starting out on flat beds.

Keep it safe out there. Joe S

What can I say ? I like to eat .And while no right to eat exists as far as I know; no one ,including the trainer in your story has the right to deny any one the opportunity or ability to eat when they are hungry. .your trainer is or was a bully ,and the only language a bully understands ,is in your face confrontation.You wanna run to your dispatcher everytime someone is mean to you ,you go right ahead ,i'm going to get in their face and resolve it right away. Whether I get fired or go to jail isnt of consequence ,that bully isnt going to get by with it a moment longer.

I would keep looking, I had BOA and after a house fire in which I lost my house and my girlfriend they overdrafted my account and wouldn't work with me to fix it. It came to about 750 dollars, I found it hard to be able to open an account after that but was able to find a bank that doesn't even check. You could also have a parent open a joint account if you trust them....I would be weary of putting my check into my girlfriends account.

Oh hell, we've been together for several years.

My wife and I were together 18 years til we one day with no warning she decided she didn t want to be together anymore ,...she didn't hesitate to remove every single dime from our joint account and tried to close out my IRA as well...

I'm surprised it took her 18 years...you've only been here a week and I'm already tired of ya..

...The rest of the story is, she was diagnosed with a terminal illness shortly before she left ,you guys are right ,I am/was tough as nails on somethings.When she first approached me with the notion of me quitting my job ,clean out our bank accounts and live like there was no tomorrow ,she neglected to tell me about her medical condition .I thought she was crazy as hell and told her so .We had a life together a mortgage ,a kid to raise,plans for the future ...buying an RV ,and taking off into the sunset with no further thoughts to our future plans was crazy .She took off and acted like a crazy person til she died 3 months later... ****ing away nearly $54,000 it took me ten years to save ,with nothing to show for it except for one hell of a party.I/we had no clue what was driving her til after the fact .

I left the road(OTR) then ,doing local work only so I could raise our (then 11)son alone .Taking him OTR during the summer months ,saving as much as I could to replenish his college fund .He statrs at WVU this spring ,when I'll be returning full time to what I do best .Sorry if I ruffled a few feathers.I do come across a bit gruff at times .

...but ,playing devils advocate here ,please don't take my comments the wrong way ...

DEFINITELY seems to be your M.O. Mr. Zach. And if you put enough force behind anything blunt its effective especially your main artery. Just saying

Assuming you have sufficent force behind the thrust ,nevermind pin point accuracy hitting the target in the first place ...the carotid artery is smaller in diameter than a soda straw in most people,and surrounded by a tough membrane that probably will just deflect your dull/blunt key,...again,just ****ing off your assilant ...why not go for the eyes instead then run like the devil is chasing you after?

Are gloves suggested? I'm here at Prime and I never heard anything about bringing gloves, plus my earlier work we were offered gloves and I just turned them down.

Zach's unwritten rule #3= never turn down something given freely ,unless you know for a fact its illegal or dangerous.Whatever it is , ...better to have and not need ,than need and not have.

I can't speak for the trainers only from practical experience .Chances are you will be cranking landing gear up/down ,the crank can be dirty/greasy at times .I all but guarentee the fifth wheel lever will be as well.And then there is the potential for pinch points on the glad hands,better to let gloves absorb them ,rather than skin, but.....its your hands .recommend 1 pr of the brown jersey type and 1 pr dotted palm/grip gloves ,leathers are nice but bulky,and usually un-necessary unless you'll be throwing chains and using binders (flatbeds)

I'm a senior in High School and I want to be a truck driver. I know that very few trucking companies hire people below 21 years old. Are there any other driving jobs or truck stop jobs available to 18 year olds?

You might try finding local work driving a delivery van for someone (florist,autoparts store ,paint store etc) It isn't glamourous or require a CDL ,but it'll give you a taste of dealing with traffic,multiple stops, interacting with people on a professional level.And it certainly doesn't hurt to have previous "driving" positions on your resume when you later apply for big truck work a few years from now .

I'm about to finish my CDL traning and I have three jobs waiting for me. As I get closer to my graduation date, the recruiters from each of the three companies call me practically every other day, wanting to schedule me for orientation. The trouble is I'm confused by the disparity between what the companies are saying about themselves and what the obviously disgruntled current and former drivers are saying. Werner, TransAm, and Roehl want to hire me. I want to drive from coast to coast in a tractor that isnt' too old, and, though I would like to get home every once in awhile, I have no compelling reasons for getting home more than once every four to eight weeks, or so. Right now, my order of preference is: Werner (close to where I'm currently living); next, TransAm (fewer terminals and therefore more weekly mileage?); finally, Roehl (no particular reason - just that they've offered me a job). What I really need is some objective feedback on each of these companies. Can anyone provide some? Thanks!

Werner was amongst my first few companies I worked for while I was gaining experience in the trade .They were straight shooters telling me up front what to expect from them from the get go and for the most part they were spot on.You could do much worse going with someone else My first "training" company probably should have issued rose colored glasses along with the red truck they gave me to drive because nothing they told me ended up being accurate.Some companies will mislead you to get you in one of their trucks .Not Werner .After appx 6 months under my belt with them I transfered to their dedicated fleet division,pulling trailers to Family Dollar stores .Upon arrival at the stores I'd have to tailgate the floor loaded freight ,it was hot dirty work ,but it was a salaried position (no mileage pay)..I didn't run a lot of miles ,but I did have a steady regular paycheck.

The only thing I can tell you about Trans Am is that the first day of what I believed was orientation ,it quickly became apparent I was there to attend their in house ,several weeks long training program .I already had a few years experience under my belt ,so I wasnt expecting that at all,I confronted them about that essentialing telling them I came there to work ,not go to school, either put me to work or put me on greyhound . The did neither, leaving me high and dry 300 miles from home .

Every thing I've heard about Reohl is they are a good company ,however I have no practical hands on experience with them ,so I'd suggest talking with some of their drivers in truckstops etc first before making the plunge there .

This is one of my main reasons for wanting to drive flatbed. I'm concerned I would get too comfortable in the truck and start packing it on. I could stand to lose about 30 lbs anyways. Plus I actually like physical labor. Go figure. No pun intended. =-D

You know what the best advantage of being a flatbedder is? You'll very seldom be required to back up ....but when you do ,count on it being into a narrow dimly lit alleyway or indoor dock while you are being blinded by the sun doing so...