Profile For Buttercup

One of my biggest fears out here.

I feel for the man who lost his life doing his job. Rest in peace. 🙁

I understand the reasoning behind 'going company' however after talking to multiples of company and lease drivers, seems the majority of the company drivers have averaged 1600-2000 miles a week. With the nickles and dimes taken out of each paycheck (psd 'loan', sleep apnea test, whatever you need for your truck, twic, passport, health/medical/vision/life/dental, not to mention your regular tax deductions) I am weary of spending 70 hours a week to take home $400 lol.

Thus part of the 'on the fence' deal. Just weighing everything out.

Plus coming into winter won't help with miles.

TNT at Prime is terrible and is one of my big complaints about them. With that said, it gets so much easier once you're solo. You'll be able to run your truck as how you see fit provided you meet appointment times.

Go company if you're just coming out of cdl school. You'll have tons on your plate to handle as a rookie, don't need to add a lease into that mix. If you want to go lease, wait a year or 2.

Thanks! I appreciate the words of encouragement more than I can express over the internet. If nothing else, this has been an odd adventure and learning experience. I did do something that I *wanted* to do. I also realized I am either extremely homesick or I value my small town much more than I realized. I find it hard to talk to people at home as that makes the desire to go home even worse lol. So. My hopes are to stick this out and hopefully find something a bit more local after. I do like the driving. I like the trucks. I even like the truck stop atmosphere lol.

I just think everything is starting to pool into a big ole bowl of homesick soup. The training has gotten better/easier. The sleeping is still difficult but also getting a little better. So. A few weeks to go before I decide if I'm going to do company or lease.

Still have 15k to go.

Nice! That won't take long at all. Let me tell you, everyone here is really proud of you! There is nothing like going through something like you are, to really get to learn a few things about yourself. When you finish this first phase of your trucking experience you are going to find that you are capable of achieving much more than you thought you could. Trucking slaps almost all of us in the face at the beginning. Very few people ever enter this career with realistic expectations. We try like crazy to prepare folks for what they are about to face, but it is a difficult thing to convey from a keyboard.

Trucking is one of those careers that gets easier as you progress. There is just so much to learn at the onset of the career that it is absolutely overwhelming for many. That is why there are so many sad stories online of aborted trucking careers. It really does take some special people to do this job, and yet the career seems to attract a lot of people who were never cut out for the challenge.

Your tenacity is proving your worth, I was so glad to see this update from you. Hang in there - you've a whole group of folks here pulling for you. We've got a bunch of dancing bananas just waiting to be released when you give us the news that you are getting upgraded to your very own solo rig.

Stay the course - the challenge is great, but the final reward is even greater! Independence, adventure, and financial rewards are waiting for you.

Still have 15k to go. :/ would be nice to meet up at some point! Still fairly frustrated with lack of sleep and the basic inconsiderate nonsense. I like driving, but...🤷🏻‍♀️ Trying to stick it out though.

Wow I get some extra sleep.then get summoned lol

Agreed what everyone else said..stick with it and go.solo. going solo terrified me.because my backing sucked so badly. I too felt like a driving monkey used for the miles at night. Lucky for.me i made a lot.of.friends while at the terminals. Get.phone numbers of other experienced drivers you can.call for.help once.solo. I put in my phone contacts whether they drove day or night and had help 24/7.

For now... have you talked about this stuff with your trainer and been clear? I know a trainee who quit the week before upgrade without talking to the trainer or FM about options. The major concern was home time and there were dedicated options once solo to get her home several times a week. When the trainer asked.questions about when she wanted to.go home.or.what shift.she wanted to.drive, the trainee would shrug and say "whatever is easier". But she already had a preference.she didn't articulate which made things difficult.for.her. the trainer was then frustrated thinking she did all she could.to.make training easier. Neither were happy in the end.

When you are.driving you are.in control. Stop in the fuel.aisle.and use the restroom. If the trainer is driving speak up and ask to.stop if the trainer grumbles then so what?

On the prime app there is a drop down that says "fuel book". This has a HUGE amount of info. Also, be sure to watch the various training videos on the app. Watch the weekly safety meetings. All.these things will help you feel.more.prepared.

Take a walk around sprimo when you upgrade to go talk to road assist, claims and safety. When you have people you have met face to face you feel.comfortable with to ask for.answers you will feel more at ease.

how many miles do.you have now? Do you have a date to head to sprimo?

I have to.trade.my truck soon...wpuld be cool to.meet up.

I had my enhanced license from NY prior to coming to school. Idk how swift is, if you do not have a cdl and you're getting it from another state, it may not be worth the bother. My state license was 'voided' and since I had just done my renewal and enhancement, out went $100 lol. I crossed Canada's border with jus my enhanced, no problems. It's not meant for air travel across country boundaries.

I know nothing about an enhamced dl, but i am certain a fast card is a passport with limited ability to enter foreign soils. As examples: canada and mexico, no problem... England, need a passport... China, passport and visa.

I hold both and a twic due to past employment.

So while I like the driving itself, and don't mind traveling, I'm really feeling disenchanted with this whole TNT thing.

I feel like I'm just a body in the seat sometimes with my trainer, and I don't feel like I'm actually learning anything. Mostly, I just get sent to 'do' stuff I don't know how to do and then get embarrassed because receivers, etc are asking questions I should, but don't know the answers to. I don't feel like my trainer is doing any sort of job of training me. For example, for pad time before my test, I asked other trainers for help because I couldnt 'get it' with his technique. I spent till midnight with one, and then 7-11 the next morning with a different one.

For my road test, we took a pad truck out a few laps (because our truck is automatic) then the night before took it out one more time with a trailer. I had maybe 2 hours of shifting practice between psd and the few days at the pad.

I am confused about the logs (am I REALLY supposed to take my 32 minute break waiting in line at the receiver, fueling, while stuck in traffic?) is it really necessary to forbid bathroom stops because 'it waste's time?' During my shift it's not uncommon to have to wait 6-7 hours to use the restroom, and if I happen to miss the trainers break to use it, I'm looking at 12+ hours.

I guess I just feel like the general attitude is 'figure it out'. I feel like I'm set up for failure a lot because I don't know the answers to the questions I didn't know I was supposed to ask.

If I'm just being whiny, it is what it is and my expectations were not aligned with where they should have been. At this point though, I give it another week, maybe? I feel awful that I put so much on the line for this and it really just isn't working out.

I'm on TNT training now and am having so much apprehension over the backing. My trainer, unintentionally I think, makes me feel so stupid and incapable. I'm secomd guessing everything about the entire decision to come. I know there are some terrible trainers, I don't think mine is terrible, i just think I might be a little too soft 😂 Add that to the fact that I miss home, miss my dog, and have the flu, just a recipe for all of those negative thoughts.

I got through the alley dock at test time by asking the Lord to park the truck, and He did so. I'm not kidding. I survived the first few months of driving with a lot of luck, a lot of patience, a lot of drive around and set up again, a couple of $10s to yard jockeys, and just perserverance. Now I can finally back into most any spot anywhere with the tandems in any location...but it took several months for me to be able to see the articulation and cope with it. My point is this: hang in there and you'll get through it. Nearly everyone has difficulty with backing at first. Just take your time, get out and look, don't hit anything, don't let anyone rush you, don't rush yourself, and you'll be fine. If you can't get into a particular spot safely, don't - find another way. Memorizing tire positions, landing gear positions, or any of that rot might help you pass the test but it isn't going do do anything for you in the real world because docks and parking lots seldom have the space to perform the setup that the tests provide.

Dave

Been at Prime for 2 weeks now and my trainer feels my pre trip and driving is good enough to test. We spent 5 hours backing yesterday (straight back and offset are no poblem). Alley dock and parallel park have me so frustrated though. I can't get it. No matter what I do. Mostly, I can't seem to 'see the solution' to fixing it when I mess up.

This is quite literally the hardest thing I'be done in my entire working life. I don't know if I'm looking for advice or what. I guess I'm just discouraged and not sure what I can do to make things less frustrating. 🙁

I talked to the trainer on break and was told it was no problem, sleep on the bottom. Much ado over nothing I guess lol.

Thanks. I put in a ton of extra time but it was worth it. I wonder how many people just tough out sleeping on the top bunk.

First off Congratulations! Not long ago you were despairing that you couldn't do the maneuvers to pass the driving portion ofvthe test. Now you've got a whole new set of problems - that's progress!

You should have been given a name and number of some sort of new driver liason type person at Prime. That is the person you should call and ask them this same question. I'll bet they can get this resolved for you fairly painlessly.

You can make that call privately while at a truck stop if you don't want your trainer to hear you.

So I passed my CDL test and am doing team driving however the trainer has relegated me to the top bunk while the truck is in motion. I feel like I'm going to fall out and break my neck.

Advice on how I should address this without causing a crap ton of friction? I like my trainer otherwise but this is a deal breaker for me. I'm also sure it's against company policy. 😕