Profile For Nighthawk

Thankfully, your opinion of me does not define me.

Brett, I am amused that you think you know me.

From the beginning, recruitment was non-chalant and seemed to barely give 2 poops about me. They did not explain to me what I could expect, except for what was included on the student portal. We were responsible for getting to the school. The school was ok overall, but there were definitely things that were not. Like equipment that was falling apart and way too much time spent standing around outside. I got my CDL and was assigned a mentor. One of his first questions to me was whether I still menstruate. He asked me if I'm fat. He told me to drive in flip flops to avoid having "stinky ass feet" on his truck. I was not allowed to use his fridge or bring a cooler. I complained and PAM responded appropriately and quickly by assigning me a new mentor. I was with him for 2 weeks. He showered once. His whole truck smelled like rotten butt. He raised his voice at me daily and rarely answered my questions. He was short tempered and easily frustrated. One morning, as I climbed down from my bunk, his phone was lying face up with porn playing on it. After I got off his truck, I was taken to a yard that was a tad less crappy than all the others, but was still pretty gross. The dorms were pretty nasty and the towels were stained. The showers were dirty, of course. During orientation, we were taught to throw away our long forms to our physical in case we are ever stopped by police. We were given the option to buy into a plan for an attorney in the event of an accident or incident. After 2 days of orientation, we were tested, which was fine. I was given a crappy smoker's truck and asked for another one. I was looked at like I'm a terrible nuisance. They did give me another truck. It was pretty crappy, but whatever. At that point, I was just done.

By contrast, Roehl's recruitment has been amazing. She and her manager both have been super sweet. They have told me exactly what to expect and when. They rented me an intermediate rental car, not economy, to get me out of PAM. They paid for 2 extra days at the hotel for me. The hotel is a really nice Comfort Inn. They provide a shuttle every morning to get to the yard, which is really nice and clean. Everybody I've talked to has been fun and energetic. They want me to make sure I keep my long form on me at all times and emphasize safety at all turns. It's all over the walls and in tons of videos and preached constantly. I can't speak yet about mentors or trucks. But, the professionalism and concern has been much greater here.

I know some of you will think I'm an entitled brat. That's fine. I did what was best for me.

Nighthawk I find it rather amusing that you take the time to answer a question from someone considering going to trucking school, yet you choose not to reply to Old School, Brett or me.

Speaks volumes about where your head is. I sincerely wish you luck because you are going to need it.

I have stated that I believe this is my best option. You all disagree. Short of arguing, I'm not sure how to respond. I am determined to make this career work and to work this career. I don't believe every company is one size fits all in any industry, even trucking. Maybe I'm wrong. But, I don't believe I am. 6 days of experience with Roehl is already better than the 6 weeks I spent with PAM.

Nighthawk, I remember you saying you weren't thrilled with the six months of teaming before going solo. Was this one of the big reasons for your change? And will you owe PAM anything for the schooling?

It was a very small factor. And yes, i will owe for schooling, but Roehl will cover the majority of the cost.

Maybe I'm wrong. But so far I feel better at this company than I ever did with PAM. Time will tell.

There were many factors along the way that ultimately led me to the conclusion that they don't care for their drivers. I won't go into a trashy tirade, but it all came to a head on Thursday and I broke down from 6 weeks of exhausted frustration. I am much more at peace with this decision.

Btw, I did upgrade.

After much careful consideration, I have decided to leave Pam. I have decided to go with the company Roehl. I feel like it's a much better fit, and I'm very much looking forward to training with them. I will start out with a 6-day orientation in Atlanta Georgia. After that I go out with another trainer for 19 days. Thank you for following along this far.

Delivering what i think may be my last load with my trainer. Waiting for them to unload and reload the trailer. Then on to the yard where I'll upgrade!