Profile For Adrian N.

Yeah I know! It's like they didn't even see the chaos ahead of them, or they just felt invincible and they just kept going full speed ahead! I have never seen such a large scale display of stupidity, and total dumbassery! Your absolutely right! At least 80% of the accidents that happened that day could have been prevented! It would be a real miracle if nobody was seriously hurt that day! And for what?? What load is worth possibly hurting yourself or someone else over, and loosing your career for??

80% preventable accidents, the rest pretty much hopelessly waiting to take it up the backside. Why in the world would they be driving so fast on ice in whiteout conditions? Park it and wait it out. How many of them lost their jobs that day?

Looking forward to experience drivers chiming in.

Sorry it's taken me so long to reply. I've been running like crazy! It's just a standard urine test.

Hi Adrian - What kind of drug test DHT administer - urinalysis or hair follicle? Thanks!

A crazy video to remind everyone that when the roads are bad be aware, be alert, and slow down! No load is worth injuring, or possibly even killing yourself or others! Be safe out there brothers, and sisters!

From what you say it sounds like you don't have recent experience driving why is that?

I did almost 2 years OTR from 2001-2003 and my first wife wanted me to be home more so I took the first local job offer that came along and that was driving a concrete mixer. I did that for a lot of years and also had jobs driving a class b truck as well as a city bus. My wife is in the last year of nursing school, and it's so demanding it would be impossible for to work and go to school so I decided to get back into driving a semi so hopefully I'd be able to support her and the 2 kids. I was looking at either going back to OTR or working in the oil fields. The problem I ran into was getting hired when the last time I drove a big rig was 2003. Almost every company wants at least a year of recent class A experience. When DHT said they would hire me and put me through a 2-3 week refresher I jumped on it. I had company's in the oil fields willing to hire me also but something just didn't feel right about it. I was afraid I might be setting myself up for a failure if I went to the oil fields.

Bobtail Member I currently drive for Danny Herman Trucking as a solo. I get ok miles but I'm not making enough money as the sole provider of my family to support my wife, and 2 kids. I need to bring home a minimum of $1000 a week just for us to scrape by, and I haven't been doing that consistently. I took 4 days home time in September and it killed me for 2 weeks financially. The week of, and after my home time really sucked! It seems the only way to make consistently good money as a solo driver is to never go home! I hate to do it but I'm thinking I might have to switch to team driving. I was recently with a trainer running teams for 2.5 weeks as a refresher and it was incredibly difficult. I really liked the guy and we got along really well, but it was still really hard sharing such a small space with another guy. The hardest part for me was sleeping in a moving, bouncing truck! Still if it means I'd earn enough to take care of my family I would be willing to sacrafice my comfort, sleep, and sanity. I've even thought maybe I should look at going with a different company like Crete etc. that pays more cpm. I would really hate to do that for several reasons. I've only been with DHT for 2 months and I don't want to start job hopping because I'm suffering from the grass is always greener syndrome. I'd hate to leave for another outfit that pays more cpm but I end up getting less miles than I get now, or end up working for a place I hate cause they treat me like crap, and end up hopping to yet another company.That would do nothing to better my situation! I also like DHT. They are far from perfect, and there are things I wish would change, but I really like the areas they operate in, and I get really nice long runs. Is it possible to make a lot more money running teams, or do I maybe just need to find a place that pays more than .40 cpm and hope I get the miles I get now, or more? Or should I just stay solo, and never see home, and hope I earn enough to pay the bills every month?! My family doesn't even have enough money to buy groceries this week or pay our bills! $600-800 a week for a family of 4 just isn't cutting it! I'm totally stressed out, and need to do something! Quick!

So last Sunday August 12th started my journey with Danny Herman Trucking. I went and picked up a really nice rental car Sunday morning that they got for me to go down to El Paso and start the 3 day orientation Monday am. Got to my hotel and checked in and arranged to have a shuttle take me to the terminal Monday morning. Room was not the greatest but it would do. At least I didn't have a room mate.

Woke up in the morning and took the shuttle to terminal to start orientation. It was me and 3 other people. One guy was fresh out of truck driving school and actually deaf. I had alot of respect for him attempting to get into trucking. Danny Herman was the only company that would take him on. They have a trainer who's mom is deaf so he's fluent in sign language. He sat in the class with him to interpret for him and later to go out with him and train him. So the first day was spent filling out a lot of paperwork, going and getting a physical if you needed one, drug test, and road test. I was a little worried about road test but it was incredibly easy! Basically just drove around the block. We tested in a standard and one guy couldn't drive a stick to save his life! We drove back to the yard and took out an automatic truck for him to retake his test which he was then able to pass.

The next 2 days were really long and boring. Watched some videos and had video conferences with a bunch of different people in the corporate office. Really dry boring stuff but I got through it and by Wednesday afternoon I was officially an employee. Since I had to go out with a trainer for 2 weeks I was told to go back to my hotel and come back Thursday morning and my trainer would come by the terminal and pick me up. The other 2 got assigned trucks and were waiting to be dispatched. The deaf guy left right away with his trainer to start his 6 weeks of training.

Thursday morning I show up early enough to do some laundry and wait to meet my trainer. He shows up. We sit and talk for awhile and get to know each other for a bit. Seems like a really nice guy, and I think we'll get along just fine. We then load all my stuff up and hit the road for Calexico, California to deliver a load of Kenworth parts. He drives for a couple of hours then let's me take over. He sees that I know what I'm doing and goes to bed telling me to wake him up when we get to Calexico. It went good. I hooked up my iPod and kept the volume down so I don't wake him and down the road we go. Before we get to our destination we get a pre-plan for our next load. Deadhead to a Toyota plant in Ontario, California and pick up a load going to Laredo, TX. So we dropped our trailer in Calexico, pick up an empty and we're off to Ontario, then on to Laredo.

At Laredo we get a load of water heaters headed for Detroit. The plumbing warehouses dock in Detroit was something else! We had to get our truck into this little parking lot with low hanging wires everywhere and then back up to this dock that was down an incline and inside this dark warehouse. Barely enough room above and to the sides to fit the truck! A seriously tight squeeze! It takes several hours to get unloaded and meanwhile we don't have a pre-plan for our next load. We get empty then dead head through Detroit to the nearest truck stop to hang out and wait for our next load. We wait, and wait and nothing comes over the Qualcomm. We call our DM about getting us a load and he says sorry that freight is slow out of Michigan right now. That he'll get us layover pay for the day and get us a load asap.

We finally get a load. It just doesn't pick up until the next day in the afternoon. We are deadheading to Lafayette, Indiana, getting loaded and heading back down to Laredo TX. Laredo again! Joy! The good news is well be camping out in this truck stop and I'll finally be able to get some real sleep! Driving teams is incredibly difficult for me. It's almost impossible for me to sleep in a moving bouncing truck! I'm relieved that tonight we'll be still and I can finally get some decent sleep! Tomorrow the adventure continues.

It's been a challenging, difficult and sleep deprived first week. I will be so glad when this refresher is over, I get my own truck and get some home time! I miss my home and my family terribly. Most nights when I talk to my wife she starts crying because she misses me so much! I need to make this work so I can support her while she finishes nursing school. A year from now she'll be done and I'll have the much needed recent experience I need to find a good paying local job. I just hope my marriage survives this difficult time apart! I love trucking but it sure is hard on relationships! I wish I would have done this when I was younger and still single! I will write about my second week when I have time. Until then be safe and keep the shiny side up!

I realize that. I will just have to really watch watch what I say around other employees. Try not to swear too much. I spent years in a Catholic school as a kid being raised by agnostics. I'm good at fitting in and keeping my personal beliefs to myself. As long as they treat me good and I make a decent living I'll be happy there.

That is awesome. Good luck! You will do great. Looking forward to to reading your experience.

You probably already know this, but they are owned by a very Christian family, and it shows on their equipment. I have yet to run into a DHT driver that doesn't represent their values.

Well today is my last day at my current job, and Sunday night I'm heading down to El Paso to start orientation Monday morning with Danny Herman Trucking! They rented me a car that I will pick up Sunday morning to come down there, and I have a hotel room reserved for the 3 days. After 3 days in orientation I will be going out 2 weeks with a trainer as a refresher since I haven't been OTR since 2002. I am excited, and really nervous to start this next chapter of my life. Hopefully my marriage will survive being with me being absent for long periods of time, and I will start making the kind of money I need to support my family. From all I've read, and from a few drivers I talked to it sounds like it doesn't get any better than Danny Herman. I feel very fortunate to be given the chance to work for what sounds like such a top notch company. I plan on writing about my experiences, and will post updates on my journey in this forum.

I'm trying to get her to realize that accomplishing great things sometimes requires sacrifices. That my being gone is the only way I know to fully support her and the kids. I'm doing everything I can to help her accomplish her goals.That a year will fly by. She'll be an RN in a year making good money and I'll be able to make decent money as well and we can finally live the life we've always wanted instead of constantly struggeling. I have until August 13th when I go to orientation to convince her that this is the best way to accomplish our long term goals. I really do love trucking and the road but I really love her too. I sure hope she doesn't make me choose between my 2 loves!

Thank you all for the input. Can anyone offer advice or maybe direct me to articles to read on how to keep a marriage going with being gone so much? I love my wife dearly and worry we might grow apart when I hit the road. She's already crying at just the thought if me not being by her side every night. I try to tell her that it's just a year until she finishes school and it will be hard but to sacrafice a year to have the rest if our lives be financially secure is a small price to pay. I want our 50's to be the best years of our lives! Any advice? I adore my wife but I also live trucking. Is it possible to have both?