Profile For Kerry L.

Ok, so a little over a year ago I started a thread about my terrible experience with TransAm. I basically trashed the company over what was truthfully an unfortunate miscommunication. I am not posting this to revisit that experience. After moving on from TransAm, I wasn't able to find another company willing to give me a shot due to a personal vehicle accident that happened my first week of CDL school. After at least 30 applications submitted and no other positive responses, I decided to obtain a warehouse job. I started through a temp agency, then got hired directly by the company. Well, being newly married and my first child on the way has me deciding to explore giving a go at a trucking career again. I have no expectations of anything in particular other than filling out applications to see if any opportunities are offered. If it's not meant to be, then I am content with continuing a career in warehousing. I am not seeking advice as I already know what is needed for me to have a chance... APPLY, APPLY, APPLY. I am more grounded and feel less entitled than I was when I went to work for TransAm. I will be chronicling my experience from this point on the forum here. So, for those interested, be looking for updates. At the present point in time, I am outside the US traveling for personal leisure. Once returning to the US in a few weeks, I hope to transition quickly to my potential new trucking company employer since I am already submitting applications. To those that may wish to tell me that my situation is hopeless: Thank you. You motivate me. To those that wish to encourage me: Thank you. You uplift me. I truly look forward to responses from whomever decides to respond. If you made it to this point of my post, thank you for reading my book.

Kerry

Hey, y’all. Got out of trucking for a couple years, about to get back into it. Smoked some pot at an end of summer barbecue in August so a hair test is a no go for me until late November at earliest. Who is for sure not doing hair test as of right now? Those of you who are going to lecture me, feel free, but I’m not interested. I’m not a regular drug user by any stretch of the imagination and if that’s not good enough for you, then this question isn’t aimed at you.

When I went through TransAm orientation summer of 2020 they only did urinalysis. I have no idea if this has changed or not. This is a company that is not likely to question you asking if they do hair follicle tests.

Thank you for the suggestion. Unfortunately, Dutch Maid Logistics was a company with which I applied (and declined) before arriving at TransAm. It seems like a decent company and I would have been glad to have an opportunity with Dutch Maid Logistics.

Hay Kerry, me again.

Another one of our TT members had misfortunes with a few companies himself; SNI, JBH, and then Veriha.

A small(er) company here in Ohio took him on (Our infamous, and friend of mine, Marc Lee) and off he went, until he didn't.

Could be worth a try~! Dutch Maid Logistics.

Just trying to help a guy that's down; staying out of the blame part, because I don't know what I'd have done in your situation. I already posted that. The accident could actually BE your larger hurdle; I'm not sure. Couldn't hurt to go back to CRST as Stevo said, or give Dutch Maid a call.

Best to ya~!!

Anne :)

You don't expect people to keep their word? If someone says that they are going to call you, you don't have every expectation that they will? Truthfully, this was a continuation of TransAm being interviewed by me. Any transaction of labor services goes both ways. An interview goes both ways. I had already felt like TransAm was leaving me stranded at a terminal with no food, no water, no place to lay down if I get tired before I decided to leave. This is in the Texas heat in the middle of summer. No, I wasn't going to call them if they didn't call me to tell me the truck was ready. They showed me how they treat their drivers. If I had gotten a call from the shop, I would have followed through on my commitment to drive for them. But, I never got a call from the shop, so my point-of-view was that they had let me go without telling me. TransAm failed to communicate and it is as simple as that. I had been in contact with the shop manager who told me WE will call YOU. Every place I have ever worked, that means leave us the hell alone until you hear from us.

This is hilarious how much people on here want to rewrite the narrative on my experience to be a situation where the company did nothing wrong and I did everything wrong. Whatever makes you sleep better at night and makes you feel like you have done your part for the trucking industry. ✌️👍

I went to sleep and never got a call until 2:30 the next afternoon.

It boggles my mind you never called the company as soon as the office opened.

Were you hoping they would spoonfeed you?

Cross that bridge when I come to it.

Right. You're MVR may be clean in a year, and you'll have a stale CDL in under six months. What happens then, Kerry? The top carriers won't be calling you with job offers.

I have heard people say that, but I have known people with a 4 year old CDL never used get into trucking. Because of my accidents, time is on my side.

So then re=apply at CRST do teams for 10 months. They really ain't that bad, time does fly by too. I tried Gardners for 2 months, wasn't for me sitting more than driving. Returned to CRST, found a new co driver (he and I get along great, so this should be last co) lol

Got another 2019 truck, and we are driving the miles ! burnin up clocks, on another 2800 mile load back to NW area of Portland n Seattle.....

Ur CDL will be considered stale prolly in a month or 2, medical card dont mean diddly if you're not DRIVING.....Time is NOT on your side. So suck it up buttercup, and jump into a drivers seat ANYPLACE.

I never got to CRST. Due to COVID-19, CDL school was shutdown. I decided that I did not want to go teaming once I finished CDL school. CRST seemed just fine. I just chose not to be forced to team. With CRST and CR England, teaming is not an option.

Kerry had an attitude problem on here a bit over seven months ago, too. Very apparent after reading his very first TT post.

Supposedly, he had a pre-hire letter from CRST at that time. Obviously, that company wasn't to his liking either, just like Trans Am.

I do have all the names of the people with whom I had been communicating. I didn't think driving home was a big deal because I was cleared for doing a daily commute before orientation began. I made sure they understood that I was not staying at the hotel for personal reasons. I don't have any desire to go back to TransAm. I would rather put beginning my CDL career on hold before going back to TransAm. I have a warehouse job I just started, so I feel secure until I can make myself more hireable by the personal vehicle accidents become less relevant over time.

I wouldn't give up. I would make an appointment with an HR manager and explain. The happen. And yeah... I would have been in a motel or not told them I was going home if I lived that close. What if you were eating at a restaurant... It would take you time to get back. Do you have the names of the HR people you talked to who told you to be back at a certain time? Had you not been communicating, you wouldn't have known it was at KW. And yes it is normal to tow the trucks because a non Trucker will take one from the terminal to be repaired then tow one back. Prime has prime employee tow drivers who do this.

Not everyone who has something negative to say about a company has an attitude problem. I never said that no one has been successful at TransAm. I have no doubt that there are quite a few drivers who have been very successful there over the years. It doesn't mean that it isn't a bad company. It's not a good business model is what I mean by saying it is a bad company. I am not looking to argue points with you, so please don't feel the need to respond back telling me how I don't have enough experience in trucking to know whether or not it is a bad business model. It's my opinion held by quite a few other people, so we will leave it at that.

I really doubt that TransAm wants me back and I have no desire to go back, so the separation is mutual, at this point. No, I am not quitting. I am going on with my life and I will look at employment opportunities in trucking when fewer accidents in the last 3 and 5 years makes me more employable. Basically, the Spring of next year one of my accidents (personal vehicle accidents) will be 5 years old. Another of my accidents (again, personal vehicle) will be more than 3 years old. Two accidents in the last 5 years and one in the last 3 years will be much easier to find a trucking job than what I have right now, which is 3 in the last 5, and 2 in the last 3.

No, I don't have any issues. You are trying to take my shared experience with this one company and create your own impression of who I am. You wouldn't do that with a trucking company, so why are you doing it with a person? I could say that based on this one comment that you have an attitude problem. But, that isn't fair. No person is defined by a single moment. Otherwise, we would all be horrible people because we have all had moments where we have not shown the best of what humanity is. I know from other comments of yours thst I have read over, some of which go back years, that you give solid advice and insight. So, even though you missed the mark on identifying my character, I will not use it as an indictment on yours. See how that works? We are not defined by a single moment, especially something like a decision to not sit out in the heat any longer.

Lastly, I really didn't bad mouth TransAm. Everything that I shared about TransAm is true. My own opinions are exactly that. If you doubt what I have said about the company in the way that it operates, call them. They don't hide anything. I will give TransAm that; unlike some starter companies, they will tell a person everything upfront. I get it. Someone comes on here talking about a negative experience and often it is the person trashing the company. Other than the trucks breaking down, everything I have described about TransAm is 100% true and verifiable. If that equates to bad mouthing, well you confirm that it's a bad company. No different from any industry, there are great trucking companies, good trucking companies, companies for just getting started in trucking, and bad trucking companies. And, what is good or great for one, may not be for another. The situation I faced probably doesn't happen very often at TransAm. I might be the first time in years anything like that has happened. The lack of professionalism among the HR reps is indicative of the lack of quality of the company. I am not saying they lacked professionalism because of what happened. They lacked professionalism because they didn't act professional. What ended up happening further revealed a lack of professionalism.

Life sometimes involves things not going as planned because life involves interacting with a lot of imperfect people. I didn't expect back in January when I was trying to get funding to go to CDL school that I would have the funding in March, only to see the school shutdown due to a global pandemic. But, I adjusted and reassessed my timeline. I didn't expect that my first week of CDL school I would end up having an accident in my personal vehicle. But, it happened, so because of that I am having to reassess my timeline.

As to applying myself and all of that, yes, I will do that. It just won't be at TransAm. I think that is fine by TransAm and it is fine by me. You being completely removed from the situation, I see no reason why it wouldn't be fine by you.

Here comes BLUNT...

Kerry...has it occurred to you that maybe, just maybe your attitude needs some adjusting? WTF would you bad mouth the only company willing to give you a chance?

It’s not TransAm Man, it’s you! We’ve seen drivers be successful there. Get on with it...be a driver for them, you’ll rise to the top if you make an effort and apply yourself.

Yes. All of them in my area want experience. This is especially the case when you have an unemployment rate closing in on 15%.

Just a thought as a last resort!!! Have you considered looking at local construction or excavating companies? Maybe driving a Tri-axle dump or hauling their heavy equipment around? They may be more lenient with the accidents. Work for them so your CDL doesnt go stale and try for OTR down the road when the accidents are older