Profile For Brian M.

I'm brand new to this whole thing, got my Class B with a transport school bus co. and A JOB , now getting ready to "private school" to get my Class A, so I can have a solid backround. Have learned alot from reading threads on here from the experienced folks. I owned a restaurant for years prior to this Virus thing. ( which is why I m exploring a new career ) Used to have "chefs" with 18 months of culinary school apply to work and then tell me how they were ready for it all, but had a hard time meeting the demands of the industry to help make the Place a success, while wondering when their pay was gonna increase or weather they should go look for another golden opportunity....Just sayin... no matter where you work or what you do, you only get out of something as much as you re willing to put in. ... in any case Sounds like ya picked an appropriate handle there...

Oh I got it now ! Thanks... I figured there was something I wasn t getting. appreciate the note .

Hello Brett, I found this sight a few weeks back and really enjoy it and now I check in daily. I used High road and passed my NY CLP tests first Time and my first road test yesterday ( B-School Bus), for starters , I start A school next week, couldnt have done it by just using the NY book so thanks a million for that ,, as well following the forum and the advice given from the moderators on attitude and the like to help understand alot of it. Those guys ( and gals) are great and I hope to meet em on the road some day. I'm new here, and don't want to be a pest, but just curious while you re in the "revamp" mode ... I wish the forum threads stacked the other way.. I read a post and the advice/response and then I come back later to see additional responses from more opinions are here and have to scroll thru the responses to get to the most recent. some subjects get a good number and I kinda have to figure out if I read that one already or not. If the latest response showed up first, Id simply watch the the post time to see when I was last on and scroll down to that one to get filled in. ...Maybe there is a reason it goes that way, that I don't get, its not gonna stop me from following along ... thanks again

Thanks Old School. I always enjoy your responses to folks on here. and your sense of encouragement and reality is a blessing to all. I defiantly have the confidence that I can do this or whatever I put my mind to, My work career in the restaurant business over the years has taught me a work ethic I m proud of and I ve been accused of reinventing myself several times thru my life. I always tell my kids and those i ve mentored..." do something you love and you 'll never WORK a day in your life" I see things from both sides and know you only get back what you put in. I remember a post from Brett that spoke to if all truck professionals , acted and carried themselves as Professionals the public would have a higher respect for them. Thats how I plan to go thru. Im not worried about competition for work from immigration or anyone else I do believe if you perform , you ll rise to the top you only compete with yourself. I just mention that because I m a couple years back on the tax thing and dont want it to stone me or kill my program... Thanks for your insight.

I ve been researching getting into this for some time. since the world is changing. I ve been in the restaurant business for most of my life, at 60 I still feel young enough to be productive and having been an owner , I have the ambition and work ethic to understand ( nor do I have and allusions that this is a tough racket and you have to perform) what a company needs to have from drivers to be successful. I found this site about a month ago and really enjoy reading the blogs and advice from the moderators and contributors and appreciate the "truth" about what it is about out there. I have used High Road Training and studied for awhile as well as cruised the internet and talked to local guys I know that work at this. I ve taken and passed my CDL permit test ( thanks to this sight ) have a CLP with passenger and school bus endorsements and it sounds like there is a ton of work out there ...if you re willing to work. I got hired with a School Bus Transportation Co and have gone thru there training for a few weeks and they are pretty impressed and have me scheduled for my road test for next Thursday, (I am not a bragger) I never thought I would make it this quick, but once I got up in that big 42 ft bus and weaseled around some tight steering maneuvers in inner city streets and understood control and air brakes and mirror usage and backing successfully. I was blown away at my own abilities , besides the bug hit me that I just love the feeling of being in control of a "rig" like that. Now don't get me wrong I'm not saying swinging a school bus around with all that takes is the same as a 80k pound rig with a trailer in all conditions by any means. but it makes you understand the responsibility and need for safety and skill it takes to respect the road and realize the poor habits of 4 wheelers underfoot! Anyway, at the same time I had been applying to them I looked into and signed up for driving school with Sage in my area of Upstate NY., I want to get my CDL-A and really pursue this. Notwithstanding that schools have been shut down again for who knows how long due to the "VIRUS" so there is hardly any work. I know the general consensus on here is "get with a company , stay committed, and don't waste your money... but my thought is Im Really a rookie to this work and would not want to try and get hired ,,, into a training program without having a basic knowledge of brakes and gauges and backing and pre tripping and the like and I realize that after that course Id still be pretty green. The area does seem to have some opportunities for CDL-A work with limited experience and I am not in the position to head out on the open road just yet, although thats in the future ...I have the time and the loot to do the schooling and testing now. My question becomes.. I have worked for myself for the last few years and have flown under the radar with limited documentation of income... will that become a stumbling block trying to get hired with trucking co s due to regulations or their policies? I hold liquor licenses and permits and such but some blogs have guys that were taking care of family saying they ve been turned down..due to lack of w-2s.. Id hate to spend a bunch of cash and find out i don't fit the need... whats gonna happen when or if Immigration opens up and the industry has a flood of those applicants?? Any insight is greatly appreciated..

I spent about 2 weeks researching and reading and contemplating,. The Bus driving job called me back 3 times to ask if I was ready to start. They are jonesing for help cause so many people cant pass the drug test! Sage School said they start classes every 2 weeks and like to keep them limited to 6-8 at a time and for drive time its 1 to one with the instructor. then when I wanted to sign up they postponed me 2 weeks because they had an experienced trainer coming back after a leave cause he lost his wife after 50 years, and the manager thought I would get a better experience if I waited. so I went to get a drug test and studied for about a week with the state book and then I found this sight, I'm telling you that this practice test lay out and format taught me alot more than just reading the state manual, the way they track your mistakes and force review before moving in to more info. plus the explanations at the bottom of the question really help. I also spent time on UTUBE to get a better understanding of the actual controls of air brakes and stuff that you really need a physical reference to be able to understand properly. and how they are applied etc and that really made it a lot clearer. during that time I got a DOT physical and scheduled my permit tests, I live upstate NY and alot of DMVs are closed so I had to test 50 miles away and make an appt. Don,t rush into DMV unless you re confident you got the basics down. the questions on the actual test are pretty much the same as the practice but they ask some a little differently and it can throw ya when you are feeling under pressure. I start with the bus company on Monday and Sage the following Monday!

Hey I m brand new and have been contemplating this career as a second new lease on life. ...I ve signed up for Sage school ( and I hope thats the right decision.

Be sure to post your progress. I downloaded the CDL manual to begin studying for my permit test; my study skills aren't what they used to be so it might be a few weeks before I feel ready to take it...lol.

Hey I m brand new and have been contemplating this career as a second new lease on life. ... I ve been a chef for my whole life ( plus done some other stuff) and own a restaurant, which as you may guess is a nightmare with this Virus and all, let alone the work ethic of the younger generation.. so I think its time to "exit stage left" . I started out answering an ad for school bus drivers and that they would pay ya an train ya to get your license. Just to keep busy during the idle times I have available, and like every kid, I ve been fascinated by the these rigs and always wanted to drive one. That got me doing some research and I came across this site and really appreciate Brett A putting it together. I ve learned a ton by looking at the whole thing and reading the imput from experienced guys. I have no illusions of grandeur that this can be a tough job and I have always approached any thing similar knowing you only get out what you put in.. I am 61 yaers old but feel like a 25 year old ...and I'm 165lbs soakin wet so I m thinking haulin lumber or metal coils and securing tarps are not the direction I ll be headin... BUT, as I ve read the stuff Brett talks about , I think Im more cut out for this than I ever thought. Be professional , look good, work hard, aim to please, don't feel entitled ( my girlfriend says she thinks I m too pretty and the roughnecks in the rest areas are gonna lovvvve me !! ) I think since I ve been a owner for a long time and understand you don't get anything for nothing ... this is a great adventure. I ve signed up for Sage school ( and I hope thats the right decision. My motive is , I m not able to disappear from obligations till I tie up some loose ends so OTR has to wait a bit , but I have the time to learn the basics, not have to obligate to a 1 year or better contract and there are soo many jobs out there local or daily that I can gain some experience and not disappoint a company giving me a chance. I spent a couple weeks with this sight and the materials, and guess what ... just passed my permit tests yesterday including Passenger and School bus. starting Monday with a bus company and Sage school the the following week. It all depends on your direction, I can't imagine that there is a better time to get into a job where you are a self motivating worker with no Boss breathin down your desk ( as long as you perform),avoiding social gathering of more than 10 people( only 2 seats in them trucks from what I hear!) an having opportunity to work and make money regardless of who's president or who doesn't want to show up for work in todays world. Good Luck man,

I've been lurking for a few months since I've been contemplating driving a truck. I'm leaning toward going to school after the new year, possibly in February. I've pretty much narrowed my choices to Sage or Roadmaster but Prime is not out of the running. I'm leaning toward Roadmaster simply because there is one in my city but I do have the flexibility to attend elsewhere. Any feedback is appreciated.

Hello, so I ve been reading your whole sight and really enjoy all aspects ,, I m scheduled for my permit test for tomorrow, and I am really craming to understand as much as I can without a physical reference. ( Never even been in a big rig before, But I got a bone to pick on the test questions on page 53 question 2 of "combinations"... I keep gettin bounced into the review section cause of missing an answer... the question is all statements are true EXCEPT... Wedge braks are self adjusting...and unless I pick all answers are correct im wrong ...#202... what am I missing? your info says .. "they may be " and that they really aren t even used that much if at all ... any help ?!