Wow, What A Strange Ride

Started my CDL career with Desert Truck Driving School in Sparks Nevada, good school, but, you must be self motivated. Jimmy was Great!! Got my CDL-A (after a couple of flubs) 28 days later. Felt high and mighty about myself (HAH-HAH) then the real world started.

Applied with Schneider, Swift and Knight on a Friday. Monday, Schneider called and set an interview for Tuesday, Swift also called and said they would call back Tuesday, Schneider called and the interview went well, they extended an offer and I accepted, start the following week. Swift called while I was on the phone with Schneider, and Knight called 2 hours later, told them both I was going with Schneider, then things started going wrong. Was 1 week late with Schneider start (unemployment check was late, no money to go), but got there late, I thought I was prepared, but was proven wrong real quick. My mistake was that I thought Schneider would take over my training, nope, they "evaluated me", meaning tested my skills with equipment that I was not used to, my evaluator was pretty hard nosed (not sure if he liked "new drivers") Well I failed their evaluation, and was looking for a job again. (school of hard knocks)

Got back to Reno, applied with Swift, accepted for mentoring, started 4 days later. WHEW.... Went out with my mentor, got the kind of driving challenge that I needed, Oregon and Idaho 95, Donner Pass and I80E, the skills he taught me are priceless, (controlling the rig through Jake brake and cruise control, none better) but... he had too many Doctors appts and after 18 days I had 5 days in a hotel and only 83 hours behind the wheel, time to change mentors.... Got a new mentor, and we took off with a "SHOT" 13 states, and some 4300 miles in 6 days, but... then we started getting mechanical problems, Jake brake and cruise, working intermittently and then we started losing coolant somewhere, so truck in shop in Las Vegas, and waiting, waiting, waiting....

oh well, now I'm 1/2 way through the mentoring and back in a motel, let's see what next week brings....

Sounds like you had a rocky start with Schneider, but Swift is a good company to start out with...you are getting an early education in the old "Hurry up and wait" school of trucking..don't take it too hard..just hang in there..pick your trainers brain and keep learning all you can now, cause guarantee you, once you get out on your own, your gonna have a hunnerd and one questions you need answering and nobody around to ask...your experience with Schneider is a good one for all those guys looking to go with them. You might consider doing a separate post where you list it all out start to finish so other guys and gals can know exactly what they're in for..

Welcome aboard Marc!

Hey listen, everyone has a lot of ups and downs during the first few months of their career. Everyone has a unique story when it comes to the specifics, but getting your trucking career underway is always a roller coaster ride like you're going through.

It sounds to me like you're willing to do whatever it takes to get your trucking career underway and it seems like you're handling it with a good attitude. That's exactly the approach you need to take to get your trucking career going.

Just keep rolling with it. Whatever the trucking world throws at you, handle it with a smile and move on to the next challenge.

And hey, since you're sitting around with some time to relax, why don't you read through the free online version of my book Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Truck Driving. It's an easy read. It's really entertaining and informative at the same time. You'll get a lot of great insights into the trucking industry and how things work. You'll also get a feel for some of the challenges that lie ahead.

Keep us updated on how things progress for you, and keep that positive attitude! Remember, all of this is just temporary. Have fun with it. Enjoy the ride.