Have A Serious Question...

After a long hard day I'm finally back at the hotel for my last day. This morning was rough. Being stressed out and questioning everything (plus sunburnt face and little sleep) really made it hard. But once I made the decision to stay, it was smooth sailing after that! My range work was pretty dang decent and I managed to get my 45 between trailers done. It took awhile and a little wiggling and head scratching and playing with angles but I got it in the hole! I feel 1000 times better about this now than I did this morning. I'm meeting my trainer hopefully tomorrow and I am excited!

I am glad you stayed. I know you were concerned about the amount of training time, but I think getting into this career is so nerve wracking that no matter how much time you have, it will never feel like enough. Your trainers won't move you forward as a driver if they don't think you can succeed. You will feel undertrained and nervous at first as you face new challenges alone, but this is a good support group and the people here will answer any questions as long as you have what it takes to fight your way thrlugh these first few months. :) I went through 4 weeks of cdl training and didn'g feel quite confident moving on to otr training. I was only out 9 days with my trainer and that definitely didn't feel like enough, but he said I was ready to be solo. Over a year later, it seems he was right

Yeah!!! That's awesome.

That's the way to approach it. Your success in this industry is up to you. It's not about the company you work for. A great driver will get great miles and make good money at any major company out there. There's no such thing as a major company that can't give a great driver great miles. So go out there and show them you intend to be as good as anyone out there. Once you've proven that, you're golden. If your miles are slow you can always say, "Listen, you know I'm awesome so you have to keep me rolling. Even if freight is slow overall I'm one of the ones that deserves to keep moving. So let's go. Talk to someone and tell em to find me some good miles."

And trust me, if you handle yourself right they'll make sure you get the miles. And I haven't looked up their pay but I'll bet it goes up in a huge way by the end of that first year. So you learn everything you can, work hard, and stay safe. That's all that matters. Your company knows what they're doing. They'll make sure they take care of you once you've proven you're one of the good ones that's gonna stay around for a while. You'll see.

The road is gonna be pretty bumpy for the next six months, but trust me, it is for everyone. Have as much fun with it as you can and try to relax and trust yourself. It's only trucking after all and you're plenty capable of doing it so never doubt that. The only golden rule is don't hit anything. That's really the only thing that matters. So when you get stressed out just take a deep breath and remember it's not that hard to simply not run into things. You might take a long time getting backed in somewhere and feel dumb. So what. You'll get lost a few times and feel dumb. But so what. Everyone has already made every mistake you'll make and a million more you wouldn't believe.

So just be prepared for all of the ups and downs and view it all as the grandest adventure imaginable. I mean, you're driving an American Big Rig in the 21st century. Only a tiny percent of the human population can ever hope to even see one in person, let alone do it for real like you are.

So go out there and have fun with it. Put everything you have into it and see where it takes you. Trust me, if you want an amazing life you can definitely find it out there on the road. There's nothing like it.

Congratulations Chickie Monster on your good solid decision!

Brett gave you some really great advice when he said this:

The road is gonna be pretty bumpy for the next six months, but trust me, it is for everyone. Have as much fun with it as you can and try to relax and trust yourself. It's only trucking after all and you're plenty capable of doing it so never doubt that.

I want you to try and remember those words. Everybody struggles at breaking into this career at the beginning. It is such a drastic change in lifestyle, and it is like no other job most folks have ever experienced. There are times of loneliness, stress, and just plain old disillusionment and confusion over "why in the world did I ever get myself into this?" That first three to six month is really challenging, and you already know how challenging it can be to your own mind and emotions. I remember a couple of times when I first started doing this that I would just literally burst into tears while I was driving down the road. I can't even explain why, but sometimes a strange wave of loneliness would just hit me and I would want to throw in the towel.

On top of all that, you've got to be closed up in the cab of a truck with a total stranger for your training - there is a whole new level of stress attached to that time period, and you have just got to hang in there and put those "big girl pants" on as many times in the day as it requires - I think you know what I mean. You'll get tired of putting those things on, but you will have to do it if you want to get past the frustrations of being a new driver and get to the place where you can actually enjoy what you are doing.

I wish you the best Chickie, and want you to feel free jump in here with any concerns you have - collectively, I think we've seen it all. If you've got an issue, I think we can help you.

It sounds like you've got a really supportive husband, and that is vitally important - My Kudos to him!

Hey girl, this wasn't TransAm was it?

So a small hotel bill in exchange for a company that will pay at least 5 grand more annually. Sounds like that hotel bill would be worth paying yourself.

My thoughts exactly. It makes more sense in the long run. I had a gut feeling from day one of orientation that this wasn't the right place for me and I wish now I had listened to it sooner. After a long conversation with my husband tonight I've decided to go ahead and leave tomorrow and start over. I still have some unemployment left to get me through but I hope to be in with my back up company as quick as possible.

I'm not the one to trash talk or bad mouth a company. And I don't have any reason to tell someone not to go with TransAm. Their equipment is amazing ( although I've discovered I don't really like the Kenworths. I've found myself missing the old beat up Freightshaker I drove in school!) and the perks are there. It's simply not the right fit for me personally.

I really should read the ENTIRE post before commenting. haha, and if there is a way to tag Brett, can you add a way to edit or delete your own posts? lol

Thanks to everyone for the awesome advice!

Old school you are so right! I didn't get to where I am by being a scaredy cat. I got here because I've got determination, strength and a little bit of tiger in me! I get to doubting myself and I am my own worst enemy.

So in light of everything that's been said, and with the support of my amazing husband, I have decided to stick this out and see it through. I had to dig deep and pull out my inner Chickie Monster but I know I can do this!

I haven't figured out a way to contact people individually yet. How are your miles going? steady? how many? I'm going to Kansas on Monday! :)

I already have my CDL. I got a WIA grant and went to private school. I don't owe anything. I have a back up option in mind and I don't think I will have a problem getting on with them. My driving record is nearly perfect and I have no criminal background so no strikes against me.

My biggest problem here is the training time. You only get 11 days on the road with a trainer. Now that I'm here and back in a truck, I'm seeing that this is definitely not good for me. I need time to work through things and get somewhat comfortable with what I'm doing before getting thrown out on my own. There's no option of asking for more time either.

Secondary to this is the pay. The company is significantly lower than every other company out there. And I keep hearing that company drivers don't get the best miles with them. So it's not working out financially for me. I could stay at home and work another factory job and be home every night and make nearly the same amount of pay.

I have no interest in leasing and I don't like feeling like I'm being told that the only way I'm gonna make any money is by leasing.

Brett closed the PM link a week or so ago.

Your questions, and ChickieMonster's answers are good info for anyone, so they can be posted here, in front of God and everybody!

Things are going fairly well! The miles are steady and they always have a pre plan ready for me when I'm done with one run. I've had some issues with the truck but it's mostly been minor things.

I haven't gotten great miles but I've had to go home twice since I've been solo so it's bee kind of crazy. I e are going to be out for a month solid so I should be able to give a better picture of the miles soon!

You can keep up with me in my other thread. "This is the Life". I'm due for a delivery so I'll post the link later.

"This is the Life"