So I Missed My Bus.....

Title says it all. Went to leave my small little town and head over to Salem at about 6, had some stuff to take care of before leaving. Had to be there at 8 to get the ticket, 8:30 to leave and catch the bus (when it departed). Only a 20 hour trip, not bad. So, my car wouldn't start! Some of the time that happens, and it usually takes 10 minutes of starting and messing with the battery terminals to get the car to start. Nope. Over an hour. So at 7 I start calling the few friends I have in this area (I spend most of my time with my family, not too many friends locally). The car ended up starting, when I was suppose to be there (nearly). I couldn't afford a cab, the ride is about 50 minutes from my house. The only money I have enough for the food when I'm there, and not very much ether. Wife was going to send more when money came in and I was at school. So I feel screwed now, that I have little chance of the school taking me. What's the chance the ticket can be changed? I really, desperately want to start this new career. I tried everything that I could to get to the bus station today. If it makes any difference, the school is CR England.

Jered, just get on the phone with your recruiter and tell them what happened. Hopefully they will set you up for the next group getting started. It's not a good start though. What the heck is your wife gonna do with that car while your gone?

Going through a training program like this is stressful, and I've personally been to enough orientations to know that the folks who show up with little or no money usually have an extra hard time of it. If there is any way you can do something to set aside some money for this it will ease the transition. I understand if you can't, sometimes we just do the best we can.

Jered, just get on the phone with your recruiter and tell them what happened. Hopefully they will set you up for the next group getting started. It's not a good start though. What the heck is your wife gonna do with that car while your gone?

Going through a training program like this is stressful, and I've personally been to enough orientations to know that the folks who show up with little or no money usually have an extra hard time of it. If there is any way you can do something to set aside some money for this it will ease the transition. I understand if you can't, sometimes we just do the best we can.

Doesn't Prime advance you something like $200 a week during school if you need it? (Prime drivers please correct me if I'm wrong.) It comes out of your paycheck later but at least it's interest free.

Might be an option for you, Jared, if you don't even have enough money to get through school.

I'm not suggesting you just jump ship before you even starts, but if CR England decides not to give you another shot at school Prime might be a good place to go if you can.

Good luck

Jared, you shouldn't have a problem. As suggested, get in touch with your recruiter or hiring specialist and they should set you up for next week. I would also have a back up ride in case your car let's you down again. Things happen for a reason and perhaps you just weren't meant to start this week. Just be sure to give it all you got when you get there!

Also, though you won't get anything for the first ten days, until you pass and are hired on officially, once you are hired you can get a $50 advance every three days, that they will recover from your first paycheck once you're on the road with a trainer. If you have to wait for a trainer, you'll receive $25/day detention pay beginning the fourth day once you're an employee.

We started with few funds and it was TOUGH, but we survived. From experience, I caution you to be very judicious with any advances. They kill your next paycheck!

Hope that helps! Best of luck!!

Thanks for all of the replies guys. I got screwed over my unemployment, so I'm living off of about 500 a month right now from state assistance. It's awful. It's barely doable at all. So funds are extremely tight. I can make a little money stretch for food until I'm hired on, I know I can do that. We've had to eat really smart before with what you spend. The thing that bothers me more is not having a way back. I don't have any family or anything that can help me out in Utah. So if I get there and fail the agility, or I'm forced into a sleep study, I'll be stranded for a month, possibly more depending on the ticket cost.

I understand the reasons for the studies, though I've never had a sleeping problem with insomnia, and being a very light sleeper. I think of that more as being a father though, and my son having health problems when he was an infant. I had to be a light sleeper and it kind of stuck. I've always had insomnia, but melitonin helped with that. The doctor I saw here said because of my age mainly, that he didn't see a problem with giving me the two year card. He did say that if It's like this in two years from now, the weight doesn't change, then he said I'll have to have a sleep study. I've been losing weight, I lost just under 35 pounds over the last 4 or so months.

The agility test has me a tiny bit worried. Like I said, I'm a big dude. I'm 6 foot 7 and big. I read that you have to get in and out of the trailer, the cap, both with three points of contact I think. Which I wont have a problem with. Though having to walk under the trailer, touch the fence, and back, that seems like it might be difficult. If I had to get under the trailer I could do that. I just wouldn't be under it squatted down. I went next to my father in laws truck when he had a trailer on it. I squatted next to it, and it still hit my head. And this is squatting down ass to grown, where you would waddle under. So I'm not sure how they go about it, as I couldn't find anything on Youtube about this or anything. I tried calling the doctor today, they gave me the number for the doctor and recommended that I ask him all of these questions. I plan on doing so. I couldn't get in touch today.

I spoke to the recruiter, everything is fine. They pushed it out for the 6th. I'm hoping everything goes good with the doctor and what he says. I know my weight is a problem, and it's something I'm working on a lot. Just hope it doesn't stop me from getting this started. Thanks you guys!

Jared I would not worry to much about getting stuck in salt lake. Right down the street from the crEngland is Swift. When. I was a mentor for Swift I got 1 guy that washed out of crEngland and went to work for Swift. when I was in school we had 3 people not pass, they just needed more time. 1 went to work for Swift and one went to work for crEngland. Dont know what happens to the 3rd one. There is a good amount of trucking company doing training in salt lake so give it 110% and if you don't make the cut with England go to the next one. Best of luck.

There's also Knight and Pride. 😊

Jared, if you can get under the trailer, make it to the fence band back without touching the trailer, or your hands, knees or backside touching the ground, you'll be fine.

The problem is with my criminal record. I've called quite a few other companies, they're not willing to take me. Only misdemeanor, but still. It's a no go with anyone else I've contacted that has a training program. I can get under the trailer, though I might be on my hands and knees doing it, just crawling. I don't have a problem getting dirty or anything. My jeep has had nothing but problems, and I crawl under that thing a ton. I guess it all depends on how tall the trailer is that they have setup, that will depend on if I can do it or not. With how tall I am, it could make it difficult. I tried finding some videos, I couldn't find anything. If anyone has an idea of the height of the trailer they would use, I could judge it better off of that.

Same height as a trailer attached to a truck. They want to know you can check the king pin/fifth wheel securement, do a proper pre trip, and I don't think on your hands and knees will be accepted.

The problem is with my criminal record. I've called quite a few other companies, they're not willing to take me. Only misdemeanor, but still. It's a no go with anyone else I've contacted that has a training program. I can get under the trailer, though I might be on my hands and knees doing it, just crawling. I don't have a problem getting dirty or anything. My jeep has had nothing but problems, and I crawl under that thing a ton. I guess it all depends on how tall the trailer is that they have setup, that will depend on if I can do it or not. With how tall I am, it could make it difficult. I tried finding some videos, I couldn't find anything. If anyone has an idea of the height of the trailer they would use, I could judge it better off of that.

I'm baffled about this, but Swift just "approved" a friend of mine from college who just committed a felony a few months back. I was really happy for him, obviously, but I really didn't Swift would give him the ok. The reason I say "approved" and not "hired" is that he still has to go through school, but they already talked to his parole officer and gave him the ok to start company-sponsored training. There's still a chance they could turn him down after school, but as long as he was 100% up front with them so far, I think he'll be in the clear after school.

My point--if Swift is willing to give my friend a chance, I don't doubt you will find a way to get into trucking if it somehow doesn't work out with CR England.

Good luck