Trying To Join Celadon

I didn't purposely abandon the program, I started it then had to refocus on getting a company to offer me the opportunity to train. I'll be starting back on it very soon - I don't want to go there empty-headed. Thank you for such an awesome resource (and yes, I've decided it was awesome based on however many pages I did so far!)

Guys I'm getting different stories on how Celadon cdl works. I'm in the class before you and have a co driver with me in same class. We got two different letters to join he got one that said the basic same thing and I got one with the 240,000mile requirement and that's going to take more that a 12 month span to do.

If you guys locate any better info please pass it to me. I have a second Co. that will train in 3 weeks and its a pay deduct course but only 1,100.00 and 12 months in a Reefer. I will turn around at the door if I find out I have to do any thing different than I was told.

I will turn around at the door if I find out I have to do any thing different than I was told.

You're probably going to be doing a lot of turning around then in the trucking industry. Not only do plans and company policies change quite frequently, but the recruiters are paid a bonus for bringing drivers in so they have a way of "bending the truth" sometimes.

Listen, that first year is basically just a learning experience. It doesn't matter that much which company you're with or how the setup is structured, you're going to make about the same money that first year no matter where you go.

Now I can understand not wanting to team for 6-12 months so if you're really adamant about that or some other policy then make sure you know what the company will have you doing. You may have to get information from several different sources within the company to verify things that are important to you. But don't get too worked up over the length of training, how long you'll be teaming, or other company policies. Approach that first year like on the job training and just roll with it. Take it as it comes - one day at a time. Get that one year of safe driving under your belt and then you'll be able to steer your career in any direction you like.

Oh, remember one other thing too - Your Trainer Will Test You On Far More Than Just Your Driving Skills and so will dispatch. They'll test your resolve, your patience, and your dedication. They might change a policy just to see who's going to quit the first time they hear something they don't like. They might change your plans just to see who loses their marbles every time something unexpected comes up.

Trucking is hard. Everything changes all the time. There's a lot of pressure, erratic sleep patterns, tough traffic, terrible weather, and a litany of other obstacles. Companies will test you right away to see if you can hack it. If not, they want you out as soon as possible so you waste as little of their time and money as possible.

I'm going to make a call right now to my recruiter to find out exactly how these miles work out. Be back with an update.