Need A Change To A Get Home

I agree Rainy, I'm in one of those harsh moods too. Where are these easy jobs with no demands where you can blame others for your mistakes? Sign me up--- NOT.

I just met a permit student who said that once she gets her CDL that puts her and the trainer on the same level therefore she will decide the importance of what he says. Huh????

I just met a permit student who said that once she gets her CDL that puts her and the trainer on the same level therefore she will decide the importance of what he says. Huh????

In some regards she is right. With that CDL she is able to operate a commercial vehicle that she has the appropriate permits for. As an adult, she also has the same rights and responsibilities as any other adult. Having the same knowledge, or the same responsibilities for the truck, load, and training of she, not so much.

Open up that driver facing camera and pop some corn, this might get interesting.

I didnt mean to come off nasty. It's just that it seems the last three or four posts I read were new people with unrealistic expectations or even demands... and I'm wondering if it is an age thing? Maybe I'm getting old and younger people have easier lives than I did. Idk.

Unrealistic expectations of what trucking is really like has been a career killer for so many people. It's the #1 thing we're working to prevent. So often we see people that are perfectly capable of becoming great drivers get started off with the wrong attitude, unrealistic expectations, and bad information from the wrong sources. Barely a few months in, if they even make it past training, and they're so disillusioned with the whole thing they just walk away for good, never realizing that trucking could have been exactly what they had hoped for but never figuring it out.

It's nearly impossible to give people an accurate picture of what life on the road is really like and what it takes to really thrive in this industry. There's really nothing to compare it to. We make all kinds of analogies, tell all kinds of stories, and give the best advice we can but until you get out there and live it you really have no idea what you're in for.

I just met a permit student who said that once she gets her CDL that puts her and the trainer on the same level therefore she will decide the importance of what he says. Huh????

That's exactly what I mean - people have no idea what it takes to do this job. They think because they've driven their car to fetch groceries that driving a truck is just a bigger car going longer distances.

And the whole "truck drivers are in high demand" thing really throws people off too. They stroll on into their first job with the paint still wet on their CDL thinking they're going to be treated like kings, calling all the shots, and everything is going to be handed to them. When they realize it's an exhausting, gruelling, stressful, lonely life of 18 hour days, tight schedules, heavy traffic, and erratic sleep patterns they're caught completely off guard.

And to be clear, none of what I'm saying is aimed at Chelsea or anyone in particular. These are just general observations from watching thousands of people get started in this industry over the years. If we could just give people the proper expectations and a solid plan for getting through that first year we'd prevent a lot of careers from being ruined before they even really get off the ground.

I just met a permit student who said that once she gets her CDL that puts her and the trainer on the same level therefore she will decide the importance of what he says. Huh????

In some regards she is right. With that CDL she is able to operate a commercial vehicle that she has the appropriate permits for. As an adult, she also has the same rights and responsibilities as any other adult. Having the same knowledge, or the same responsibilities for the truck, load, and training of she, not so much.

Open up that driver facing camera and pop some corn, this might get interesting.

She is right in a "I'm an adult and know when I need to eat" kind of way or talk to me with respect kind of way. When you are on a trainers truck you are living in their HOME. Not just their truck... that means obeying the truck rules of where to put your stuff to driving rules of where to stop for breaks. . And here's a news flash for you. If you think someone who went to a private CDL school a few times a week sharing one truck with 12 students during the summer is going to be able to operate that rig with no instruction in the snow... or up and down mountains. ... cause unless they live in WY or someplace like that they probably didn't see all those conditions. . Then you are mistaken too. Most trainers lease or own their trucks...which means you need to have respect for the info they give you and the requests they make.

Getting the CDL is the easy part... and most people to come to these large companies don't even get that far. When you get in your own truck then you can do and drive the way you want.

I am with the majority in I think the OP should stick with Celadon for a year. I just wanted to point out that XPO pays extra for certain holidays. They also guarantee Christmas at home.

This has been my daily shameless plug for XPO, we'll now continue with our regular scheduled programming.

Far better than badmouthing an employer. Considering the journey you took to get there, it's okay if you toot their horn.

Wow. All i can say is wow. Even if you have an excellent trainer, when you first go solo you find out really fast that training didn't last long enough and there is so much information you still need. Luckily i had several mentors on speed dial.

Somewhere on here is a post about my first solo weeks and it was a true comedy of errors i can look back now and genuinely laugh about. AND I KNEW WHAT TO EXPECT! Despite that, it eas very shocking and humbling in those first runs. OMG then less than a month out a car HIT ME and guess who got a ticket? My DM and safety walked me thru the process of dealing with that and i called my former trainer just bawling despite my having done nothing wrong. Fun times indeed. Some people have expectations that are so unrealistic it simply amazes me.

Think you guys scared her off with all the truthful comments lol

Well it's best to be honest then to waste a school or company's time and money(as well as your own). Seriously, why wreck a career before you ever get started?

My 2 cents.... if you have a problem with celadons pay the fault is yours for not researching enough before you joined on. All companies post the cpm. Stay the year to show other companies you will make a commitment and full fill your obligations. But before you switch. .RESEARCH..

YEPPER !!! Greenhorn rookie, making 46 cpm.

That's why when I see the other trucks go by and I check them out, I have to laugh. Making more as a rookie, than some of their "Up to" pay.

Sorry, just felt the need to chime in.

I'm not making deep-sea diver wages, but it's an honest living, and my DM (FM at Prime) keeps me CONSTANTLY rolling. Pre-planned almost a day before I drop, and seems like 1 hell of a nice guy.