I Have Almost Made It.

Yeah I should have been here two weeks ago. But my trainer wanted to change trucks mid stream.

We came in for my 2 week evil.......... at 4 weeks. At 2 weeks, I was doing a 34 in CA. LOL

Any way. He wanted to swap from his International to a Volvo. Not a bad swap. Except before we even got out, it broke down.

To make a very long story short, I was down for three weeks while the truck was in the shop.

Finally they put me with a different trainer. Finished today.

Tomorrow I go in to take my final road test and finish up. I would be jumping for joy except they have no trucks to sign out.

Three students over the last three weeks were sent home to wait for a truck.

Right now I am keeping calm. Waiting to see what tomorrow brings.

I came to school to get a job and become a truck driver. I didn't do all this work to be told, go home and wait.

Right now I am waiting and hoping.

Keep it safe out here. Joe S

Oh man....thats harsh....you go thru school...go out with your trainer...do everything you have to do...finish up...and they say WE DON"T HAVE A TRUCK FOR YOU !!!!!!!! WTH !!! and to top it all off...you are THIRD in line for a truck...crap... Enjoy your time...and lets hope you are better than the other trainees, and they want you in a truck asap.

I guess it depends on what company you work for but waiting for a truck does happen. That was a rough start for you but it'll work out.

I guess it depends on what company you work for but waiting for a truck does happen. That was a rough start for you but it'll work out.

LOL

Rough start. You don't know the half of it. I have only hit the high points here. LOL

Several of us could just about write a book on the issues we have had here.

I have said it before and I will say it again. I know this is new to them. The school is just over a year old and they are having growing pain. The bad thing is, they don't seem to be learning by their mistakes.

Keep it safe out here. Joe S

Joe, that really sucks. I've heard from a couple of other people that they're doing a lousy job of running that school and you're confirming that also. That's a shame. And when you say they don't seem to be learning from their mistakes, that sounds like typical stubborn management to me. You probably have all of the drivers, instructors, and staff trying to tell management what's working and what isn't, but try to tell someone in management that some of their ideas aren't working. Good luck with that! They went to college after all - they know everything!

I'm not going to try to sugarcoat lousy management and a poorly run school, but I will say that all of this will only amount to a tiny drop in an ocean of water when you look back on it someday. Missing a few weeks here and there and going through a poorly organized training program won't even register in your career earnings and your trucking experience when you look back on it all even a year or two from now.

I love that you're trying like crazy to stay positive and be patient. You'll be thanking yourself endlessly for that and you'll be rewarded in the months and years to come. People who are new to the trucking industry don't realize how tenuous those first months of training and running solo really are. It's easy to say a few wrong things to the wrong people or make a few critical mistakes and find yourself out of a job and having one h*ll of a time trying to get back into the industry.

So more than anything I hope you'll continue to be positive and patient with the whole thing. The trucking industry, like most industries in the modern U.S., is just riddled with poor management. This is far from the last time you're going to have to deal with poor policies, poorly equipped trucks, inefficient logistics software, poor dispatching and load planning structures, and all sorts of general poor management. It happens everywhere in trucking and it's something we all deal with.

One time years ago I worked for TRL and they had locked doors and bullet proof glass separating the office staff from the drivers. Just a few months before I started working there a driver drove into the terminal , walked inside, and shot his dispatcher in the back of the head. I can promise you right now there isn't an experienced trucker in America that hasn't wanted to do that 1000 times. I'm one of the nicest, most positive and patient people you'll ever meet and even I've found myself trying to keep my head from exploding 1000 times they had me so worked up over the years. But I would vent it in the solitude of my own truck and once I felt better I would speak professionally with the staff. The first time you "go off" on dispatch or management will almost certainly be your last and it will be quite regrettable.

So hang in there man! We're totally behind you and we've all been through a ton of aggravating situations like that. Your great attitude and having the patience of a saint will help you navigate this properly so that your career and your mental health remain in great shape.

Finally done.

I did get assigned a truck. However, I have to head to Richmond VA to pick it up. LOL.

19 Hours on a bus. Anyone out there coming through Indy and want a rider?

Just kidding.

I am to go home for the Holidays and to get my license transferred. Indiana has it messed up so I hope my home state can fix it.

Just a few more days then I am on the road solo.

Keep it safe out here. Joe S

They won't fly you to pick up your truck?

Joe, Congratulations! There you go, that was almost a painless wait for that initial truck. Just one word of caution Joe, be mentally prepared to find a huge mess on the inside of that truck. Unless you are very fortunate you will have a mess to clean up when you get there. Don't know why it is but I can't begin to tell you how many horror stories I've heard about abandoned trucks. My own personal experience only confirmed all the stories I'd heard, but I hope you get lucky on this matter!

They won't fly you to pick up your truck?

There were three of us coming to the same general area. VA and NC. Insted of renting a car for us, they spent almost 600 dollars for bus tickets.

If I would have drove, I could have been here in 8 hours. It has just past the 17 hour make and I am still on the bus.

The other two drivers were going to Greensboro. About 2 hours more. They were to be on the bus for 24 hours.

Sometimes things just don't make sense.

Keep it safe out here. Joe S

Joe, Congratulations! There you go, that was almost a painless wait for that initial truck. Just one word of caution Joe, be mentally prepared to find a huge mess on the inside of that truck. Unless you are very fortunate you will have a mess to clean up when you get there. Don't know why it is but I can't begin to tell you how many horror stories I've heard about abandoned trucks. My own personal experience only confirmed all the stories I'd heard, but I hope you get lucky on this matter!

All of our shops have detailers to clean the trucks when they are brough in.

The only thing I am really cocerned with is the physical codition of the truck inside.

They will fix mechanical things but not what they call cosmetic.

But I have my truck. Well I soon will have.

Keep it safe out here. Joe S