Hello All! New Member Here.

Hello everyone. I have found this website and forum to be extremely informative and even fun, so I thought I should sign up.

I drove for FFE back in the '90s, for about 8 months, and found it too tough to keep going... lack of sleep from too much night driving, and difficult deliveries in big cities back East (which I'm not accustomed to).

I need to try again, and I'm currently shopping private schools. About to pull the trigger at MTI in Castlegar, BC. (I'm a dual citizen.)

Am I about to waste money? It's $15k CDN. I often have more money than sense.

Anyway, hi!

Rick

Hi Rick, and welcome!

You posted your question in the training diaries section. That's no big deal, but far more people read the general discussion section of the forum. Most of your general questions will be better answered if you post them over there, since that's where you'll get the most involvement from the other members.

We don't normally recommend private schools for your CDL. They charge a high tuition, and once they have your money they don't have as much interest in your long-term success. Paid CDL Training Programs offer high value training specific to the company to which you applied. The company will then have a vested interest in not only you getting your license, but also your continued success as you move forward in your career with them.

Take some time to look into the many companies that offer in-house training before making your decision. In the meantime, hop over to the general discussion section with any questions you have. Good luck!

Rick's first attempt at truck driving:

I drove for FFE back in the '90s, for about 8 months, and found it too tough to keep going... lack of sleep from too much night driving, and difficult deliveries in big cities back East (which I'm not accustomed to).

Trucking is, and was back then, a 24/7 type job. No, you don't work those long hours, but you might have to drive at night/0 dark 30 to get your job done. You need to flip the switches in your mind to allow for night driving and any big city.

Assuming you are in Calgary, AB, Canada, and not living in the eastern US, being sent to New England and such is something you could possibly avoid. In searching for companies, look at their service area and whether they do "forced dispatch" or not.

Thanks for the feedback, Turtle & Errol, much appreciated.

Hey! Rick C.,

FFE? I worked for them back in the 90's as well, actually Lisa, a part of FFE. I've got that right don't I? Lisa was affiliated with FFE? Anyway, not important necessarilly. I didn't last near as long as you did though. I left them and went to JBHunt. I worked for them for a year, and believe me, I remember the long nights. 36 hours without sleep. Driving 600 miles on 4 hours sleep. Whew.... lol I think I enjoyed driving at night better back then than I do now though. But, I generally keep everything on day time runs. Even though, I do have to do a little night driving from time to time.

Personally I went paid training this time around, with Swift Transportation, also not necessarilly important.

Good luck!