Wilson Logistics, Darren's Diary

Hello all. I have decided to only post my diary entries when I am home and on a real PC. Looking at than dang phone screen and typing is murder on the eyes. So my process started back on March 11 2020 that's when I made a choice to apply to Wilson Logistics. Within an hour I was contacted by a recruiter and we went over some items on my application and a few other basic questions. At this time he said it would take a few days or so to process everything and I could possibly be in class by March 23 2020 as long as my application was accurate and background checks etc were in order. We played phone tag a few times that day and the next to verify a few items (Previous job related things) but on Friday around noon-ish he called to say I was all set. He also said there was room in the classroom for one more student on March 16 2020 that next Monday. Not wanting to delay I said that would be a definite YES for that option. I spent the rest of the day Friday watching a handful of videos, filling out some online paperwork, emailing permit etc.... Also at the same time getting my personal affairs in order with my home and my wife. They offered to put me on a bus but I chose to drive my own car from SC 854 miles to Springfield MO. Id been on a bus once for 12+ hours and I promised myself NEVER again. I also took into account the whole Covid 19 situation and decided to steer clear of the bus. The company has said they will reimburse my fuel costs up to whatever a bus ticket would have been just keep all receipts. I set out on my journey Sat March 14 2020 and arrived the next afternoon Sunday March 15 2020 checked into the hotel and met my roommate. For the next week I wont bother going into great detail but to sum it all up its basically like this, get up and get picked up at hotel, get to training center and spend a day to day 1/2 in classroom doing more paperwork, meeting people, watching videos and using the simulators. There was a urinalysis drug test mixed in there somewhere also. After that its on the pad doing pre trip, 4 stage brake tests, backing maneuvers and one by one we were singled out to go either bobtail or pull a trailer around the roads by training center. Also somewhere in there they separated us and we were assigned our own hotel room for Covid 19 reasons. On Friday March 20 2020 I was set up with my D seat trainer and we discussed when and where we would meet to head out on the road for the first session of training. My next 16 days were spent on the road. My trainer was excellent and had a great personality. He never made me feel like I couldn't do the tasks at hand and let me drive and back up for 98% of the time we spent on the road. Id say in that 16 days I drove between 5500-6000 miles he drove about 500. I returned to Springfield on April 6 2020, checked back into the hotel and was back in class the next day on the pad practicing my 90's and parallel maneuvers. My CDL test was April 8 2020 @ 10:30 so I even had a few hours that morning to practice again a few times. I was SUPER nervous going into the test because I am NOT a good speaker in situations where I have to speak out loud to a stranger but about 3 min into the pre trip testing that all went away. I tested on a manual transmission and passed all 3 of my tests on the first attempt. I actually even squeaked out a score of 0 on my backing maneuvers. I got a few points on the road test mostly due to my lack of total experience driving a manual transmission in a truck (ground a few down shifts and even lost my gearing positioning once) and by that I mean I have NEVER drove a manual transmission in a truck EVER. After the testing was over there was of course another mountain of paperwork, simulator training scenarios and videos to watch. After that I was set up with my next training session and as luck would have it I am going back out with the same trainer I had for my D seat training. I left Springfield Wednesday April 8 2020 and back at home the following day. Now I am waiting on A DMV appointment for Monday April 13 2020 to turn in my exam paperwork and receive my actual class A license then I can contact my fleet manager and schedule a pick up for 30000 miles of training. A few things I can actually provide as advice for anyone going into driver training. Pay attention to the instructors. Read all the paperwork they give you as the methods they describe are almost an exact science in giving you the knowledge to pass your CDL exam. They may not all apply to the real world situations you will encounter while out with your trainer but they will defiantly apply on the pad and on the test. For the most part IGNORE YOUR CELL PHONE !! leave it in your bag in training center if you cant control yourself. Ask questions, even if you think its stupid. And what I feel is most important is, we are all human beings that live life in our own culture and our own ways. Except for blatant rudeness or disrespect or medical reasons IE smoking there is no wrong and right when it comes to living your life in your own ways and beliefs. When your partnered with someone that may be different that you in the way they live or what they believe weigh your options before you decide you cant deal with a person. Sit down and ask yourself what you can deal with and what values you cherish the most to get through a situation. Example Can you deal with someone snapping gum all day if there polite and train you in a way you can learn best ??? ?

Great post and thank you. Every diary post helps me get more research about what to expect!

Please keep up with this. Wilson Logistics is the company I’m leaning toward and is really love to hear about your experiences with them.

Thanks for the info. I start on the 25th of this month. Due to this virus and safety precautions, MO is filled up and I was asked to go to MT. Of course I said yes because you can’t pass up on training in the mountains. To me that is priceless training and different style from the Gulf Coast where I live. What are the medical benefits like, as in coverage and what you can expect to pay out weekly? I have a family, so I’m preparing myself and the wife. Any feedback is helpful. I appreciate it.

Following also. I start with Wilson on June 14.

You mentioned “IE smoking” is it that you smoke and couldn’t or he/she smoked? Or was it just an example?