Truck School Tomorrow.

Well the time is here. I begin a new career tomorrow with Central Refrigerated by attending the first week class at TDA in my home town of Sacramento. Then the long lonely bus trip to their facility in Socal for 2 more weeks. then out with a company trainer for 200 hours or 20000 miles of what i hope will be incident free and challenging. I am looking forward to this and am changing my status to in school. I am prepared and ready and will soak all the info like a sponge. Any last words of advice to a scared but confident ready to learn newbie trucker would be greatly appreciated. Thank you to everyone so far for the great advice and I will keep updating as soon as i can.

That's great man! Very cool.

The best advice at this point is just to keep working hard, learn all you can every day, and expect there to be a lot of ups and downs along the way. You'll have great days and lousy days, times when you can do no wrong and times when you can do no right. It's like that for everyone. You just have to keep moving forward one day at a time and be confident that you'll learn it just like the millions upon millions of drivers that have come before you.

Let us know how things go for ya!!!

Started class today and passed the drug test and physical

Hey Chris, save me a chair. I have been talking to a Central recruiter and she offered me to come to Fontana ASAP. I had no idea it would go so fast and so I asked her if a two-three week delay would make a difference, since I got a BUNCH of stuff to take care of before I can go. Any comments on why you chose Central over the rest? I live just over the hill from you home so we are just about neighbors . . .

Stephen E. Birch

Hey Chris, save me a chair. I have been talking to a Central recruiter and she offered me to come to Fontana ASAP. I had no idea it would go so fast and so I asked her if a two-three week delay would make a difference, since I got a BUNCH of stuff to take care of before I can go. Any comments on why you chose Central over the rest? I live just over the hill from you home so we are just about neighbors . . .

Stephen E. Birch

I had the same thing happen to me, even though they had not done background and previous employment checks yet. I sent in my app, talked to the recruiter 3 days later. He said he had a spot open the following Monday if I wanted it. I said I needed more time to give notice to work. They got everything done application and checks wise. Since I work nights I had recruiter start me 3 weeks out, I gave current employer my 2 weeks notice, all is well now, tomorrow night is my last night. I start training this coming Monday.

Hey Michael, Kinda spooky, isn't it? To go from an idea in the imagination to reality so quickly. I guess everything you read on this website is on the up-and-up (not that I doubted it for a minute)

In any case, does that mean you also are going with Central Refer? How did you make your decision (whether it is Central or any other). I am asking because I just got off the phone with Stevens and they said the same thing - pending final verification that all my info checks out (and it will) I just say the word and they will send a bus ticket. Geez, makes the head spin.

Stephen E. Birch

Hey Michael, Kinda spooky, isn't it? To go from an idea in the imagination to reality so quickly. I guess everything you read on this website is on the up-and-up (not that I doubted it for a minute)

In any case, does that mean you also are going with Central Refer? How did you make your decision (whether it is Central or any other). I am asking because I just got off the phone with Stevens and they said the same thing - pending final verification that all my info checks out (and it will) I just say the word and they will send a bus ticket. Geez, makes the head spin.

Stephen E. Birch

No, I'm going to Prime. They had the best starting pay package of the places I checked into. In my current situation that was my top priority. I couldn't jump ship where I'm currently at to make less money.

It feels odd for so many people to be going to the exact same school I went to. Haha!

Say Hi to Ted for me. And Henry too!

I'm not sure if you folks know. But when I went through school I wrote about every single day. You can find it here!

Daniel B.'s Central Refrigerated/TDA Diary

I choose central refrigerated because they worked with me and I got to go to school for the first week before leaving for fontana. My first day went well. Except I missed 3 Questions on a practice test for air brakes. I WILL do much better tomorrow. Combi action work tomorrow. I should do very well. And yea j will save you a seat

And I said hi to Henry for you Daniel b