Start CDL School Monday!

Great first day of school. So motivated! Did the paper work game this morning filling out the required paperwork like the license application. We got right into the logbook and learned how to do that, pretty basic for now but I know that thing can be all sorts of crazy when your on the road. But it was pretty easy to understand. We read a lot from the manual in the morning and had a recruiter from TMC come talk to us at noon today. I've been leaning back and forth with them for months during my research, and they are a huge possibility for me. No rush. This afternoon we got our physical and pee pee test done lol, got our little card given to us. Read some more from the CDL manual afterwords and took a general knowledge test, I missed ten out of 50 so I would have passed, gotta read the questions thoroughly to make sure that you don't answer wrong. Great day today, plan on testing for the permit on Thursday. I wanted to get in the truck on the yard so bad today, but can't rush a good thing. Day 1 down, and it felt good to finally start this journey.

Keep us posted

Man, I hope you're motivated because now you have to learn the CDL manual, logbook , and weight and balance the hard way - cramming it all down in a short period of time instead of the easy way - using our High Road Training Program. I see you did a tiny bit of our training program but that was a big mistake in my opinion. You should have been working on that all along.

I know what you've been doing. You've been ignoring everything we told you when we said stop obsessing over which company to work for and did that anyhow. You spent all your time researching companies instead of learning the materials.

Well I'm sure you'll get through everything just fine one way or the other but quite honestly - that wasn't too smart. Months of researching companies and you still don't know where you want to work and you don't know the materials now either?

Just because I didn't finish the highroad doesn't set me up for failure, although yes, I should have heeded the advice and focused more on it than what company I wanted. Oh well, lesson learned. I'll be ok. Thanks for the kick in the butt though, I should have buckled down, busy busy. It is a great program.

I agree - not going through the training program is not setting you up for failure. But thinking you know more than a 20 year trucking veteran and ignoring the things we tell you are important certainly is.

Trucking is not like you think it's going to be. When you're new, the things you think will be critically important are often times trivial, and the things you completely ignore or never even hear people talk much about can be the most critical to your success.

Over the years I've watched a ton of people try to get started in the trucking industry and they think they know everything. They don't listen, they don't learn, and quite honestly they get their a**es handed to them. I'm not saying you're one of those guys, but you've been pretty hard-headed about a lot of things we've been trying to help you with and this is yet another example.

Please do yourself a favor and forget about what you think is important and start listening to what you're being told. The advisers here at TruckingTruth, your instructors, and the veteran drivers out there will tell you what's important. They're not going to lead you astray.

We're all in the business of helping people who are new to the trucking industry get their careers off to a great start. Take advantage of the help everyone is offering. Back in '93 when I got into trucking the internet was only a rumor that people were talking about. There was no place to turn for help and advice. You showed up at school on day one without a clue about what you were getting into. Some of us made it through, some didn't, but none of us had a TruckingTruth to turn to.

So study hard and listen closely. You'll get through everything just fine if you'll listen and learn. My 15 years on the road were absolutely priceless. I enjoyed them more than words can express and I'm hoping to see you have the same opportunity.

Believe me, TheTruckersReport is full of people who look back on things now and say "Wow, I wish I would have listened and done things differently. Maybe I'd be out there driving a big rig instead of sitting in this forum telling lies and blaming others for my failures." Well, for them it's too late. For you, it's not. So go get em! Drop any preconceived notions you may have about driving a rig or the trucking industry in general and learn from the instructors and from us here at TruckingTruth.

Definately. Eye opener for sure. I think you have me wrong a little bit, but I completely understand where you are coming from. I do take your advice and experience seriously and do deeply appreciate the veterans on here and the knowledge of every one of you. I apply it, just should have hit the highroad harder, no excuse even though I could lol I won't be on Truckers Report, I can assure you of that. I'll be right here! We need shirts!

We need shirts!

Ya know, people have been telling me that for a long time and I keep pushing it down the list. I really do need to get shirts made!

How is is going? I got my permit yesterday. I aint much of a blogger either. I just write my diary like I would any other post.

I agree - not going through the training program is not setting you up for failure. But thinking you know more than a 20 year trucking veteran and ignoring the things we tell you are important certainly is.

Trucking is not like you think it's going to be. When you're new, the things you think will be critically important are often times trivial, and the things you completely ignore or never even hear people talk much about can be the most critical to your success.

Over the years I've watched a ton of people try to get started in the trucking industry and they think they know everything. They don't listen, they don't learn, and quite honestly they get their a**es handed to them. I'm not saying you're one of those guys, but you've been pretty hard-headed about a lot of things we've been trying to help you with and this is yet another example.

Please do yourself a favor and forget about what you think is important and start listening to what you're being told. The advisers here at TruckingTruth, your instructors, and the veteran drivers out there will tell you what's important. They're not going to lead you astray.

We're all in the business of helping people who are new to the trucking industry get their careers off to a great start. Take advantage of the help everyone is offering. Back in '93 when I got into trucking the internet was only a rumor that people were talking about. There was no place to turn for help and advice. You showed up at school on day one without a clue about what you were getting into. Some of us made it through, some didn't, but none of us had a TruckingTruth to turn to.

So study hard and listen closely. You'll get through everything just fine if you'll listen and learn. My 15 years on the road were absolutely priceless. I enjoyed them more than words can express and I'm hoping to see you have the same opportunity.

Believe me, TheTruckersReport is full of people who look back on things now and say "Wow, I wish I would have listened and done things differently. Maybe I'd be out there driving a big rig instead of sitting in this forum telling lies and blaming others for my failures." Well, for them it's too late. For you, it's not. So go get em! Drop any preconceived notions you may have about driving a rig or the trucking industry in general and learn from the instructors and from us here at TruckingTruth.

Brett, I understand where you are coming from. I agree, learning the material is vitaly important, and I agree, the HIGHROAD Series is the BEST out there, for sure! It has, and will, help me. But, isnt researching companies for a wannabe also important? Isnt trying not to make a mistake the first time out important too, so you dont have to constantly switch comapnies? I, personally, have been balancing, or trying to balance, both aspects. I started off with your series, doing that exclusively for 2 months straight. Once I felt comfortable with the knowledge I gained from your series, I then moved on to, in my opinion, the next phase, researching schools, then researching companies. Now that I am close to choosing a school, and also getting pre-hires from the companies I WANT, I will be going back to your series to bone up. There are many ways to accomplish the goal, as you know, and your way, however extremely helpful it is, and has been, is just one way. G MAN

G Man, everybody here wants you to succeed at this, and nobody's dead set on you doing it their way, but if you want to succeed you're going to have to humble yourself just a little and realize you know absolutely nothing about breaking into this industry. We understand that is why you're doing all the research your doing, and really we're proud of you for working so hard at it. But, did you ever hear that old song that had the chorus that said "Looking for love in all the wrong places"? That is how your conducting your research. We know the way to get you there so that you can stay there for the long haul. And frankly, I think you took the wrong exit already. You are certainly free to disagree with us and follow your own path, many have done it before you, but most of them are not enjoying their careers, and are constantly crossing the fence for what appears to be greener grass only to realize that grass is just grass no matter which pasture you're in.

Please take my advice and just stop and think; there's a group of people here that don't even know you, and most likely will never even meet you, yet they are trying to help you. They're doing it simply so that you won't have to struggle your way through the same difficult surprises that they did. They've been there, and done that, as they say. Most folks that go into this are brutally awakened at some point that they were focusing on all the wrong things, and once they are dead broke and heading home after paying for their own bus fare, they're wishing to God that they had never even started this miserable journey. The whole purpose for this web site, and Brett's willingness to keep it up, is to spare new beginners just like you from a heart breaking experience in an industry that is so vastly misunderstood.

We wish you the best, but wish you'd listen to some really helpful veteran advice.