Any Advice For A Potential Trucker?

Ryan wrote:

Kearsey just mentioned 3 companies that offer training with nothing out of pocket and I believe that they actually pay you while you are acquiring your CDL.

Can someone with specific first-hand experience confirm this… doesn’t sound right.

Why would a company pay a student before they pass their CDL; technically not an employee at that point. IMO, too risky for any company to throw money around like that when the wash-out rate is way over 50%.

I misspoke (typed). Pay is for training period AFTER acquiring CDL. So, CDL school portion does not provide income. However, some things like hotel room during CDL training, transportation to training location, and some meals during CDL training are paid for by those three companies named. I imagine that is not an exhaustive list of companies that provide such.

Prime gives an advance of $200 per week as a loan. It gets paid back once you get your CDL.

Roehl and Millis both pay $600 while in CDL school. You can find this on their websites.

I did a comparison years ago between Roehl getting paid during the schooling portion and Prime not. Because the Roehl and Millis start at a lower pay once solo, over the first 6 months it comes out sorta even. But at a year, someone could make more at Prime due to higher starting pay and bonuses.

But yes. You can. Get paid and be a full time employee at both Millis and Roehl before you get the CDL. This is one reason why Roehls contract is a $7000 loan and 150k miles vs 1 year /$4000 of other companies.

Millis website specifically states you get paid for 4 weeks of classroom $600 per week and then 44cpm once with a trainer.

I am a trucking newbie and actually just cleared my 90 days solo with my first company. I will offer some things I picked up on my own that some may disagree with. However, this has been my experience thus far.

-Ensure your wife is 100% all in. And even if she is, expect growing pains. My wife was my #1 fan for getting into trucking but we had some hiccups in the beginning. Expect it.

-Don't get caught up in all the noise you hear from disgruntled "super truckers" that take the job way to seriously. I'm not talking about genuine experienced people looking to help. I'm talking about negativity magnets that spew nothing but vitriol about the industry and those looking to join it.

-This will be super controversial but I don't care: BE COMFORTABLE. I drive in gym shorts and bare feet. The shorts are the only thing that dampens the tailbone pain in conjunction with a cushion because Peterbilt seats suck. And the bare footing is because my feet sweat alot and it feels good on a 10+ hour drive. I also keep a jar of properly humidified cigars next to my seat and enjoy a good smoke while I'm driving. I also have my sleeper setup with high speed internet, XBOX, and plenty of streaming services along with ambient lighting. I took the liberty of making my sleeper/portable apodment into a place I enjoy hanging out in. You will hear many people discuss how drivers who walk around in flip flops and shorts at Truck stops are a "disgrace to the industry" don't listen to those people. Just make sure to dress appropriately for pickups and drop offs. Other than that, do you booboo.

-This job is great if you don't like people and prefer to engage with them mostly on your terms and in bite sizes. I too was from the retail space before I got into emergency roadside. I found the jobs in which I was self accountable and left to my devices, I enjoyed more and did better at. If this describes you, you will do thrive.

-Get a cheap electric leaf blower to blow out your dirty trailers. You will look back on this advice and thank me down the line.

-Forgiveness over permission. I'll give a quick example: I had a broker load leaving NC going to Kentucky after a two day layover in SC. The load literally, no matter how I sliced it, could not be picked up, driven, and delivered the next morning while getting my 10 hour reset in at a truck stop or parking area. I had no idea if this facility had onsite parking. I got there around 2am, they didn't have a gate, so I just parked inside the lot as my appointment was at 8am anyway. I limped my truck to the door without taking myself out of the sleeper and had them unload me. I was barely able to clear 10 hours at the end when I was handed my bills. No one said anything about the parking. But had I asked? Who knows. Could have ended up screwed.

-Trip planning allows you to make your own schedule... Kind of. I usually leave around 3am-4am to start my day so I can get a guaranteed parking spot when I shut down. You will learn to love this flexibility.

Have fun! Enjoy the job and don't do anything unsafe. Also, don't take it so seriously that you make yourself uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief, there is no unwritten bi-laws of trucking that says you have to do things a certain way. Make your appointments, deliver on time, drive legal, and don't hit anything. That is basically the gist of it. 😀

Depends on the job Drew… flatbedders and the type of work I do requires work boots. Many companies have footwear policy.

Drop a chain on your barefoot wearing flip flops and your likely sitting in the ER waiting for an X-ray.

I am a trucking newbie and actually just cleared my 90 days solo with my first company. I will offer some things I picked up on my own that some may disagree with. However, this has been my experience thus far.

-Ensure your wife is 100% all in. And even if she is, expect growing pains. My wife was my #1 fan for getting into trucking but we had some hiccups in the beginning. Expect it.

-Don't get caught up in all the noise you hear from disgruntled "super truckers" that take the job way to seriously. I'm not talking about genuine experienced people looking to help. I'm talking about negativity magnets that spew nothing but vitriol about the industry and those looking to join it.

-This will be super controversial but I don't care: BE COMFORTABLE. I drive in gym shorts and bare feet. The shorts are the only thing that dampens the tailbone pain in conjunction with a cushion because Peterbilt seats suck. And the bare footing is because my feet sweat alot and it feels good on a 10+ hour drive. I also keep a jar of properly humidified cigars next to my seat and enjoy a good smoke while I'm driving. I also have my sleeper setup with high speed internet, XBOX, and plenty of streaming services along with ambient lighting. I took the liberty of making my sleeper/portable apodment into a place I enjoy hanging out in. You will hear many people discuss how drivers who walk around in flip flops and shorts at Truck stops are a "disgrace to the industry" don't listen to those people. Just make sure to dress appropriately for pickups and drop offs. Other than that, do you booboo.

-This job is great if you don't like people and prefer to engage with them mostly on your terms and in bite sizes. I too was from the retail space before I got into emergency roadside. I found the jobs in which I was self accountable and left to my devices, I enjoyed more and did better at. If this describes you, you will do thrive.

-Get a cheap electric leaf blower to blow out your dirty trailers. You will look back on this advice and thank me down the line.

-Forgiveness over permission. I'll give a quick example: I had a broker load leaving NC going to Kentucky after a two day layover in SC. The load literally, no matter how I sliced it, could not be picked up, driven, and delivered the next morning while getting my 10 hour reset in at a truck stop or parking area. I had no idea if this facility had onsite parking. I got there around 2am, they didn't have a gate, so I just parked inside the lot as my appointment was at 8am anyway. I limped my truck to the door without taking myself out of the sleeper and had them unload me. I was barely able to clear 10 hours at the end when I was handed my bills. No one said anything about the parking. But had I asked? Who knows. Could have ended up screwed.

-Trip planning allows you to make your own schedule... Kind of. I usually leave around 3am-4am to start my day so I can get a guaranteed parking spot when I shut down. You will learn to love this flexibility.

Have fun! Enjoy the job and don't do anything unsafe. Also, don't take it so seriously that you make yourself uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief, there is no unwritten bi-laws of trucking that says you have to do things a certain way. Make your appointments, deliver on time, drive legal, and don't hit anything. That is basically the gist of it. 😀

Common sense applies for sure.

Depends on the job Drew… flatbedders and the type of work I do requires work boots. Many companies have footwear policy.

Drop a chain on your barefoot wearing flip flops and your likely sitting in the ER waiting for an X-ray.

I am a trucking newbie and actually just cleared my 90 days solo with my first company. I will offer some things I picked up on my own that some may disagree with. However, this has been my experience thus far.

-Ensure your wife is 100% all in. And even if she is, expect growing pains. My wife was my #1 fan for getting into trucking but we had some hiccups in the beginning. Expect it.

-Don't get caught up in all the noise you hear from disgruntled "super truckers" that take the job way to seriously. I'm not talking about genuine experienced people looking to help. I'm talking about negativity magnets that spew nothing but vitriol about the industry and those looking to join it.

-This will be super controversial but I don't care: BE COMFORTABLE. I drive in gym shorts and bare feet. The shorts are the only thing that dampens the tailbone pain in conjunction with a cushion because Peterbilt seats suck. And the bare footing is because my feet sweat alot and it feels good on a 10+ hour drive. I also keep a jar of properly humidified cigars next to my seat and enjoy a good smoke while I'm driving. I also have my sleeper setup with high speed internet, XBOX, and plenty of streaming services along with ambient lighting. I took the liberty of making my sleeper/portable apodment into a place I enjoy hanging out in. You will hear many people discuss how drivers who walk around in flip flops and shorts at Truck stops are a "disgrace to the industry" don't listen to those people. Just make sure to dress appropriately for pickups and drop offs. Other than that, do you booboo.

-This job is great if you don't like people and prefer to engage with them mostly on your terms and in bite sizes. I too was from the retail space before I got into emergency roadside. I found the jobs in which I was self accountable and left to my devices, I enjoyed more and did better at. If this describes you, you will do thrive.

-Get a cheap electric leaf blower to blow out your dirty trailers. You will look back on this advice and thank me down the line.

-Forgiveness over permission. I'll give a quick example: I had a broker load leaving NC going to Kentucky after a two day layover in SC. The load literally, no matter how I sliced it, could not be picked up, driven, and delivered the next morning while getting my 10 hour reset in at a truck stop or parking area. I had no idea if this facility had onsite parking. I got there around 2am, they didn't have a gate, so I just parked inside the lot as my appointment was at 8am anyway. I limped my truck to the door without taking myself out of the sleeper and had them unload me. I was barely able to clear 10 hours at the end when I was handed my bills. No one said anything about the parking. But had I asked? Who knows. Could have ended up screwed.

-Trip planning allows you to make your own schedule... Kind of. I usually leave around 3am-4am to start my day so I can get a guaranteed parking spot when I shut down. You will learn to love this flexibility.

Have fun! Enjoy the job and don't do anything unsafe. Also, don't take it so seriously that you make yourself uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief, there is no unwritten bi-laws of trucking that says you have to do things a certain way. Make your appointments, deliver on time, drive legal, and don't hit anything. That is basically the gist of it. 😀

Get in one of the 50 vehicle whiteout crashes out west during the winter on the Great Plains at -20 and jump out of your truck to run for the shoulder before another semi slams into you at 60 mph.

You're not going to be worried about how much your feet sweat. Frostbite is painless until you warm up again. Keep driving barefoot like a rookie.

I am a trucking newbie and actually just cleared my 90 days solo with my first company. I will offer some things I picked up on my own that some may disagree with. However, this has been my experience thus far.

-Ensure your wife is 100% all in. And even if she is, expect growing pains. My wife was my #1 fan for getting into trucking but we had some hiccups in the beginning. Expect it.

-Don't get caught up in all the noise you hear from disgruntled "super truckers" that take the job way to seriously. I'm not talking about genuine experienced people looking to help. I'm talking about negativity magnets that spew nothing but vitriol about the industry and those looking to join it.

-This will be super controversial but I don't care: BE COMFORTABLE. I drive in gym shorts and bare feet. The shorts are the only thing that dampens the tailbone pain in conjunction with a cushion because Peterbilt seats suck. And the bare footing is because my feet sweat alot and it feels good on a 10+ hour drive. I also keep a jar of properly humidified cigars next to my seat and enjoy a good smoke while I'm driving. I also have my sleeper setup with high speed internet, XBOX, and plenty of streaming services along with ambient lighting. I took the liberty of making my sleeper/portable apodment into a place I enjoy hanging out in. You will hear many people discuss how drivers who walk around in flip flops and shorts at Truck stops are a "disgrace to the industry" don't listen to those people. Just make sure to dress appropriately for pickups and drop offs. Other than that, do you booboo.

-This job is great if you don't like people and prefer to engage with them mostly on your terms and in bite sizes. I too was from the retail space before I got into emergency roadside. I found the jobs in which I was self accountable and left to my devices, I enjoyed more and did better at. If this describes you, you will do thrive.

-Get a cheap electric leaf blower to blow out your dirty trailers. You will look back on this advice and thank me down the line.

-Forgiveness over permission. I'll give a quick example: I had a broker load leaving NC going to Kentucky after a two day layover in SC. The load literally, no matter how I sliced it, could not be picked up, driven, and delivered the next morning while getting my 10 hour reset in at a truck stop or parking area. I had no idea if this facility had onsite parking. I got there around 2am, they didn't have a gate, so I just parked inside the lot as my appointment was at 8am anyway. I limped my truck to the door without taking myself out of the sleeper and had them unload me. I was barely able to clear 10 hours at the end when I was handed my bills. No one said anything about the parking. But had I asked? Who knows. Could have ended up screwed.

-Trip planning allows you to make your own schedule... Kind of. I usually leave around 3am-4am to start my day so I can get a guaranteed parking spot when I shut down. You will learn to love this flexibility.

Have fun! Enjoy the job and don't do anything unsafe. Also, don't take it so seriously that you make yourself uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief, there is no unwritten bi-laws of trucking that says you have to do things a certain way. Make your appointments, deliver on time, drive legal, and don't hit anything. That is basically the gist of it. 😀

Drew, you recommend “forgiveness over permission”. And yes, sometimes I have followed this path. It usually leads to trouble. For example, I have parked for my 10 hr break in certain iffy places just because they were convenient. Then part way through the break, usually while I’m dreaming about a 1000 hp tractor with custom features and great fuel efficiency, I got the dreaded nocturnal knock on the door. I hate the knock on the door in any circumstance. Anticipating the “knock” makes me nervous and at my age, I don’t like to be nervous. So, I have become very judicious about where I park. I don’t want to ask forgiveness from anyone except Jesus, with a few exceptions.

I have yet to be bothered where I park. But as I mentioned above, common sense applies. And sometimes, you don't have a choice (or your choices suck and this is the least suckiest).

And as far as driving barefoot in the winter, obviously I wouldn't be doing that in sub 20 degree weather. This is just a cultural disconnect. I don't understand why grown men worry so much about what other grown men are wearing in their own cabs but I digress. The point I made to the gentleman posing the question is to take liberties with comfort where you can find them. We are paid by mile and literally live at our jobs. But that said, common sense is key.

I am a trucking newbie and actually just cleared my 90 days solo with my first company. I will offer some things I picked up on my own that some may disagree with. However, this has been my experience thus far.

-Ensure your wife is 100% all in. And even if she is, expect growing pains. My wife was my #1 fan for getting into trucking but we had some hiccups in the beginning. Expect it.

-Don't get caught up in all the noise you hear from disgruntled "super truckers" that take the job way to seriously. I'm not talking about genuine experienced people looking to help. I'm talking about negativity magnets that spew nothing but vitriol about the industry and those looking to join it.

-This will be super controversial but I don't care: BE COMFORTABLE. I drive in gym shorts and bare feet. The shorts are the only thing that dampens the tailbone pain in conjunction with a cushion because Peterbilt seats suck. And the bare footing is because my feet sweat alot and it feels good on a 10+ hour drive. I also keep a jar of properly humidified cigars next to my seat and enjoy a good smoke while I'm driving. I also have my sleeper setup with high speed internet, XBOX, and plenty of streaming services along with ambient lighting. I took the liberty of making my sleeper/portable apodment into a place I enjoy hanging out in. You will hear many people discuss how drivers who walk around in flip flops and shorts at Truck stops are a "disgrace to the industry" don't listen to those people. Just make sure to dress appropriately for pickups and drop offs. Other than that, do you booboo.

-This job is great if you don't like people and prefer to engage with them mostly on your terms and in bite sizes. I too was from the retail space before I got into emergency roadside. I found the jobs in which I was self accountable and left to my devices, I enjoyed more and did better at. If this describes you, you will do thrive.

-Get a cheap electric leaf blower to blow out your dirty trailers. You will look back on this advice and thank me down the line.

-Forgiveness over permission. I'll give a quick example: I had a broker load leaving NC going to Kentucky after a two day layover in SC. The load literally, no matter how I sliced it, could not be picked up, driven, and delivered the next morning while getting my 10 hour reset in at a truck stop or parking area. I had no idea if this facility had onsite parking. I got there around 2am, they didn't have a gate, so I just parked inside the lot as my appointment was at 8am anyway. I limped my truck to the door without taking myself out of the sleeper and had them unload me. I was barely able to clear 10 hours at the end when I was handed my bills. No one said anything about the parking. But had I asked? Who knows. Could have ended up screwed.

-Trip planning allows you to make your own schedule... Kind of. I usually leave around 3am-4am to start my day so I can get a guaranteed parking spot when I shut down. You will learn to love this flexibility.

Have fun! Enjoy the job and don't do anything unsafe. Also, don't take it so seriously that you make yourself uncomfortable. Contrary to popular belief, there is no unwritten bi-laws of trucking that says you have to do things a certain way. Make your appointments, deliver on time, drive legal, and don't hit anything. That is basically the gist of it. 😀

Drew, you recommend “forgiveness over permission”. And yes, sometimes I have followed this path. It usually leads to trouble. For example, I have parked for my 10 hr break in certain iffy places just because they were convenient. Then part way through the break, usually while I’m dreaming about a 1000 hp tractor with custom features and great fuel efficiency, I got the dreaded nocturnal knock on the door. I hate the knock on the door in any circumstance. Anticipating the “knock” makes me nervous and at my age, I don’t like to be nervous. So, I have become very judicious about where I park. I don’t want to ask forgiveness from anyone except Jesus, with a few exceptions.

Wearing flip flops or sandals, especially sandals, can actually be a cultural thing. Many drivers who are immigrants wore the standard footwear used in their countries, sandals. This carries over to their new life and career. Many companies require drivers to carry a pair of steel toed, oil resistant boots with them in the truck, but don’t make them a requirement while driving. Just when they are on the yard or at stops. Personally, I wear steel toed sneakers. But sometimes, like Drew said, I’ll find them irritating on long drives and will kick them off and drive in my stocking feet. Barefoot, not so much, still like to keep the socks on for whatever reason.

And Old School is right, don’t want to risk frozen feet in the wintertime. Then you would have to call a toe truck.

Barefoot Drew sounds off about his lack of understanding:

I don't understand why grown men worry so much about what other grown men are wearing in their own cabs but I digress. The point I made to the gentleman posing the question is to take liberties with comfort where you can find them. We are paid by mile and literally live at our jobs. But that said, common sense is key.

Lets attempt to fix your lack of understanding Drew, likely futile, but here goes...

The gentlemen posing the question, "Shane", inquired requesting "Advice for a Potential Trucker"... your reply Drew, was certainly an answer, but not to his question. Driving barefoot in the cab was initially offered by you without the benefit of applying common sense, it was stated unconditionally. Not smart, or acceptable. You did reply back with the Common Sense comment. Okay... only a slight improvement, but still bordering on ill-advised.

The first time you jump out of your truck and ever so slightly miss the cab step...you will likely change your tune.

That hasn't happened yet, but it will. If you are injured as a result, might be considered a preventable accident in some companies. Where is the common sense in that? And your director of safety? They might take exception too, and have something to say about the Barefoot Express, suffering an injury because your tootsies were unprotected. And besides, the soles of my boots act as a barrier between my bare skin and the filth that accumulates on and beneath the pedals. Can't speak for you on this Drew, but I regularly deliver and pickup at compost plants and the "rendering side" of chicken plants, aka, the waste. Makes for great compost ingredients, but otherwise nasty s**t. But like you Drew, I digress...

FYI Drew... most companies require closed toe footwear when moving outside of the truck. It's policy. I've seen several repeat offenders get written up for a policy violation, one was fired because they mouthed off to the terminal manager claiming; a violation of their rights. Apparently their former employer "Uber" didn't alienate their rights. Did you include any of that as a point in your digression Drew?

Policy violations are tough to get rid of and may compromise future employment opportunities. Truth.

Am I worried about you Drew? No. Am I worried about you offering cavalier advice to pre-rookies. Based on this reply, yes.

So back to the matter at hand...

I suggest Shane (the OP) focus his attention and efforts reading these links:

• Truck Driver's Career Guide
• Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
• High Road CDL Training Program
• CDL Practice Tests

And also relevant articles in Trucking Truth Blog.

Drew, might seem like I'm singling you out... but you persisted and frankly did not offer good advice to Shane or anyone else at his stage of decision making. Gotta call it out (Moderating)... too bad if you disagree and/or do not understand. I'll stand by what I said based on a helluva lot more experience than you. Safety First, always.