NEW...BUT GETTING OLD QUICK

Hi everyone.

Where are all these trucking jobs promised to me before I spent thousands of dollars in trucking school ? If you ask me this is a joke. I am so frustrated that the last time I was able to drive a Tractortrailer was in school. All these jobs like Swift, Roehl, Shneider are all saying they don't hire in my area. (Long Island, New York). To get a local job driving here or even going over the road ANYWHERE, is like impossible! I'm like the plague, with zero experience. You know you would think with No dwi's, no accidents, spotless Class C license for years of being a good driver, you would get some looks. As soon as I got my class A I'm like a disease! I was so proud of myself. I'm pretty much chalking it up now to nothing but a waste of freakin time and valuable money I really didn't have to throw away in the first place. With all due RESPECT for all you guys all around me driving them 18 wheels around, I'm watching you everyday. I know you all put your blood sweat and gears into this Industry. I know you all work long hard hours, and bust your ass's out there, I just wanted to be one of you. Please someone, give me some direction out there. If you're rolling down on my LIE someday, and you see a grey GMC pickup checking you out, it's only me. I'm admiring your rig, always looking for anything I can see wrong to let you know, before it's a hazard, NICELY, like something stuck in the duallies, or a 5th release arm that looks funny, etc. I'm just seeing if I can help. But staying the #$%^ out of your way otherwise. I'll never be in your blind spots. And you'll never notice me. I may throw ya a wave once in a while, or a thumbs up, just to let you know I love ya. Oh ps. Watch out for Suffolk white pickups watching you too. They're the LAW. And trust me, they're lookin! God Bless you all. Jason

Wait a minute... we thought you got hired by Trans Am. What happened?

Please don't tell us you ignored our advice and quit before you had a chance to develop yourself into a successful driver. Surely you've heard us harping about that one year commitment being vitally important.

Give us some details. There may be more than just your location that's hindering your job search. We can help, but we need to know the real problem before we can offer a solution.

What companies hire from the school you attended? Most schools I'm aware of have some type of career placement program.

I'll admit jobs seem more plentiful on this side of the Hudson River at the moment, but Indeed shows entry level positions at Western Express in Brentwood and Levittown, XPO Logistics in Bay Shore, FedEx Ground in East Elmhurst Queens, and that's after about five minutes of looking. Have they all said no?

I drive out to Bethpage at least a few times a week.

Wait a minute... we thought you got hired by Trans Am. What happened?

Please don't tell us you ignored our advice and quit before you had a chance to develop yourself into a successful driver. Surely you've heard us harping about that one year commitment being vitally important.

Give us some details. There may be more than just your location that's hindering your job search. We can help, but we need to know the real problem before we can offer a solution.

Yea Old School and James. Yes I did go to Trans Am. My lack of driving skills didn't work out with them. They didn't teach us much at Victors. Operating a day cab with a 48' trailer was way different then getting a sleeper tractor attached to a 53' was a lot different than what I was used to. I will not say anything bad about Trans Am. I thought they were a great company. It was all just so new to me. Even sending documents like the BOL's with the Transflo was greek. You basically had all this info crammed at you in 5 days. A way lot of information I never even got the chance to learn. Sealed loads and all that good stuff. Refrig temps, etc. All greek to me. They said we were skipping steps we needed to know before we came there. I never learned half of what some people learned in school. I never knew anything about sliding tandems and what holes they were supposed to be in. The weight on each axle, and stuff like that. 12000 +34000+34000= 80,000. never knew that stuff. This was a lot they said we shouldve leafned in school. Some people came there highly trained. There were 22 candidates. I know of at least 7 went home in 5 days. The ones that were left were down to like their last point and had two more days to go. I'm assuming maybe, maybe 3 or 4 people made it into a driving position with them. The other people that were driving when I got cut weren't doing well at all. Or maybe they pulled it off somehow. I doubt it. I have to say the whole experience was a wake up call for me. Like this is serious @#$ ! Oh it also costed me close to about a thousand dollars to get my very disappointed, sorry ass back home! The only thing that's stopping me for not giving up is I know if only I had a little more time to spend with that beautiful 2024 KW t-680 I could've put that rig anywhere they asked. I left out everything was timed...which made it more nerve racking then the State Examiners sitting next to you watching every move to get your CDL.

Now you have learned a very very very important lesson (and expensive no doubt) about why there is such a push here for company sponsored training , over "Driving School."

Did I know EVERYTHING when Prime handed me my keys? Nah. No way. What I did know how to do, was drive the truck, shift my weights around, and handle my logs and paperwork. What I didn't learn on my trainers truck, I had multiple people I could get the answer from.

I am not trying to kick you when you are down, but I am pointing it out clearly for the next person debating Driving School vs Company Sponsored, and they dOnT wAnT tHe AuToMaTiC rEsTrIcTiOn. (Dangit, typing that hurt my brain.)

As for driving, it's going to be a very long road in this market to find the one who will give you a shot. All you can do is apply everywhere at this point.

What companies hire from the school you attended? Most schools I'm aware of have some type of career placement program.

I'll admit jobs seem more plentiful on this side of the Hudson River at the moment, but Indeed shows entry level positions at Western Express in Brentwood and Levittown, XPO Logistics in Bay Shore, FedEx Ground in East Elmhurst Queens, and that's after about five minutes of looking. Have they all said no?

I drive out to Bethpage at least a few times a week.

Hi James H. I'm so tired of putting applications in with the places you listed. I'm sure I have one or two in for every company you listed. Yea, the recruiters call you, tell you the great world it is going with them, never hear from them again after all your info's in, and leave you hanging. Especially XPO. I really think indeed's like some kind of scam too. I think it would be better to drive down to the company and ask right out, ARE YOU HIRING NOW ? More than half of them aren't. But James, thank you for looking for me. Really though, they want you to team with an experienced driver that you know is interested in teaming. Otherwise, zero experience, good luck

I don't know enough to make a recommendation but can toss out a name anyways.

I am a trucker's dad and our son went to private school, chose his own path, his choice, and he's done well, next month will be three year mark for him. Michael actually went to two private schools because his first instructor was not quite finished with him when he went into the hospital for COVID and was stuck there on a respirator and unsure if he was going to survive. He paid full price for a second school but was done in 3 days and then took his first job offer which was from CR England. Overall, he did not like how CRE stuck him on a Dollar General account after his team driver decided to take the truck and go solo after Michael broke him in some (though younger, Michael had a few months of experience vs. just out of training with his team driver). But Michael felt he did get good training and he didn't rush it, told his trainer that he wouldn't mind taking extra time to get more training which his trainer said was a good thing. His trainer said that most students wanted to go solo ASAP to make more money but Michael was more concerned with getting more training and CRE seemed very flexible with that. Pay wasn't the best but he got good experience and then left after 7 months to work for Marten where he has done well. So, in short, if CR England would hire you, you might get a longer training period which seems like you want and need.

Good luck.

I was just up there for a week with my family. I was out in Suffolk. I noticed an SEFL terminal somewhere. I also saw a Central Transport terminal. I noticed a bunch of trucks for the land fill and some others. Talk with drivers you see. Stop into local terminals. SEFL may have a dock to driver program. Don't give up. Keep your eyes open for big companies that you see out there a lot. The biggest problem is getting you home if they don't have much freight there. There is minimal truck parking on the Island.

Best of luck to you. Don't give up. Also, look as food service delivery. I saw a Gordon Food Service truck.

Yea, the recruiters call you, tell you the great world it is going with them, never hear from them again after all your info's in, and leave you hanging.

Well, did they hear from you? I hope you followed up as many times as necessary, to ask about the status of your application, and if they need anything else from you.

I think it would be better to drive down to the company and ask right out, ARE YOU HIRING NOW ?

I agree that's a good idea. You can find out whether that location is going to be adding or replacing drivers, before it even makes it onto the internet. And showing some initiative is never a bad thing. It helps to stand out as more than just an application that came to their website.

You should also take the time to try and educate yourself on all the things you didn’t know. Everything you mentioned you should be able to research online and at least get the basics. Pretty sure all the things you mentioned have been discussed on this website as well as being covered with videos on YouTube.