I Single-handedly Ruined My Life Trying To Transition Into Trucking

Little background about me before i get started, I’m a 22 year old male born & raised on the east coast by a rather low income family. I also have 1 son who’s coming up on 3 years old ina few months.

I’m making this post to document my experience thus far, to seek advice, and to just let out a lot of built up frustration i have. I don’t have anyone in my life to confide in so hopefully just laying it all out here will help me in someway.

Man where do i even start… I graduated 2020 and instantly went to work in warehouses, saves up and got my first set of wheels. Instantly feel in love with being behind the wheel and driving, it was my “me time”. Fast forward to April 2023, Was working a decent paying warehouse gig bringing in about $800 after taxes weekly as a 21 y/o and got caught up in some workplace mess that got me fired. Told myself i’d never work ina warehouse again and started researching how to obtain a CDL.

While researching and being on unemployment i met a female whom i feel in love with (1st mistake) i put my research on the back burner like an idiot for about 5 months. August i finally get back on track with it and obtain my permit, attend a private paid school ($3500 i had saved from warehouse work) and get my license.

I was SO stuck on staying local i made a list of companies who offered to hire me that i would never attend. every single local job denied me, no clue why cause my record was spotless. I run my unemployment benefits out in december and realize i won’t get what i want so i jump on with a regional flatbed company called PGT January 2nd.

Their “Training” was so all over the place. I got sent with a new guy every week for 3 weeks who wanted me to do things his way and not the way i was shown the week prior. My last trainer tells the company that i basically don’t know what im doing at all and im not focused on learning (blatant lies) the guy ran like a dog and wouldn’t even let me stop to shower or grab some food. Didn’t shower for a week straight with him.

Training finishes and the company lets me go because of the remarks from my last trainer. They fly me back home and i start calling jobs on the same day, stupidly telling them i got “Fired” while in training, nobody even gave me the chance to explain what happened, instead they just slammed doors in my face. So i get home and i tell myself I’ll take a week to just relax before i start job hunting again as i was away from home for a month already. (Second mistake)

The LAST day of this week i gave myself literally sunday night i get into a bad at fault accident driving my Audi like a retard. That whole week i was making bad decisions just because of how angry i was with myself, but this took the cake. That car was my happy place, my home outside of home.

I spiral into a spiral into a bad depression that i’m honestly nowhere near over yet, but i pull myself together once i realize i only have $300 to my name and once again start my job search.

The only place willing to hire me was western express, where i’m at right now. I’ve been here for a month and i’m making less than i was making at any of my previous warehouse jobs and i can’t take it. I have goals, priorities, and a child to care for but the way i went about a career change ruined everything.

I’m sitting in this truck with $500 in my account and anger in my soul. What advice would you give me? I’m honestly thinking about totally dropping this CDL stuff but have no clue what other career path i could take. Any kind words are appreciated also. Thank you for reading.

I can give kind words, or I can give the truth. The two are mutually exclusive.

There's a ton to unpack, but I'll give you the short version.

Stay where your at for a year. Do the absolute best you can, everyday without fail. No excuses, no bs, no limits. You get paid piecework. The only thing limiting your pay is you. Figure out how to become efficient and effective. Old School got his start at Western and he is an elite driver.

The freight market is over saturated right now, you're lucky to have a job in the first place, as you saw. Multiple year veteran drivers have difficulty finding the job they want.

Your 22, you're young and allowed to do stupid stuff. Falling in love with the wrong girl isn't a mistake. Don't worry about your love life or lack thereof right now. Be a man, build your empire, then you'll have something to offer a woman.

In general, own your mistakes. Excuses don't pay the bills and don't get you hired. Look through the CDL diaries and search the forum here. There's a wealth of information. It can change your life.

So sit tight, become a top tier driver that's productive, safe, always on time and easy to work with. You got offered a second chance. Most drivers don't. Take advantage of it. Step up to the plate and frigging make the swing count.

Hello Dre,

It sounds like you have been through a lot in a short period of time. There is no other way to say this other than this - YOU, not trucking, YOU are the source of your life’s griefs. This is a hard pill for many to swallow (at any age, trust me) - but the sooner you learn it the better off you will be.

Trucking didn’t get your baby mama pregnant, trucking didn’t wreck your car, trucking didn’t force you to spend any money that you were or weren’t willing to spend. Trucking also did not get you fired from your warehouse(s) jobs - DRE did those things,and so we eliminate trucking as being the cause of your life being a wreck.

WE is a second chance company they work with folks who have less than perfect records, if you wash out there- there ain’t much hope for you elsewhere - FACT. My best advice is you own your choices, swallow the pride and humble yourself to learn whatever WE has to offer or teach you. From the class room to the trainer your attitude will determine if you fail or not.

As for goals and priorities, young man- you have a child- your goals,dreams and priorities are off the table. So forget about them. All that you do now is for your kid, it’s not about YOU anymore.

I have to get going to my next stop. I’ll check back later when I can.

Moe

Little background about me before i get started, I’m a 22 year old male born & raised on the east coast by a rather low income family. I also have 1 son who’s coming up on 3 years old ina few months.

I’m making this post to document my experience thus far, to seek advice, and to just let out a lot of built up frustration i have. I don’t have anyone in my life to confide in so hopefully just laying it all out here will help me in someway.

Man where do i even start… I graduated 2020 and instantly went to work in warehouses, saves up and got my first set of wheels. Instantly feel in love with being behind the wheel and driving, it was my “me time”. Fast forward to April 2023, Was working a decent paying warehouse gig bringing in about $800 after taxes weekly as a 21 y/o and got caught up in some workplace mess that got me fired. Told myself i’d never work ina warehouse again and started researching how to obtain a CDL.

While researching and being on unemployment i met a female whom i feel in love with (1st mistake) i put my research on the back burner like an idiot for about 5 months. August i finally get back on track with it and obtain my permit, attend a private paid school ($3500 i had saved from warehouse work) and get my license.

I was SO stuck on staying local i made a list of companies who offered to hire me that i would never attend. every single local job denied me, no clue why cause my record was spotless. I run my unemployment benefits out in december and realize i won’t get what i want so i jump on with a regional flatbed company called PGT January 2nd.

Their “Training” was so all over the place. I got sent with a new guy every week for 3 weeks who wanted me to do things his way and not the way i was shown the week prior. My last trainer tells the company that i basically don’t know what im doing at all and im not focused on learning (blatant lies) the guy ran like a dog and wouldn’t even let me stop to shower or grab some food. Didn’t shower for a week straight with him.

Training finishes and the company lets me go because of the remarks from my last trainer. They fly me back home and i start calling jobs on the same day, stupidly telling them i got “Fired” while in training, nobody even gave me the chance to explain what happened, instead they just slammed doors in my face. So i get home and i tell myself I’ll take a week to just relax before i start job hunting again as i was away from home for a month already. (Second mistake)

The LAST day of this week i gave myself literally sunday night i get into a bad at fault accident driving my Audi like a retard. That whole week i was making bad decisions just because of how angry i was with myself, but this took the cake. That car was my happy place, my home outside of home.

I spiral into a spiral into a bad depression that i’m honestly nowhere near over yet, but i pull myself together once i realize i only have $300 to my name and once again start my job search.

The only place willing to hire me was western express, where i’m at right now. I’ve been here for a month and i’m making less than i was making at any of my previous warehouse jobs and i can’t take it. I have goals, priorities, and a child to care for but the way i went about a career change ruined everything.

I’m sitting in this truck with $500 in my account and anger in my soul. What advice would you give me? I’m honestly thinking about totally dropping this CDL stuff but have no clue what other career path i could take. Any kind words are appreciated also. Thank you for reading.

You've made a bunch of mistakes, but what matters is you now have a job. Concentrate on excelling at that job and your opportunities will begin to open back up. But it will take time and dedication to get to that point.

I started in trucking with no money in my account and my wife and two daughters at home depending on me to make it work. That was terrifying. 4 years later i got into local fuel hauling earning 100k+.

You've made some bad choices in the past, learn from them.

Now it's time to make good choices, for you and your new family.

You can make a great living for you and your family in this industry. But you have to strive to make it happen.

I agree with all said so far. Your bottom line is “time to grow up”.

We’ve all been there, everything in this life is a choice. You can learn from past mistakes and move foward making better choices OR you can continue blaming others for your problems and keep repeating those mistakes.

Your young and God willing have your entire life ahead of you.

Suck it up and do what you need to at WE and you can set yourself up for a good career. You didn’t say which division your in, but starting out flatbed may not be a good choice. The van division may work better for now. They are a low paying second chance company, but your success there will pay off big in the ling run.

All of us here will always listen and help where we can.

Hey Dre,

As you can tell, you've come to the right community. Most of us are older, in our 40s - 60s, but we were all young once and made our share of mistakes. We have all screwed up plenty of times in our lives, so we know exactly how you feel.

That whole week i was making bad decisions just because of how angry i was with myself

Been there! Actually, I'm there now! Procrastinating has been my big problem. I've put off several things in recent years that would have been an easy fix, but now they've grown into much bigger problems. I'm p*ssed at myself for doing that, and I'm 52, not 22, so what is my excuse? I don't have one.

But alas, we're all human. We must forgive ourselves without making excuses for poor decisions or accepting such a low level of performance from ourselves in the future. You're mad at yourself for screwing up, but that doesn't help unless you use it as fuel to demand more of yourself, starting right now. So do that. Forgive yourself, put it behind you, and go out there and attack life with renewed vigor. The valuable lessons you've learned will pay off in a big way down the road.

I spiral into a bad depression that i’m honestly nowhere near over yet

This is the most important concern at the moment. The three most important things you can do when you're depressed are to find good people who will support you, get some hard exercise regularly, and take action against your problems immediately.

We're happy to support you. That's why we're here. We've supported each other through the years, and we're happy to welcome you to the group. We have an amazing community here. You're in great hands.

The exercise will relieve a lot of stress and get your mind off of negative things for a much-needed rest. It will immediately give you a greater sense of inner peace and strength, as well as better health.

Taking immediate action toward solving your biggest problems will not only fix those problems, but will also give you the confidence to handle future problems. Hopelessness causes depression. Taking action remedies that.

I’m honestly thinking about totally dropping this CDL stuff but have no clue what other career path i could take

Omg no! You're in the perfect position. Don't throw that away. You have your career underway now. It makes no difference if the runway was bumpy because now you're in the air and you're flying! Keep going!

Look in the mirror just long enough to learn the lessons you'll need for the future and then forget about it and move on. Nothing that happened in the past matters. You have your future firmly under control now.

Old School will respond to this before too long. As others have mentioned, he got his career started at Western Express. He stayed there for quite a while and then found an opportunity he couldn't refuse, which propelled him into a long and impressive career, earning top wages at a great company. Western Express is where he learned what it takes to become a true professional at the highest level, and those lessons have led to many exceptional years on the road.

You're in the perfect position to build your career. It makes no difference where you work. All that matters is how well you do your job. If you'll do an amazing job, you'll work your way up the ladder and have all the opportunities in the world.

The truth is many, many people have made a much bigger mess of things than you have. Your situation isn't nearly as bad as it may seem to you right now. Someday this will all make for an inspiring story you can tell others to help them when they need it. But first you have to see this through.

Stick with trucking. Stick with Western Express and challenge yourself to become one of their top performers. Stay there for a minimum of one year so you can build a solid foundation for your career and learn the ropes. There are endless possibilities if you'll put all your effort into becoming the best driver you can.

Don't let negative thoughts get the best of you. Keep looking forward. Keep attacking your problems. Keep giving it your best. I'm dead serious when I say I'm happy to talk with you if this forum isn't cutting it, and I'm certain our long-time members would do the same. If talking in the forum works for you, that's great. If you really need someone to talk to, please don't hesitate to ask. We'd be happy to help.

Hello Dre. I’ve read all the responses so far and it’s all golden so I won’t repeat what has already been said. Basically, hang in there and make it work.

Now for a little different piece of advice. You say your current wages are low and you are struggling financially.

Here on this forum you can get a huge amount of advice about living economically while on the road. I think I can safely say that most of the members here are good money managers. So, can we help you learn to be frugal with your money until you start to earn more? I was like you when I started out. The paychecks were not good. I decided to challenge myself to figure out how to live as cheaply as possible while on the road. I got a ton of great ideas from others on this forum.

Just one example of this: I was at the store and I was going to buy some paper towels. But I asked myself why buy paper towels when they are free at truck stop fuel islands? Paper napkins are also free if you get fast food once in a while. I take this to the extreme myself (and this is probably too much information), but fast food napkins make good toilet paper. In fact, some are already brown. So I don’t buy toilet paper anymore either.

My point is that it’s not all based on what you make. It’s also based on what you spend. Can we help you in that area?

And remember, your past is really not too bad, based on your account. Nobody is perfect and we all have made mistakes we learn from. But no matter how bad your past is, your future is spotless.

Lastly I would like to personally re iterate what a few have said - FORGIVE yourself , have grace on yourself , if you are able to find some time to laugh a bit humor is the best medicine.

I like to ask myself when in a touch spot “What’s the worst that can happen?” When you stop to do that, you will oftentimes find that things are not as bad as you make it out to be in your head.

I also want to wish you and your family the very best! When I replied to you it was about 6 am and I had been up since 3 AM so I perhaps was a little too salty (meaning not as encouraging) in my reply - mornings aren’t my finest hour so I tend to be more direct.

Seriously though, good on you for not giving up on trucking and getting with WE, you CAN turn this around with commitment, dedication and the right attitude man.

You got this!

Little background about me before i get started, I’m a 22 year old male born & raised on the east coast by a rather low income family. I also have 1 son who’s coming up on 3 years old ina few months.

I’m making this post to document my experience thus far, to seek advice, and to just let out a lot of built up frustration i have. I don’t have anyone in my life to confide in so hopefully just laying it all out here will help me in someway.

Man where do i even start… I graduated 2020 and instantly went to work in warehouses, saves up and got my first set of wheels. Instantly feel in love with being behind the wheel and driving, it was my “me time”. Fast forward to April 2023, Was working a decent paying warehouse gig bringing in about $800 after taxes weekly as a 21 y/o and got caught up in some workplace mess that got me fired. Told myself i’d never work ina warehouse again and started researching how to obtain a CDL.

While researching and being on unemployment i met a female whom i feel in love with (1st mistake) i put my research on the back burner like an idiot for about 5 months. August i finally get back on track with it and obtain my permit, attend a private paid school ($3500 i had saved from warehouse work) and get my license.

I was SO stuck on staying local i made a list of companies who offered to hire me that i would never attend. every single local job denied me, no clue why cause my record was spotless. I run my unemployment benefits out in december and realize i won’t get what i want so i jump on with a regional flatbed company called PGT January 2nd.

Their “Training” was so all over the place. I got sent with a new guy every week for 3 weeks who wanted me to do things his way and not the way i was shown the week prior. My last trainer tells the company that i basically don’t know what im doing at all and im not focused on learning (blatant lies) the guy ran like a dog and wouldn’t even let me stop to shower or grab some food. Didn’t shower for a week straight with him.

Training finishes and the company lets me go because of the remarks from my last trainer. They fly me back home and i start calling jobs on the same day, stupidly telling them i got “Fired” while in training, nobody even gave me the chance to explain what happened, instead they just slammed doors in my face. So i get home and i tell myself I’ll take a week to just relax before i start job hunting again as i was away from home for a month already. (Second mistake)

The LAST day of this week i gave myself literally sunday night i get into a bad at fault accident driving my Audi like a retard. That whole week i was making bad decisions just because of how angry i was with myself, but this took the cake. That car was my happy place, my home outside of home.

I spiral into a spiral into a bad depression that i’m honestly nowhere near over yet, but i pull myself together once i realize i only have $300 to my name and once again start my job search.

The only place willing to hire me was western express, where i’m at right now. I’ve been here for a month and i’m making less than i was making at any of my previous warehouse jobs and i can’t take it. I have goals, priorities, and a child to care for but the way i went about a career change ruined everything.

I’m sitting in this truck with $500 in my account and anger in my soul. What advice would you give me? I’m honestly thinking about totally dropping this CDL stuff but have no clue what other career path i could take. Any kind words are appreciated also. Thank you for reading.

There are some real positive aspects to this kid, Dre, that stood out to me.

First, the title of his posting starts out: “I Single-handedly Ruined My Life…” so he didn’t blame anyone else but took the responsibility on himself. Of course, we all know his life is not ruined, which brings me to my second point.

Dre got to a critical point in his life and reached out for help. That is a very positive action on his part. It’s not a weakness, it’s a strength. And he was smart enough to find this forum and if he sticks with it here, he will get the guidance he needs and wants.

Exactly what i needed to hear from peers in this profession with more experience than me. Thank you Davy, Moe, Suicide Jockey, PJ, Brett, & BK. Someone stated it’s been a rough patch in my life and yes it 100% has been. Ive realized when i started here at WE I gave myself probably some unrealistic time frames to meet my new goals with my current predicament (ex. Only staying here for 3months then trying to move on) I’ve seen alot of you recommend a year minimum, i’m not against it if i can adopt some of those frugal instincts @BK mentioned, and get on the North East regional account for flatbed where i can be home weekly. (Someone asked what division, it’s hard to scroll and find who on mobile) But currently in the flatbed division OTR. I’d really wanna get on with XPO or Fedex Freight as they’re both hiring in my area but yk you can’t contact their recruiters, do any of you know if they’d hire me with say the year or so of experience with the accident? I know i can’t be picky or etc rn but the main thing that’ll keep me going is knowing opportunities will continue to open up closer than say 3-5years. As far as the accident i went ahead and pulled my MVR from my local dmv and it’s not even listed there? It happened 2 months ago in Washington DC but i’m licensed and live in MD. I know it’s in insurance databases though as mine covered the total cost of both vehicles involved.

Also @Brett if it’s not too much of a hassle i’d love to have someone to talk to personally. Thank you all again greatly!