Suggestions/ Advice

As of October 2023 I have had a CDL , shortly there after I landed a job with a mega carrier company. I was with them from Nov 2023 through March 2024 with two incidents one non-preventable that I was told I would not be blamed for nor would it be reported & one preventable that occurred on the first week on the job.

In March 2024 I was disqualified for some critical event recordings & was let go. A week after I landed a job with a second chance company but I didn't stay, the experience I had with my former employer left me uncertain if this was something I wanted to continue to do & pursue & at the same time I wasn't completely sure if staying with the second chance company was a fair decision for my best interest. I care about my license & didn't want to compromise the integrity of my license.

Since then, I've applied at many different other places with no success & verbatim word for word each one has told me the very same thing about the former employer. I also learned about a thing called DAC of which I had no clue about, I got a copy of it. One company listed me a ineligible for re-hire & reported both non-preventable & preventable incidents listed & nothing else. The second chance company had nothing to report aside from leaving & listed me as eligible for re-hire.

It's been very frustrating searching for a new place of employment (Amazon DSP won't even hire me as delivery driver) & my current situation is a dire one that I am considering reaching out to the second chance company & ask if they'll take me back.

Having very little experience driving, I am wondering if having a place in trucking is something I should give up on & quite honestly that thought is rather depressing or is there some remote chance that sometime soon I can go back behind the wheel? I have a very clean driving record, no DUI , reckless, speeding, no tickets, no points.

Truthfully I have nothing negative to say about either company if there is one thing I didn't appreciate was the DM whom I felt wasn't very involved with the drivers needs. Aside from this, I did like working for the first company & wished I could've stayed longer with them.

Any words of advice or suggestions are appreciated. Thanks in advance.

......if there is one thing I didn't appreciate was the DM whom I felt wasn't very involved with the drivers needs.

What? The last thing I want is a FM/DM being "involved with my needs." This industry is really an out of the frying pan and into the fire scenario. You weren't even driving long enough to create an excellent rapport with them, AND you have failed to realize that you are probably one of 100+ drivers they are managing. Good Lord.

All accidents will be documented, both preventable and non preventable.

You could try to negotiate with Wilson to see if they would put you back in training.

I admit.. i read the driver's needs comment and thought the same as NaeNae. I need the guy to give me a good load, get me home, and make sure my pay is correct.

Now, now girls. Don’t be so hard on the poor guy. Guys have feelings, too. Or at least some of us do.

JA, if you give up now you will never be able to properly evaluate truck driving as a career. Many of us who love our career had really rough starts like you have had. I certainly did and many were the days I wanted to throw in the towel. Now I’m very glad I didn’t. Follow the advice Kearsey gave you about Wilson and if that doesn’t work keep trying or go back to the company that said you are eligible for re-hire.

One glaring fault in the trucking industry is the lack of balanced treatment given drivers by driver managers. Usually quick to point out mistakes, which is fair, but very seldom offering commendation to new drivers. The magic of positive reinforcement is not well appreciated or implemented, in my opinion. Discouragement felt by new drivers could be substantially alleviated by just a few words of commendation once in a while. New drivers are like children who respond better to positive reinforcement and commendation than to scoldings all the time.

You're correct, I hadn't driven long enough & thats why I felt that DM should've been a little more involved with those new drivers who were just starting out. A little guidance, some helpful tips I wasn't asking for anyone to hold my hand but it sure would've been decent especially for someone who wants to learn how to this proficiently to at least give some words of advice for someone starting out. Considering the size of those things, they're fun to drive but there's a lot responsibility that one incurs when you sit behind the wheel.

Buts that's besides the point. I miss driving that truck & I'm not certain if I will again, being new & all "not driving long enough". That why I posted what I have since there is a lot of "experienced" drivers I thought maybe someone could clue me in. That's all, no harm meant...

I've learned that now, that they get reported & I take full accountability for the damage that was made when I backed into the awning on my first week. It served as a learning lesson & coupled with some of the advice I got from other drivers. I saw my backing slowly improve & I never hit anything again after.

As for the other one I don't blame the company it's not as of the equipment was cheap or poorly maintained . I like that truck, it was a nice truck. I also dont blame myself, it's just one of those things that happens it's out everyone's hands, no one's to blame. I'm just glad no one was hurt & no serious damage occurred, thank goodness for that.

My concern is just finding work again & having been turned down quit a few times & being new to this kind of dampers the spirit. I've never heard of Wilson but I'm all for it.

JA, if you give up now you will never be able to properly evaluate truck driving as a career. Many of us who love our career had really rough starts like you have had. I certainly did and many were the days I wanted to throw in the towel. Now I’m very glad I didn’t. Follow the advice Kearsey gave you about Wilson and if that doesn’t work keep trying or go back to the company that said you are eligible for re-hire.

I should just clear up the whole "wilson" thing, its kind of funny. That avatar picture was a stock photo that some how ended up as profile picture when I created this profile thing. That's wasn't me nor have I ever worked for Wilson.

I drove for cr england & then went right to western express. I didn't want to mention them as it felt a little uncouth. I don't think I can convince them of retraining & as far as western express is concerned, I am seriously giving it some thought.

I don't really want to just give up, its perhaps why Ive felt a bit of the doldrums, I liked what I was doing, it was a little unconventional but it made sense for me.Driving was something I had been wanting to for such a long time & that thought seem so far away & unreachable. Obtaining a CDL A was something very important, I didnt feel stuck for a change. I miss it...

Mark me down as suggesting you make nice with Western. You are so new to the game, and with a preventable, "some critical event recordings", a "non-eligible", and a short stint at a 2nd chance company, all in your first 6 months, you aren't looking like a very safe gamble to prospective employers. If Western is willing to give you another shot, you should take it.

Give it some time. Learn how to play the game. Gain some valuable experience so that you can first put that CRE blemish behind you. Establishing a good record takes time, but is vital in any long-term plans you may have in trucking. Even for plans you may not know you have yet.

As for the DM not being very involved, think of it this way:

As mentioned, this DM likely has 100 or more drivers on their board. He or she has likely extended their helping hand a gazillion times to new drivers, only to see those drivers bail time and time again. It has to desensitize a DM when so many new drivers simply don't work out for whatever reason. The turnover rate is so high that DMs likely won't put much time or effort into you until YOU begin to prove yourself as someone worthy of their time.

Make yourself stand out. THAT will get their attention. Prove yourself.

Turtle, I understand what you & everyone else is telling me & I've been told the same thing by someone else that I know It's not like I walked away from western express under bad terms, I just needed time to think through. But reading the replies & talking to my personal acquaintance really does help in a decision.

It helps remind me why I even wanted to drive in first place, which I felt no motivation for after cr england, it was discouraging & deeply disappointing. I took it as another failure in a long list. I really did like driving for them & had hoped to stay there for a long time. And as far as the DM goes, I'm not really worried about it, thats not the issue.I just mentioned it as being the one only thing I didn't like. Other than that, it was nice being at cr england.

I just wanted to know if there still might be a slight chance for me inspite of what has happened after applying at so many different places, it's been a bit exhausting.

And as far as my license, that's not something Im going to give up so easily. As much as I didn't want to do this & go back to that, I can try & get a job as tow truck driver (I have seven years of AAA roadside service as flatbed tow truck driver under my belt) only this time with medium & heavy duty driving which requires a CDL. The best part is that I don't even have to mention my previous work & I can leave it out of an application.

There's always endorsements that I can get for transportation, tour bus driver & such. Those are just examples the point is, is I'm keeping the license!

But in reality, I would like to drive trucks instead....

Sorry.. the pic on the avatar was a driver and wilson truck. I assumed.it was really you.