I Got "let Go" From My New Paving Job For Doing A Pre Trip...

So I was in training as a Paver driver, my first job as a driver. I was hella happy and REALLY looking forward to learning all of the skills needed to do the job. This company has many different types of trucks, and I was looking forward to learning how to drive them all.

After 2 days of free driving, I felt I was ready to go out on my own. My boss told me to take a truck out and go free driving again, and when I got back, I would start my transfer training.

I got the key from the conex, went, and did a pre-trip. Then, during my pre-trip, my parking brake light was blinking at me. I didn't understand this code, so I went to ask him about it. Short answer: The passenger door was slightly open. He gets upset when I tell him I forgot to check the hydraulic fluid, and tells me pre-trips are NOT practical in the REAL WORLD of trucking because I would never get any work done if I do a pre-trip every day. I am new, and I thought he wanted this done.

I did my free driving, and I felt bad for making a mistake. SO I apologized to him for making that mistake and said I would do better.

He let me go, saying I didn't have enough "real-world experience" when he knew I was fresh out of trucking school.

Now, I am really confused... and kinda ****ed up mentally, as I dont know what I ACTUALLY did to deserve to be let go... he said after a year "check back in with me, after you get some real world experience." When I pushed, he said "it was a gut feeling he had that I wouldn't be a good fit", and "it was personal." Which I didn't understand at all.

I thought I was SUPPOSED to do a pre-trip on the trucks I drive... a pre- and post-trip ... to make sure it's safe... but clearly NOT.

So, are there other things that "are NOT practical in the REAL WORLD of trucking?" As I don't want to go through this again... I was so excited about the possibilities of trucking and all the things I would learn... but idk...

There is alot here for sure. The nature of the trucking industry varies greatly.

The job you had is a high demand job. Those trucks have to be onsite when needed. They are often fast paced because of that demand. That is why the owner decided to get someone more experienced. Also that was why he left the door open in a year or so for you to try again.

His real world statement isn’t all that suprising to me. There are tons of variable scenarios too that. Maybe he has mechanics that stay on top of those trucks every week while they are parked on the weekend. If so he just expects drivers to do a quick walk around too make sure nothing is obvious and roll.

You were not wrong for doing a pretrip at all. Espically being brand new and new to that equipment.

I drive the same truck everyday. I know this thing inside and out. Do I do a by the book pretrip everyday. No. I have a routine. I always check things over, but not by the book. It takes about the amount of time it takes for me to drink my first cup of coffee. When I’m off I do a very indepth inspection at the house. But that is with me having the same truck for many years. My trailers I do the same with. But I only have 2 and I’ve had them a long time.

Apply everywhere and stick with it and someone will give you a real shot.

Bummer. As PJ said, there are a lot of dynamics in the real world. A great many of us may not do a pre and post trip exactly by the book, but we have our routines that we do. Just as PJ, coming back from hometime, I do a very thorough pre trip. I also, do a solid post trip and make a list of anything I want to get while I'm out.

Your recent experience highlights why we suggest going OTR to start at one of the larger companies that train. You get the time to develop habits and experience the real world in manageable chunks. They are also far more tolerant of hiccups and mistakes.

Reading your post and the comments here, I don't think your boss had a problem with the pre-trip. I think you came off as less than professional when you were like, "oh, I forgot something." What I imagine your boss was thinking is that if you can't do a pre-trip without disrupting the schedule, then don't bother doing it. He has other drivers, and I imagine that they do pre-trips on the equipment before driving. What they don't do is tell the boss, "oh, I forgot something."

As has been pointed out, if he's got mechanics regularly checking the equipment and taking care of issues, then he doesn't need an inexperienced driver nosing around just for the sake of doing it.

My personal approach is this:

If you drive the same truck everyday, then you have a pretty good idea when there is something wrong. Thorough pre-trip when it's been parked for a while and a thorough post-trip when parking it coming off the road. Daily walk arounds to be sure nothing is out of sorts.

Working for a company where a different truck is used regularly, my approach would depend on the condition of the equipment. Is the yard full of aged trucks that obviously in need of better attention than they are getting, or is the yard full of trucks the company cares about keeping well maintained? If it's the former, then I am doing a thorough pre-trip because you never know what you might find. Boss has a problem with that? Well, he may need to be looking for another driver before having a chance to fire me. If it's the latter, then I am walking around to look for anything obvious the last driver might have missed. Beyond that, I am going to trust that the mechanics are doing their jobs well because I don't see a section of the yard with just as many broke down trucks as the section of the yard with running trucks.

This is why starting out OTR is important. You have plenty of time at your disposal to learn how and when to do a thorough pre-trip, as well as how and when to do a walk around. Most local jobs, the companies don't have time for drivers to fumble around being inefficient with their time on things like pre-trips.

All-in-all, it was probably a good learning experience.

I think you most likely dodged a bullet. Reading between the lines it sounds to me like there were two things going on here. The first and most obvious is he clearly wants someone more experienced in trucking who he doesn't have to train from the ground up. I understand where he's coming from on this and I don't think he's wrong at all for wanting that. New drivers really don't have any idea what they're doing and how to be productive and safe at the same time. Experience teaches you to learn the difference between serious and minor issues with the equipment. It also teaches you which rules you can bend and which ones you have to follow to the letter all the time. It takes the better part of a year for you to really start to get a grasp on how things work in the world of trucking. In the meantime, you generally aren't going to be particularly productive or much of an asset to your company. That's just the reality in this industry. It's nothing personal.

The second thing I think might be going on and the reason I think you may have dodged a bullet, is that it's very possible this company is not exactly the best at making sure they're following regulations as best as they can. Lots of companies, especially smaller local companies, cut corners where they can and to some extent expect their drivers to do the same. Very very few of us, if any of us, follow all the regulations out there all the time. It's pretty much impossible. But especially when you're fresh out of school and have no real world experience and are bound to make a few mistakes, it is in your best interest to work somewhere that makes every effort to run legally and above board and will also have the patience to work with your level of inexperience. Working a fast paced job that turns a blind eye when you cut corners or run illegal is definitely not the kind of place to work when you're new and it's a great way to screw up and make some mistakes that might follow you for years and hurt or end your career early. They also tend to be the kind of place that will hang you out to dry if you cut a corner like skipping a pretrip and then have an accident or breakdown that could have been prevented with a proper pretrip.

Of course, the latter is purely speculation about this particular company. I have no idea if this company is above board or not. But I do work in the cement industry as a bulk cement driver (not a mixer driver) and I deliver to batch plants all the time and have an idea what the job is like. Production is everything in the cement industry. When things get busy we're all doing everything we can to maximize our productivity and haul as much as possible as quickly as possible. It's also extremely competitive and drivers and companies will often cut corners just to get that extra load in.

Get your experience in somewhere else and if you still want to come back to this company in a year give it a shot.

it is in your best interest to work somewhere that makes every effort to run legally and above board and will also have the patience to work with your level of inexperience.

Get your experience in somewhere else and if you still want to come back to this company in a year give it a shot.

"I’m a New CDL Driver — So Why Am I Being Treated Like I Should Have 200 Years of Experience?" I'm going to be brutally honest because I am really confused and more than a little frustrated.

I went to trucking school. I spent the time, the money, the effort. I've heard over and over about how trucking is a great career, with solid money and consistent demand for drivers. I believed in the opportunity, and I did what I was supposed to do.

I earned my CDL six months ago. But now, I find myself asking:

How the hell am I supposed to gain experience... if no one will actually let me drive?

Every time I get behind the wheel or into a new company, it's like I'm expected to have nine billion years of experience—as if I should be a trucking god just a few weeks out of school.

I've been hired twice now, and both times, the so-called "trainer" barely let me touch the wheel. But they still expected me to float gears perfectly, execute pre- and post-trips like a DOT inspector, and back up a trailer down a quarter-mile winding road like a seasoned OTR vet with 30 years under his belt.

When I try to learn, they look at me like I’m failing. But no one is actually training me. It’s like I’m supposed to time travel and show up already perfect. How does that make sense?

Here’s my situation:

I cannot do OTR. My parole conditions won’t allow it.

I’ve found that I really enjoy paver work, and when I'm allowed to do it, I actually do pretty well.

I’m not a master, I’m not a god, but I’m safe, smart, and eager to improve.

I haven’t hurt anyone, damaged anything, or made reckless decisions. But none of that seems to matter, because I’m new and not flawless.

Now I’m being made to feel like I’m a “bad driver” because I don’t float gears like I’ve been driving since the Stone Age. And it’s starting to make me question whether getting into trucking was a mistake — and that’s a really hard thing to admit after all I’ve invested into this path.

So I’m asking — sincerely and loudly:

How do I gain experience when no one is willing to give me the chance to gain experience?

I don’t need to be babied. I don’t need hand-holding. I need seat time, reps, and opportunity. I’m not asking to be handed anything. I’m asking for a real shot to learn this trade the right way — the way it’s supposed to be learned: in the driver’s seat, not on the sidelines.

I want to be better. I will become better. But someone has to give me a fair shot. I’ve got the motivation, the work ethic, and the commitment. What I need now is a path forward that actually makes sense — not impossible standards, not toxic trainers, and not an industry that forgets how every single pro started out just like me.

If you've been here — or if you're on the other side of it and have advice — I’m all ears.

But to all the companies, trainers, and gatekeepers out there: let new drivers grow.

My best guess would be try getting a daily driver job with like Coca-Cola, Pepsi, etc as they do drive day cabs between bottling plants to warehouses etc Then the distribution centers have drivers who pull those aluminum trailers, with roll up doors to delivery customers. Like fast food joints etc,I worked as a diesel mechanic for Pepsi in So Calif. in the 1980's-90's...The 1st shop in San Fernando @ a warehouse, with 2 goof ball mechanics, then I was asked to transfer to the Carson, Cali bottling plant main shop by the head shop managers there, after I subbed/worked there for a week. I jumped on that chance

Otherwise, Waste Management, and other refuse haulers have diesel trucks (day cabs also) roll offs, delivering steel bins to like construction sites etc, and picking up when filled. Cement plants have powder trucks, bottom dumps, that transport materials between places for cement mixers to make and deliver.

Problem being now, with a 6 month old CDL , and very little experience, most bigger carriers consider it stale, and probably require a brush up course. This is EXACTLY, why here on T.T. it's advisable to go thru training companies, and have a job after graduating. Private schools and colleges don't guarantee diddly squat for a job, aside "maybe" some recruiters coming thru...

You just need to have perseverance, and keep rattling doors looking for that 1 YES, if you're serious about the industry. Besides the fact that the industry is still in a slump, and there's 10's of 1000's of experienced drivers looking for new jobs after their companies went belly up, which is making it even harder out there....

Not knowing what party of Calif you're in, and not knowing which paving company you went to for 2 days is. I know Matich is based in So Calif. asphalt etc paving. My best friends son in law, paves roads there maybe over 15+ years now.

His dad, & uncle, worked there probably 30-40 years, his cousin probably still does. And I know they make/made a butt load of $$ there. And they are a 100+ year old company in So Cal.

They based in San Bernardino & Riverside County, I have no clue if they're even looking for drivers, but it's an option as well. IF you're in So. Calif

A bunch of us gave you advice on how to get it done

That advice is: Get your experience in OTR first for a year then proceed to go local.

But....then you revealed that due to your parole you can't do OTR. Would have been more helpful to have known that in the beginning.

So basically, you're a convicted felon who can't leave the state or area? No one here is judging you for that, but if you failed to tell us important things like that, it begs the question are you telling your employer?

My best guess is to see if there are any dock to driver programs locally, or agricultural work, and or construction. With so many illegals self deporting, it may free up some spots. Although with your restrictions, it's going to be even tougher in an already tough market.