Finally Got My CDL A, Going With Western Express

Hi, Well, I finally graduated from NTTS and got my CDL A(on my second try, so nervous on first road test, couldn't even straight line back .

Second road test went allot better, wasn't nervous anymore. I'm going to Nashville TN, I leave on a Greyhound tomorrow(5/5) at 12;45 pm and get into Nashville TN Tuesday morning at 6:15. My recruiter told me that I don't have to be to orientation until Wednesday, He just wanted to get me down there early.

Weather is going to be in the mid 80's in Nashville, which is allot warmer than Syracuse, where I am right now.I'm going to be flatbedding with Western Express, and I'll be going Over The Road , so I hope I'll get miles with them.

I'm looking forward to the experience.

Sweet! WTG!

Congratulations Glenn! WTG! How did you like NTTS? I have a friend who went there years ago, but he hasn't gotten back to me to answer my questions about the school. I'm seriously looking at SAGE truck driving school in Rome, NY. NTTS is a bit of a haul for me, but I'd still like to hear what you thought them and the instructors and the equipment.

Best of luck to you at orientation! Keep us posted on your progress!

Tarren

Tarren,

I did the 602 hour course, which was 18 weeks long, and was out in the parking lot during Jan, Feb, and March at least 4 hours a day, so, it was cold as hell. The trucks used in the lot for backing procedures aren't the greatest, but you will certainly learn how to straight line back, offset and reverse offset, see side and blind side, parellel, and serpentine.

I liked all the instructors, they're human, so I didn't expect them to be perfect, and they were all long time truckers before becoming instructors at NTTS. That said, going out on rides with them was interesting, because one instructor might want you to shift a certain way, and another instructor might have you shift differently.

Shifting seemed to be the only thing they differed on.

While you're training in the parking lot, you're not going to get out of first gear, unless you're in reverse of course, or nuetral. The way some of the students treat the trucks, I'm surprised that they ran at all. The parking lot trucks are not road worthy at all, and I doubt if any of them would pass inspection, but, I looked at them as something for me to train on and that is what I did, I trained on them.

Now for road rides and crew rides the trucks are allot nicer. I did 10 road rides and 10 crew rides, during Feb. and Mar, so I got to drive on snow and ice. Great experience, and I'm glad I learned to do it at school.

Each instructor has his or hers own personality, and some of them I didn't like, but I didn't let that stop me from learning from them. I kept myself focused on why I was there, and for me, that was to pass my NYS road test.

Congratulations Glenn!

I drive a flat-bed for Western Express, feel free to private message me if you want.

Let me warn you about something you may already know, but when you first jump into this career one of the most difficult times will be the training period after you sign on with your chosen company. This is where they will be testing you to see if you can handle the job. You can read about some of my experiences while training at Western Express. Just go into it knowing that it is going to be tough even if you really like your trainer - it's a whole new lifestyle of living in a tiny space with a complete stranger, and that in itself is challenging. Of course there is the thrill of being out there on the road, and the adrenaline rush of commandeering a Big Rig across the country that will assist you in staying the course, but make up your mind beforehand that you are going to tough it out before you even get started. I was tempted to quit several times during my training, but it would have been a big mistake.

I love driving for Western Express and have just completed my rookie year and have decided to stay on for another year. I can't guarantee your experience will be like mine, but I can tell you that they have got the freight and can keep you as busy as you can possibly handle. The key to getting the miles is to always be dependable and reliable without moaning and groaning at your DM. Don't let the poor attitudes of fellow drivers infect you and you will be very successful here. Here's a link to an article Brett wrote that's got some really good advice for rookies, check it out.

I wish you the best Glenn, and you feel free to contact me if you've got questions or concerns.

Thanks Old School,

Well, I'm not afraid to work hard, and thank you for the feedback of "toughing it out" . I will certainly keep myself focused on the big picture.

I only weigh 150 lbs., so on windy days, I may have to put weights in my boots when tarping

Glenn ,

Along with wishing you good luck in your pursuit I will copy/paste a GREAT example of what Old School , this sites resident master of Western Express posted awhile back . Its a great scenario that he encountered working there and shows us what a professional driver can do and what a steering wheel holder does .

Hope you don't mind the quote here Old School but I LOVED this when I read it .

quote: snipped from a previous Old School post :

Here's an example: recently I met up with another company driver in Milford CT at the Pilot there. He asked me if a had a load to get out of there, and I said yes I do. He tells me he has been sitting there for three days waiting on a load. Immediately I'm suspicious because the last thing these trucking companies want is to have their trucks sitting idle. Well I come to Connecticut an awful lot and I know that it's real easy to get a load out of here. The problem is that 90% of the time it's going to be a load of trash. Now I'm not real fond of hauling trash, but if a driver could just understand how the dispatcher is thinking he would understand that sometimes you have to take a less desirable load so that it will propel you over to a much better area for freight. These trash loads shoot us over to Ohio (which in itself is about a 600 mile run) and from there we have a ton of options. So I ask him "they can't get you a trash load?" His response is "I don't haul trash, that was what they sent me, and I refused it. I know there is a NuCor Steel plant near here and I told them to get me a load of steel out of there." Okay, now we see the driver thinking he's the boss of this operation and we see where it's getting him. I do my best as an ambassador of Trucking Truth to show him the way to success in this business, but he is adamant that there has got to be some loads of steel in the area that he could be hauling. I leave with my load of trash to Ohio and when I'm over there I get a load of Sheetrock taking me right back to Milford CT. I was back at the Pilot TS in about two and a half days. My fellow driver is still sitting in the same parking spot. He sees me walking in to the store and comes over to me just fuming about how the company is treating him. I gently tell him that he should have taken that load and not demanded his own perceived solutions to what the dispatcher is trying to accomplish - I remind him how I just made about 400.00 while he was sitting over here getting nothing but mad. He goes to his truck and sulks while I go to my truck and find out that I've got a load on me from the NuCor Steel plant with about 1500 miles on it.

Congrats Glenn!!!

Hi, Well, I finally graduated from NTTS and got my CDL A(on my second try, so nervous on first road test, couldn't even straight line back .

Second road test went allot better, wasn't nervous anymore. I'm going to Nashville TN, I leave on a Greyhound tomorrow(5/5) at 12;45 pm and get into Nashville TN Tuesday morning at 6:15. My recruiter told me that I don't have to be to orientation until Wednesday, He just wanted to get me down there early.

Weather is going to be in the mid 80's in Nashville, which is allot warmer than Syracuse, where I am right now.I'm going to be flatbedding with Western Express, and I'll be going Over The Road , so I hope I'll get miles with them.

I'm looking forward to the experience.

Hey Glenn, Congradulations! I've heard W.E. is a pretty good company, keep us updated. I too will be leaving for orientation ,hopefully in the near future. I did some checking on flying or driving (rental car) versus taking a bus and found both to be about the same as a bus ticket. May be too late to change your plans ,but ,I thought it may help someone else heading out. I use Priceline.com for all of our traveling and if I'm by myself I use the "name your own price" and have saved a ton of money over the years. Also, most trucking companies will reimburse you up to the price of a bus ticket !Anyway, best of luck and be SAFE!