I Got Sent Home By Con-way Freight

The competitive side of me makes me want to get out there and win those national championships right out from under their gnarly Con-way hands and shrink their little egos back into place.

MG, thats the spirit. Let me know WHEN you go for the championship, coz I plan to be there to cheer you on!!!!

I don't want to make a rocker out of you, but I think that they got envious, because you rock, while they were lame.

Time goes by But you can't rest Too many things And you're obsessed Trying to find Some sense to it all

No-one knows what you've been through Like no-one cares But it's not true Turn the pages And make a fresh start

When you are low You should known You are not the only lonely soul And you will find The strength inside There is no more need to hide

Just carry on Fullfill your dreams Don't let them try to pull you down So carry on Don't give up March on till the end The road is long but you'll reach the final bend

Just Carry On

Hold on to your dream Somewhere there's a beam of hope which is guiding your way through the dark This is your chance Your love your romance Hold on to your dream and never give up in your life - Hold on to your Dream

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wHeykkh3J_M

We are sometimes Surrounded by Idiots

Hold On To Your Dream

Mountain Girl sorry this happened to you but thank you for posting. Trying to decide what route to take to get my CDL , I was considering Con-way. I still might be a good company but thank you for posting your experience. Hey if their Colorado training center treats a sister like that then guess who gets crossed off on my list even though I'm on the East Coast.

-Colleen

Well, you kno-ow. It's just a regular terminal that has training too. I can only tell you about this terminal, not any other. Like I said though, I was in the military and trained back when things were much less user-friendly than they are now. It was very tough for females back then and I have to give the military credit for being way ahead of the civilian world on equal opportunity treatment. Having been toughened by the military, this stuff was rather shocking. And the immaturity of some of these males was phenomenal. One was very nice but in the beginning, was so awkward for the first 50 miles, you'd think he didn't know how to handle a conversation with a woman. He was gentlemanly but the problem arose when he wanted to be a "big man" and just do whatever, hook a set, back to a dock, rather than let me practice. These guys were more worried about how they appeared to drivers from other companies at delivery docks than allowing me to practice and learn in the real world. If I took more than a few minutes or so, they'd grow impatient and say, "These guys are watching," or "Those guys on the dock don't have time to wait for you," lalala. Really? Seriously, who cares what the other drivers think, like it's any of my business anyway and dock workers ...? There's always plenty for them to do, whether I'm there, backing or not. Ridiculous. My speed is not as important as my safety. Plthlthlthlth. Wussies.

Again though, the problem with these types is that their egos are fragile and that's what makes them miserable to deal with and impossible for women to work with.

I would never send a female friend in that direction with that culture.

-mountain girl

Well, f*** `em!

Mountain Girl, If the company I worked for treated me like that instead of being upstanding, I would probably be black listed from trucking. You are better than that and you will find the right company to drive for. There is not one person in this profession who can say they didn`t hit some bumps along the way.

That company just does not fit you and would probably make you miserable even if you were kept on. Like I said before, a blessing disguised as a disappointment. Shake your head, laugh at their ridiculousness and keep rolling!

-Rolling Thunder

You are so right RT. Think about it: they have some dangerous runs. Check out your Google Earth and the terrain here: there's a linehaul run from Henderson to Grand Junction and back, in one night. The route to take is I-70 West to Grand Junction and then I-70 East back to Henderson. And with hazmat , you must take the designated route. You can't make up your own, here. Understand, that you cannot take a hazmat load through Eisenhower tunnel unless Loveland Pass is closed due to a bad snow storm. It has to be reeeeeally bad for them to shut Loveland Pass down. So, even with a snowstorm that's not heavy enough to shut down Loveland pass but still heavy, it's still dangerous and freaky as h*** pulling 40 tons in doubles or triples with hazmat. Combine that with driving over the Pass at NIGHT, in a snowstorm. Shoot. Loveland Pass is scary, on the ground, in your CAR in broad daylight on a dry road, in the summertime but when you're driving a tractor trailer, you don't even SEE the road below you. The turns are sharp and the road is too narrow to see beneath your wheels. Now combine that with the idea that the best and most experienced drivers in the company, who make money driving this route in the summertime, have the privilege of refusing the load in the wintertime and accepting the next load that shows up on the board. Guess who has to take the load that the most experienced driver has just turned down? That's right. The most INexperienced drivers have to take that load. This does not make sense. The "turns" on Loveland Pass are not turns - they're SWITCHbacks - turns that suddenly take you 180 degrees in the opposite direction. I'm not a whimp. I've jumped out of airplanes, while in flight, etc. But I'm not stupid. What if I lose my gear and I still have ice, snow, low visibility, night driving and 3 miles left of switchbacks to go? That mountain is dangerous as hell, all by itself, let alone all the above factors...

There's your blessing in disguise.

-mountain girl

If that place is run so terribly then maybe they are doing you a favor by sending you home. It speaks more of them than it does of you. Old School had to deal with his share of rejection when he was trying to get his foot in the door and look where he is now. This probably didn't work out because there is something better in store for you. Every time I have had something not work out something better has always taken it's place. Just keep plugging away at getting the job you want. If anything it will show that you can roll with the punches and that you are determined to get what you want. You definitely seem like the type that will do that.

I actually applied for this same job here in Oregon last week. We'll see what happens!

I'm so sorry MG, they really dropped the ball and missed out on a star employee. :(

Dont be discouraged. Keep your head up and push forward. I know this would have been the ideal place for you, but you will find something..

-HM

Thanks, HM. I know you mean that.

-mountain girl

You bet I do. We both have that burning desire to succeed at this.

If that place is run so terribly then maybe they are doing you a favor by sending you home. It speaks more of them than it does of you. Old School had to deal with his share of rejection when he was trying to get his foot in the door and look where he is now. This probably didn't work out because there is something better in store for you. Every time I have had something not work out something better has always taken it's place. Just keep plugging away at getting the job you want. If anything it will show that you can roll with the punches and that you are determined to get what you want. You definitely seem like the type that will do that.

I actually applied for this same job here in Oregon last week. We'll see what happens!

-Joanna

And you know, I'm not going to speak for the entire company, cross-country. Your area may be completely different and a lot safer to drive year-round, although you have your fair share of rain.

I was there, in Clakamas during that awful weekend snowstorm in February, but that's the exception and without the road resources that we have in Colorado, your roads would be shut down under those conditions. You wouldn't be expected to drive in that kind of weather. We, on the other hand have chain laws, snow plows that run in 3's to clear up an entire freeway at once, and conditions don't often slow down movement.

And who knows? Every terminal may have its own "culture." I'd say, give it a shot if they make you an offer. Know that whatever is in writing is what's offered and what's not in writing is not. Don't forget: if you are going in to training, there's a document you must sign that contracts you with the company for a year or you owe them $3,000 if you leave inside of that first year. I have to double-check tomorrow that I don't owe that sum in any way, shape or form, because they are the ones letting ME go and I'm not leaving of my own free will. Again, I need their release in writing.

Keep your mind open, your personal life closed, and don't allow them to know anything about you that they could subjectively use their prejudice against you, later. Give them your professionalism and nothing more. You can make friends (if you really want to) later.

Best of Luck to you!

-mountain girl

MG, I've read your thread and am very sorry for your circumstances. Going into trucking is hard enough without having to deal with egos, power struggles, and what seems like a stacked deck.

I wish you the best in moving forward. Are there any other LTL companies in your area? Where there's one, there's sure to be another.

I'm so sorry MG, they really dropped the ball and missed out on a star employee. :(

Dont be discouraged. Keep your head up and push forward. I know this would have been the ideal place for you, but you will find something..

-HM

Thanks, HM. I know you mean that.

-mountain girl

You bet I do. We both have that burning desire to succeed at this.

Thanks, HM.

I'll get there. I learned a lot. I was the only inexperienced driver in my little 3-person class. Where I had control of my training, i.e., studying on my own, the pre-trip inspection , learning their electronic equipment for recording deliveries, etc., my performance was impeccable. Where they had control over my training: i.e. how much time I wasted in the passenger seat, when I could have been practicing skills in the yard, I was not impeccable. That's a reflection on them, not me, actually.

-mountain girl