21 Year Old Female From Wisconsin Very Nervous. Need Advice On Picking A Driving School.

well like i said im a 21 year old female from wisconsin and im looking to get into trucking. i dont have any kids or a house or a boyfriend/husband or anything. just a very concerned family. i just want someone to tell me a bit about some of the companies ive been looking into. i met a guy who works for central refrigerated and he said dont go there the DMs micromanage you and jerk you around. then reading on here i saw that another driver for them said you can change dms if you want so idk which to believe. ive heard bad things about werner and C.R. England from online review sites.

id very much prefer to go to a company sponsored driving school so that i know exactly what the company expects out of me. just looking for some advice. my family all thinks im nuts to just get on a bus to utah and be gone for a few months. also how does home time work with them? do they try to send you to a load close to where your family is or just wherever you end up when your home time comes is where you stay unless you want to fly home? i need pros and cons and i need to know as much as i can before i make my decision. please help!!

In trucking, there is no such thing as a "good company" or a "bad company". Ignore everything you've "heard" about this company or that company and read THIS ARTICLE.

i met a guy who works for central refrigerated and he said dont go there the DMs micromanage you and jerk you around

Just as a general FYI, most of the time, if someone's DM is micromanaging them and jerking them around, it's because they aren't a very reliable driver. DMs generally prefer to just tell drivers where to go and then forget about them -- trusting that they'll get the load delivered safely and on time -- but when that driver fails in some way or another, DMs get ticked off. It's good that you're talking to actual drivers, but you can't base these major decisions that impact your career on the opinions of just ONE person.

You have a lot of leg-work to do in terms of research. Seriously, girl, do your research. There are enough resources here on this website to get you off to a VERY good start. At the top of the screen, beneath the "TruckingTruth" header image, do you see the menu with the drop-down options? See where it says "Becoming A Truck Driver"? You need to click that link and read everything in that category. That's where I started and it'll help you figure out if trucking is really for you, and if it is, what you need to do to get started.

As for companies, forget what you've heard. Wipe your memory clean and look at each one with an open mind. All trucking companies want to make money, and for them to make money, they need to have happy drivers. They can't ALL be horrible and stomp all over their drivers and still make money.

A company is as good or as awful as YOU make it. If you get out there and you show your company that you're a hard worker, you have a good attitude, you're trustworthy and reliable, and you do your job well, your company will treat you well and will give you lots of miles (which means you make more money). If you're not willing to make the sacrifices and put 100% into your job, though, you're going to hate your job and your company. They'll give all the good loads to other drivers who are more responsible and willing to work, and will give you short, crappy hauls that nobody else wants. It's all in how YOU approach the job!

By the way -- I am a newbie (and a female!) just like you. I haven't even gone to school yet. But I've done a TON of research and I've been reading these forums intensively for weeks, so I've learned a lot in a short amount of time! The folks here can give you all the advice and guidance you want, but only YOU can decide if trucking is a good fit for you. You definitely should read everything in that drop-down menu I told you about!

Strike #1-Don't trust the review sites. If you do you might as well find a different career choice because according to them all of the companies are evil.

This site has a section that talks about company sponsored training companies with A TON of info for each company. Start there. Pick a company(s) that you like and build a plan for yourself. There is a wealth of information on this site and a bunch of people willing to answer questions here on the forum. I believe there is also a seperate forum that the ladies discuss their side of the industry and struggles and stories.

I was in your shoes a few months ago. Once I found this site all of the confusion and questions have slowly left. I looked through the cdl training options and picked a few I liked. Then from there I found what the best for me would be. I chose Prime mainly because of the location but location is really irrelevant in many cases because they will bus you in. If they travel in your area you should be fine. Since I decided on a company I have focused on studying for the cdl tests. I have to wait for August when my lease ends and then I'm on my way. WheWheln I have a question, I ask the forum and they answer. It can be a stupid question or just asking advice. The blog are also a good way to hear from the guys and gals out there living it.

well like i said im a 21 year old female from wisconsin and im looking to get into trucking. i dont have any kids or a house or a boyfriend/husband or anything. just a very concerned family. i just want someone to tell me a bit about some of the companies ive been looking into. i met a guy who works for central refrigerated and he said dont go there the DMs micromanage you and jerk you around. then reading on here i saw that another driver for them said you can change dms if you want so idk which to believe. ive heard bad things about werner and C.R. England from online review sites.

id very much prefer to go to a company sponsored driving school so that i know exactly what the company expects out of me. just looking for some advice. my family all thinks im nuts to just get on a bus to utah and be gone for a few months. also how does home time work with them? do they try to send you to a load close to where your family is or just wherever you end up when your home time comes is where you stay unless you want to fly home? i need pros and cons and i need to know as much as i can before i make my decision. please help!!

I'm from the Wisconsin area too, and I'm going to Roehl's sponsored driving school hopefully next week in Marshfield. They've been great to deal with. If you drive 120,000 miles for them, they'll pay for the whole school. I would highly recommend giving them a look. Kim is the recruiter I've been dealing with and she's been fantastic. I just had my physical today and they paid for that as well. If you have any other questions let me know!

Well, Meghan, first off, welcome to the forum. I think judging by the replies before mine you have figure out by now that you have come to the right place to decide whether or not trucking might be a good career for you. Everything that you have been told by the guys(and girls) before me was spot on. Forget EVERYTHING you have heard before now...only YOU can decide that after you have done all the research and the reading and asking, if you are ready to take the leap and jump into trucking as a career. Feel free to ask any questions you can think of and don't be shy...and don't forget that there is a forum just for the ladies...