Types Of Training For CDL Grads

A little off topic.

But loving that beard. That's epic

I've called the recruiter back and told her it's a go. I should be in Missoula Sunday night and ready to start Monday morning.

They are putting me up at the Econo-Lodge for the duration of the ten-day orientation. They'll pay me $100 on the 1st day, $100 on the 5th day, and $200 for the second week of orientation with my first paycheck, which will be the week following orientation (they pay weekly).

Orientation will run about 10 hours a day, Monday-Friday, but you can practice with the trucks after hours and all weekend. You get about 50 hours in the classroom and 50 hours on the road with the trucks. Lots of narrow street navigation, mountain driving and backing. Evidently they teach you something that my CDL school instructors said we should never do, and that is upshifting two gears. Their reasoning for this is should something go wrong on a downgrade, such as slipping out of gear, they want you to be able to get in a higher gear quickly and get some control back. W/S does a LOT of driving over the Rockies, and likes to have their drivers prepared.

I've done a lot of searching on the Internet, and have seen very little negative from W/S drivers. Some have had some issues with old equipment, but my understanding is fleet replacement is currently underway, with about 1/3 of it already replaced this year.

I'm a loyal guy (military training is the likely reason) and once on board, W/S is going to get 110% from me. Of course, that generally is expected to go both ways, and I'm fairly confident it will based on what I've seen on the Internet.

By the end of the month, I should be solo and productive, and that is pretty exciting after working part time jobs for so long.

That's awesome news! Definitely looking forward to following along with ya.

W/S is going to get 110% from me. Of course, that generally is expected to go both ways, and I'm fairly confident it will based on what I've seen on the Internet.

What you get from them will depend 95% on your performance as a driver. Every company has tons of great miles for their best drivers, and the lazy or unreliable ones get the leftovers.

The other thing that's really important is developing a great relationship with a solid dispatcher , and that takes a little time. You'll have to prove yourself for several months before anyone will even take notice. But once you've shown them that you're willing to work hard, stay safe, and do what's asked of you you'll be given the better miles and better treatment that you deserve.

That relationship with your dispatcher will be critical. It's a game of give and take. If you're willing to run some of the lousy runs and do whatever it takes to get the job done safely out there day in and day out, they'll certainly return the favor and reward you with great miles and fair treatment. At least a good dispatcher will.

Where a lot of guys screw up is they scour the internet and find mountains of negativity about the various trucking companies and the trucking industry in general. So they go in with a cynical attitude and figure they'll give their best once the company proves themselves to be a good company to work for. And that's a tragic mistake.

These companies have been around for decades. They don't have to prove anything to any rookie driver. They know what they're doing. It's the rookie that has to come in and show the company they have what it takes to make it out there, and then the company will begin to trust the driver with better miles and better freight from their most important customers.

You take care of them....they take care of you.

But it's obvious from your attitude and your military background that none of this will be anything new to you, and none of it will be a problem for ya. I expect you'll go out there, be humble, listen and learn, and show em what you're made of. Once you've proven yourself, they'll put you on their "A" list and life will be good.

"Attitude is everything" - one of the oldest cliches in the world. And I've never found a place in the world where that's more true than the trucking industry. If you go out there and do your job with an awesome, friendly, kind attitude you're going to stand out in a big way. Because unfortunately, most of the trucker stereotypes are still true. The industry is rife with smelly, angry, foul-mouthed, unprofessional jerks. It's been that way for decades and I would love to see it change.

Trucking is an unbelievably tough profession, and the drivers deserve a ton of respect. No job in America is more critical to the well-being of our economy, and nobody in our workforce sacrifices more to get the job done and keep this country moving forward. But you're not going to get an ounce of respect unless you handle yourself with integrity and professionalism - I don't care how great you are at what you do.

So go out there with a big smile, listen and learn, work hard, and treat people with respect. You're going to be blown away at how much better you're treated than most of the drivers out there - and that's a fact.