Trans Am Orientation

Metalhead, I try to help people realize the difficulties of making this work at the start because I myself got rejected and sent home from three different orientations. I seriously thought it was strike three and I was out until somebody gave me a shot at proving myself. And to be honest with you that is what your rookie year is all about - proving your worth to the company.

I can't help you understand what happened with your first company because you don't even seem to know the facts. If you even have an inkling of what it might be then try to figure a way to get around it happening again. Hang in there, and when it gets tough (and it will at some point) just hold your head high and show them what you're made of. You can do this, but it will take some tenacity on your part. If you've been wronged, don't let it eat away at you. Just move forward and look for that opening where you can stand out and prove yourself.

That seems really odd that they would just let you go without any type of explanation, especially considering the fact that you did so well during the time you were there and got along so well with your trainer. It doesn't seem to be in their best interest to fire someone who shows the potential to be a valuable asset. Is there perhaps any other information you can provide which might give us some more insight as to why they would make such a foolish decision? Maybe something in your past which they discovered in a background check? Or maybe some incident that happened which you thought was minor and have therefore neglected to share so far? I'm really just baffled that they would do this for no reason.

yes,I do have a past.I did ten years in prison and I didn't hide anything on my application. I am covered in tattoos and there are a few visible tattoos that would be considered racist.Im not into all that anymore but the reminders are on my skin.Thats the only thing I can think of.But if that's the reason why wouldn't they just tell me?

That seems really odd that they would just let you go without any type of explanation, especially considering the fact that you did so well during the time you were there and got along so well with your trainer. It doesn't seem to be in their best interest to fire someone who shows the potential to be a valuable asset. Is there perhaps any other information you can provide which might give us some more insight as to why they would make such a foolish decision? Maybe something in your past which they discovered in a background check? Or maybe some incident that happened which you thought was minor and have therefore neglected to share so far? I'm really just baffled that they would do this for no reason.

yes,I do have a past.I did ten years in prison and I didn't hide anything on my application. I am covered in tattoos and there are a few visible tattoos that would be considered racist.Im not into all that anymore but the reminders are on my skin.Thats the only thing I can think of.But if that's the reason why wouldn't they just tell me?

I might hazard a guess that a customer saw those tattoos, knew they were racist, and complained to you company. That is not an image their company wants to promote. Just a guess.

That seems really odd that they would just let you go without any type of explanation, especially considering the fact that you did so well during the time you were there and got along so well with your trainer. It doesn't seem to be in their best interest to fire someone who shows the potential to be a valuable asset. Is there perhaps any other information you can provide which might give us some more insight as to why they would make such a foolish decision? Maybe something in your past which they discovered in a background check? Or maybe some incident that happened which you thought was minor and have therefore neglected to share so far? I'm really just baffled that they would do this for no reason.

yes,I do have a past.I did ten years in prison and I didn't hide anything on my application. I am covered in tattoos and there are a few visible tattoos that would be considered racist.Im not into all that anymore but the reminders are on my skin.Thats the only thing I can think of.But if that's the reason why wouldn't they just tell me?

I might hazard a guess that a customer saw those tattoos, knew they were racist, and complained to you company. That is not an image their company wants to promote. Just a guess.

I was texting with my trainer last night and that is one of the guesses that he had also.He tried to stand up for me,but it didn't work.maybe I will have to invest in tattoo makeup just in case.Trans Am is going to give me a chance,so hopefuly things will work out for me this next go around

Yeah that's a bummer. You gotta remember though that it won't just be customers, you'll be driving to all different parts of the country; many of those places will have entirely differently ethnic makeups if you catch my drift. Not to mention the truck stops where there will be a varying cross-section of races every night. If those tattoos are highly visible you may run into problems just walking in to use the restroom. Are they in places that can easily be concealed by sleeves or hats or something? If not, what about permanent removal? I know it's probably expensive, but I wonder if it's something a local employment assistance office would cover in order to help you get a job?

Yeah that's a bummer. You gotta remember though that it won't just be customers, you'll be driving to all different parts of the country; many of those places will have entirely differently ethnic makeups if you catch my drift. Not to mention the truck stops where there will be a varying cross-section of races every night. If those tattoos are highly visible you may run into problems just walking in to use the restroom. Are they in places that can easily be concealed by sleeves or hats or something? If not, what about permanent removal? I know it's probably expensive, but I wonder if it's something a local employment assistance office would cover in order to help you get a job?

unfortunately the only way I would be able to cover one of them up with clothing is if I wore a turtleneck all the time.Ive never had any problems getting along with people out here in the free world when it comes to those issues and I conduct myself in a very professional manner (for the most part) I have thought about the laser removal process but it is too expensive for me right now. If the same thing happens at Trans Am ,I will just assume it is the tats that are giving me problems and I just might try to take out a loan to get them zapped off

Did you go to TransAm? How was/is it?

Awesome writing! Spoken like an honest hardworking person. Nothing is easy and without hard work and overcoming obstacles, would any job really be worth the self investment and sacrifice? Likely not. Thank you for the advice!

can anyone tell me what to expect?

Metalhead, the single one biggest thing that trips people up when trying to get started in this career is their expectations.

I can't tell you how many times people have quit their trucking jobs, or gone home before they even finished their orientation and training period because things did not happen the way they expected them to. This job is so unique to itself, and involves such a commitment to a unique lifestyle that is contrary to the way that most people live, that it is like a startling slap in the face for many when they first try their hand at it.

The best advice that I can give you, knowing that you've already tried this and blamed your failure on the company you chose, is to expect it to be hard - incredibly hard. Expect to miss home, expect to make very little money at first, expect your trainer to treat you like a dummy, expect about half of what you thought the recruiter told you to be false, heck, you might as well expect the barbecue sauce they serve you with one of the free lunches at orientation to be nasty tasting - we actually had a guy go on a rant in here about that one time!

Expect that you are going to feel like you are being mistreated, that's right because you may very well feel that way. I went through my entire training period going through what most people would consider as untenable mistreatment. The folks at corporate told me afterwards that they knew I was going to be tough enough to handle the job because they very seldom had people make it all the way through the training with this guy! They knew what it was like to endure this nut job, and they still had him training people!

A big part of the training at many trucking companies is designed to test you and see what type of personality you have. If you are the type of person who can't problem solve and keep moving forward in a stressful situation, or manage to get along on a daily basis with really disagreeable people, you may not make it in this job, and they would like to qualify whether those qualities are in you or not, right up front. The training is front loaded with stress because they want to know if you bail at the first signs of trouble, or if you have got the testicular fortitude to face down a dragon and slay him when it is necessary. They will usually give you enough rope to hang yourself, or incriminate yourself by your own reactions, which is why you see so many people on trucking forums slamming companies for the way they were treated - they went in there with false expectations, then they jumped ship and cried foul because nothing was like they thought it should be.

Now, let me counter all of that with the fact that I love this job, and I excel at it every week with measurable quantifiable results, and some really nice paychecks. I'm not saying in any way that you are going to have to be miserable in this job, but what I am saying is that 99% of what most people expect it to be like when they first get started is totally bogus and based on false assumptions. If you want to enjoy success at this career be prepared for a tough time of it for that first year. It literally takes that long to get a feel for how to manage all the many things that can take their toll on you while out there on the road. This job is a problem solvers wet dream. You have got to be on top of your game every day because it's just that type of environment. If you love a challenge then you can do well out here. If challenges tend to make you leery and your mental endurance tends to shut down when taxed, then I say beware the trucking career.