Nervousness And No Sleep. PLZ Help!

Ok I was on here about 1 yr ago. I was on the brink of joining the ranks with Swift. They did not hire me and I kinda felt relieved... and a bit discouraged. So I got a local job as a dump truck driver and started to be thankful I didn't get on with Swift. Now I no longer work for the Dump truck company and have an opportunity with CRST expedited! I am excited but did not realize they do mostly (if not all) Team driving. I do not think team driving is right for me. My tolerance for others is not very high and I enjoy sleeping without my life in someone else's hands. I don't know what to do since I live in an area that is not industry friendly so driving opportunities are few and wide spread. I have noticed another member is with CRST and close to where I am (Naples). I don't want to pass up an opportunity but I am tired of sitting and waiting for the right one as well... What should I do ! ???

In the end the choice is yours, but if you decide to drive for CRST then make sure you are committed to staying at the company for the full contract length. Deciding to go there and then leaving after two months because you couldn't stand it anymore will not only hurt your wallet but also your work history.

However, if I were you I would apply to every company out there. Unfortunately I cannot link, but we have a feature here on TT where you can fill out 1 job application and send it to any company you choose and it will send your application to all of them. Just because you have 1 offer does not mean you are limited to that one offer. Explore your options. And send those applications in.

I'm not trying to be a recruiter for my company, but I know for a fact that Central has a ton of fish loads that come and go from FL. So try to look them up. As well as every other company. Most likely they will let you bobtail or drive empty to your home even if its a few hours away. They'll never find you a deliver that delivers 10 miles from your house. I usually deliver to Milpitas,ca and then I drive home to Sacramento,Ca. That's a three hour drive usually!

So apply to every company out there. There really is nothing to lose. Explore your options before making a final decision.

Brian, Daniel gave you an excellent answer, and I just want to add that after reading your post I don't think you are gonna survive the teaming thing. You will definitely be teaming at CRST, and teaming is tough, very tough. I enjoy my solitude, and it sounds like you do to. I was intrigued by the way you said you "kinda felt relieved" when Swift didn't hire you, and then later you said you "don't want to pass up an opportunity but I am tired of sitting and waiting for the right one". It seems to me you may have fallen into the current train of thought that you just have to find the "right" company or your life is going to be miserable.

I went to work for company that I couldn't find one single positive review on them anywhere I looked. You would have thought the boss was Cruella Deville, or someone twice as ornery as her! My options were running low and they were willing to give me a shot, so I took the steering wheel and ran with it. I've been running ever since, and I couldn't have found a better fit for me if I'd searched and waited for years. It wasn't just that I was lucky, it all boils down to attitude. Wherever you get started you've got to go in there and show them what a great employee you are. It's not so important what you've read about them, because 98% of that is by foolish people who think the satisfaction and sense of accomplishment that comes from their job is provided by their boss, or the company. Life, and particularly the trucking industry, is mostly governed by what you've got to offer.

Don't sit around and wait for something wonderful to fall into your lap. Go out there, get you a job where you can be a solo driver, and give it all you've got. I guarantee you if you'll do this you'll find out just how much you can enjoy this work, and how you can make a really good living enjoying yourself, and proving to yourself that what you put into it is what makes it pleasant to get up every morning and hit the road running.

Welcome aboard Brian!

I totally agree with the guys above. Apply like crazy anywhere you can and when you get an opportunity, show em you're an awesome driver and get along with people. It isn't the company you choose that will determine how happy you are somewhere, it's the job you do and the relationship you have with your dispatcher - that's what will make or break you out there.

And I'll tell you this - Swift is an excellent company to get on with. They have fantastic resources behind them - great equipment, great finances, and a ton of different opportunities for local, regional , dedicated, OTR , and different types of freight. So I wouldn't look past that opportunity.

As far as CRST, I agree with Guyjax - if you're not cut out for teams, avoid that. I didn't want that myself so I can relate.

But have a look through our truck driving job listings where you can apply for multiple truck driving jobs with one application. Do a search by zip code and you'll find a bunch of companies that hire from your area. Apply to a bunch of em and see what they say.

As far as CRST, I agree with Guyjax - if you're not cut out for teams, avoid that.

You mean Old_School, right?

As far as CRST, I agree with Guyjax - if you're not cut out for teams, avoid that.

You mean Old_School, right?

Whoops!!! Yap, sorry about that. Old School indeed.

But have a look through our truck driving job listings where you can apply for multiple truck driving jobs with one application. Do a search by zip code and you'll find a bunch of companies that hire from your area. Apply to a bunch of em and see what they say.

Just wanted to say, this site gets more and more awesome the more I look around. I didn't even know you guys had a feature like this and it's so handy and useful, LOL! Thanks for this Brett, or whoever came up with it... does Brett run the all of the site around here? Just curious

Thanks for this Brett, or whoever came up with it... does Brett run the all of the site around here? Just curious

Yeah, remarkably enough this site is still a "one man band" and I'm the man

You'll find me here seven days a week, all year long. I haven't missed a single day of working on this site in years - no joke. It's a lot to keep up with but I really enjoy the heck out of it. It's really exciting to build a training program or write articles and have someone tell you it helped them with their new trucking career. I really enjoy it!

Thanks for this Brett, or whoever came up with it... does Brett run the all of the site around here? Just curious

Yeah, remarkably enough this site is still a "one man band" and I'm the man

You'll find me here seven days a week, all year long. I haven't missed a single day of working on this site in years - no joke. It's a lot to keep up with but I really enjoy the heck out of it. It's really exciting to build a training program or write articles and have someone tell you it helped them with their new trucking career. I really enjoy it!

YOU DA MAN !!!!!!

Ok I was on here about 1 yr ago. I was on the brink of joining the ranks with Swift. They did not hire me and I kinda felt relieved... and a bit discouraged. So I got a local job as a dump truck driver and started to be thankful I didn't get on with Swift. Now I no longer work for the Dump truck company and have an opportunity with CRST expedited! I am excited but did not realize they do mostly (if not all) Team driving. I do not think team driving is right for me. My tolerance for others is not very high and I enjoy sleeping without my life in someone else's hands. I don't know what to do since I live in an area that is not industry friendly so driving opportunities are few and wide spread. I have noticed another member is with CRST and close to where I am (Naples). I don't want to pass up an opportunity but I am tired of sitting and waiting for the right one as well... What should I do ! ???

Hi Brian. I am with CRST, and I post in here when I am sitting long enough to break the crap top out and get on line. I live in Cape Coral, just north of you, and know Naples well from both work and playing music. I have been with CRST for 4 months and one week, which means I have 3 months, and 3 weeks until my school is paid for. Then, I am going to put out applications and go solo myself. Teaming is tough. The sleeping thing though is not as hard as you might think though. My co driver and I knew the only way to make any money at all was to establish ourselves as runners. We have done that, and now we run mostly airfreight loads, and except for a brief slow down last month,, they have kept us working. CRST in their team division is an expediting company. That often means you have to be 2500 miles from where you are when you get a load in just a short time. Our loads can have "play" time fo anywhere from 3 hours to 10 hours. And if we are going across the country, you end up driving most at least 1o of your 11 hours. When it comes time to sleep, usually, you are tired, and have no trouble. (Unless you are on a cruddy road in the NE or on I 40 in AZ, where you bounce in and out of the safety netting all night.)

Bottom line is, its only for 8 months to pay off the school. You have been driving a dump truck, so you must have a CDL. CRST is a gateway to better things. If you commit to being on time for pick up and delivery, they will treat you alright. Find someone else you know from down there, and go together.