Last Day Of School Today, Schneider On Monday.

Still can't believe how fast these four weeks went. Had a blast and very happy with my decision. Remember waking up for college classes spending 20 minutes trying fo decide if I wanted to cut class or not. Past few weeks couldn't wait to wake up and go get in that truck. If I continue to enjoy this as much as I do now I see myself driving a long time. This is a great website and has a lot of helpful info. Was able to clean up my straight back because of this forum. Anyways last day of star truck driving school today, hopefully green bay on Monday for the dollar tree dedicated account will post daily on that. Will try to anyways.

Congrats Brian!!!!!!!!!!! Good luck in orientation!!

Thanks bud I appreciate it you still going with swift or did you end up changing?

Good luck to you sir..... and there will be days you don't want to get out of bed and then there's days that people pay thousands of dollars to have lol..... show and steady and don't hit anything

hopefully green bay on Monday for the dollar tree dedicated account

Brian, you are a brave man!

I wish you all the best, there is money to be made on that account, but it is money well earned.

Hopefully you can get a trainer who is really helpful at getting you acclimated to such a demanding account. It will not be a walk in the park, but if you are the type who is up for the challenge, then suit up and get in the game. Hang on tight, because it will be one heck of a ride!

Thanks fellas and thanks for the advice Oldschool yea i did plenty research on this and i was a Marine so come on whats a few boxes right? Haha but i wanted to just get things rolling my other option was Intermodal i felt this was the better fit for me.

Thanks fellas and thanks for the advice Oldschool yea i did plenty research on this and i was a Marine so come on whats a few boxes right? Haha but i wanted to just get things rolling my other option was Intermodal i felt this was the better fit for me.

Best of luck to ya! I was on the Dollar Tree account with US Xpress. You'll be able to handle the physical work no problem. The two things you really have to watch out for are:

1) Don't get hurt. If they load those boxes in there loose like they did with Dollar Tree they like to fall from near the roof of the trailer. I don't know if you've ever been hit with a large box of pickles on top of the head but it has to hurt. A lot of guys hurt their wrists trying to catch or block falling boxes. So be aware of that.

2) Those stores tend to be in very busy plazas in congested areas with tiny parking lots. Take your time and be careful! It's going to be tricky figuring out how to get in and out of some of those places and the backing tends to be pretty tough. Do not get in a hurry. If you need 20 minutes to get in there safely then take 20 minutes. If you need to block traffic for a little while while you're getting situated then block traffic. People tend to get nervous and get in a hurry. You're going to have people watching you. Ignore em. Just do whatever it takes to get the job done without hitting anything.

Thanks Brett really appreciate the advice as far as the loading of the trailer goes I figured they will not end up being the most organized trailers. And I've actually been paying attention to every dollar tree I pass and their has been couple where I ask myself how in the hell does a truck get into there or where at if they get in there haha going to have to be creative with my backing and quick.

going to have to be creative with my backing and quick

Yeah, absolutely. Just keep telling yourself this, and say it out loud from time to time - "just don't hit anything" - that's it. That's all that matters. You will find every store, get backed in, get unloaded, and move on. No matter how tough they are you will figure it out. The question is can you do it without hitting anything? That's the only real challenge. Don't get nervous when people are watching or cars are waiting. It's gonna happen. You're going to be holding people up. Who cares? They can relax for a second. They're not gonna die if you need a few minutes to maneuver in a tight spot.

Get out and look at the situation a lot. There are small dumpsters, telephone polls & cables, ground air conditioning units, cars, and all kinds of stuff in those little plazas. Your biggest challenge will be staying relaxed, taking your time, and doing the job safely. It's totally doable. Just don't get in a hurry.

Did you ever end up hitting anything or have any incidents?