Need honest answer please

[happyfeet]

I have a class B w/hzmt. I drove a school bus and a city bus (wide). I was set to make $21 per hour as a city bus driver in 4 years. I was one week away from the finish of my training. We started at 5:00am everyday other than Sundays. We are not allowed even 1 miss in training. A miss is a late or abscence. Then it happened Thursday I woke up at 5:00 which is the time I'm supposed to be their. I don't remember even hearing the alarm go off. Thats the honest truth. I pleaded with them not to fire me but it did no good, yesterday I was fired. I had worked so hard to master the job and I was doing great. It's been a hard pill to swallow guys and I'm hurting pretty bad. I have a wife and two little ones depending on me. I must move on. I am dependable. It just happened. If I was to start in expediding how much could I make and how long would I be out? Should I start this or should I try to get my class A? Please help. God bless all you hard working folks.

Bill

 

[LDB]

That's really a tough position but I guess they have to do it or some people would take advantage of them. It seems like there'd be at least one allowance per person though. Your class B would be all you need for anything short of a T/T unit. You won't make the equivalent of $21 per hour and will be away from home a lot. Perhaps there's some avenue for appeal you could pursue. Good luck with whatever you do.

Leo
truck 4958

Support the entire Constitution, not just the parts you like.

 

[happyfeet]

It's a done deal unless I was to pursue it legally which I won't. So are you saying I won't be able to make 40,000 a year in a couple years? In that case I'll get my CDL A.

 

[raceman]

This is not an uncommon practice. People are becoming so bad at showing up on time or at all that places have had to start this. This goes on in a lot of training situations and they always tell you up front so you clearly know the rules and expectations and what happens if you blow it. I am sure they told you upfrnt.

In training situations when the teachers have to go back and catch up the late comers it is unfair to those who were there on time. You get the idea. That is why this practice is used. But again I am willing to bet my last truck, they made this clear upfront.

I suggest you get your class A and sign on with a company where you know your income and your schedule. This business will be here after you stabilize your home. Your wife and kids need a home and food as well as a father home now and then. Get your A get some money coming in save a few bucks then go to expediting. You will make better money or atleast money you can count on and you will be there a feww days a week for you family.

I wish you best of luck but I do reccomend based on the current state of this business and your family I say get the A it will always then be there in the future even if you do try expediting for a while but try it later rather than sooner.

That is a very honest answer and I hope you chosse wisely

Raceman
OTR O/O

 

[happyfeet]

Thank-you very much for your reply raceman. Your right it was made clear up front. I do understand their side kind of. I really didn't mind working 11 hours a day 5 am to 4 pm, I just didn't make it up in time that day so I must move on. I thought they might cut me a break, I really worked long and hard but like I said I think the reason was the fear of someone just not showing up. I wish I could turn back the clock but it's done and now I have to think of my family and making money. Let me ask you this: What are my chances of being able to pass the test? I have driven large buses but never two piece vehicles. My other question is should I put my time driving the city bus on my application? Thanks again

 

[SThomas1]

from experience there are alot of companies that will send you to get your class a license no charge as long as you commit to a 1 year contract with them. after that year you can stay or move on its up to you. the trucking industry is one of them industries that is different than others. there are so many drivers needed but not enough "qualified" people to do it. every trucking company will tell you exactly what you want to hear i.e. hometime, $cpm, no-touch frieght, and the amount of miles you can get. do your homework. the turnover for trucking companies is almost outrageous. constantly drivers moving from company to company, so with some trail and error you will hopefully find a place that you like. as for driving a big truck if ur used to driving a bus it almost just the same with 1 excemption. backing. backing a t/t takes some gett'n used to but with practice you'll be sliding into the tight narrow loading docks in no time. you'll be okay just keep focused. remember its just a truck, its not going to do anything that you dont cause it to do. witha lil practice it will be like driving down to the corner store for a gallon of milk.good luck and drive safe.
sam
almost forgot, as far as putting your training for the bus down? i would put it on my applications and where it asks for "reason for leaving" i'd put down "discuss at time of interview" this way you have you chance to plead your case to the interviewer and are not judged beforehand. besides every trucking company i've ever worked for (pam transportation, and star transportation in tn) i dont really think they looked to much into my work history. lord know it had holes in it from the past. not saying they wont but i'm sure recriuters get kickbacks if they fill a trucks seat. so somethings as long as they werent illegal may be overlooked a little bit with some circumstances ofcourse. if you have a class a or they are sending you to a shool thats what they want someoen to fill the void for all the "unqualified" people to fill the seats. hope this helps yea.

 

[Crazynuff]

You didn't say where you lived . I used to work for MPW industrial services out of Hebron , OH . They have branches in GA , KY , IN and other states . They are always begging for class B or A CDL drivers driving vacuum and waterblast trucks . It's tough work because you have to set up 6" or 8" metal pipe and heavy water hose at sites like power plants and forget it if you're afraid of heights but a lot of women do it . Some advance to supervisor within a year or 2 and get a company truck . You can make over $50,000 a year and that's net . They pay expenses on the road . Unlike many employers , a criminal record won't prevent hiring . Their website is mpwgroup.com

 

[raceman]

All good advice. Be sure you get the A. Do not stop at a B. The A gives you many more options. As for being a bit shy of a TT. Did you know it, in my opinion is easier to paralle park a T/T than it is a car. The joint lets you slide it right in a spot.

Raceman
OTR O/O

 

[happyfeet]

I would like to give you all sincere thanks for your input in a difficult time for me and my family. God Bless

 

[The Gibster]

Happyfeet, by all means list all your bussin' experience when you talk to new employers. Look at it this way - if it wasn't so important they wouldn't require a passenger endorsement! If you can drag 35-40 fett of bus rear around a city you are a professional driver. List it.

Before Donna and I got into expediting we drove every bus imaginable, including 14' high Prevost Motor Coaches. We enjoy this more, largely because "boxes don't talk back'!

You'll bob to the top in short order, you're just hitting a bump in the road. Keep your head up and make it happen. You're a driver. Someone is going to hire you.

Wishing you all the best.
The Gibster

 

[mirangerman]

If ya really wanna go "A", I strongly recommend Schneider National outta Green Bay Wis., from what I've researched they are actually better than the rest of the pack.

I agree with what you've been told by other experienced expedite drivers that OTR T/T is much better than regional expediting. Schneider expects there drivers to get as many miles as "legally" as possible in a day as they can.

There training is a ten day intense training though and many who go through it- fail. It's that intense. But from what I've been told by there drivers, as long as you do as the instructors tell ya to do, you'll pass. The training costs about $4k and is deducted from your weekly settlement after you have successfully completed through STL. It is a one year contract, so read carefully b4 you sign.

After day 11 you are on the road with an STL for about 2-3 weeks and ya get paid for doing it, I beieve its $300/wk now. AFter you finish w/ the STL you are assigned your own truck. For about the first six mos. or so you are pd about .30cpm, and after that you're up to 42cpm after a year. Most of their benefits are available to qualified drivers after 6 mos.-health, dental, life ins., etc.

They also have a regional, bulk, and glass division that you could get into. The bulk and glass division pay a bit better than OTR and regional.

Schneider, like all the other major carriers (Crete, Millis, CFEngland, PAM Transport, CRST, etc) expect you're otr time to be no less than 2-3 weeks otr and two - three days home.

On very big positive thing I can say for expediting is that the home time is a bit more generous, and if ya wanna decline a load-not much of a problem- unlike Schneider, where you don't get too many choices, nor chances to decline a load.

But it is decent steady work, and a driver who puts his/her heart into shouldn't have too much difficulty making at least $30k/yr.

I know of a driver who wrote about his days as a Schneider driver, I can't find it @ the moment, so I'll have to dig it up for ya.

If you're really that interested, I (hopefully w/ EO's permission) suggest going to www.pumpkindriver.com were you can find out all sorts of stuff from Schneider drivers. It's a site dedicated to present and former Schneider drivers, their families, and wannab's.

SO to answer someones ? 'bout "why" I'm not driving for Schneider? (I would think someone is asking themselves that, eh?)

Simple !

I got to thinking, since I put all this time, $$, energy and effort into getting this fully loaded "B" CDL, why not get more use out of it than what I'm doing now (driving a 22 pass. Church bus)?- so I decided to go "expediting" and maybe in a yr or two I'll go w/ Schneider.

Hope this helps ya - Charles

 

[mirangerman]

>Did you know it, in my opinion is easier to paralle
>park a T/T than it is a car. The joint lets you slide it
>right in a spot.
>
>Raceman
>OTR O/O

Hey raceman - When I heard that they want ya to learn how to paralle a 80'er, my first reaction was'you've GOT to be kidding me!- you want me to put THAT- where?"

Charles

 

[Crazynuff]

Pay $4,000 for training , then work 2 or 3 weeks below minimum wage at $300 a week then only get $.30 a mile ? There are a lot better opportunities than that .

 

[mirangerman]

Yes crazynuff- that's all ya get starting out. All of the major carriers are like that. Ya work your arse off for literally chicken scratch for about the first 3-6mos after training.Then they start to give ya pay increases depending on - experience and (esp.)job performance, all the way up to the max of 42cpm by years end.

I forgot to mention they also give quarterly saftey bonuses, which work rather funny, becuase not only do they take safty into consideration; but also late deliveries, turn downs, etc.

Swift is another major carrier that's not too bad, although they pay a bit less than Schneider for about the first 6 mos.

Ya must remember though- the dispatchers are pushing ya to get in as many miles as possible during the week. Kinda like expediting- only multiplied by @ least a factor of 2 !

Charles

 

[raceman]

Charles, I know what you mean but I swear I find it easier to do that with a T/T tha a car. Once you do it, it just seems simple and it makes since to me why it is so simple. Maybe it is my simple mind.

Raceman
OTR O/O

 

[hdl]

If you have your Class B you may want to check out local concrete mixer companies also. The hours can be brutal but the pay, depending on where you live, can be pretty good.

I drove a mixer for 2.5+ years in Austin and grossed over 42K. And that was at $12.75 per hour. So I averaged about 55 hr. per week.

 

[happyfeet]

Can you guys tell me if I trained with Fed-ex 2 years ago and they did a background check before I became a commercial driver would that make me pre-qualified or would I have to wait a month and give them 100 dollars?

 

[ATeam]

Happyfeet,

With kids at home, there is a major unknown you should take stock of before making a one year committment to a company in exchange for free Class A training. That is life on the road; and in your case, life away from your family for extended periods. When you are sitting home with your family, the money OTR trucking can provide (with the right carrier) might look pretty good. But when you're spending a weekend alone at a truck stop 1,000 miles from home, you might question if it's worth it.

Some people love OTR trucking, readily adapt to the road, and find great joy in their new career. Yet when I read your words I'm mindful of a quote another driver gave me when I interviewed him about his exprience.

He started out the same way, free Class A CDL training in return for a one-year committment to drive for the carrier. He quit a few months later. When I asked him why, he said, "It was the most God-aweful experience of my entire life." At the time of the interview, he was still paying the company back the money he owed for the training because he did not drive the full year.

If you decide to go OTR in a big rig as a company driver, I agree with Mirangerman; Schneider is one of the best - if not the best - comapnies to start with.

Given your immediate need for cash and your existing Class B license, you might look into local delivery to meet your immediate needs, buy time to research your options, and investigate other ways to get your Class A CDL. Note the food delivery and other kind of straight trucks you see running in your area. Those companies may well be hiring.

 

[raceman]

When I said get your class A I did not mean go commit to a company for a year. You can go to a commercial driving school and in about four weeks have your class A. You get can help to pay for it through unemployment office and other grants. The local school will also help you find a local job. You can run LTL from terminal to terminal for many companies. Usally that is a night shift. I did it with Mid State but there are many companies.

I am simply saying obtain your class A so you can drive anything. When you do this through school you can also get the passanger endorsement and that way you can even drive a bus or limo.

If you do not qualify for financial assistance you can usally make a deal with the school to make payments. Just do some checking around. I would not, with a family, go througha company.


Raceman
OTR O/O

 

[mirangerman]

raceman I agree w/ you- sounds like the best advice for him would be a local truck driving school and getting a job with a local trucking outfit. He could and most likely should get a driving job utilizing his "B". I know of a dairy place in Det. that pays just about as good as OTR. I'm not sure of the idea someone else had about a cement mixer. From what I've been told from our local guy, ya need an "A", unless I misread (moi?). And definitly if he wants to hook-up w/ a major carrier he should talk it over w/ his family in great detail and really really think about it. After all, the turn-over and divorce rate are higher in this industry than almost any other.

cya's !

charles