Today's New Truck Drivers and Their Training

[paullud]

This was in the Akron Beacon Journal last week.

Truck jobs go begging even with high unemployment - Top Stories - Ohio

I think there are a number of reasons for the shortage, it is a male dominated industry but we are feminizing men so they lose that adventurous spirit. Do the boys today even play cowboys and Indians or is it viewed as to violent and no longer PC? I think driving is looked down on but somebody with a high school diploma can make more than another guy that spent $100k on a college education.

Posted with my Droid EO Forum App

 

[JimF51]

Wow, sure am glad I wear boots, it's getting deep on here The dog pic says it all about the 2 main antagonists, I think.

Think it's hard for anyone to say who the worst is at training drivers, especially if they haven't gone the training themselves.

And think ragman sent the right cavalry in, believe that's a pic of Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cav. Guys who knew what they were doing

 

[Camper]

I wasn't going to add anymore to this thread but I'd be remiss if I didn't respond to this

{You should have settled for remiss.}

{Text deleted - off-topic continuation of argument justification, brought in stuff from another thread to use as a personal attack. - Turtle}

 

[ATeam]

I'm practicing to become a lawyer and then make the popular change into politics.

If that is true, consider the more effective techniques lawyers and politicians use. The last word is not always the best word.

 

[ATeam]

I think driving is looked down on but somebody with a high school diploma can make more than another guy that spent $100k on a college education.

That is a good point and true. But for it to be true the high school graduate must wait until he or she is 21 (23 with some companies), approach trucking as a business even if he or she is an employee, have a long term plan in mind and manage one's money well.

Note that completing the best or worst training is not on the list. If any truck driver wannabees are still reading this thread so deep into the head butting, I'd like them to know that trucking continues to be one for the few places where you can get free training (in return for a year or two of required service) and get to work fairly quickly.

Make no mistake. Some companies are better than others, and some border on being just plain evil, so be careful and do lots of research before committing yourself to what may turn out to be a nightmare trap.

Nevertheless, if you have no other way to pay for your Class A CDL training, trading some of your time and labor for that training can be a path of entry into a business in which dedicated people can still prosper and enjoy the work.

There are many indentured servitude horror stories out there, and it is also true that there are companies who have found CDL training obligations to be a profit center. Once they have your name on the contract, they don't care if you complete your one or two years of service. They don't care if you succeed as a truck driver. That is not their plan. Their plan is to make money off the training contract you signed.

Company training is an opportunity. Pay attention to the horror stories. People are not making them up. Also seek out company training success stories. Find and talk to drivers who have gone this route and done so to their benefit. Find out what they did to make the company training option work for them.

I drive a straight and entered the business with a Class B CDL and being only self-trained so I am not personally familiar with the Class A CDL path. But it would not surprise me a bit to learn that there are numerous people hauling expedited freight today who got their Class A CDL by following the company training path.

Perhaps some of them can share their experiences and tell us if they consider it a good path or not.

 

[skyraider]

Take a break gang,,,,, HIGH NOON EASTERN, THE MILITARY CHANNEL WILL BE SHOWING ALL THE LATEST WEAPONS FOR YOU GUYS AND GALS THAT LIKE THAT SORT OF THING AND THATS THE TRUTH. SET BACK AND RELAX AND WATCH THINGS DISAPPEAR.

Englishlady will do a drive by.

1854 Constellation, days of old.

 

[leezaback]

NOTE TO SELF; some things I cannot fix, shut up and walk away.

bYE ALL- i;m out of this thread-see you at the next hanging

 

[mcavoy33]

NOTE TO SELF; some things I cannot fix, shut up and walk away.

Somestimes life waiting as an expeditor can be boring and you need to create something for your mind to do. Paul is one of my favorite posters on the site because I've actually met him, so throwing my hat into the fire even though I knew it was a useless convo provided me with something to think about.

Yes, my life is that drama free that I have to create stuff on the internet to think about.

 

[mcavoy33]

I think there are a number of reasons for the shortage, it is a male dominated industry but we are feminizing men so they lose that adventurous spirit. Do the boys today even play cowboys and Indians or is it viewed as to violent and no longer PC? I think driving is looked down on but somebody with a high school diploma can make more than another guy that spent $100k on a college education.

I think there is a shortage because its a hard job. Most people are use to being home everyday. Most people aren't use to being away from loved ones for 3 weeks at a time.

Life as an expeditor is even harder imo. With July being one of my first months on the job, I had to learn how to deal with doing a lot of nothing. I'm good at entertaining myself but a lot of people can't handle sitting for 2 days and not spending money.

Last week was a new challenge for me. The complete opposite, finding a way to make sure you can do a 1000 mile run after you just did 3 600 mile runs in the past 36 hours and very little sleep.

How many people are willing to make those sacrifices in this world of entitlement? By the end of the week, I was cranky. I was upset with dispatch but I knew it was better for me to suck it up instead of getting mad and showing them my true emotions. Not a lot of people will hold back, they'll explode and burn a bridge.

Trucking isn't an easy job, I think that's why there is a shortage. You can't just steer the wheel, there is a lot of time to think and ponder life and many people can't handle thinking about life for that long.

 

[greg334]

What amazes me is the amount of comments from those who are self-trained cdl holders or those who do not have a cdl of what companies do and don't do right.

Even though I am a self-trained cdl holder, I took that cdl as a license to learn and have taken courses after the fact to improve my driving - not just jump in a truck and go. I also had experience in both bob tail tractors (moving them) and straight trucks/cutaway vans. I listed one that I will be taking soon - not cheap but worth the trouble.

I also find it amazing that people judge those CDL company training without judging the people who take them. Many don't get the idea that if you have bad habits in your 'normal' driving, they carry over to your professional driving, this include the aggressive driving, the tailgating and so on. Most of the time the instructor has no clue of that behavior because the student is on their best behavior and not relaxed so they don't make stupid moves.

Oh and we don't have a shortage of drivers, we have a shortage if professionals.

 

[Bruno]

Oh and we don't have a shortage of drivers, we have a shortage if professionals.

I would have to agree with this statement. As a kid I would sometimes ride with my father in his truck. Back then drivers was proud and very professional. If a driver was broke down on the side of the road, drivers would either stop to help or ask on the CB if they needed help. It was cool to hear drivers talk on the CB back then also. Now you have everyone that wants everything in truck and they have never drove a mile. I always thought you had to earn it, not demand it. How times have changed.