Question:
I just wanted to share my experience with other new drivers and what I have done to prepare for my career change. I have learned so much from reading other people's experiences on this board and I just want to pay back my half and maybe help someone out in the bargain as well.
I graduated from school on December 17. I have used the time since then to get my ducks in a row so to speak before I hit the road.
I was prehired by several companies including Werner, Schneider, USA truck, and Swift. My first choice was Schneider but after a lengthy discussion with my recruiter, my home time would be limited because of my location and I would be starting in a very well used cab over.
My second choice was Werner and so far everything is going as planned on the Werner route. I have to be in Atlanta monday morning sharp for orientation. Luckily Atlanta is only an hour and a half from my home so I elected to head up on my motorcycle instead of the unapealling bus ride. Getting all my stuff in those saddle bags and bungy corded on my bike will be interesting. lol
There were alot of things I wanted to take care of before leaving out. First and foremost was getting my very problematic set of wisdom teeth pulled (30 years old and just getting this done, it was not fun at all! lol) I did not want to get on the road and have a tooth ache like I did a few weeks ago. I would not be able to drive in that kind of pain.
Also, getting all my finances squared away. I cashed in my 403b from my previous job and got all my bills i.e. credit cards, paid up in full. I also got all my bills set up to be automatically drafted out of my checking account so my wife will not have to worry about it. House payment, car payment, cable, phone, internet, the whole lot.
I have read just about every post on werner to get an idea of what to expect. Shuffler, thanks for the many informative threads and replies. I have printed several of your replies for future reference. Especially where qualcomm macro's are concerned. This board has given me alot of insight on what to expect, good and bad. Thanks to many of you.
I will keep this post updated as I start orientation and training soon. I just purchased the Verizon cellular internet package and that will allow me to post on the road via my laptop when I need to update this thread.
Once again, thanks all, and I will keep this updated. Till then, see ya on the road.
Jon

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Also, getting all my finances squared away. I cashed in my 403b from my previous job and got all my bills i.e. credit cards, paid up in full. I also got all my bills set up to be automatically drafted out of my checking account so my wife will not have to worry about it. House payment, car payment, cable, phone, internet, the whole lot.
If only More drvrs would do this(BEFORE they even go to drving school), they would have a Much Easier time Coping with their career change as an OTR Drvr.
And as a result they will Not be so apt to Quit within their First 6WKS OTR.
***I can Not Stress it enough How IMPORTANT it is to have ALL Finances in order BEFORE drving school & BEFORE going OTR.***
=====================================================================
BE SAFE & HAPPY TRUCKING
SMYLE!

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Congrats!
I was going to say what ms sunday already said. You need to focus your attention on getting this done, and clearing the table first the way you did is very smart.
I can only suggst using this same logic every step along your new journey. Even when you're tired. Even when you're having trouble.
Driving's just making a series of good-quality decisions. So too, I suppose, is orientation/training.
Good luck, keep us posted on what happens at Lithia Springs GA (I'm assuming). Not my favorite terminal, but I haven't been there in a long time.
Good thing you're taking your bike -- that terminal is very crowded.

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Being as I have never drove for Werner, I have a totally different attitude than most who only have bad things to say about them.
See, I have put quite a few loads on Werner trucks. Never once have they tried to back-solicit my customers, and their office staff seems to be more on top of things than most large companies. There was a billing mistake once that was immediately corrected by one phone call.
What I'm trying to say here is this: despite the bad reputation you may have heard about Werner, I have found them to be a company staffed with live bodies who actually smile over the phone, and will do what they say they will do.
It's all in how a new driver looks at things there. If you get in with the crowd of Werner-Bashers, you will hate your job and never give yourself a chance to succeed. If you simply follow along with company procedure and make yourself the safest driver you ever knew, you will do just fine there.
Yes, I have seen Werner trucks do some really silly things in my life, but the truck is only as smart as it's driver. From someone who has great relations with the Werner office staff, I can honestly say you have chose a company who has it's act together staff-wise. Good luck to you, and take care of that load you'll be pulling. It may have been me that put it there.......

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Yeah Chocolate, it was very important for me to get those things taken care of. My wife has a full load with working part time and college full time. I wanted my absence to be as painless and troublefree as possible. It going to be tough enough me being gone so much the next few months. I also wanted to concentrate on the job at hand and not have to worry about domestic issues on top of that.
One thing I didn't realize and never dreamed of was the amount of money it takes to just get started in the trucking industry. I really don't see how some of the guys I went to school with could make it. Some of them are living on the edge of financial disaster on a bet that they will make a go of being a OTR career driver. And after reading so many new drivers experience's on this board and the outcomes you realize at how much a bet it can be. Kinda scary so I better not dwell on it.
Yeah, Shuffler, it is the Lithia Springs Terminal. I have no idea what it even looks like and will find out tommorrow when I drive up. I have heard some not so encouraging remarks about that terminal.
One question while I am on the subject. How safe are these terminals as far as parking your personal vehicle are concerned? My wife is worried that somebody will steal or trash my motorcycle while it is parked there and is insisting that she drive me up tommorrow. I would take our other car but I have the feeling I have a wheel bearing about to go out despite me repacking it the other weekend. I just don't want to get halfway to Atlanta and have it go out and be stuck on the side of the interstate hours before orientation.
Well, I will guit rambling and will post again on monday with info on my first day of orientation.

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Good luck! May things work out well for you and your wife. My husband started Orientation will Werner last March. The best thing that could happen is that you get matched up with a good trainer. But if that doesn't happen you can easily switch when your trainer takes off for hometime. My husband spent his first 4 days with a guy that could barely speak english, smoked like a fiend, and they ended up being hit by a drunk driver at 3 am in the morning. But he decided start over with a new trainer and that was a very postive experience. But it will all be worth when you get your own truck.

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JM,
I'd take your bike -- but make sure you have a good heavy-duty canvas type cover you can tie it up in when you park it. And of course, try to park it next to a wall or someplace where there's less chance it'll be hit by someone trying to park... you know what I mean.
You want to show-up your first day on-time -- that's the main reason. Also -- if you decide to take the PTO (paid time off) in the middle of your training (trainee's choice) you have a quick way to get home.
Lithia Springs (we call it Lithium springs) is, frankly, one major headache after another for Werner. C.L. has flown in and cleaned house top to bottom on more than one ocasion. Plus, it's landlocked by surrounding property, so Werner hasn't been able to expand it the way they have their other terminals. Truck/trailer parking is very tight, and they don't have enough shop space. But none of that should affect your orentation much. Three days and you then go out with a trainer (if you don't have to wait in a motel for for one to b available).
Good luck -- but if you don't have a good HEAVY DUTY cover for your bike.....one last errand to run today, I'd suggest.

Answer:
Well, I just wanted to add a little update on my experiences in orientation and the start of training at Werner. I have been over the road for over a week and a half so far.
I made it up to Lithia Springs on a Sunday. I got my own hotel room for the sake of privacy and was very glad I choose to do this. Having my own transportation was a bonus as well.
Orientation was as expected. 2 long days of videos, paperwork and more paperwork. I filled out much less paperwork when I bought my house a few years ago. I kinda had a blip on my physical. They said my blood pressure was kind of high and that I have 3 months to get it corrected. I am 30 and have never had any problems with it and have it checked pretty regular by my father at his pharmacy. I chalk it up to nervousness and stress. My face was flustered and my heart rate was up when they checked it. I am not sure how or what they expect on this. Do I need to go to the doctor and get a history by getting it checked regularly and show them proof of this? With me being on the road it is kind of hard to get to a doctor.
After Orientation, I got assigned a trainer who worked the Dollar General Dedicated account out of Idianola Mississippi. I had a long and interesting bus ride from Atlanta to Idianola Mississippi. I had never traveled by bus and let me tell you, the Atlanta bus station after midnight gets scary. You have to be super vigilant and watch your belongings. This meant staying up all night without sleep because my bus didn't leave till 4:40 est.
Upon arriving at Idianola, I called a werner dispatcher at the Dollar General Distribution Center and they sent a werner bobtail to pick me up. My trainer was waiting on me when I arrived. I had read many horror stories online when it came to trainers for the major cariiers and was very apprehensive about what to expect.
My trainer is an okay guy. Not as bad as many of the stories I have read and definantly not what I would really consider a trainer.. He takes a shower everyday and hygiene is not an issue. He seems to have grown up in the school of hard knocks. I don't envy some of the experiences and mishaps he has had in life. He is not the brightest bulb in the world but seems to know the ins and outs of the job well.
The truck is extremely cluttered but not overly dirty. Its a newer model freightliner century classic with alittle over 200,000 miles on it. Me and him both have alot of stuff and you don't realize how little the room is in one of these freightliners till you live with another person in one day in and out.
Me and my trainer seem to have different ideas on how to drive though. He has done his best to teach me the basics as far as turning and backing but his idea of driving is keeping your foot on the gas and to never let it off. There have been quite a few times he was driving that scared the hell out of me. He tends to take chances that I do not care to take and he gets outdone with me for being slow. I really don't care tho and will continue to drive defensively and take my time and slow down if the conditions dictate it.
He keeps saying "come on lets go" when I am already doing 55 in a 55 zone. I refuse to get a ticket, especially this early in the ballgame so I drive what I consider to be safe.
At this point and time, my trainer hits the bed as soon as I start to drive and this I don't appreciate. I drove all the way back from the gulf coast to northern mississipi with out him ever getting out of the bunk last night and this has been the case for most of the week.
One last thing is about this Dollar General account. They will literally run you into the ground if you let them. My trainer logs all the many hours unloading the truck on line 1, off duty and insists I do the same to have plenty of time to drive. He also insists I do all the driving to get in my 170 hours for my paid time off as quickly as possible. For example, here is the past two days runs on this account.
We start out with a preload with three deliveries and unloads. One in York alabama and the other two in Jackson Alabama. We drive till late in the night and arrive at the first store at around 2 or 3 am. Our first appointment is at 6 am. This gives us about 3 or so hours to sleep. We start unloading around 7 and it takes 3 to 4 hours to unload. You hand unload each case by putting each and every one on rollers that roll into the store. The unload time is completely up to how fast or slow the store employees are. After working really hard for several hours, you drive 2 or 3 more hours to the next store which also takes 3 or 4 hours to unload. Then a short drive to the next store and another 3 or 4 hours unloading. All this time is logged off duty so according to the logs you have still have plenty of hours to drive. After working 12 hours unloading all that merchandise I had still had a 6 to 7 hour drive back to the OC in Indianola becuase we are already preloaded for the next trip. All this on only 4 hours of sleep the previous night. Needless to say, I was completely worn out by the time I rolled into Indiana last night around midnight. The whole drive back my trainer slept.
Well, I know this has turned into a long post but I wanted to let some of you new drivers of what to expect especially if you get a trainer with Dollar General dedicated. I will let you all know how things go the next few weeks the next time I get online.
[This message was edited by J Minter on February 20, 2003 at 17:18.]

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After training are you driving Dollar General or 48 state.
Indianola close to home been there a few times.
Good luck training -->
IF YOUR NOT IN IT FOR THE LONG HAUL GO HOME!!! Loner

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Currently Schnieder is my 1st choice, however Werner and Xpress are close back-ups. Out of curiousity, what's the average weekly mileage and cpm? What's hometime schedule for the dollar general account?

Answer:
Originally posted by J Minter:
At this point and time, my trainer hits the bed as soon as I start to drive and this I don't appreciate. I drove all the way back from the gulf coast to northern mississipi with out him ever getting out of the bunk last night and this has been the case for most of the week.
One last thing is about this Dollar General account. They will literally run you into the ground if you let them. My trainer logs all the many hours unloading the truck on line 1, off duty and insists I do the same to have plenty of time to drive. He also insists I do all the driving to get in my 170 hours for my paid time off as quickly as possible. For example, here is the past two days runs on this account.
We start out with a preload with three deliveries and unloads. One in York alabama and the other two in Jackson Alabama. We drive till late in the night and arrive at the first store at around 2 or 3 am. Our first appointment is at 6 am. This gives us about 3 or so hours to sleep. We start unloading around 7 and it takes 3 to 4 hours to unload. You hand unload each case by putting each and every one on rollers that roll into the store. The unload time is completely up to how fast or slow the store employees are. After working really hard for several hours, you drive 2 or 3 more hours to the next store which also takes 3 or 4 hours to unload. Then a short drive to the next store and another 3 or 4 hours unloading. All this time is logged off duty so according to the logs you have still have plenty of hours to drive. After working 12 hours unloading all that merchandise I had still had a 6 to 7 hour drive back to the OC in Indianola becuase we are already preloaded for the next trip. All this on only 4 hours of sleep the previous night. Needless to say, I was completely worn out by the time I rolled into Indiana last night around midnight. The whole drive back my trainer slept.
Does anyone see a problem with this???? Trainers belong in the right seat TRAINING at all times when the TRAINEE is driving. ALL TIMES!
-->
BC

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"but his idea of driving is keeping your foot on the gas and to never let it off"
You take it easy and keep you following distance and control your air space.A few weeks ago,I did a short run and had another driver with me and I could see it was annoying him that I wasn't trying to plow threw traffic and just so called crawling along and than when we got to the place he was surprised that it only took 1:45 minutes,about the same time he makes probably taking all sorts of risks to gain seconds.
Just because he is training and has been driving for years,don't mean nothing,he has just been lucky.Don't drive hoping nothing happens,be prepared for something to happen,it will and then a few extra feet of airspace will be the differance between yelling (jerk) or (oh crap I'm screwed)
They enlisted the Teamsters’ help after the company decided that it would no longer pay them hourly wages but compensate them based on mileage, which would have cut their income in half
http://www.teamster.org/03news/hn_030110_1.htm
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I did my training with Werner.My second trainer was on the Dollar General account out of Ardmore,Oklahoma.We would always PLAN out trips to where we would arrive at out first stop the night before and get a good night sleep.He never slept when I drove and I didn't sleep when he drove.Learned alot from him.He was retired Air Force and very organized.You might want to consider requesting another trainer.They will do that.You can't learn if he is asleep.You need as much practice as you can get on the Qualcomm,since it keeps up with your time.You will have a written test on the Qualcomm that you have to pass before you are assigned your own truck.Just a little advice.

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Your trainer sounds like a trainees nightmare.
Good to hear that you held tot he 55 mph speed limit even though he was encouraging you to break the law.
This slouch also is apparently sleeping far to much while you are driving.
Give me miles, miles and more miles.

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Sounds like your TRAINER is more like a TEAMER not a TEACHER.
As others have posted this not the way a TRAINER should be operating, he is only looking for the EXTRA MILES that you drive.