Question:
I have already been accepted by Werner as a driver and just have to set a date for my orientation. Since I live fairly close to the Indianapolis terminal (about an hour away) I would do my orientation and traning out of that location. Now I find out that there is no parking at their terminal there and I'm not suppose to even drive to orientation! One of the reasons I selected Werner to start my driving career with is that they had a terminal close to me. I thought that I would then be able to go home each night of orientaion days (which only last 3 days) and possibly during my training period when my trainer decided to take a few days off. Plus, there would be a place I could park my truck so that I did not have to bring it home when I'm driving by myself. I can't believe that they don't have a place for drivers to park their own cars! Is this unusual? Don't most companies have a secure place for drivers that live close to park there own vehichles?

Answer:
really do not have much parking for OTR drivers at the terminals, and what parking there is I would not call secure. (About as secure as your average Wal Mart parking lot.)
As cold as this sounds terminals are there for the convience of the company and not its employees. They are placed in what the company considers strategic locations to maximize customer service.
On a final note. I personally would not want to leave my car parked at a terminal while I was on the road for 1,2,3 or more weeks at a time. I have heard too many drivers talk about having their cars broke into at this company or that company, or about having them stolen, or just damaged from being hit to leave my car at ANY company's terminal.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
_________________


Answer:
On a final note. I personally would not want to leave my car parked at a terminal while I was on the road for 1,2,3 or more weeks at a time. I have heard too many drivers talk about having their cars broke into at this company or that company, or about having them stolen, or just damaged from being hit to leave my car at ANY company's terminal.
I cringe every time I think about it. I have a fairly new extended cab Ford with custom wheels window tint etc. It looks like a show truck and somebody broke into one week while I was away. They stole all my cds and scratched my leather seats up really good from the broken glass. Makes me sick when I think of it, but I really dont have a choice its the only vehicle I got and I dont have anyone to come pick me up when i come in. I could kill the SOB that done that to my pu!

Answer:
Up where I live, we have a lot of steel mills, and the cars' paint gets eaten off when sulfur mixes with rain and makes sulfuric acid...
People have a nice car, and they have a "mill car" to take to work...a jalopy that nobody wants to steal or harm...
If you could find a $1500 junker to drive to work, that might be the way to go.

Answer:
I haven't been that far east with Werner for a couple years now (I drive western division) but to my knowledge, Werner's Indianapolis terminal is not a "full service" terminal. Like their Portland, Oregon terminal, it's just a safety office, and the gate is probably locked every night with no 24/7 security guard, like the full service terminals have. So it would be difficult for you to park your bobtail or get your car after hours or on weekends, etc...
It would have been convenient during orientation, for sure, since you could scoot home each night. You'll be in a motel instead. But there's very little chance you'd be matched with a trainer from Indianapolis -- you'll take your time off with him at the motel closest to his home (if he takes time off while you're with him). No effort will be made to get you home during training, unless you take the PTO break mid-way through.
Do you have a place to park your bobtail (tractor only) at your home? If so, once you're through traing, it won't make much difference. Indianapolis is a "frfeight-rich" location, so it'ss be easy to match you to loads delivering there when you go home, and loads coming out when you go back out after your home time.
I'm sure the recruiter would have told you about that "terminal's" status if you'd asked, but I can see why you wouldn't think to ask the question. You'd assume "terminal" meant a full-service terminal. In this case it doesn't. I think they should have explained that you since you live close by, but that's Werner.....
For future reference: "Terminal" just means something with a safety office. "Full-service terminal" is a 24/7 location with a shop, parking, showers, vending machines, round-the-clock security and (with the exception of Lythia Springs GA and Allentown PA) lots of parking.

Answer:
Actually, the Indianapolis terminal is listed as a full service terminal though it is on the small side. It is located in a "low rent" industrial part of town. It is cramped and somewhat dusty and/dirty because of all the unpaved area around it. The only business located close to it that is non-trucking is a topless bar. Go figure. I was there Saturday morning just to check the place out and went inside to ask about parking. The guy working the desk was most unhelpful and seemed to be a bit annoyed that I would even dare come in to ask such questions. I think he said that I might get away with parking there during the day but he mumbled so badly that basically he was unintelligible. The papers the Werner sent to me said that not only could I not drive to the terminal but I could not even drive to the hotel where other orientations drivers will be because space there was limited too! I guess I could find someone to drop me off there one time but I am disappointed that I would not have all the advantages of being able to drive my own vehicle to and from the terminal and having a place to park my truck when I get a few days off. By contrast, I happen to pass a couple of other truck terminals (Old Dominion and Knight) fairly close to Werner’s. Both were very spacious, clean, completely paved, and had high security fences where drivers were obviously parking their cars.
And here is another thing. The papers that Werner sent me said that I was to bring enough money and clothes to last a week. That’s why I assumed that when I was with my trainer that I would be out no more than a week at a time (at least the first week) and would most likely return to the Indy terminal. I suppose if my trainer is not form the Indy area he could just drop me off at my house and would then have to drive to his house when he wanted to hit the road again. But surely they try to match the trainer and the newbie geographically as possible wouldn’t they? I will definitely call Werner tomorrow but I am rethinking my driving choices now.

Answer:
Well, you can tell I don't keep-up on what they're doing in Indy. Sounds wierd, I don't know.
But I can tell you they randomly assign trainers. You got 48 states to cover and learn about. You won't see Indy much, if any, during training. And frankly, to become the best driver you can during training, you should want to spend most of your time learning other parts of the country while there's someone there to help you.
The "weeks' worth of clothes" is what you need between laundry stops at truckstops on the road or at a motel. You'll live in the truck and motels continously without going home for up to 15 weeks, like this...
3 days orientation
8 weeks team driving
1 week testing out and trk assig
1 week to eventually get a load home
10.5 weeks total, then add...
2 weeks accumulated motel down-time, more or less, waiting for trainer(s) or trainer days-off
2 more weeks if dispatch has problems getting you home - like if night dispatch sends you in the wrong dirction, and they probably will
14.5 weeks total
The only way to get home during this time is to take Werner's paid week off. You'll lose the bonus for the continous trip through training, but I think they'd rather pay you to go home and think about it, than lose you to stress. I'd take the week off during the middle of your team training. It's a valuable release valve for many new drivers -- gives you some time to cath your breath and think about it objectively if you're having a rough time, for one, and a chance to check-in with loved ones, etc.
I don't know why they do it this way. Maybe it's a way to get a full commitiment from you, to live on the road for weeks at a time, without going home to do laundry. Make no mistake about it: They're putting you in a little mobile home and they expect youto live in it most of the time.
I don't do laundry on the road anymore, I just carry more clothes. But for training, I took 5 pairs of jeans, eight pair of socks, a few shirts and a couple of jackets.
Pack light and cut the cord. Right or wrong, that's what Werner wants and it's the only way you'll be successful with them. Might as well start the first day of orientation, I suppose.
Give it some serious thought. I get the feeling this might not be what you think it is. Hopefully you'll jump in and join us. But if not, it's bad for everyone if you do it reluctantly, so think about it carefully first I guess.
[This message was edited by Shuffler on June 29, 2003 at 17:32.]
.....AND... -->...it's about the same at all the large OTR carriers, I think. It's not just Werner, although Werner forces you to do considrbly more wheel-time with a trainer (not another newbie) than some carriers (Swift).
Guess I'm wondering if the actual JOB is what you're expecting -- sompared to a smaller regional or mom and pop company. The larger carriers do it on a huge scale with random dispatch to the most productive load-match everytime you deliver. The only time you have a say any influence on where you go is when they're trying to get you home. Werner does pretty good getting most of it's drivers home on-time, with two weeks notice.
.
[This message was edited by Shuffler on June 29, 2003 at 17:44.]

Answer:
You know what they say! --> When you get a trainer it would be advised to stay with that trainer till the end! Be prepared to not see home untill training is complete. If you can make it home fine. I've heard many stories of trainees that "have" to get home, then sit and wait for the next trainer to pick them up. The sooner you are able to complete this part the sooner you will be on your way!
As for clothes a week to 10 days should work, you should be able to do some laundry on the road. Socks, shirts, and underwear change daily. Pants will usually go 2 days unless you end up in the mud, or full of grease! Good luck!
Drive on! bandit58.... --> --> -->

Answer:
Thanks for the "heads up" Shuffler. I have no problems at all with time away from home during training except for instance. How do I pay my monthly bills? I'm divorced and no kids at home so when I leave the house and the only living creature here will be my cocker spaniel. Guess I will have to teach him how to write a check!
bandit58- yes I will stay with the same trainer and yes I will try to change my underwear daily! LOL

Answer:
Charliedog,
I pay my bills by phone on the road. Most are recurring payments, and some I've set-up for automatic payment. I haven't licked a stamp in years. But I'm lazy and keep things as simple as possible. You need a debit card. Have Werner auto-deposit your paycheck into that account so you can access it immediately....
....then clean up the mess every couple/few weeks when you go home and dig out your mailbox.
After you're through training, it gets easier and you WILL see home on a regular basis. It's that first three months that are rough. Prepare as if you're going to visit the space station for a while.
--> --> --> You don't know it yet, but that's actually very rare !! You wouldn't believe..... --> --> -->

Answer:
Originally posted by Shuffler:
bandit58- yes I will stay with the same trainer and yes I will try to change my underwear daily!
--> --> --> You don't know it yet, but that's actually _very rare_ !! You wouldn't believe..... --> --> -->
..nah I'm not even going to ask! --> --> -->

Answer:
No. No. I was talking about staying with the same trainer --> --> --> Very rare.. -->