Question:
Was on this site a lot back in jULY Aug,Took the advise, find a decent Driving School, Then pick
your own Company.
Sooooo... I did. Attending the School in MidWay,
Colorado-be finished in a week.
Going to give FFE a try allthough Werner is a close 2nd. Everyone wants experience 1st. This company seems to pay a little better in the end.
Anyone got any comments or suggestions I'm all ears. Thanks
Xmtnman2

Answer:
Originally posted by xmtnman2:
Was on this site a lot back in jULY Aug,Took the advise, find a decent Driving School, Then pick
your own Company.
Sooooo... I did. Attending the School in MidWay,
Colorado-be finished in a week.
Going to give FFE a try allthough Werner is a close 2nd. Everyone wants experience 1st. This company seems to pay a little better in the end.
Anyone got any comments or suggestions I'm all ears. Thanks
Xmtnman2
I know I am the only one on the board here that actually drives as a newbie and is going to be a company driver for them in 4 weeks and can help you out for your quest for information on them.
Well let me start off with they aren't all they are cracked up to be. Go to orientation for 2 days, 3 if can't find a trainer for you right away and have to send you home to wait, then they try for one near where you live and he'll try to pick you up at your house or close by. I have been in training for 1 week so far and its been hell. I am known as a "student" to dispatch and the company, but in my own view I am a team driver and yes I mean a "team driver". Yes, I am in training, but I am "teamed" up with driver trainer. We just average my first week 6500 miles or so and are finally out of hours, so we finally get to rest for a day. Try going from Pittsburgh PA to Orlando Flordia in a day then, go from Orlando to Washington State then come back to Texas for another load all in one week. Training is like this, I drive when my trainer is mostly sleeping and vise-versa, but when he is awake he will teach me things that sometimes I miss or need corrected on. He is a really good teacher, but he can't teach when he's sleeping. We rarely stop just for fuel and every now and then for food, but mostly a hot meal comes from my trainers microwave in the truck going down the road at 65-70 mph, not fun. You learn really quick what to do and not to do on the road driving by yourself. Like in Philly you better know and understand where low bridges are or your in for some problems like I was on my 1st day. Had you back up 2 city blockes because the bidge was 12'6", a 13'6" rig just doesnt fit. Or try and make a button hook turn from a 2 lane road to another 2 lane road, had to get my trainer to help me on that turn and still had to jump the curb. Oh and got to love washing out the inside of the reefer unit.
See, My trainer and FFE are both in for one thing, MONEY!!!, that's really it. The pay is average starting out in training $400 a week for 6 weeks, then $0.29 after your first year with them averaging 2,900 - 3,400 miles a week and trust me when I say this I dont care what time of year it is with FFE, they are always moving and they will push you hard. At orientation in Dallas, I talked to a driver he said he has yet to see a slow week, I should have heeded his warning, his truck was in the shop getting 8 new drive tires and 2 tires on the front door and getting a little Pre. Main. done but, he was in and out in litteraly an hour. Then back to the road he went with fresh rubber. The only really bad thing is they dont promiss you hometime, you are out 3-5 weeks easily. I wont be home from training untill sometime in Febuary unless I run through my house, which will happen considering I live in Pittsburgh PA and we have alot of freight going out of there.
The Good thing is the equipment. They only keep trucks 3 years max. FFE is has Freightliner Century & Columbias and now are trying to fade in 2004 Volvo VN780's and Kenworth T2000's and T600's. I am training in a 780, but have no clue what I will be in after training but, I hope it is a 2002 or newer truck.
I hope this helps you out, but in my own eyes I should have gone flats with Roehl, but with FFE my schooling was free, the miles are there all the time and during the last week of school after the last drug test and DOT physical I was all ready hired by a FFE recuiter at the school. So it was good to know i had a job before I even went for my CDL test at the DMV in Arkansa that friday.
Just remenber, if you like to run really hard and put out 3000+ miles a week and can be out form home for 3 + weeks then FFE is for you. Newbies average $37,000 their first year without bonuses.
Trust me, if you don't run hard, they can find someone else who will, they will tell you in orientaion the same.
Hey, if life throws you a curve ball, try and take a swing at it. Who knows what might happen

Answer:
I remember telling you about the miles with FFE or American Eagle. And, how my trainer thought I was his team driver.
Yes, my trainer taught me a lot, as long as it was daytime and I was awake. He was driving, of course, but he could tell me things. I was on my own at night.
I hope your trainer lets you drive days once in a while.

Answer:
Originally posted by chetjester:
I remember telling you about the miles with FFE or American Eagle. And, how my trainer thought I was his team driver.
Yes, my trainer taught me a lot, as long as it was daytime and I was awake. He was driving, of course, but he could tell me things. I was on my own at night.
I hope your trainer lets you drive days once in a while.
Chetjester, you were right on everything. I don't recomend FFE for the average newbie. If you aren't one of the top students in you class try another company. You are litteraly on your own and they will push you hard. I have driven nights and days. Like my trainer will pick up night shift driving this week and I get days this up comming week. All I am doing right now is doubling my trainers pay per year. FFE, is great if you aren't a student or after training you go solo, but it's hell untill then. Don't think FFE is the only company that does training this way. Werner, Swift, Central Refrigerated, Wil-Trans, Covenant and alot of other companies do the same. Like everyone says here, "Trucking, will eat you alive" it's only for the stong.
Oh and doing team training sucks because you sleep in a moving truck constantly. I don't know about some people but, the past 7 days I have been in training I got about 10-15 hours total sleep. Just some food for thought, I am telling it the way I am in it
Hey, if life throws you a curve ball, try and take a swing at it. Who knows what might happen

Answer:
Thanks for the info, i'll get back to yopu this evening.
MTNMan

Answer:
Midnightrunner:
Thanks for the info., I reallly don't want to
drive on the East Coast at all & especially after reading your comments about your Trainer.
Guess I can't reall blame him, everyone wants Mo MONEY $$$$$$$$$, but that type of traing is a
joke, and it "Sucks". So I am continuing my
search for a western U.S. Carrier.
Hope you hang in there I still have not made a commitment & I damn sure gong to get the
best deal & $$ I can, why drive for .24 or .25
cent A MILE

Answer:
Midnightrunner:
Thanks for the info., I reallly don't want to
drive on the East Coast at all & especially after reading your comments about your Trainer.
Guess I can't reall blame him, everyone wants Mo MONEY $$$$$$$$$, but that type of traing is a
joke, and it "Sucks". So I am continuing my
search for a western U.S. Carrier.
Hope you hang in there I still have not made a commitment and I damn sure gong to get the
best deal I can, why drive for .24 or .25
cent A MILE when you can do better.
Thanks for the info.
Xmtnman

Answer:
Originally posted by xmtnman2:
Midnightrunner:
Thanks for the info., I reallly don't want to
drive on the East Coast at all & especially after reading your comments about your Trainer.
Guess I can't reall blame him, everyone wants Mo MONEY $$$$$$$$$, but that type of traing is a
joke, and it "Sucks". So I am continuing my
search for a western U.S. Carrier.
Hope you hang in there I still have not made a commitment and I damn sure gong to get the
best deal I can, why drive for .24 or .25
cent A MILE when you can do better.
Thanks for the info.
Xmtnman
Good luck to you in what ever company you go out for. Sad thing is I can become a trainer in 6 months with FFE too, being a newbie still myself. Last night on the road I couldn't sleep, so I started talking to my Trainer about the FFE Trainers Program he had to go through and how much was he getting paid. He told me the training program is so easy and takes 3 days in Dallas, TX. He Also, finally told me how much he is making per year.He said because he gets all miles the truck rolls and perfromance and safety bonus, he makes an average $95,000 a year running 6000 miles a week and getting paid $0.39 a mile without safety or preformance bonuses. I can honestly see why he is doing training like this. Hell, if I did training in a year I would make a minum of $70,000 a year running around 5500 miles a week, not bad for someone that would be 22 years old.
Oh I got I got the truth out of FFE when I called the HR office in Texas about thinking about becoming a trainer. The ladys like, "The only reason we let new drivers train new drivers themselves with only 6 months experience, is because we wont new students to learn the right way to do things and its sometimes better to have a new student that knows what to do by the book, then someone that has 15 years of experience and has learned alot of bad habits the student could develop" and boy don't I know that now from my own training experience now
I do thank God I haven't had an accident yet. Being that im alone driving most of the time, I have had some damn near close calls and the ice up where I live in the northeast isn't nothing to play with.
Hey, if life throws you a curve ball, try and take a swing at it. Who knows what might happen

Answer:
Yep, that is damn good money, wouldn't have to work too long at that rate before you could
kick back. Thanks again for the honest review & info. FFE might be a bit ticked off but
there a plenty of guys out there for them.
Hey, when the going get tough, the tough get
going. When do you have time to reply to the emails? Do you have a lap top?
Thanks again, and drive safely.
Xmtnman2

Answer:
Originally posted by xmtnman2:
Yep, that is damn good money, wouldn't have to work too long at that rate before you could
kick back. Thanks again for the honest review & info. FFE might be a bit ticked off but
there a plenty of guys out there for them.
Hey, when the going get tough, the tough get
going. When do you have time to reply to the emails? Do you have a lap top?
Thanks again, and drive safely.
Xmtnman2
Xmtnman2, Yes I have e-mail its midnightrunner@charter.net
I pretty much can get on whenever the truck is moving, unless verizons internet access is down in the area my trainer is driving. Just shoot me over an e-mail, I usally will reply fast unless Im driving or sleeping. internet is the only thing I can do when the truck is moving nothing else to do
Hey, if life throws you a curve ball, try and take a swing at it. Who knows what might happen

Answer:
Midnightrunner:
Okay, I will copy your email address dwn &
after I get back to Texas will reply. My email
address is malkemus@wans.net.
Good luck driving & i'll probably see ya down
the road sometime.
xmtnman2

Answer:
Midnightrunner:
Greeting back in Texas till I head for the NRWST
and "Gordon Trucking Inc."
Trying to make a little bit of $$ before I start
the 4-6 wk training Schedule. I'll be lucky to
survive on the measly trng pay of $325.oo a wk.
They seem to have a decent program & the trainer
NEVER SLEEPS while trainee is driving-It is all
hands on experience performed by the trainee
while in the training period. The Benefits Pkg
they offer is one of the best in the industry-
I also want to know what the hell I am doing when
alone driving on my own- **** if the trainer is
sleeping most of the time during the training
HOW CAN THAT BE GOOD??? Yea, for the trainer
getting pd all the extra miles & the big money.
Life is too short to die on the road cause
someone was sleeping rather than trng.
Soooo.........I'm going for the better training,hope to base terminal out of Denver, Co
Drop me a line,
Later,
xmtnman2
P.S. You can use my email if that is quicker-
was over at wife's Apt & used her computer.
See Ya