I don’t think I’m cut out for this job. Tbh
Posted by Civil-Airline-5727@reddit | Truckers | View on Reddit | 54 comments
Just finishing up TE week this week with the big orange. I just don’t think I’m up for this lifestyle. 3 weeks out, 3 days home is bonkers. On top of that, I’m teams I think I should hang up the keys.
Longway23544@reddit
Go local
Dr_Adderall_2000@reddit
Not all jobs are the same. I was lucky enough to have a local/semi regional delivery job first… delivering to Wendy’s, being out 1-2 days then home 2 but I screwed that up for making mistakes and have one ticket so I’m with felon express at the moment. It will be honest, it sucks and it will be hard at first unless you’re a hardcore introvert. But if you think of it like a stepping stone, show up, deliver your loads and don’t be stupid all while working toward an exit strategy, it goes by. Note; I have only 7 months of driving experience and I am not trying to sound like I have a lot of experience but I although they sucked at the time, my first 2-3 months are distant memories.
Alwayrise@reddit
What type of ticket did you get?
Dr_Adderall_2000@reddit
“Imprudent speed”. I was still over the limit, sure, but even the Trooper admitted that it was less than 10 over. I guess he was a rookie because he looked young and motivated.
Alwayrise@reddit
I don’t have my cdl was thinking of getting it if I need to then last week got hit with a phone ticket in my regular vehicle, expired registration and sticker she is a b most would give 30 to take care of it, I just moved and was trying to, the phone is the only bad one and I am fighting that one, but if I got it would that screw me for sure?
Dr_Adderall_2000@reddit
Your ticket will definitely limit your options but won’t screw you completely. Besides, there are so many foreigners that basically bought there license and there was a big scandal about a school in FL basically selling CDLs. If drivers can slip through the cracks, then someone that seems genuine isn’t screwed. See how long your tickets are on your record. I actually used to have 2 tickets but one just got off my record because it’s been 2 years. I also have a whole bunch of incidents on my DAC (4), was fired from my last job and still got on with a mega carrier. Just acknowledge your mistakes, learn and move on. And maybe get a phone holder that clips to your ac vent so that way you don’t have to hold your phone. You can get a CDL with a ticket if that’s what you are wondering… but if you start driving PLEASE don’t use your phone in a truck because the fines are much bigger… although they don’t reach this high often, you can be fined $2700 if caught using your phone in a commercial vehicle. Although I knew someone who got caught and the fine was only $800, I still imagine you don’t want to be set back several hundred just for a mistake. Use hand free device and a phone holder so that you just have to tap.
Alwayrise@reddit
Thank you, ya I definitely wouldn’t use my phone and my situation it was on speaker and kept disconnecting from my vehicle and they say an emergency or something like that you can get the ticket dropped down, which I was on the phone with insurance that was important at the time and I can show the call log but also tell them it was on speaker, which is hands-free and the bot wasn’t here me because it kept disconnected stuff so I just held it up and spoke my name into it so it would hear me some but not to my mouth not to my ear. It was still hands-free people smoke cigarettes people take drinks with one hand as long as it ain’t to my ear. I thought it was hands-free too, so I’ll argue that and tell them the truth and see if they’ll drop it down at least cause I genuinely do right and trying to do what’s best and right so get points on your license or hurting a possible career for something so minor when I truly wasn’t using the phone like that would be trying to tear someone down not working for the public to keep them safe and do what’s best for them most cops will give you a warning in 30 days to get everything done too. This cop is known for being a mean person too so talk about all that with the judge and just think about how to say it all right so that maybe I can get it dropped down or dismissed. I paid the other two fines even though I should’ve been able to get them dismissed too because I have real reasons and she should give me a 30 day waiver. I was literally at the sticker place waiting to get in and took the sticker off, they couldn’t get me so I had to leave, she didn’t want to listen to me at all, she is a bad cop that just looks for way to tear you down and that’s unacceptable these day, I need to be on point and except responsibility so I plead guilty to them two and paid them right off, I will also show proof I went a day or two later and got it registered it’s not like I was doing it on purpose, just moved getting kids into new schools and more, thank you 🙏 I hope for the best for you.
MacJojo@reddit
I'd say it's too early to quit. I am a trucker in EU, I've been doing it for 7 years. It's not an easy job but you gotta give at least 1 year or even 2 and try different things. Try local or regional. I am OTR, I tried local but I didn't like it cause I always arrived home too late, I'd rather be out for a couple of weeks then stay home a bit, rather than going home for a few hours a day. When I was local I was going home literally just to sleep a couple of hours and that's it. There are a bunch of companies you don't have to stick to one that sucks.
TwoToadsKick@reddit
Why not be local
Specialist_Taro8087@reddit
That’s easy enough to say for a new guy. Local gigs are competitive and not everyone gets to find a cushy local job.
thebugman40@reddit
you should apply before you give up on that option.
sergiolong25@reddit
Get the experience for at least a year for my second year of trucking I went local I was home every day off weekends and it paid more
Pakman____@reddit
Do what I did. Apply like crazy on indeed and find a job that doesn't screw you over. Might be 1099 but you'll still make a shit ton more money and get your experience. Face to face and one on one with a small business and the owner. Fuck megas. Once you get your experience you can pick and choose where you wanna work. Make a shit ton of money. Job I'm in now I drive like 2-4 hours a day. If I drive at all. I still get 60+ hours a week. $41 a hour. OT after 40. Magnificent benefits. Only downside is I'm on a 6 day work week so I'm only home on Saturdays. But I'm in a hotel every night Sunday through Thursday. Great jobs are out there. You just gotta get that experience and find them.
notnattyjay@reddit
How did paying pam back for getting the CDL go?
Pakman____@reddit
Easy. They use a 3rd party company that let me pay the bare minimum of $100 a month with a 3% interest rate. Took 3 years I think to pay off but I didn't care. I was making way more then they were paying.
Desperate_Fee_808@reddit
I honestly don’t know why ppl run teams..it’s the worst..you gotta split the pay..no privacy..you’re dealing with another personality 24/7..it’s brutal..i remember covenant begging us at the academy to come run teams for them..NOBODY did it lol
Mysterious-Bug6183@reddit
Pay your dues. Your first to 2 years in trucking is all about milestones: 3 months, 6 months, 1 year, 2 years. After 3 months, you can transfer at the big orange to local job. They have positions specifically for limited experience drivers. 6 months you can start doing LTL at XPO or car hauling at Carvana. 1 year you can go most places. 2 years you can find a job damn near anywhere in the country.
MssMoodi@reddit
That's just what I was saying right after I read the comment right above yours got to pay your dues
north_coast_nomad@reddit
3 days out 3 days home? hah. i haven't been home since January 🥲
20milliondollarapi@reddit
Just left Schneider because they got rid of my 2/5 schedule. I didn’t sign up for being home barely 34 hours a week meanwhile the whole office can fuck right off at 4pm sharp.
Truckers need to stop accepting this treatment. I know 3 other drivers quit the same night I did because we were all clearing out our trucks.
Unfair_Analysis_3734@reddit
Were you running regional core? What was your schedule like after they got rid of the 2/5?
20milliondollarapi@reddit
Was to be home late Saturday, like 9pm then leave monday morning.
jyster1996@reddit
I do regional for Schneider and I was offered a weekly home time position. So it’s nice to know that that’s not a thing anymore
20milliondollarapi@reddit
Yea they say “home every weekend” but you get home between 5-9pm Saturday and leave monday. I was home Fridays and sometimes a bit earlier like noon on Fridays. But treating drivers like people with lives is too much for the company.
jyster1996@reddit
Yeah bro the two times I’ve been home I got back at like 10pm on Friday. And it’s an hour drive to my drop lot in Michigan. So I can’t even drive the truck home to make the shit easier😒
Kenworthsteve@reddit
It's to early to quit
After I was in 3 months I started looking for local home nightly. I found out at 6 months.
Control your departure so that you go immediately into another job.
There are so many different sectors that you can find something you like... Probably.
Good luck.
brandmonkey@reddit
I make my own schedule, find a company that lets you. If I want to be home every weekend I can, if I want to run 30 days I can. This is my first gig, 4 months experience.
mvamv@reddit
Only 3 days home for 3 weeks out is bonkers. Not all companies are like that, just gotta find them.
shocktard@reddit
I hated team driving too. Don't know how I lasted a year and a half. Then I went local for a long time, started to get tired of that. Recently I went back to OTR, this time solo, and I like it so much better. Another person being in the truck (and driving it when you're trying to sleep) is awful. Go solo before hanging up the keys, you never know until you try.
Zaphod-Beebebrox@reddit
Yup. I looking at getting out. It weighs heavier on my wife. So I am working on getting home...
StonedTrucker@reddit
Youre starting at the absolute worst this industry has to offer so keep that in mind. I would have stopped driving a truck years ago if OTR or teams were all i could do. See if you can get moved to a regional account that at least gives you weekends off
Jaded_Concentrate974@reddit
I do three weeks out but 7 days home it’s fucking amazing
navlgazer9@reddit
My neighbor attended The CDL class at the local community college, got hired by a regional heavyhaul company , Home every weekend .
Did that for a few years and then got a local flatbed Job , home every night , making $1,700-2,200 a week before taxes .
Only sucky part is he’s gotta leave his house at 4:30 am and gets back home about 4 pm
aFrothyMix@reddit
Home driveway back to home driveway in under 12 hours is excellent. I wouldn't accept any more than that for a home daily job. You have to be sleeping in the truck to do 14 hours back to back like I do with Regional OTR Walmart. There isn't enough time in a day otherwise.
aFrothyMix@reddit
Make the best of it and always think about your career progression in terms of 2-3 years of safe driving. I got into the industry paid my dues, drove 11 western refrigerated then worked as a dispatcher. Stepped away from the industry for 5 years and got back in late 2020. I had a great second entry level experience because my "trainer" was thrilled to have somebody on the truck that could drive safely. We drove the crap out of the good covid freight rate years. I went to a hazmat carrier for a couple years and made more money there than I ever will again. Now we are both working at Walmart and loving every second of our trucking retirement job. I won't drive for anyone else after the experience of Walmart Private Fleet. The work life balance is unmatched.
cleanc3r3alkillr@reddit
Driving for big orange SUCKS, I tried really hard to work there because they had a dedicated account I wanted to be on, the job should’ve been a cakewalk but they made it so much more difficult than it had to be. Teams can also really suck if your teammate isn’t someone you like living with. I’d say try driving for a better/smaller company that puts you in a truck solo before you call it quits.
Silent-Room-4987@reddit
Orange sucks. Not all megas are created equal.
Specialist_Taro8087@reddit
Treat it like going to prison for a couple of years and put the time in. Even if you got to go solo. Stay out for as long as you can and become comfortable being away and being in the truck. Learn to zen out and listen to books and podcasts, take time to explore areas you happen to find yourself in, nothing is keeping you stuck at the truck stop, uber to a cool spot you find on your phone and enjoy yourself.
mwonch@reddit
Prison. LOL Not even close but nice way to describe some days. Especially during the training phases. THAT is how the company is reimbursed for any and all expenses during training. Anything else is pure profit (the contract itself). Those from another CDL school who are forced to do teams with a "mentor" type are also pure profit beyond a 2 week evaluation/orientation drive.
Outlaw_Trucker@reddit
If you can stick it out for 3 months you can apply for an internal transfer to something like dedicated or otr.
JoshHatesFun_@reddit
Make some calls and see if you can go intermodal, regional or local, if you live close enough to a terminal. Saves you having to find an entirely new job, and then bank that experience until you can.
Outlaw_Trucker@reddit
He just finished training, they won't even offer an internal transfer for 90 days.
Purposeful_traveler@reddit
Put in your time with a mega, we all had to but stick it out and better options will open up for you once you've got a couple years experience.
skeletons_asshole@reddit
I can do about 2 days of teams with a trainee before I’m completely wiped and need a nap to recover. Idk how people do it.
Definitely better stuff out there man hope you find something.
MadMysticMeister@reddit
I couldn’t do team driving either, but i would recommend against quitting. If you can try and hit the three month mark and hop to a different company that has you home weekly, from there do 1 or 2 years total and hop to something local and specialized. Or say screw it and find another use for your cdl
Whitehoneybun666@reddit
Due 3 months then move on but u should’ve said no to teams no extra money is worth it
Matlovestruck@reddit
TE week is brutal, that's not real trucking. They throw everything at you at once to see how you handle stress. Don't make a life decision based on that week.
3 weeks out is not for everyone and that's completely okay. That's a Schneider thing, not a trucking thing. Plenty of guys run regional, local, dedicated routes and are home every night or every weekend. Teams is its own beast too, sleeping in a moving truck while someone else drives is something most people never fully adjust to.
If you love driving but hate the lifestyle, the lifestyle can change. Different company, different account, different setup.
But if you're genuinely miserable behind the wheel and not just exhausted from a hard week, then yeah no shame in walking away. This job asks a lot and it's not for everybody. Better to figure that out now than three years in.
What's getting to you the most, the driving itself or just being away from home?
bizzywhipped@reddit
Your first year always suck plus you got the extra suck with team, 2 people inside too many for a cab. Try going solo and then decide to leave.
take1000showers@reddit
Apply to other places for regional routes where you can go home every week/every two weeks.
Don’t give up!
OTR is NOT for everyone and Teams is not for everyone and that is not the only way to “pay dues”
MidLifeChanger@reddit
Was it a pre-formed team or did you just agree to go with a random person? Depending on where you live, it may make sense to put up with it for a few months and transfer to another account. I did 8 years of it and am planning on coming back but 3 weeks with a team would have been a hell no for me. I had a hard time sleeping while the truck was rolling with a trainer who had over 1 million safe miles.
MssMoodi@reddit
Don't jump the fence yet give it a month maybe two you got to learn what Trucking is all about and that's being away from home.
ahowls@reddit
Yeah especially fck teams.. I did a year with Schneider a month out and about 5 days home, National dedicated account I worked all their dedicated accounts across the country it was fun at first but after a year it starts to wear on you, just give it a shot stick it out for a bit
PoopyStinkbutts@reddit
You should be able to get in at a smaller carrier on Linehaul. You'll drive overnight Monday night thru Friday night but you'll be home every morning
LongjumpingCat6642@reddit
Get a regional job and be home on the weekends. Make the same, if not more and you get home time and don’t have to deal with teams bullshit