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Im starting school tomorrow. when i get out and apply do i have to ride with a mentor and how long if so?

by BILL
(Cook)

when i get outta school and apply with a company say like Dot Foods do i have to ride with some one even tho i can drive like someone with 20 years exp and im 21 and if they do have me go with a trainer how long would that take or would they just have me do a driving test and go on my own.

Im not really fond of going with a dude i dont even know lemme kno SUMBODY?

Thanx Bill Cook

Comments for Im starting school tomorrow. when i get out and apply do i have to ride with a mentor and how long if so?

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Jun 05, 2010
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wow
by: American Trucker

I am a 25yr otr vet.and all companies today require that you ride with a trainer for min of 2wks.

Jun 05, 2010
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Reality
by: American Trucker

Would you drive a truck if the trucking company you worked for only paid you enough to cover your bills at home and your meals, but nothing more after that? For me the answer would be yes. I love driving and I would do it for free. Trucking is in my blood. Do you love driving a truck? Really love it? If so, then trucking is in your blood. To me, there is a difference between liking your job and loving it. Liking your job means you enjoy going to work, you enjoy the people you work with, you enjoy doing your job. Loving your job means you would do it for free! For me, trucking fits the bill.
Nothing In Trucking Is Easy.You will need all the help you can get.
American Trucker

May 31, 2010
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rookie
by: Anonymous

you have to ride with someone for a while proably around eight because of insurance reasons you have a lot to learn coming out of driving school be thinkfu if you get a job and do not try toto be a know it all listen to you trainer he would not be a trainer unless he had experienc

May 30, 2010
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I don't need no trainer....
by: Jimmy

Dude, you need to get some experience before going solo. And you do Need experience. Much more than school affords. So, relax, and be thankful if a company hires you. Take the training, learn everything you can, because I guarantee you, you will screw up in your first year out there. Just hope that it's minor. Jimmy

May 30, 2010
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Bill is ready to ride solo
by: Hervy

Hey Bill I am afraid Nick is exaclty right. Fat chance any company will let you get straight on the road. Good reason to which is also where Nick was dead on. You just can't know all you should know straight out of school. That's why trucking companies have you go out.

Plus think about it, they don't know what you were taught anyway, why would they take someone else's word about what they taught you when it comes to taking off on their 60,000 dollar truck plus freight. See what I mean.

Also, most companies do things a little different than what you were taught in some area. Not to mention depending on if you end up hauling a specific type of freight or deal with a customer, those are things you couldn't learned in school because you didn't haul freight.

So for more than one good reason you will more than likely go out with someone.

Also Nick was right about being cocky but I wouldn't worry about the side of cockiness that he was talking about. LIP. The cockiness I want to tell you about is more dangerous and likely to bite you.

I am talking about overconfidence. That's what you have to be careful about because it will cause you to take things for granted and not pay close enough attention and so you might miss the important things that occur which you will not be aware of because you simply haven't been out.

Don't get me wrong, I admire your confidence but you need to know that the reality is your skills may be good behind the wheel in maneuvering but there is an even bigger challenge with negotiating traffic and real life events that you can only get better at dealing with by going through the motions.

Calm down and be patient my friend, everything will be just fine and relax, your trainer won't bite you! LOL.

Let us know how it's going after a couple days out there.

Later man, and I hope you get someone compatible.

Hervy

May 30, 2010
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Ummm
by: NickV

Well...you dont have 20 years experience until youve HAD 20 years experience. I hate to say this but about 80 percent of what you learn in that driving school you will never use again. There is absolutly no way they are going to teach you at a driving school what a 20 year vet knows. They will tell you over and over again, all they are there for is to teach you what you need to know to pass the test and thats about the extent of it. Theres so much more. As far as driving with a trainer, there is about a 99.9 percent chance you will have to drive with one. As far as how long, that just matters what company you go with. Some companies are like 2 weeks, some are a month, some are 3 months, and so on. Quite honestly unless you have a family member in the industry that you have been around, you need to be trained. You may think you know it all but if you do, man you got a long road ahead of you. You can ask vets at truckstops and they will tell you they have been truckin for 50 years and you learn somethin new every single day. There's always someone pullin into the truckstop with a story of how to do something easier or whatnot. Little word of advice, dont come out on the road with a cocky attitude cause I guarantee you there are truckers out here bigger and badder and wont take no lip

Jun 05, 2010
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not bein cocky
by: bill

im not bein a big shot some of you are im just sayin i can already drive im just goin to school so i can get the certifaction that i went to school to mabey make it easier to get a job i was just wonderin if you did drivin test and showed them all you know or you had to ride with a mentor i dont know everything thats why i asked.Seems to me like half you truckers on here are DK heads and gotta mouth every time sumbody wants to be a trucker because u been drivin 20 years and think "you" know it all so i gues sum 1 thats been drivin for 36 years like my uncle can call u a bitch but for all of those who cometd with some sense i thank you for your help. now thats bein cocky

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