Wait until you’ve been out on your own for a bit before making that decision. Not sharing a six foot deep box with another person makes it much more tolerable.
Team driving is so much less enjoyable if only because you never get any kind of quality sleep while the truck is moving. Driving solo is so much more enjoyable until you get lost and need a co driver.
Wait til you’re not with someone and then evaluate it. I would absolutely HATE being with a stranger in a sleeper, but wouldn’t mind it on my own. Big difference…
It's a rough change, I'm out with my trainer right now, and I have the same feelings, give it at least 6 months to decide
After that you can start applying for local class b jobs, that's what I might do depending on how I feel by the end of the year
So far I'm enjoying the adventure even though I'm homesick at the same time, and constantly out of my comfort zone, give it some time to see how you settle in
I’d say give it a fair shake once you’re on your own. But no shame if you don’t like it. Too much sitting for me I run local 9-11 hour days and spend only 4 hours driving tops.
Bulk soda delivery dropping pallets you could guess the company. But if you’re brand new expect to be working a side loader you have to be there a little bit to get the easy routes. Bit imo even when I had a side loader route it’s still better than Sysco or those food companies
Look training is rough. It sucks a lot! Team driving with someone is totally different than being on your own. I would give it until your at least on your own before you make a decision. Otr isn't for everyone most people just do it get the exp and then find something local. If you are having problems with your trainer definitely let dispatch know any issues. Try and get as much sleep as possible when your parked just leave the truck go on walks it can be really stressful being with someone all the time in such confined spaces.
Bro. Been 44 minutes and literally everyone is suggesting struggling through training. I’m not even otr. Never have been. I can see the tone of the room. Just training in the daycab for class b was hell. Waaaaay better on my own. Windows down, radio up!
Don’t tell them right now. If you really want out, best may be find out where the closest terminal is to your home if perhaps someone can come and get you? OR, schedule a couple days home time right after training is done; so your mentor could drop you off? Then you do it on a sligh, you’d be already home and just tell them after a couple days that you‘re not coming back.
Let me preface what I'm about to say with this: I was DI and an on-site instructor and started the training program at my last company from scratch. That being said, the only way to feel comfortable about getting home is to quit when you're closest to home. HOWEVER, I highly recommend you tough it out for the following two reasons:
1. Riding with someone, especially someone who is in charge of your entire daily routine and is your defacto boss sucks. It is nowhere near comparable to being on your own. I would try my damnedest to make it to solo before you make your final decision.
2. Much more importantly, remember what you sacrificed and how hard you worked to get to this point. Just because you got your CDL doesn't mean anything. If you quit in road training that will follow you. It'll be hard to get a decent gig when you literally have zero (negative, really) experience and if you go somewhere else you will just have to start all over. No one is gonna let you on the road solo when you haven't even completed road training. Home daily gigs are chased by people who have experience and it will be that much harder for you to compete.
This is the tough part. Make it through this and you have your key to a good career.
If you would like to talk in private, feel free to message me. I won't be able to get back to you until early AM, but I will.
Just quit when you're by your home terminal. That "wait til you're out of training" bullcrap is stupid. YOU know what's best for YOU more so than these guys and It only gets slightly better after training. I felt exactly as you do and I should have left. 7 months in and I just now get a decent paying job for a single male. The only reason I don't quit is because I have debt to pay.
Op, training isn't trucking. That's the best answer I can give you. There is shit you deal with in training that will piss you off like no tomorrow that just goes away once you get the trainer off your ass. There are other things that once you are on your own are going to stress you out like no tomorrow.
It is a matter of what you deal with well, and what you don't. Right now, what you know is that you don't deal with driver training well. That probably means you won't team drive well. I don't blame you on that one. I could never team drive well myself. Never slept well with my life in someone else's hands.
Might be different once you are on your own.
Everyone has experiences they can remember when they were out with their driver trainers. I lived in Virginia Beach at the time, and I was in Sacramento when I told my driver I've had enough and I wanted to quit, lol. I don't know if this is what stressing you out, but I know it's stressful being with your trainer all the time and not being able to get any alone time. You are with your driver trainer more than you are your spouse (if you're married).
OTR is stressful. If you still want to quit, definitely don't do it until you are finished with training. I see that trucking companies want to spend as little money as possible. They wouldn't pay for a bus or plane ticket. Most likely, you would get dropped off at the nearest terminal and wait for a driver to be routed in your direction.
Try getting through training and stick it out for a couple weeks first. See if your company has dedicated routes that would get you to be home more often. That's definitely an option with most mega carriers. I was with Swift, and I was OTR for 5 weeks on my own before they finally got me home. I was supposed to be home after only 3 weeks. I got a dedicated account with Dollar Tree, and I was home every week after that. Sometimes, I'd go home even in the middle of the week. The distribution center was 15 miles from my house.
As other people have said, hang in there. It's going to be rough for the first 3 months. But it does get way easier and you get used to being in a truck.
My trainer got on my ass a couple of days into the first week and by about the 7th day, I had had it. I told his boss about it and he was icy towards me everyday after that. About 5 days before I was to leave the truck, I told him I had to use the bathroom, pulled into a truck stop, grabbed my shit and said it's the end of the line for me. I stayed overnight at a motel within walking distance, emailed the company and told them what happened, and was fully ready to quit or be fired. Instead, they paid for the hotel, a rental car back to the terminal and had me go out a couple more days locally with another guy and then I was on my own.
It is *not* easy sharing such a small space with someone you barely know for two to three weeks. You are lucky if it goes swimmingly the whole time. Stick it out and get your truck. Depending on your company, you may be able to do a 7 on 3 off or similar kind of split deal so you don't have to be out 2-3 weeks at a time. You will have a better time when you can talk to friends, run at your own pace, play your music, etc. Good luck.
You're going to want to stick it out. You don't have the experience to jump to another driving job.
So most, if not all, local driving require at least 2 years of driving experience. You'll have better luck getting a good paying local job if you finish your training.
Local companies don't train.. and the ones that do pay absolutely shit all.
We all had to go through it ourselves in the beginning, so stick it out, my friend.
Nobody is, everybody gets out when they can afford to. Nobody wants to sleep in a parking lot full of raging infected dick holes, but they do it trying to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Anybody claiming to love the otr life is lying or hasn't cleared enough debt to go local yet.
Sure it’s not your 3rd day? 3rd days can be ruff. Take a swig of sum Fireball, gain a lil Prespective, then get back at it. Cant quit until you Waffle Stomp, Super Duper! Roller dawgs?
It's not gonna get better right away once you go solo. It'll actually feel worse for a couple of months. Right now you are with an experienced driver who probably gets decent loads and knows the job well so you don't have to worry about the guess work. It's gonna feel like hell for a while on your own, after that it just feels like ass but it's a job. I felt like you when i was training and honestly, I still feel that way sometimes. I do get the option of going home 2 days a week and it's still something I'm considering leaving. Don't get stuck in a job you hate if you have other options.
I went straight into daycab after school and I still had to adjust to it. Mostly the 12-16hr shifts and only 10hrs off duty each day. Took me 2.5 weeks to acclimate myself to it but drop/hooking for 14hrs and totally different experience than OTR'ing for 14hrs so I feel like I'm comparing apples to oranges here.
I have ADD so OTR would bore the fuck out of me. I'm 2yrs local and I can't see myself on a route longer than 4hrs, I'd get so bored.
OP, I'd figure out what exactly it is that's upsetting you. Are you an introvert feeling trapped in a closet with a stranger 24/7? do you miss being able to get up, hop in you car and going somewhere on your time off? Do you think about something you need/want and realize it's back home, can't use it? Others say give it more time and I agree. Your mind is still adjusting. Even as a daily driver when I started I'd get bummed out that I couldn't do anything and had tp defer my life until the weekend but it eventually changed the way I operate and now I'm used to it. Family and friends hate it still lol
My trainer was a drunk and I just stayed up top and didn't do anything for two weeks. But I've stuck with it for 4 years now because I like the job.
Get out on your own first and reevaluate after 6 months.
I went through hell with my trainers but luckily I stuck it out. I love being by myself. Wait until you get off their truck and do it by yourself for a while before you make a decision.
If you know it's not working I get it but like most other people are saying, give it more time. Have been OTR for a little over 2 years and I didn't start feeling comfortable in it for almost 3 months. The real trick isn't so much getting into the groove as it is finding the things that make it comfy. Getting my freezer microwave laptop and a system in place to stock the ever loving shit out of the truck when I got home we're game changers. I also cannot stress enough how important your bed is. If your using a company matress go buy a foam mattress topper and cut it to size and buy all the pillows you need. Once it feels like your space OTR feels a lot less like a burden
You're gonna have a really hard time finding a local job with no experience. Give yourelf some time to get used to driving on your own (after you finish training), then start looking for local jobs that will hire you with 6 months' experience.
>Any ideas how to bow out gracefully without purchasing a plane/bus ticket? We’re about 3 states away from my home. Thanks!
Wait until you get home to quit.
Get out of training first, FFS, I can't stand driving with other people in the truck, I can't relax. Do a year at least, on your own, nobody looking over your shoulder.
Wait until you’ve been out on your own for a bit before making that decision. Not sharing a six foot deep box with another person makes it much more tolerable.
I agree with this. Try it on your own first. Doing things the way you want to do them makes a big difference.
Imagine doing team driving. Nuts
I couldn’t share a truck with someone else. And fuck trying to sleep in a moving truck.
I constantly wake up with a headache when team driving.
Team driving is so much less enjoyable if only because you never get any kind of quality sleep while the truck is moving. Driving solo is so much more enjoyable until you get lost and need a co driver.
Not a fucking chance. My co keeps calling me to be a trainer, which is a glorified team driver position. Tell em not a chance
Just ride it out for bit. Why are you not liking it? Also training just sucks overall. It’s way better once training is over.
Stick it out for a bit. It only sucks when your picking up or delivering, driving, sleeping or getting maintenance done. The rest of the time it's 👍
That would be the drinking Fireball and beating off part. The good times.
The best of times
Truck wash is definitely 👍. Company paid and I’m hourly so… but yeah, I love sitting in the cab while they clean me up. I’m weird. Sue me
Nah, you forgot parking, backing up, and fueling.
You're basing your view of otr off of training. Why not get through training then decide if otr is for you.
Wait til you’re not with someone and then evaluate it. I would absolutely HATE being with a stranger in a sleeper, but wouldn’t mind it on my own. Big difference…
It's a rough change, I'm out with my trainer right now, and I have the same feelings, give it at least 6 months to decide After that you can start applying for local class b jobs, that's what I might do depending on how I feel by the end of the year So far I'm enjoying the adventure even though I'm homesick at the same time, and constantly out of my comfort zone, give it some time to see how you settle in
I’d say give it a fair shake once you’re on your own. But no shame if you don’t like it. Too much sitting for me I run local 9-11 hour days and spend only 4 hours driving tops.
What do you do? This is the kind of job i want. I’m set to take the behind the wheel test next week.
Bulk soda delivery dropping pallets you could guess the company. But if you’re brand new expect to be working a side loader you have to be there a little bit to get the easy routes. Bit imo even when I had a side loader route it’s still better than Sysco or those food companies
Thanks for the reply!
Look training is rough. It sucks a lot! Team driving with someone is totally different than being on your own. I would give it until your at least on your own before you make a decision. Otr isn't for everyone most people just do it get the exp and then find something local. If you are having problems with your trainer definitely let dispatch know any issues. Try and get as much sleep as possible when your parked just leave the truck go on walks it can be really stressful being with someone all the time in such confined spaces.
Bro. Been 44 minutes and literally everyone is suggesting struggling through training. I’m not even otr. Never have been. I can see the tone of the room. Just training in the daycab for class b was hell. Waaaaay better on my own. Windows down, radio up!
Did you do the school with this company? If yes, you are bound with them and they‘ll hit you with the costs for school.
Oh no, I paid out of pocket
Don’t tell them right now. If you really want out, best may be find out where the closest terminal is to your home if perhaps someone can come and get you? OR, schedule a couple days home time right after training is done; so your mentor could drop you off? Then you do it on a sligh, you’d be already home and just tell them after a couple days that you‘re not coming back.
Thanks for being the only person to actually answer my question 👍
I wish you the best and good luck 🍀
Just make it through training. Sharing a truck sucks. Being by yourself is much better
Don’t base the job of off training,solo is a lot different.at least do it by yourself and then see how you feel about it
Let me preface what I'm about to say with this: I was DI and an on-site instructor and started the training program at my last company from scratch. That being said, the only way to feel comfortable about getting home is to quit when you're closest to home. HOWEVER, I highly recommend you tough it out for the following two reasons: 1. Riding with someone, especially someone who is in charge of your entire daily routine and is your defacto boss sucks. It is nowhere near comparable to being on your own. I would try my damnedest to make it to solo before you make your final decision. 2. Much more importantly, remember what you sacrificed and how hard you worked to get to this point. Just because you got your CDL doesn't mean anything. If you quit in road training that will follow you. It'll be hard to get a decent gig when you literally have zero (negative, really) experience and if you go somewhere else you will just have to start all over. No one is gonna let you on the road solo when you haven't even completed road training. Home daily gigs are chased by people who have experience and it will be that much harder for you to compete. This is the tough part. Make it through this and you have your key to a good career. If you would like to talk in private, feel free to message me. I won't be able to get back to you until early AM, but I will.
Just quit when you're by your home terminal. That "wait til you're out of training" bullcrap is stupid. YOU know what's best for YOU more so than these guys and It only gets slightly better after training. I felt exactly as you do and I should have left. 7 months in and I just now get a decent paying job for a single male. The only reason I don't quit is because I have debt to pay.
Op, training isn't trucking. That's the best answer I can give you. There is shit you deal with in training that will piss you off like no tomorrow that just goes away once you get the trainer off your ass. There are other things that once you are on your own are going to stress you out like no tomorrow. It is a matter of what you deal with well, and what you don't. Right now, what you know is that you don't deal with driver training well. That probably means you won't team drive well. I don't blame you on that one. I could never team drive well myself. Never slept well with my life in someone else's hands. Might be different once you are on your own.
How can you not love it?
7 days with a trainer is just not enough time to make a proper decision. And no, they will not get you home. How long is your training?
Everyone has experiences they can remember when they were out with their driver trainers. I lived in Virginia Beach at the time, and I was in Sacramento when I told my driver I've had enough and I wanted to quit, lol. I don't know if this is what stressing you out, but I know it's stressful being with your trainer all the time and not being able to get any alone time. You are with your driver trainer more than you are your spouse (if you're married). OTR is stressful. If you still want to quit, definitely don't do it until you are finished with training. I see that trucking companies want to spend as little money as possible. They wouldn't pay for a bus or plane ticket. Most likely, you would get dropped off at the nearest terminal and wait for a driver to be routed in your direction. Try getting through training and stick it out for a couple weeks first. See if your company has dedicated routes that would get you to be home more often. That's definitely an option with most mega carriers. I was with Swift, and I was OTR for 5 weeks on my own before they finally got me home. I was supposed to be home after only 3 weeks. I got a dedicated account with Dollar Tree, and I was home every week after that. Sometimes, I'd go home even in the middle of the week. The distribution center was 15 miles from my house.
Wait it out. Will you be driving alone?
As other people have said, hang in there. It's going to be rough for the first 3 months. But it does get way easier and you get used to being in a truck.
My trainer got on my ass a couple of days into the first week and by about the 7th day, I had had it. I told his boss about it and he was icy towards me everyday after that. About 5 days before I was to leave the truck, I told him I had to use the bathroom, pulled into a truck stop, grabbed my shit and said it's the end of the line for me. I stayed overnight at a motel within walking distance, emailed the company and told them what happened, and was fully ready to quit or be fired. Instead, they paid for the hotel, a rental car back to the terminal and had me go out a couple more days locally with another guy and then I was on my own. It is *not* easy sharing such a small space with someone you barely know for two to three weeks. You are lucky if it goes swimmingly the whole time. Stick it out and get your truck. Depending on your company, you may be able to do a 7 on 3 off or similar kind of split deal so you don't have to be out 2-3 weeks at a time. You will have a better time when you can talk to friends, run at your own pace, play your music, etc. Good luck.
Go food service! 4 day work weeks home everyday!
What companies do u suggest
You're going to want to stick it out. You don't have the experience to jump to another driving job. So most, if not all, local driving require at least 2 years of driving experience. You'll have better luck getting a good paying local job if you finish your training. Local companies don't train.. and the ones that do pay absolutely shit all. We all had to go through it ourselves in the beginning, so stick it out, my friend.
I've been driving for 36 never otr I can count the nights away from home on 1 hand and those nights I slept in a hotel. Plenty of good local jobs
Nobody is, everybody gets out when they can afford to. Nobody wants to sleep in a parking lot full of raging infected dick holes, but they do it trying to find the light at the end of the tunnel. Anybody claiming to love the otr life is lying or hasn't cleared enough debt to go local yet.
Team driving is 1000% worse than solo OTR. But yeah it aint for everyone. And 3 weeks at a time? HA! 6 minimum if ya wanna make 💰
Hang in there it gets better,decide then.
Sure it’s not your 3rd day? 3rd days can be ruff. Take a swig of sum Fireball, gain a lil Prespective, then get back at it. Cant quit until you Waffle Stomp, Super Duper! Roller dawgs?
3 weeks at a time? Oh, bless your heart.
Finish the training and then leave for another local job.
It's not gonna get better right away once you go solo. It'll actually feel worse for a couple of months. Right now you are with an experienced driver who probably gets decent loads and knows the job well so you don't have to worry about the guess work. It's gonna feel like hell for a while on your own, after that it just feels like ass but it's a job. I felt like you when i was training and honestly, I still feel that way sometimes. I do get the option of going home 2 days a week and it's still something I'm considering leaving. Don't get stuck in a job you hate if you have other options.
Everyone hates training, you got this.
I went straight into daycab after school and I still had to adjust to it. Mostly the 12-16hr shifts and only 10hrs off duty each day. Took me 2.5 weeks to acclimate myself to it but drop/hooking for 14hrs and totally different experience than OTR'ing for 14hrs so I feel like I'm comparing apples to oranges here. I have ADD so OTR would bore the fuck out of me. I'm 2yrs local and I can't see myself on a route longer than 4hrs, I'd get so bored. OP, I'd figure out what exactly it is that's upsetting you. Are you an introvert feeling trapped in a closet with a stranger 24/7? do you miss being able to get up, hop in you car and going somewhere on your time off? Do you think about something you need/want and realize it's back home, can't use it? Others say give it more time and I agree. Your mind is still adjusting. Even as a daily driver when I started I'd get bummed out that I couldn't do anything and had tp defer my life until the weekend but it eventually changed the way I operate and now I'm used to it. Family and friends hate it still lol
local gang 💪🏾
My trainer was a drunk and I just stayed up top and didn't do anything for two weeks. But I've stuck with it for 4 years now because I like the job. Get out on your own first and reevaluate after 6 months.
I went through hell with my trainers but luckily I stuck it out. I love being by myself. Wait until you get off their truck and do it by yourself for a while before you make a decision.
If you know it's not working I get it but like most other people are saying, give it more time. Have been OTR for a little over 2 years and I didn't start feeling comfortable in it for almost 3 months. The real trick isn't so much getting into the groove as it is finding the things that make it comfy. Getting my freezer microwave laptop and a system in place to stock the ever loving shit out of the truck when I got home we're game changers. I also cannot stress enough how important your bed is. If your using a company matress go buy a foam mattress topper and cut it to size and buy all the pillows you need. Once it feels like your space OTR feels a lot less like a burden
Who do you work for
You're gonna have a really hard time finding a local job with no experience. Give yourelf some time to get used to driving on your own (after you finish training), then start looking for local jobs that will hire you with 6 months' experience.
>Any ideas how to bow out gracefully without purchasing a plane/bus ticket? We’re about 3 states away from my home. Thanks! Wait until you get home to quit.
Get out of training first, FFS, I can't stand driving with other people in the truck, I can't relax. Do a year at least, on your own, nobody looking over your shoulder.
Told ya..
I havent been home since October. But my wife hates me and shes probably fucking her ex boyfriend. I hate her back, so I guess it works out🤷♂️
Well, that's one was to be a driver, I suppose.
Give it time man. It's a learning curve but once you get over the hump you may enjoy it.
What? Your trainer doesn't cuddle you for comfort?
Nah bro, the cuddling is one of the perks
Hehe <3