Team Driving Jobs

1. Career Opportunities are Available
Let's face it, there still aren't a lot of jobs available in today's economy.  If you've seen your "field dry up"  and are searching for something new, a truck driving job may be a good choice.  As one student says in the video - it's either truck driving or something in the medical field and a trucking career is much easier to get started.  


Applying with Driver Solutions
If you've thought about becoming a truck driver, get started by completing our secure online application.  This will allow you to schedule a time with a Driver Agent who will being qualifying you for a trucking job opportunity and answer any questions you might have. 

For Driver Solutions, this type of feedback makes everything we do worthwhile.  To hear time and time again that we've allowed someone to live a better life by giving them the tools (training) they neeed to start a new career is our goal. 


Considering a Trucking Career?
Finding a stable job in today’s economy isn’t easy.  In fact, you’d be hard pressed to find an industry as stable as truck driving.  If you’re ready to bring home a steady paycheck, we invite you to get started by completing our secure online application.  Submitting your application will let you schedule a time to speak with a Driver Agent to discuss your trucking career options.

If you’ve made the choice to become a truck driver, you’ll end up driving with a company trainer for a while. There are plenty of articles discussing what you can expect from the viewpoint of a trainee, but what about the trainer? I was a driver trainer for a large refrigerated carrier and would like to tell you what training is like from a trainer’s perspective. I hope this article helps shed some light on what trainers go through so that you can better understand why trainers do the things they do or say the things they say.

It’s Stressful
Chances are, you’ll be nervous about meeting your trainer. For the next 3 to 6 weeks (or longer), you’ll have to share a tiny little space with a total stranger nearly 24hrs per day and 7 days per week. Well, guess what? Trainers feel nervous about it, too!

Sure, trainers sign up for it and do it voluntarily, usually for some additional pay, but there is still a ton of stress involved when first starting out. On top of that, trainers are expected to ride around with a brand new CDL holder. Most trainees have absolutely no truck driving experience other than what their CDL school taught them. The only way trainers can control the situation is to use their voice. It’s a very helpless feeling seeing a curve coming up too quickly or noticing the trailer is about to take out a pole with zero control over the situation. To make matters worse, many trainees are either too nervous to take in everything they are told, or flat out don’t listen to advice. That only increases the anxiety levels.

Lack Of Sleep
A controversial issue within driver training is the fact that most companies operate training trucks as team dispatched trucks. Meaning, after the first week or so, the trainee drives while the trainer sleep and vice-versa. Do you know what it’s like to try and sleep while a brand new driver is cruisin’ along the expressway at 65mph? It’s terrifying! Any jerk of the wheel, curve, strange noise, or application of the brakes will jolt your trainer awake. This only adds to the stress for your trainer. It’s extremely difficult to get quality sleep in that type of environment because trainers usually aren’t ever in a deep sleep. They are one step below sleeping with one eye open!

Pressure Buildup
It’s fairly common for trainees to complain about their trainer “yelling and screaming for no reason.” I don’t condone trainers yelling and screaming unless it’s an immediate emergency. But there is a very good reason this happens. Trainers are in constant stress and fear. Their job is not only to teach you how to become a safe and efficient truck driver, but they are also responsible for keeping you safe, keeping themselves safe, and keeping the motoring public safe. Combine that with the lack of quality sleep and a possible personality clash and it’s a perfect setup for a trainer to temporarily lose his or her cool. That’s what we call a blowout. Imagine a balloon being blown up with more air every time a trainer feels stressed, but suppresses that stress. Eventually that balloon is going to pop. Whether your trainer has a blowout or not entirely depends upon your specific trainer and situations you both go through together. Chances are, he or she will not have a blowout. But if it happens, just move passed it. Don’t take it personal. Trainers build up a ton of stress and anxiety over the course of training and not all of them handle it perfectly all the time.

Inability To Communicate
The most frustrating thing for a trainer is the inability to communicate properly to a trainee. As a trainee, you’ll be forced to absorb a ton of information in a very short period of time. As a trainer, I had a very short period of time to teach things to my trainee. So it’s a double edged sword. While I didn’t expect my trainee to comprehend 100% of everything I said, after 3 or 4 times it would start to get frustrating having to repeat myself.

Taking It Personal
While I can’t speak for all trainers, I know that I took the success of my trainee very personal. I wanted nothing more than to see my trainee become a safe and happy truck driver. If my trainee were to get into an accident, quit, or get fired, I’d take personal responsibility for that. Even through the little arguments or personality conflicts that naturally comes with sharing such a tiny space, I never once wanted to see a student fail. The only thing I wanted was success and I took that very personally. Everything I did and everything I said was meant to further the success of my trainee. So remember, chances are, your trainer will be the same way. Even if you disagree on something, you and your trainer are interested in the same end result. Success.

Are you a driver trainer?  If so, share with us some of your thoughts on this post below!

More About the Author
Mike Rogers (also known as TruckerMike) is a former OTR truck driver, CDL Instructor, and driver trainer. During his trucking career, he traveled through all 48 continental states in all weather conditions maintaining a perfect service and safety record.
Read more blog posts from Mike here

The National Truck Driver Appreciation Week was September 11^th-17^th, and to celebrate Driver Solutions announced a special contest in partnership with eGears to show recognition for all the great truckers out there.  We reached out to our Facebook, Twitter, and blog readers so we could learn about first-class truck drivers, the sacrifices they make, and how they help make a difference.

To show the nominees how much we appreciated them, we initially offered a $200 gift card toward the Ultimate Truck Driver Convenience Package.  This Wal-Mart gift card could be used on truck tools, a GPS, comfortable clothes, or whatever a truck driver needs. Last year we received over 30 entries in the contest and were very impressed with the response.  This year, we received a record breaking amount of over 75 entries! Nominations came in from parents, siblings, spouses, and friends and we truly enjoyed reading and sharing the stories about so many extraordinary truck drivers. 

Originally, we were only going to announce one winner from this contest, but choosing from 75 entries was just too hard! After receiving so many amazing entries, we decided to extend the contest, raise the prize amount to $250, and give not just one, but THREE drivers a chance at winning the grand prize.

This year we had so many great entries that it was extremely difficult choosing the winners. We decided to pick three grand prize winners and one honorable mention. To read all of the nominations from this year, take a look at our Truck Driver Appreciation posts.

Here are the winners from our Truck Driver Appreciation Contest:

Grand Prize Winner #1 ($250 Wal-Mart Gift Card) - CJ Rimmer

CJ provided us with one of the most creative entries this year. He skillfully expressed the representation of how the job of professional truck driving can be related to how the human body works. It is clear that CJ is proud of being a truck driver and works hard to make a good name for all truckers.

The Lifeblood of America

Grand Prize Winner #2 ($250 Wal-Mart Gift Card) - Roger Simmons

Roger had the most nominations with 11 entries! His family and friends put together a great list of reasons as to why Roger deserves the Ultimate Truck Driver Package. Check out just a few of the entries that were submitted on Roger’s behalf:

• Sharing Trucker
• A Truckers Life
• On the Road Again
• Shelves Would be Bare

Grand Prize Winner #3 ($250 Wal-Mart Gift Card) - Paul Deeter

Paul was nominated by his wife. Paul has overcome homelessness, taking care of sick family members, and making many sacrifices. He went through the Driver Solutions program and has been working with PAM Transport for over a year.

Honorable Mention ($100 Wal-Mart Gift Card) - Terry Zuber

Terry also received several nominations, showing that he is truly appreciated by his family and friends. In his 50’s, Terry recently went through Driver Solutions to start a trucking career. Here are just a few of the nominations Terry received:

• Terry is my Truck Driver!
• He Never Expected to Live His Dream of Being a Trucker…
• Sacrifice One for the Team

 

Truck Driver Appreciation Week may only last one week each year, but it’s clear that truckers are valued year round!

 

I have known Terry for 15 years now. Terry has always been one of the hardest workers I have known until an injury made it impossible for him to continue working in construction, which is the only job he had known. I watched Terry search for months trying to find another job to replace the career he has always known without any success. Terry went out of his comfort zone when applying to the truck driving school. He knew that my mother needed him to take this step and he did it to provide for my mother. My mom and Terry's life has been through a lot over the past year and it is finally looking up. They don't have a lot of money to stock his truck and this prize would really make their lives easier and more comfortable. Thank you......

YourName: Michael Pierce
TruckDriver: Terry L. Zuber

Hi, my name is Darren Stephens and I am from Indianapolis, Indiana. I'm 27 years old and I have two kids. I'm also going through a divorce and it has taken its toll on me. I have two beautiful kids that I have to take care of, I love my kids and I gotta make it for them, they are all I got. I have been going through a lot of ups and downs over the past couple of years, and it seems like I just can't get it right. Over the past couple of months I lost my job and the engine in my car went out. I have been looking over your site and watching the videos and I am really interested in becoming a driver. I see a truck driving career as the my way out of this slump, and a opportunity to get my life back on track. I use to live in Atlanta Ga when I first got married and I have family in Mississippi and around the south. I love traveling and seeing new places, and I plan on moving back to the south soon. I just want to make something out of myself so that my kids can depend on there dad when they need me.

Your Name: Darren Stephens
Truck Driver: Darren Stephens





Hi Darren,

Thank you for your entry in our contest.  We know things can be hard at times and we wish you the best on getting everything back on track.

Best Wishes
- The Driver Solutions Team

I am starting out as a truck driver and am very excited. Things have been rough lately and I have not been able to find a good job. I have been forced to be away from my family living in a homeless shelter Greenville Rescue Mission).  Thanks to PAM Transport I have been accepted to driver school and training. I am looking forward to a great career in truck driving. This prize could be a big help to me and my family with new expenses. Thank you for this opportunity and God Bless!

Your Name: Brian Mcduffie
Truck Driver: Brian McDuffie


Hi Brian,

Thank you for taking the time to enter our contest.  We're glad we were able to help you get a new career going through our truck driver training program.  We wish you the best at training and with PAM Transport!

- The Driver Solutions Team

My husband recently became a truck driver in April 2011. He has been dreaming about this job for as long as I've known him and even before then.

When we first starting dating, he left on my birthday to go to truck driving school. Once out on his own, he only lasted about 3 months. Now that we are married, he decided to give it another shot. And he is doing much better this time around.

I am extremely proud of my husband going after and achieving his dreams. He says he couldn't do this without my support and I am happy to give it to him.

He loves to drive. Plain and simple. He can't imagine himself at another dead end job, not enjoying life. Being a truck driver is a way for him to both, make a living and see the world.

Of course there are tough times, like when your truck is out of commission for days and days, but once he gets back on the road, he knows it was worthing waiting for the repairs instead of just giving up. Being away from home for long periods of time is rough too, but as his wife, I assure him we are doing just fine and always looking forward to him coming home for a few days.

My husband deserves to win this contest because he drives with the most important thing.. His heart. It's what he loves to do and he has achieved his dream.

Your Name: Sheyanne Paige
Truck Driver: Jeremy Paige

Hi Sheyanne,

Thanks for sharing the story about Jeremy.  We're glad he was able to follow his heart and even more appreciative of the support you give to him!  

- The Driver Solutions Team 

There are many others who perhaps are more deserving of this prize. But in these hard times any one who changes careers at 55 should receive something for their efforts. First I give my Lord, Jesus Christ, the credit for the ability to accomplish this task.

You see I had two jobs; driving a school bus and doing maintenance work for the church where my wife and I attended. The economy turned sour, people lost jobs, decreased income, as a result I need to leave the church, the major source of our income. Still left with a mortgage, credit card bills, as well as utilities; I needed to find a job that would span the gap of two incomes. Any job that I got would require me to stop driving a school bus, that is why I say one job for two. My wife and I thought about utilizing my CDL's.

Since I had a class B I thought it wouldn't be a problem to find a job, but the only thing is, it needed to bring in enough for two. In searching out the market I was told that Propane Truck Delivery Drivers earn around $17hr, so I study, get my background check done, finger printed again (already for the school bus job), take my test, and await the background check to clear. Everything comes together just right, but still I needed a job, every one told me to call around October, but this was July. My wife and I had discussed the over the road truck driving, but really didn't want to go there because I would be gone so much. Here we were facing this decision once again.

I got in contact with Driver Solutions and set things up to attend school at Littel Rock, AR, at C1 Truck Driving School. Now here we are almost three months later. I am employeed by PAM Transport, had my first three week out on my own, still working on getting everything co-ordinated. I am thankful that my wife has got a raise at the school where she works, that is helping to bridge the gap. We are going to make it with the Lord's help. We do have our house for sale for any one looking for a good deal on a 1612 sq. ft. home, built in 2006. Double car garage, brick 75%, landscaping, basically take over the payments. There are many others out there in my same shoes and I respect every one of them for their efforts.

Your Name:  Richard Curry
Truck Driver: Richard Curry

Hi Richard,

Thank you for sharing your story about becoming a truck driver.  We know it's not always easy to switch careers at age 55.  That being said, we're glad you were able to get started and we wish you the best of luck in selling your house.

- The Driver Solutions Team

I used to live in Southwest Florida where I held a job in the pest control industry and gave kayak fishing trips for extra income. I had never taken into consideration that I would one day be without my money or fishing. When the BP oil spill happened my business went under. Oil in the Gulf scared almost everyone from going fishing, yet alone, in a kayak. I took it in stride and kept on. The next loss was the economy in SW Florida. The company I worked with for seven years started losing customers at an alarming rate which led to the layoffs. With three kids and a girlfriend, it was time to find a career choice that would provide regardless of changes in the world. I knew I needed a skill I could use anywhere in the country. I needed something that would allow me to give my family everything they needed and alot of the things they wanted. Well, truck driving was the answer I was looking for. I knew I'd be sacrificing my time with my family, time in paradise, and time fishing but there's no better reason than to give a family it's support.

Your Name: Joe moore
Truck Driver: Joe moore


Hi Joe,

First of all, thank you for sharing this story.  We're glad you were able to find a career in truck driving that will allow you to provide for your family.  Sometimes, it just takes a bit of a journey to end up where you're supposed to be.

The Driver Solutions team wishes you the best in your trucking career!

I deserve the trucker convenience package because I share my life experiences on the road with all my friends. I post status updates, check in where I am at and show my fellow facebook friends pictures of the truck I am driving or the loads I am carrying. everything from Super B Cement Bulkers to Oversize loads. I handle it all and drive anywhere that I am needed to be. I work hard and share!

Your Name: Roger Simmons
Truck Driver: Roger Simmons




Hi Roger,

Thank you for your entry in our contest.  We have no doubt you work hard in your job as a ttruck driver each and every day!  Driver Solutions would also like to thank you for taking the time to keep us updated via our Facebook page.  It's been great to connect and keep in touch.  We wish you the best! 

- The Driver Solutions Team

When applying for trucking jobs, keep in mind that you could be up against hundreds of drivers. Because the trucking industry is one of the most stable industries in our country today, many people are getting into this industry in hopes of finding better career opportunities.

Be a step ahead of your peers by enrolling in Driver Solutions Training Program. With our program, you can be confident that you will be qualified and considered for entry level trucking job opportunities.

Driver Solutions can give you the resources needed to start a trucking career, but it ultimately comes back to having a winning attitude. Getting started is not always easy in the trucking industry, but with a good attitude you can get the experience you need to open up doors with opportunities.  Believe it or not, you can successfully turn around your lack of experience into a personal strength. As an entry level driver, you’re not rigid or set on any kind of driving, allowing you to adapt practices that the companies are most in favor of. With a good attitude, you can prove that you are worthy to be part of a company's team of drivers.

To get started, just complete our online driver application.  This will allow you to schedule a time to speak with a representative to answer any questions you might have about CDL training and starting a career behind the wheel of a big rig!

Where to start...

I have been a trucker's daughter all my life. It was very rough never having my father around. I never understood why he was always leaving me.

Now surprise surprise I am a trucker's wife, my husband and I would always talk about how our father's were gone all the time because his father is to a driver. So now I have to miss my husband all the time. And watch my children go through what I did. They miss him all the time.

I don't believe people give truck drivers the respect they deserve. They are always on the road, they miss birthdays, first day of school, ball games etc. I sometimes do get mad because I am here being somewhat a single mom, but then I have to remind myself that my husband my father my father in law, are out there wishing they could be home. People should stop and think everything they buy is brought to them because people lke my family are out there missing their families to get it to the stores. So I ask that you show some love for our drivers out on the road. Love from a truckers daughter trucker's wife trucker's daughter-in-law.

Your Name: Becky Witters
Truck Driver: Jeff Witters

Hi Becky,

Thanks for submitting your nomination for your husband, Jeff.  You bring up one of the biggest lifestyle changes associated with truck driving - being out on the road for days and weeks at a time.  While it certainly is an adjustment for most people, the love of being on the road in a truck driving job and being able to provide for a family makes it a good career choice in today's economy.  

You also mention other members of your family being involved in trucking careers.  At Driver Solutions, we hear all the time from our students that "trucking is in my blood."  There is a certain sense of freedom that comes with not having a boss over your shoulder and being able to see the country as part of your job.  If you're a new driver reading this and considering a trucking career, you definitely need to think about the lifestyle change upfront along with its many rewards.

- The Driver Solutions Team 

One of the biggest challenges for inexperienced drivers working their first truck driving job is saving money.  Let's face it, everyone wants to save money and truck drivers are no different. 

So, how do you make it happen while working a trucking job that has you out on the road for weeks at a time?

Luckily, Driver Solutions was able to connect with Mike and Vicki Simons via Twitter and they agreed to do a blog post to help out inexperienced drivers.  Check it out below!

Money Saving Tips for Inexperienced Truck Drivers

By: Vicki Simons

Truck-Drivers-Money-Saving-Tips.com

My husband Mike and I graduated from truck driver training school and started work in the trucking industry in the early 1990's. Those were in the days before Internet access, cell phones and many of the technological wonders that many truckers now rely upon were readily available. I will share with you in this article some money saving tips for new trucking school graduates and inexperienced truck drivers, especially those who will be driving a commercial motor vehicle regionally or long haul.

There were two items that we took with us from our very first trip as a husband and wife professional truck driving team:

• a portable toilet and
• a device in which to keep food cold.

If we were starting out today, not only would we have these items with us, but we would also add an inverter and at least one appliance in which to cook food.

Let's look at these choices in greater detail.

A Portable Toilet

We consider having an in-truck portable toilet to be indispensable for health reasons. Put quite simply, not every place where a truck driver can park has a publicly accessible restroom.

We have used our units over the years to hold not only bodily waste but also waste water from brushing our teeth and cleaning dishes after meals. Unfortunately, not all trucking companies allow portable toilets in their trucks. So before you invest in one, check to make sure that your company of choice allows them.

Food is Expensive on the Road

One of the biggest expenses that new-out-of-school company drivers will have is food. Sure, you can eat out a lot, but it is expensive. Some truck stops not only have their own restaurants but also fast food offerings, either from onsite fast food restaurants or refrigerated cases of premade foods. It is much healthier for your body and your wallet if you prepare your own food and recipes from healthy, nutritious ingredients.

In order to have a well-rounded diet and save money, we chose to take perishable foods with us. Among them are a variety of meats, dairy products, fruits, vegetables and breads. Some of these foodstuffs require being kept cold. The three main types of food cooling devices used by truckers are:

• compact refrigerators (with compressors),
• thermoelectric coolers, and
• ice chests.

We have tried them all. Each has its pros and cons.

You can cook many, many meals in just one or two appliances. When it comes to meal preparation, we describe on our site the different types of appliances we have used to cook food in our trucks over the years. We prefer to use a hot pot for cooking and rewarming many foods. A crock pot comes in handy for cooking food while you travel down the road. You just need to make sure that you brace the appliance so that it won't tip over when you go around curves or brake suddenly.

For a while when he was by himself in the truck, Mike used a microwave oven for warming small items. Larger meal preparations of saucy type foods can sometimes be done in an electric skillet. With the right equipment, you can cook just about anything -- including Thanksgiving dinner -- in your truck.

But to run most household cooking appliances, you need power…

Powering Your Equipment with an Inverter

Unless one is fortunate enough to hire on with a company whose trucks are equipped with auxiliary power units (APUs), many company-issued commercial motor vehicles have only DC-powered 12-volt cigarette lighter outlets as a means by which drivers can get power. As you may know, most household appliances run off AC (alternating current) not DC (direct current) electricity. The solution for inverting power from DC to AC is an inverter.

The two types of inverters most often used by truckers are:

• the cigarette lighter plug in type (which, depending on the model, can deliver up to about 175 watts of power) and
• the battery-connected kind (which, depending on the truck's configuration and model of unit, can deliver between 200 and 3000 watts of power).

Your trucking company may place a cap on the maximum amount of power that a battery-connected inverter can draw from its trucks' batteries. One of the trucking companies Mike drove for allowed nothing more than a cigarette lighter style inverter while a different company placed a 1500-watt cap on a battery-connected unit.

You can run many household appliances with 1500 watts of power or less. Some drivers require an inverter to power laptop computers, recharge cell phones and run their CPAP machines while they sleep.

Bear in mind that you can run simultaneously only those appliances that will not draw more power than the inverter can deliver. In our case, sometimes we had to run just one cooking appliance at a time so as not to overload the inverter. It was a small price to pay in time to save big money.

Consider the math: if you had to pay an average of $8 plus tax and tip for lunch and an average of $10 plus tax and tip for dinner at a truck stop -- five days a week -- you would be shelling out some serious cash. How much less expensive it could be to eat in your truck with options greatly expanded when you can cook your meals by inverter power.

The charge in your truck's batteries will determine the length of time that you can draw power through a battery-connected inverter. If you use your inverter while the engine is not running, the power will draw down faster than if it is running. Given the price of diesel these days, your company may require you to limit your idling time. Again, check with your prospective company before buying an inverter.

Watch Out for Traps

One of the reasons why we started our website, Truck-Drivers-Money-Saving-Tips.com, was to warn other drivers about traps, particularly certain inferior products that are marketed and sold to truck drivers. Many of these are what we call "cheaply made but expensive to buy." One red flag that we have learned to watch out for is a very short warranty period (like a 90-day limited warranty). If a product is worth its salt, it will have a one-year warranty of some kind.

When you buy items from a truck stop, be aware of its return policy. Some chains may allow returns for up to 30 days or may only allow an exchange for other merchandise (as in "no returns for cash"). This can be a trap. Assume that you bought a product from a truck stop that had a 30-day return policy and it broke on the 31st day. You're flat out of luck. So be on your guard.

What to Pack in Your Truck

When you train with a trainer, you may be asked to take a minimum of things with you. You may be given a list of what to bring and what not to bring. When you get out on your own, your options may expand greatly. We provide some guidance about what we have taken out with us on the road in the form of three different packing lists -- job-related, food and equipment, and personal -- all of which are available as free downloads from our site.

That's Just the Beginning

There is so much more that we'd like to be able to tell you. Drop by our site and get lots of money saving tips for professional truck drivers. After a while, we hope you'll share some of your own. We're especially looking for product reviews, service reviews and reviews on truck stops and truck parts.

We wish you great success in your new career, safe travels and lots of money saving opportunities on the road.

-----

Through Truck-Drivers-Money-Saving-Tips.com, Vicki Simons and her husband Mike provide real world tips that help professional truck drivers save hard-earned money and personal reporting about products and services for use on the road. They have developed their unique website as a place to share the tips they have learned through the years and where other professional drivers can do the same. For more information, visit http://www.truck-drivers-money-saving-tips.com/.

Copyright © 2011. All Rights Reserved. NKBJ InfoNet, LLC. Printed on Driver Solutions' website with permission.

Cindy Chambers came through our CDL training program a few months ago and has been keeping us updated on her travels ever since via the Driver Solutions Facebook page.  She is currently in a team driving job with her husband and about to wrap up a recent trip to Colorado Springs.  Let's catch up with Cindy!

Getting ready to roll out of Colorado Springs after visiting with and seeing our son, Nolon Chambers, off to Afghanistan..this week will take us from here to Indianapolis to New Columbia, PA to Chattanooga TN where we will jump a few final hurdles and get our new truck...Hoping some home time will come soon so we can see the rest of our loved ones! LIFE IS SWEET! - Cindy Chambers- 8/15/11



Here is another pic from her trip to Colorado Springs. What a great shot!

I attended truck driving school through the Driver Solutions program at the Fort Wayne, IN location.  It was a hard start for me but Ivan, Andre, Scott, Ryan, and Brian knew I had my mind in other places.  They didn't let this stop them from getting the job done.  Scott really helped me understand how a truck moves when going in reverse and how to to keep it straight.  Ryan helped me on the road by showing me how to keep the truck from rolling back and how not to stall the truck.  Without them, I would not be starting a trucking career.  They all talked to me and never said I couldn't do it -  they had confidence in me and that kept me going.  For that I am grateful.  They started out as instructors, but they ended as my friends.

Name: Orlando Irizarry
City: Philadelphia 
State: Pennsylvania
Grad Date: July 20, 2011


Hi Orlando,

We really appreciate you taking the time to leave this review.  We know it was a hard adjustment at first, but are so glad that you stuck with it and got your CDL!  Best of luck to you in your new trucking career.  Please stay in touch with us via the Driver Solutions Facebook page.

Best Wishes,
The Driver Solutions Team

Today, we're kicking off a new series on the Driver Solutions blog - Updates from the Road: The Trucker Lifesyle. 

In this series, we'll be featuring updates from truck drivers about their travels and accomplishments throughout their trucking career.

Today, we're featuring 2 updates from Driver Solutions CDL training graduate, Cindy Chambers.  Cindy came through our program several months ago and since then has done a great job of keeping us updated via the Driver Solutions Facebook page. 

Check out Cindy's travels from the first part of July: 



I am getting the driving down and am getting very comfortable cruising the country. Hubby (a 1.5 yr experienced driver) is training with me so we can run our team efficiently. YES! There are 3 of us in a truck (the both of us and our trainer) We finished our in-house training last Tuesday and have been doing lots of miles approx 6000 since then. Attached is a map of our travels this week. We are currently enjoying the luxury of a hotel room in upstate NY since there is a no-idle law here. LIFE IS SWEET AND I AM ENJOYING MY NEW TRUCKING CAREER TREMENDOUSLY! **We just got our load outta here which will have us delivering in Indianapolis sometime on Friday.

The software I used for this is Microsoft Streets & Trips...you can download a free trial version from the microsoft website...You can also purchase a usb gps that can make your pc into a great navigational tool for well under 100 bucks..I took many photos and videos on our trip west and back east..they can be viewed in my facebook photos & videos...With 3 on the truck we did not stop much but i did take in the sites :) My favorites were my drive over the Continental Divide, the Salt Flats of Utah and the Great Salt Lake, and Reno NV although time did not allow us to stop at any..If I can help with anything else, please let me know :) - Cindy Chambers on July 7th, 2011

Many people who are looking for better income opportunities have considered getting into the trucking industry. As a truck driver, you can earn as much as $40,000 in the first year.  And it gets even better as you gain more experience and continue to advance within the company to positions such as a driver trainer.  The setback, however, in planning to start a career in truck driving is the training cost.

A couple of weeks to a month's worth of training can cost you several thousands of dollars.  For many people, coming up with $4,000.00 - $7,000.00 isn't an option.  So, what do you do if you don't have the resources to pay for your training fee?  Do you just pass up on this great career opportunity?

If you are serious about becoming a truck driver, you can look for trucking companies that offer CDL training. Because of the demand for qualified drivers, trucking companies like USA Trucking are now able to sponsor drivers who have what it takes to be part of their growing team of drivers. With a company-sponsored program, you are able to train with no upfront tuition costs.  You are even pre-qualified for a trucking job opportunity prior to training. 

Get your training from Driver Solutions and we'll help you qualify for a company-sponsored program.  Take the first step right now by using the Apply Now button to complete your online application. 

Many studies indicate that the average American changes fields or industries at least five times in the course of their working life.  But with the economy in the position it is in, not many Americans can leave work upon retirement and well, actually retire.  This is a leading reason why more retirees today are entering truck driver training school.  And for those that are seeking entry level trucking jobs, retirees are often leading candidates.  Why?

One reason is proven responsibility and work performance.  A driver that has been working at steady employment most of their adult life has demonstrated that they will be reliable to perform Class A truck driver jobs.

Retirees typically have more freedom than the average student attending trucking school. These drivers can literally be on the road for weeks and nobody in their family feels the crunch, because they’ve all left the nest already.  Some retirees are even attending trucking school with their spouses and hitting the open road in team truck driving jobs and living a very happy. fullfilled life by doing so.

If you are thinking about a second career, the tax benefits, income benefits, and freedom and flexibility in retirement are all ahead of you in trucking. 

 PAM Transport is among the leading trucking companies looking for entry level drivers.  To give you some background on the company, what they can offer and how to work for them, here are some good reads to check out:

• Trucking Careers at PAM Transport - This blog post contains an overview of the company with a video you can watch.

• PAM Trucking - Entry Level Trucking Jobs - This article is a preview of the job description as an over-the-road truck driver.

• Team Trucking Jobs and Choosing PAM Transport - This blog post continues to describe PAM Transport and its offerings for team truck driving jobs.

The benefits of working with this trucking company are also indicated in all 3 of the above posts.  You can also hear first hand from a PAM Transport Team Driver, by checking out this video interview. 

If you want to begin right away, simply complete our online driver application form.  We have Driver Agents available for you to speack with to help in choosing the best career choice for you at this particular time.