May Days

[jimbosterling]

Well I just finished my second day at May Orientation. First day was Pee Pee and Phsyicals.

Day 2: Watched some driving technique videos and then to the good stuff. We took our Driving Test in the am after videos. We had to do an Alley Dock type backing maneuver and then we hit the road. I was up first, lucky Me, and had my first experience with a 13 speed tranny. We only used 10's in school. No biggie! The new tranmissions are so much better/easier than the old school ones were. Im not advocating it, but to answer all of my fellow newbies, no, I did not use the clutch. The truck was an 06 387 Pete and it shifted like a dream. I got snagged for not picking up my trailer in my mirrors fast enough. Other than that all went great! We followed up in the afternoon with a HazMat class and a little log book test. We also did a class on accident reporting. Im not sure when I will hit the road. May has a 3 Day Orientation. We are mostly waiting on Drug test results. I will have a Laptop with me when I hit the road though. I will try my best to keep up on here and answer all question.

I would like to respectfully ask that no one hijack this thread and I want ANYONE AND EVERYONE who has a question to ask it. I would also like to ask that NO ONE ridicule some one for asking said questions. I myself am new as will be many who respond on here. We just are very motivated and hungry for knowledge. I would like this to be a good forum for someone to gain that knowledge without felling like an idiot. We are in fact ignorant by its very definition( A Lack of Knowledge). The only cure for ignorance is education.

Thanx

Jimbo

[jimbosterling]

Day 3: Lots and Lots of paper work, but thats ok because it was all final paper work and issuing our Driver ID and our Log Books. We all passed our Drug Screen and Start hitting the road tomorrow. Unfortunatley I dont leave until Friday.

I would like to take this oppotunity to thank my Recruiter Opal. Everything has gone great and I had no suprises. Since I have now been through Orientation I will now blame all my problems on Dave in the Pensacola Terminal. If I do it wrong it is because he didnt teach me. Next up is my Trainer. If he only knew!

[OPALDOVEL]

:wink: CONGRATULATION HANK! YOU WHERE JUST HIRED IN THE SYSTEM. YOU ARE NOW A OFFICIAL MAY DRIVER!! WELCOME TO THE TEAM. I HAVE A FEELING ABOUT YOU. I THINK YOU ARE GOING TO BE A GREAT SUCCESS STORY. REMEMBER THAT COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY. IF YOU NEED ANYTHING YOU HAVE MY NUMBER. I WILL BE WATCHING FOR YOUR POSTS! BE SAFE AND HAVE A GREAT DAY!

OPAL RA' VAE DOVEL
DRIVER RECRUITER
800-547-9169 X 3214
503-390-8836 FAX
opalha@maytrucking.com

[jimbosterling]

Day 4: Well I got another lesson I think will be very helpful in my Driving Career, be fluid because things will change at any moment. Notice I said will and not can! I was leaving 3 different time with 2 different people. As it stands Im on standby to standby, but as a May Driver in Training I am being paid to love on my Kids and Wife. I should be heading out Saturday or Sunday.

I see everyone checking out the thread. Please drop me a note and tell me what you think.

[Trucker4Life]

:wink: CONGRATULATION HANK! YOU WHERE JUST HIRED IN THE SYSTEM. YOU ARE NOW A OFFICIAL MAY DRIVER!! WELCOME TO THE TEAM. I HAVE A FEELING ABOUT YOU. I THINK YOU ARE GOING TO BE A GREAT SUCCESS STORY. REMEMBER THAT COMMUNICATION IS THE KEY. IF YOU NEED ANYTHING YOU HAVE MY NUMBER. I WILL BE WATCHING FOR YOUR POSTS! BE SAFE AND HAVE A GREAT DAY!

OPAL RA' VAE DOVEL
DRIVER RECRUITER
800-547-9169 X 3214
503-390-8836 FAX
opalha@maytrucking.com

ALL CAPS INDICATES YELLING ONLINE. We prefer civil conversations here. Thanks

[retiredmb]

Day 4: Well I got another lesson I think will be very helpful in my Driving Career, be fluid because things will change at any moment. Notice I said will and not can! I was leaving 3 different time with 2 different people. As it stands Im on standby to standby, but as a May Driver in Training I am being paid to love on my Kids and Wife. I should be heading out Saturday or Sunday.

I see everyone checking out the thread. Please drop me a note and tell me what you think.

How long have you been driving and how long will you be out with the Trainer?

I have been looking at May and will be interested to see everything you have to say.

[jimbosterling]

Im 46 and doing the Midlife Career change thing. I just graduated from school and have zero experience. One of the best things about May is there is no set time with a Trainer. It is all about your skills. It also doesnt hurt that you get paid $500/wk for training.

[Karnajj]

Your recruiters name is a joke right? I mean really, I can barely pronounce it!

[jimbosterling]

Your recruiters name is a joke right? I mean really, I can barely pronounce it!

So the purpose of you slamming her name was what? I didnt get it!

[OPALDOVEL]

Sorry about the caps gentle men. I use caps all day at work. My name is Opal and If you can't pronounce that then sorry. Anyway, Hank I hope you get a trainer soon. I talked to Ray to day what a nice guy. He is on the trainers truck and ready to go. Stay in touch, if you need anything remember to call me and I will help you as much as I can or get you the answers that you need.

Opal

[jimbosterling]

[quote Hank I hope you get a trainer soon. I talked to Ray to day what a nice guy. He is on the trainers truck and ready to go. Stay in touch, if you need anything remember to call me and I will help you as much as I can or get you the answers that you need.

Opal[/quote]

I talked to him this afternoon myself. He is fired up!

[jimbosterling]

I talked to Rob(Operation Manager of my terminal) and I will be headed out on Monday. It will be Great to have a whole weekend with my family.

I want ANYONE AND EVERYONE who has a question to ask it.

How's that .28 cpm working out for you? LOL you won't even gross $1k per week banging out 3,000 miles at those wages.

Welcome to the wonderful world of coolie carrier OTR trucking!

[jimbosterling]

How's that .28 cpm working out for you? LOL you won't even gross $1k per week banging out 3,000 miles at those wages.

Well I guess I have no idea what you are talking about. I start at 30 cpm and at 6 months it is 32cpm, 9 months 33cpm, 12 months it is 34cpm. So I reckon you will have to redo your math. And before you go and post how they lied to me, I have it writting and they post it all over their website. Now why dont you tell me about all the mad cash you make working three days a week, home every night and no weekends, and you dont even need a CDL. Tell me how you drive Pete Hoods, with more chrome than Smokey and the Bandit, and get 9 miles to the gallon and your truck will run 110 up hill, both ways!

This was a thread meant for New people to gain some knowledge by following along with my experiences at May Trucking. There is no need for you to come on here and blast me on a choice that I made for my life and have to be all synical about it.

Jimbo just ignore CFM the rest of us do. He thinks unless you drive LTL and are in the UNION you are not a TRUCK DRIVER.

[eptp88]

ALL CAPS INDICATES YELLING ONLINE. We prefer civil conversations here. Thanks

What a but wipe. Yelling online? Get real. As far as May Trucking I went to there orientation back in Sept. also in Pensacola but did not take the job. I was told I did not need a trainer only to catch a ride with someone on there way to Brooks Or. to pick up my truck, 3-5 days tops. When my ride showed up he said he was my trainer and I should expect to be in Or. in about 3 weeks or so. I was mad but decided to stick it out. 2 days later we were going 50 miles away from my house and I bailed. The trainer was a self admited 5th grade drop out and told me he could not read very well and was a recovering drug addict, 2 years clean. He yelled at me for not keeping two hands on the wheel at all times but he talked on his cell phone as he drove. I guess drug addicts get cold because he would not run the ac at night and kept the windows up. We were in Fl and it was atleast 75 or so at night. I called my "supervisor" in Or to complain but was told it was the way it was or get out and find a way home. When my trainer got his next load assignment from Ft Myers Fl to Pa. he could not accept because he was out of hours and would not make it on time unless I stayed on and drove the whole way. When he asked me what I was going to do and I said stick it out so he accepted his load. I also routed him right by my house since he could not really read his map. When we stopped at the truck stop in Ga and I got out he just about cried. To hell with May and there crack head trainer. Tell me thats the way it is stick it out or get out, yeah right.

[mdgardner963]

I worked for may over 2 years almost 3 found once i got in the rythem of things they are fine. They do slow up consderably from about mid december to end of febuary.. I once drove for a union outfit from 1982 to 1987 hated every min of it. union is an excuse for puttng up with crapola.

[retiredmb]

It's ok to talk crap but not yell, give me a break!

I too had a bad Trainer with another Company, was told the same thing by the Driver Manager, wish I would have stayed with it, 3 weeks out of my life.

No matter where you go now, you will still have to put in the time, could have had it over with.

:evil: jimbosterling came on here to give information and say some positive things, now this has turned into a slug fest, if all you want to do is say the negitive, start your own thread. Anyone can come up with a negitive, just listen to the news every night. How about giving good solid info

[jimbosterling]

I guess since Im off for the weekend this would be a good chance to let you know who I am and were I am coming into this from.

James Sterling (Hank/Jimbo) more on that later.

46 years old Non active member of USMC/Huge UF Gator fan

Married

Wife is Ginger/36 and she is a Micro Biologist for a Filter Manufacturer.

Kids Nick/13 Huge Baseball freak and Guitar player
Paige/9 Dancer and socializer
Natalie/4 going on 14
Hallee/1.5 the apple of Daddys eye.

We are from Pensacola, FL

I was a Party Chief for a Surveying Firm until September 07. I was laid off due to the Housing Market going under around here. I was looking around in the papers and all the job websites and kept seeing all these jobs for Truck Drivers. So off to Milton, FL I went to TDI. It was a wonderful time. I had some great Instructors. I was top in my class , of course I was the only one in my class. I was the only one because I started the day after Christmas. I had offers from the usual Werner/Covenent/TMC/Stevens. I wasnt sure what I wanted to do, but I did a lot of research on here and I cut it down to 2. I was deciding between TMC and May. In the end it came down to, I know this will sound silly, not wanting to tarp and strap when it is 95 and humid and climbing in the truck and driving 600 miles. I had a good feeling about May and so far I have not been disappointed.

I would also like to throw in some good words about a couple of other Companies. I talked to Jen at TMC and she was great. She answered all my questions, and there were many. I would especially like to thank Tim at Maverick. He actually told me not to sign on with Maverick right now because it might be several weeks before I would get a Trainer in my area.

I would like to tell all the new guys that there a tons of things you need to consider when you are looking for a company. CPM/Miles/Benifits/Bonus/Freight Type/Areas of Operation are all major items, but dont forget how often do they pay and when, Do they take care of there equipment and wash it, and how do they treat there Drivers. You can find out all of the stuff, but remember when you talk to someone take into account where they are coming from. A stiff is a stiff at any company. A superstar will be a superstar at any company. My biggest piece of advice at this point is it is all what YOU make of it. Just like anything else.

[scythe08]

I started my career with may back in 99. Didn't work out too well, but there problems with both parties. I do have to say, I saw alot of the country with May and went from one corner of the states to another. I was based out of layton, UT.

Back then May didn'y have detention pay so those 8 or 9 hour waits at con-agra were brutal. But with the reefer, you never knew what you were gonna haul. Ice cream one day to dreyers, then Shoes and purses for the target DC in Boise. Then chocalate to Denver, then Beer to fort hill. Haha

I noticed you have a wife and 4 wonderful kids. I don't want to come across as an ass, and I don't know what your long term goals are for your new career so Please don't be offended Jim. But have you thought about what OTR will do to your family? Your wife will be basically a single parent with an extra income, unless you get home often. When I was with May it was about every 3 weeks. Are you going to stay OTR or are you just getting enough experience to go local?

One of Cold Frosty Mugs Rants/Raves/opinions is that In trucking,OTR especially there is the world they present you in training and then the real world when you get behind the wheel on your own. You will be working 80 to 90 hours a week, many times uncompensated, and until you prove to your company that you won't be one of the 130% turnover guys, you will be just a truck number to them. There are alot of things to learn and to think about.

This message board is the best out there, and I have been a member under various names for 4 years. The sheer amount of knowledge and the good people that will go out of their way to help you is truly wonderful.There is almost too much information here. :P

I wish you the very best in your new career and look forward to reading your posts. Welcome Brother.

Chris