Well...doesn't this just suck.
 

Was supposed to be attending the CFI "boot camp" orientation tomorrow in Joplin. My bus was supposed to leave at 4am this morning and I was sitting at the Greyhound terminal baggage and ticket in hand around 3am. Due to weather delays and having roughly 135 people there who were stranded last night...as of 8am this morning when I left, they were STILL trying to find a driver to run from Albuquerque, NM to Amarillo, TX. And once we got there, they weren't sure if the route from Amarillo to Joplin, MO would even run due to "weather delays". So even if I did manage to leave out of Albuquerque at some point today, there's no guarantee I would even get to Joplin in time for orientation.

Wow...so I spent the past 3 weeks dealing with CFI and hoping like hell I could get on with them and not have to go with Swift or anybody like that, but then I get screwed on the LAST step...ain't that a b*tch?

Anyway...my top two choices have been yanked out from underneath my feet.

Crete wouldn't take me because I don't have 5 months experience and didn't attend a PTDI certified course.

CFI was working with me to get me in even though I was technically past their 30 day requirement (no more than 30 days between CDL school graduation and per-applying to CFI) at 32 days since graduation.
I was soooooo close to getting this one then fate intervened in the way or horrible bus service.

Having said that - NOW WHAT?!?!

Here's what I'm looking for, nice and simple:
1) Western or southwestern regional runs (I might be willing to do 48 state depending on the company but would prefer regional).

2) Decent equipment.

3) No more than 14 days out at a time.

4) Training program that doesn't use the student as an extra log book.

Am I now stuck with the likes of Swift and Werner after I had tried so hard to avoid them? Sheesh.

So, just like that. CFI won't work with you because of something beyond your control?

I would be checking out airline schedules or rental cars. I would beg borrow or steal the money if I didn't have it, refund your bus ticket. I would be there if I was alive.

Re: Well...doesn't this just suck.
 

Why don't you just get a job with the bus company? :D

As soon as the bus comes available get on it, do your best to get their. Call CFI first thing in the morning if you are not their yet and explain what happen. I don't think your the first driver at CFI to be late to orientation because of the bus company.

Splitter, my recruiter told me last week that if I didn't make it to orientation on December 4th, I was out of luck as they had already been working with me.

Terry, those thoughts did cross my mind. I would have flown in the first place but the shortest flight I found was still 12 hours long and was almost $400. I have already looked at all flights leaving today and every one that I have found gets me there way too late tomorrow morning.

Big John, would they consider not being there at all "late"? :lol:

Why did you leave? The bus has probably left too.

Yes Super 8 that's a good idea for weasel he can be one of those.

It sounds like to me someone didn't want to go to Joplin....

I left because I would rather be here and not stuck in Amarillo and from what the bus employees said...that may be what happened. Maybe I was being a little assumptive, but listening to some of the people who had been there for 10+ hours did factor into my decision.
I do plan on calling and talking to CFI if I can work something out with them.
I was just kinda venting some frustration and trying to find a "Plan B" in case I couldn't work anything out with CFI.

Knowing my luck, the bus left 5 minutes after I did.
Who knows, maybe my punishment for being a wuss and not riding the whole thing out will be having to work for Swift or something. :shock:

not trying to trivialize what happened for you but you're blowing this way out of proportion. Once you start trucking you'll find that this was nothing and you're gonna hit much worse situations than this little thing.

I know it's trivial, so you can trivialize it all you want, but at the same time it's frustrating because this has been my first experience with it.
I've been up for almost 30 hours, so that has a lot to do with my thought process. But as I said earlier, if I screwed up with CFI, then it's my own fault and I have to accept that.

Just figured I'd seek advice on other possible companies I have to pick from that offer what I am looking for (which I think is relatively little) from those of you who know better than me...which at this point is pretty much everybody. 8)

I'll climb off my soapbox now.

BIG 10-4!!

I know it's trivial, so you can trivialize it all you want,

I guess you didn't read what I said.
Just call CFI-plain and simple

If you are in Amarillo, get your butt down to the the TA or Petro truckstop and see if you can hitch a ride with a CFI driver that is going that way. Prime also has a terminal up there in Springfield MO. I am sure you must have some written proof that you are who you say you are. You know, something from CFI that you can show a driver to back up your training date with them.

You never know, you might get lucky.

CFI will work with you on this. They got hit bad with this blizzard also :!: I know I talked to them Friday and they were trying to get me to come in earlier - like Monday - because alot of out of state people were having trouble arriving Monday. So hang in there ... there's several people having the same trouble as you right now. Call them - - - they will work with you. I realize money may be a big issue right now, but if you rent a car ... they will pay 'you' the amount it was going to cost to arrive on the bus. Just get it cleared with them before you rent a car. That's what I'm going to do - - rent a car. ..... If you end up starting in the Wed. class ... I'll see ya there.
http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y28...osesSemi-1.gif

Get with weekend dispatch ASAP.....Im sure they can find you a ride that way. I would have gotten as far as I could by bus.

Thanks for all the replies guys.

Just to clarify a few things:
I never left Albuquerque, which is where I live, due to Greyhounds schedule delays and weather delays. I am at home right now typing this.

I have called CFI and got off the phone with them maybe 5 minutes ago.
The lady I talked to said they have had a lot of issues with Greyhound lately and even today they are having mass problems with people getting in for orientation.


Here's the part that excludes me. They require that you have been out of CDL training for no more than 30 days at the time that you call and apply over the phone. I was already over their 30 day requirement when I applied several weeks ago. At that point I had been out of CDL school for 33 days. Right now, it's closer to 45 - 50 days. So at this point there is nothing that CFI can do for me and I don't fault them for it.

Personally, I still have high regards for CFI because of the fact that they did work with me so well in the first place, and after I get the required 3 months of experience, I may just go back and look them up again.

But at this point, CFI is out.

I did find a local O/O company who is contracted to Swift that I think I'll try out. They DO NOT lease the trucks to you...some guy owns all the trucks and has a contract with Swift to haul exclusively for them but he runs his trucks like a "sister company" to Swift...if any of that made any sense. The company is IEL (http://ielapplication.com/index.html)

Why do you keep insisting that CFI is out unless you just don't want to work there?

I've been in recruiting before and things like this can happen and variances can be made for things beyond your control. However, it would have looked better to CFI as a good faith gesture for you to have gotten on the bus and then called them Monday morning with your updated status rather than to just bail on it.

They are out as an option until such time that I have a minimum of 3 months experience since I no longer meet their "student" driver requirement.

And yes, I realize that it would reflect better on me had I waited out whatever delays were present, but I had what my recruiter had said in the back of my mind the whole time. If I miss orientation on Dec. 4th, then I am no longer eligible to work at CFI.

I'm not blaming CFI or Greyhound for me not being there...that's my fault and as such, I have to deal with the consequences..which I am. Looking for a less desirable company to work for.

It looks like y'all don't understand we sat in a PACKED bus station about 6 hrs with no driver in site to even take him out there and there was no promise of one being there in 2 hrs either. The bus that was going out there was filled with people who had been stuck there already over night. He did call CFI twice and they told him sorry they wont work with him anymore. CFI really has gone way beyond what they really should have done. What's done is done NOBODY really is to blame cause it isn't CFI's fault for shitty weather and it is not weasel's nor greyhounds fault. Shit happens ya know!

it's about 800 miles from Albuquerque NM to Joplin ,MO ...at 40 mph that's 20 hrs of drive time if you were on a bus now you would most like likely be in Joplin by late afternoon on the 4Th even with the delays ,but if you were on the bus when when you first had the chance your Chance would be even better . Yes there was a chance you would not have made it,But by not getting on the bus you remove all possibilities of getting there .

HE CAN'T GO NOW! PLEASE EVERYBODY READ CAREFULLY!!!! IF HE SHOWED UP LATE HE WOULD HAVE BEEN TOLD TO TURN AROUND AND GO HOME AND PAY HIS OWN WAY BACK. THIS IS WHAT CFI TOLD HIM OVER AND OVER! Now if some of you here are willing or able to pay for a ticket back then great lets waste everybodies money.

it's about 800 miles from Albuquerque NM to Joplin ,MO ...at 40 mph that's 20 hrs of drive time if you were on a bus now you would most like likely be in Joplin by late afternoon on the 4Th even with the delays ,but if you were on the bus when when you first had the chance your Chance would be even better . Yes there was a chance you would not have made it,But by not getting on the bus you remove all possibilities of getting there

I would think that CFI would work with you. Bad weather is something out of your control. I would at least give them a call on Monday. Since there are others who have had problems getting in for orientation, maybe they will make allowances and give you an opportunity to come in a day or so.

Stop yelling! Who are you his mother? :roll:

According to his post, all CFI ever told him was that if he didn't make it to the Dec 4th orientation he was no longer eligible.

I am sure that is exactly what CFI meant OUTSIDE of uncontrollable situations.....i.e. weather conditions

He needs to call and talk to recruiting....NOT weekend dispatch.

IMHO...If a person wants something bad enough, they will do everything in their power to achieve it........but if Iron-Weasel wants to give up this easily, then IMO, he might as well give up on being a professional driver and find another career that is more suitable for him.

If the weasel gets upset over something like this and gives up, what is he going to do when he gets out on the road and has a problem.

When I called the main number earlier, I asked for someone in recruiting. If I go someone in that department or a weekend dispatcher, I have no idea.

At any rate, I told them exactly what had happened, and was given a "Sorry about that, but we can't hire you because......" kind of line.
They didn't have to take me in the first place as I was already outside of their 30 day period that they require. I had a special case and one of the "conditions" that I was allowed to skirt the 30 day requirement was that come hell or high-water, I HAD to be at the orientation on the 4th.

Yes, some things out of my control happened, but as a result, I would most likely not have been able to arrive in time to get everything squared away in time for orientation. Not arriving in a timely manner essentially broke the "be here or else" rule that was put into effect when I signed up for the December 4th orientation.

In retrospect, I think that I may not have been cut out to do all 48 states. Just starting out, winter time, and all 48 states seems like it would be a little overwhelming. Personally, I think that I would do better starting in a regional capacity that way I'm not too horribly far from home.

What happened is what happened. There are plenty of "coulda, woulda, shoulda" moments floating around.
Was it a mistake to not wait for the bus no matter how long it took? Maybe
Would I have made it in time for orientation? Maybe
Could I have been stranded in Amarillo or somewhere else for 8 or more hours? Possibly
Could I have gotten on the bus and had smooth sailing all the way to Joplin? Perhaps

Point being I was frustrated and was simply looking for ideas that were a little more noob friendly. I didn't really have any intentions of turning thi s into a pissing contest or anything like that.

I applied to another company who is located where I live, offers regional runs, has relatively few trucks (more personal), and always has freight.
I can stay here for a few months then go reapply to CFI after I have some experience and I know how to handle situations like this better.

I don't think I'm giving up entirely, just looking for a different mean to the same end.

His wife and I know what was said and what we have done to make this possible. And I put it in big letters so maybe some of the closed minded people on here could read it and actually understand it....I was obviously wrong. It doesn't seem like some of you can read very well how do you make it in this business? It's very easy for someone else who has no clue what it going on to say " he doesn't want it bad enough" "He's just giving up to easy". How many of you have been in the same situation?

I'd still call them tomorrow morning. I have a hard time believing that a decent company like CFI wouldn't work with you on this. I know you called them today but today is Sunday and you probably talked to some poor schmo that is stuck working on Sunday who doesn't really know what they are talking about but made it sound like they did. I don't know very many recruiting departments that are open on weekends let alone on Sunday. I understand your points but I wouldn't want to be stuck working for a sub par company and then have deal with switching over in a few months to another company when I could have started there to begin with. Anyways, best of luck :D :D

It's really not that big of a deal . He just can't work for CFI right now . It's not like he can't get a job driving ,and If he still wants to drive for CFI later on down the road he still can ,as that's the one beauty of a large OTR company they are always hiring unlike factory jobs where you may only get one shot at working their when they are hiring ,as all the big OTR companies even the better ones like CFI or Crete still have massive turn over and they are always hiring . He may even decide to look into local LTL jobs as well ,and be home nightly . That's beauty of a CDL their are endless job opportunities .

However as for talking to anyone on the weekend regarding not being able to make orientation on the 4th you couldn't have spoken with recruiting as recruiting isn't in on the weekends at CFI ,and I'd be willing to bet weekend office personnel isn't any better at CFI than anywhere else in regards to knowing anything in regards to PRETTY MUCH anything . But like I said it's not like this was a one time shot ,and who knows maybe he'll find something better ,as CFI is a good company ,But their are better opportunities out there ...including local work .

That is one thing about asking for advice or even venting here, is we are going to tell you what you need to hear, not what you want to hear. The situation, as presented, was you needed to be in Joplin, MO ready for orientation on Dec. 4th, "come hell or high water," missing bus drivers and weather are included. From my perspective, you just didn't want it bad enough. One of my favorite expressions is: You don't have to like it, you just have to do it. It applies in this situation.

Watch it Terry, she will start yelling again. :lol:

She needs to stop yelling at us and yell at the weasel. Maybe that would get his a$$ in gear!

People just don't understand this. They would rather berate truckers as a whole for trying to help, without sugar coating it. I mean why would he/she write this:

If you want advice, and yes from people who have been in a similar situation or worse, then listen don't try to degrade! :roll:

Thank you! This is what we have been trying to get across to everybody. He hasn't given up on driving at all and hasn't given up on CFI either. From talking to someone at CFI they told him that he can reapply in 3 months.

And wildk9 the advice you gave was good if everybody listened to it.

Re: Well...doesn't this just suck.
 

lot of specs for no experience and cant make it thru day1 may be swift find someone go evry where anytime!

Crete wouldn't take me because I don't have 5 months experience and didn't


Here's what I'm looking for, nice and simple:
1) Western or southwestern regional runs (I might be willing to do 48 state depending on the company but would prefer regional).

2) Decent equipment.

3) No more than 14 days out at a time.

4) Training program that doesn't use the student as an extra log book.

Am I now stuck with the likes of Swift and Werner after I had tried so hard to avoid them? Sheesh.[/quote]

truckersbish wrote
the advice from wildk9
TruckerBish I think he was refering to you, maybe you need to listen.

hope you dont bail if you ever sit at the warehouse all day and wait for them to call you on the cb then you still got to run alnight. you just got a lil taste

I mean no disrespect but I think this says it all. Ironweasel wrote:

"In retrospect, I think that I may not have been cut out to do all 48 states. Just starting out, winter time, and all 48 states seems like it would be a little overwhelming. Personally, I think that I would do better starting in a regional capacity that way I'm not too horribly far from home."

Iron Weasel this is what truck driving is all about. There are upsets in every drivers life with concerns to everyday life on the road. I have driven for almost 30 yrs and still there are weeks where I ask myself why I do this!
Get used to it. What everyone is telling you is to call Monday morning, and not trust the weekend help with your future. If you want into the trucking business you cant worry about weather or being homesick! Remember this, he who hesitates is forever lost. The longer you want to baby yourself and stay closer to home and wait out the weather the more you are fooling yourself, you still have to get your feet wet. Pay your dues. Trucking is not a hard job, if you have this many worries now, you will never make it in this business!!!
I really don't like any of the big company's, they are for new drivers in my opinion, but I have talked to many CFI drivers and I think the might be the best opportunity for money and equipment for a new driver! Swift has been one of the biggest jokes in the trucking business for years now. Now jump in with both feet now, or be as much of a joke as swift is. Just my 2cents...

That pretty much says it all. But, seeing some of Truckersbish's other posts in the family section, Weasel probably needs to think of doing something else other than truck driving. I think that there is more going on here then most realize. Just my .02