It's been nuts but I don't regret going with them. I was out of work and unemployed benefit was running out and Michigan was leading the charge over the cliff in the economy so no good local jobs. Got setup with C1 Driver Solutions in Fort Wayne, IN just over a year ago. Practiced backing up the trucks in the cones and tried to figure out the double clutching. Somehow I got through it all. I passed my state test on the 3rd try.
After that I took a week off and then a trainer with PAM took me out on the road for a month. That is where you get most of your real training. Also if you don't know PAM's fleet is all auto shifters so no stick.
Got through all that and was tested again in orientation at their headquarters and signed more piles of paperwork. Finally I get assigned a truck someone had abandoned in Flint, MI so I catch a ride with another driver up there. It was in decent shape and fortunately not trashed or anything. It was one of PAM's last Volvos. I really like it and so far I still think it's been my favorite truck. It was high in miles though so 2 months later i had to turn it in to retire it and was disappointed to pick up one of those International 9400 things. I mean the thing is okay I guess to drive but not much for living space. It's a total utility vehicle with a frustrating lack of storage.
Managed to keep driving that until to many starter problems so I got switched into a Freightliner which I like almost as much as that Volvo.
I'm getting a little tired of this gig though and am looking to move on. For some reason either the company or dispatchers don't explain things very well and I'm getting frustrated with my dispatcher. I feel like any time I ask my dispatcher questions I get contradictory answers.