It came in the mail the other day. Irony in the form of a post card.
Let me give a bit of background: I became unemployed August 2011. In the process of my job search, I was referred to out local School District (LUSD) Transportation department. I studied, took and passed all the written DMV tests for a Class A Commercial Drivers License (CDL) with all the endorsements (air brakes, Hazmat, Tanker, Doubles/triples & passenger). At the beginning of September 2011, the LUSD started the classroom portion of the Bus Driver Training. I passed the class at the end of September, and was put in the queue to get the mandatory behind the wheel training. Things were not moving very quickly, so I enrolled at a truck driving school in a nearby town, passed the course and got my Class A CDL. I was recruited to a company for training, and left for training on December 28, 2011. I spent 1 month training by driving all over the East with a company trainer.
So, back to the irony in the form of a card. I got a postcard in the mail the other day from that same company. A card from the recruiting department. A card that makes the same promises I read on their website and heard from a the recruiter over the phone. The same promises I heard in my 3 day orientation (more like 3 days of frantic company paperwork). The same promises that my trainer (directly) and my Student Trainer Manager (indirectly) told me were not remotely close to being true. The same false promises that were the catalyst for me discontinuing the training program and coming home.
The statement on the front of the card:
"Personal Time: 70% of XXXX drivers get home nightly/weekly."
And the statement on the back of the card: "XXXX creates driving opportunities with our driver's needs in mind. What are yours? Local, Regional, Dedicated, Training, Teams, or own your own? See what XXXX can do for you."
What I found to be true from my trainer and my short experience with company XXXX. I would not be one of the 70%. Most of the freight moves in the East. Regardless of what region I would be 'assigned' to, I would be running up and down the East 90% of the time. I would earn 1 day of home time each week on the road. I would be able to get 5-6 day of home time every 8-10 weeks. If I wanted to take more than 6 days in a row of home time, the company would take the truck back and upon returning I would have to wait to be reassigned another truck.
I am a husband and father to 10 children. Being on the road for 8-10 weeks without being directly involved in their lives is not an option. It is not what I believe God has called me to. I, and my family, learned some helpful lessons from my month on the road and are in the process of interpreting and applying them into our life.
I enjoyed the driving aspect of the job and I am hopeful that this is not the end of a driving job/career, however it needs to be something that not only provides for my family but also allows us to maintain the close knit family atmosphere we have worked so hard to protect. First and foremost, I am responsible for the training of my children. I will answer for any time I have abdicated my responsibilities in training, protecting, providing or spiritually leading my children. So, as my wife and children have said, they would rather live in a
van down by the river with me, than in a mansion in my absence. I am currently still in the queue at LUSD for the behind the wheel training & am currently substituting as an attendant on the special needs buses, that won't be enough to live on in the long run, But God will provide.
God is good, all the time, and He will provide for all of our
needs in His perfect timing. That is a promise.
