Driver candidates, please be aware of what you might face when you attend the 3-day orientation from which my husband and I just returned. I don't want this to sound like the proverbial "sour grapes", so I'll be really careful to just give you the heads-up.
First, let me say that U.S. Xpress is probably one of the best trucking companies out there. Their driver facilities are incredible and most everyone was helpful and courteous. Their tractors are impressive even though they're all automatics.
You may be required to take your road test before seeing your motel, like we did after having traveled hundreds of miles by bus and lugging over 150 lbs of baggage between the two of us. Luckily we got done by dark and in time to get some dinner. The recruiter had informed us that orientation (which included the road test) would not begin until 7:00 am the following day; however, the shuttle bus driver told us to be in the lobby at 5:15 am. The reason was that there were 63 driver candidates from all over the country who he needed to get to orientation by 7:00. (The terminal was only 10 minutes away, so we hung out in the drivers' lounge for a couple of hours.)
The rest of what transpired was sheer pandemonium. After taking roll call and watching a propaganda video entitled "WE CARE", we were herded like cattle into several cramped lines to be tested for eyesight, hearing, blood pressure, hernia testing (by a female with a pitbull disposition), drug testing, and physical capabilities testing (which is where drivers were dropping like flies, especially us women). If you want to be a dedicated route driver, be prepared to lug 70 lbs. Three times for a total of 159 feet and placing the load on three different heights of shelving after each trip. Then your heart rate will be tested, and if it's high, you go home. Women, you may find it a bit difficult to press 50 lbs above your head using a spring gauge (this is where I lost it) as it's not proportionate to the height of the indiviual. So if you're short, you're at a major disadvantage. You'll also be required to pull 120 lbs with a jerk.
I don't know what happens after that, because I never made it past the first morning, but I had one owner/operator say, "If they're this disorganized during orientation, what's dispatch going to be like?"
Be aware that U.S. Xpress has their own very high standards (above and beyond DOT requirements) concerning the health and abilities of their drivers. So if you're not a Navy SEAL or have special forces training, you might want to buff up before going, or you will be sent home, packing!
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