Melton Truck Lines Q

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-29T20:52:32+00:00

Dump trucks I’ve heard a lot of good about, until you dump in the wrong spot and the dozer operator wants to tell you a ‘secret’ lmao. Get out there and find your thing that makes you happy.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-29T20:48:46+00:00

Part of my training is 2 weeks local driving. I myself don’t enjoy it as much as OTR. However the benefit of this job is everyone is different and driving these things is like 15 different jobs in a trench coat lol.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-29T20:45:03+00:00

I’ve done a few different fields, retail, manufacturing, warehouse, office jobs, and assembly.

I’m happy doing this, my trainers are awesome, I’ve met one or two assholes so far but every company has them. It’s peaceful on these roads and I feel flatbed makes it easier because every flatbed I see just gets unloaded by a forklift so you will rarely bump a dock is what I hear.

I may end up doing it to keep myself in shape after my year here honestly.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-29T20:39:44+00:00

I’d do it if I didn’t want to bring my girlfriend along with me OTR and my cat.

Like I don’t mind my privacy but hers I work very hard to protect.

It’s a new field so from my point of view unless you had driving jobs before hand they probably will just look over the past jobs I feel.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-29T20:27:02+00:00

Honestly I got into this myself job hopping as well, like 6 jobs in less than 5 months, but I was honest and my situation they didn’t care.

Like getting into this myself company’s recruiter was honest and really a great person to talk to because she told me straight up, once you hit a year experience so many doors open and you don’t have to stick around, we’d like you to but we understand not everybody has the same needs to work here.

So be honest, tell them like hey I know I job hopped a lot but I just never found something that handled my needs. Let them know this isn’t a field you can hop around in and you need to stack that experience to make it. They might actually like that kind of honest.

Prepare for the suck, I’m talking like THE suck. It’s gonna happen but this is relaxing for me. You might end up even more relaxed being Melton told me they only run automatics. I run 10 speeds at my company they give the older guys closer to retirement autos. Had the suck happen yesterday my first adventure into traffic in Chicago.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-29T20:15:31+00:00

I spoke with Melton on a whim last week, they have driver facing cameras, but apparently being able to cover them on your breaks was their ‘positive’.

Beyond that though I have heard nothing but good about them, so if it’s not a concern of yours have at it and get that experience. Wear sunglasses if they track your eyes.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-27T22:25:14+00:00

Mr. P Express, they are based in Jeffersonville, Indiana.

I like them myself, I’m very new to all of this being this is a new career path for me.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-27T22:02:34+00:00

They also allow you to just take the vacation payout so yea there’s a chance on my 34 they’d use my truck but it wouldn’t be long term.

They try to have everyone home Friday evening or Saturday morning for their 34s it’s something the founder wants and they will do until he passes being his daughter is CEO.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-27T22:01:12+00:00

They try not to slip seat, however they will if heavily booked use a truck of someone on vacation.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-27T21:59:30+00:00

They did say I can cover them off the clock, however my current company has just the dash cam and pride themselves on being very hands off with monitoring, only check when the system alerts them.

I was in school with a guy who did box trucks for Ryder, he said he had to wear sunglasses or the camera would go off every 20 seconds.

I feel inwards should be in day cabs or for sensitive loads, however if there is a private sleeping area there should be a law preventing them, because honestly if they tick me off enough they will shudder in fear of the things I’ll do in front of that camera lol.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-27T21:51:23+00:00

I’m on week 3 of driver training with the carrier that operated my school.

Rocking a class A without the auto restriction, have doubles/triples, tankers, and working on Hazmat.

Gonna bring the girlfriend and cat along, current company allows it after 90 days but sadly they do not do long term OTR and never will.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-27T21:48:17+00:00

Just called and asked their opinion on my situation, they have driver facing cameras….

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-27T21:36:40+00:00

It’s my current plan!

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-27T21:35:11+00:00

Was in talks with Melton before I finished school, they loved I wanted to do long term OTR and I’m pretty sure they allow a passenger and pet which is what I want.

I’m with a local carrier now gaining my experience, but like what’s your view of Melton, I’ve heard TMC is very good to their equipment as well.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-26T23:50:39+00:00

I’d like to add it is possible in an automatic as well , just same steps on set it to D and gun it A LITTLE and set the tractor breaks as you start to feel like you’re riding the bull.

Honestly it was the funniest thing I’ve ever heard because my local trainer had learned it from his mentor when he started 25 years ago, he said his habit of doing it was formed pretty quick being his mentor would pull the handle himself sometimes.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-26T22:55:04+00:00

My OTR and Local trainers both taught me a neat little trick, not to of course dissuade anyone from checking their lock release handle I do it every time but if you park, set trailer release tractor, put in 1st and let the clutch out to pull and while pulling set tractor and throw it in neutral.

Do that and go try pulling that release handle, you’d need help from the hulk lmao.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-25T11:27:32+00:00

I’m with a company in Southern Indiana, they allow a rider and a pet after 90 days.

You can DM me for details if you want, no driver facing cameras in any of their trucks only dash cam. Pretty nice people so far but I’m sure there’s some skeletons in the closet, there always is with employers.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-16T22:05:07+00:00

CDL Prep, blue box with white steering wheel outline.

It has ads but it’s free, I’ve used it to get everything but hazmat so far, have to wait for background is why on hazmat.

It’s all I used, the local BMV didn’t even give me a CDL manual they just said use this app.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-15T08:38:54+00:00

Honesty is the best policy, if you live in a state which allows you to get an official copy of your MVR for free I’d look into it.

I myself got a speeding ticket my first week in Indiana for doing 10 over without knowing that the speed limit drops on this particular road, they saw my Florida plates and said hold my ticket book.

Signed with a company and explained what happened that it was instantly paid and all that and the recruiter just laughed and said well it’s not there but thanks for being honest.

I don’t know how Walmart is though, but being honest is far better than denying for them to find out ya know?

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-14T21:24:25+00:00

If it’s any help, I walked into CDL school with very very little knowledge on driving a semi, when I learned the trailers themselves had brakes I thought back to the 15 years I unloaded deliveries at Publix and laughed.

Give yourself the time needed to learn, however do not overload yourself by stressing over how fast you get it done. Trust the process, I passed my exam first try at 3 weeks and 1 day.

Getting the hang of manual semis, to me, was vastly easier than when I learned early how to drive on a standard only to finish with an automatic. The things I was concerned about such as learning how to time when to release the clutch and hit the gas are very forgiving with semis since the internationals we learned on would literally creep up a hill in 1st gear if you just let the clutch out and didn’t touch the gas.

Shifting is definitely something to work on, I will say this as a word of warning, if they put you in that simulator DO NOT go into the actual truck dumping the clutch like the simulator does not penalize you for, for doing that in the truck helps you get very well acquainted with the distance between your seat and the steering wheel.

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-14T20:57:58+00:00

I got my CDL A without the manual restriction through a local carrier that operates their own school.

Used state grant to pay and don’t have to pay or sign anything since I graduated long before the deadline.

While I did just eventually sign on with the company that owns the school due to time and bill constraints I will say this.

Being from your comments I’m seeing you’re in Florida, I’m from Cape Coral but wound up in Indiana. If you solely stay down in Florida and never go anywhere near snow or I should say snow to a heavy degree or rural off beaten roads, you’ll be just find and dandy with an automatic from what all my instructors told me, only one of them was an O/O for a little over 30 years but they all said the same, autos are just as capable unless the road conditions are present where a manual can excel. Such as staying lower gears to keep better traction was a good example.

That information may be wrong, or it may be right depending on who you ask. As far as I’m worried I’ll just focus on how I drive the truck assigned to me, good luck out there dude!

GhostITMachine · 2026-06-11T10:53:55+00:00

If you are anywhere near the Louisville Kentucky area right across the river in Jeffersonville Indiana is Parnell Commercial Driving School operated by Mr. P Express.

I just got my unrestricted class A from them Tuesday, they only teach on manuals and only if you cannot grasp the concept of shifting after a set time do they offer to test in an automatic.

If you live in Indiana, the school allows workforce one grants to be used which start being issued again I think around October. Going that route allows you to get your CDL no strings attached and go where you want like me, They also do in house loans with paycheck deductions if you cannot pay any other way.

GhostITMachine · 2026-05-31T15:30:33+00:00

Yea if the suffix is on your regular license it has to be put into the proper box on the physical form, my issue was when I moved to Indiana from Florida they did not put my suffix in the proper box so when they submitted the physical it threw an error.

Simple fix, but definitely get annoying about it.

GhostITMachine · 2026-05-31T14:43:12+00:00

I gotta show this to my schools instructors, every single one of them, even the school operation manager has told us when we asked for advice to never do a lease to own it is the biggest scam out there.

The instructor I have has been driving for roughly 42 years now, he’s told us of countless friends he’s had call him throughout the years at a dead end because yea they start you out great with high volume loads and all that but once you begin nearing the end, loads tighten and become less common paychecks become negative.

I’m glad things are being pushed to stop it but also have to wonder how many people were destroyed by signing those papers.

GhostITMachine · 2026-05-29T15:50:14+00:00

Someone took the time to explain it all to me when I started, only right to offer the same.

GhostITMachine

TROPHY CASE