Profile For William S.

I'm a newbie but I can answer that question with certainty. No they can't. I'll tell you how I know. On Monday of this week I was in a truck stop parking lot and turned my rig like a car and took out the front of another truck. I was 100% at fault and I admitted it to the sheriff. I asked about a ticket (the one I thought I was gonna get) and he said he can't issue one because it was on private property. He said if it was deemed malicious intent or road rage then he could but, he could tell by veiwing it, it was a simple accident. He also said if I was under the influence then he could as well. He said he could tell by looking at me, and speaking with me, that I was not under the influence. I hope this info helps you, take care.

5 1/2 weeks ago I started as an LTL company driver fresh out of trucking school. Before they even hired me, they sent me out for one day with their top driver so he could evaluated my driving and he taught me how to understand the paperwork. He was pleased enough with my performance and he told the boss I'd work out just fine, so they hire me on a week later. I was going to go with Dart but their doctor gave me crap about my CPAP usage and meds I was taking. Dart sent me home until I could get it all taken care of. That's when I said the heck with it, I'm gonna apply im my hometown. That one day out with their top driver was my extent of training. Since day one of being an official employee, I been on my own training myself. Let me tell you this, it's been one heck of a learning experience!!! About three weeks later they gave me a $2.00 an hour pay raise. Check out the pics of my pay and paid time off. They told me my pay will go up from where it's at now. I'm home every night but one and I have weekends off. Check out the pics. http://i1255.photobucket.com/albums/hh624/billsibert66/Trucking/Trucking%20002.jpg

Hi Persian Conversion. I didn't finish making my deliveries, I drove home. And hi Chris. I am aware it goes against the 14 clock but I was mostly concerned about the driving hours and not total work hours for the day. I seen where the adverse driving conditions included snow, sleet, fog, or unusual road and traffic conditions that are unexpected was mentioned but, I "thought" it also mentioned something about "other un-foreseen things that can't be planned for". I know break downs are a completely common thing and one can figure they're going, but not the moment they're going to happen. I'm wondering if the exception covers mechanical failures. Thanks for your replies.

I'm a new (LTL) driver and I broke down yesterday and couldn't complete all of my deliveries. After the mechanic fixed the problem I headed home. The boss aked about my driving hours and I told him I should be fine because of the 2 hour driving exception. He's not a truck driver and hadn't heard of the exception and I'm a new driver. I truly believed the 2 hour driving exception appllied to mechanical failures. It seems I may be wrong. I did not have the FMCR Safety Regulations book with me but I rememberd from school that there was an exception to the rule. I rememberd there was more to it than just un-forseen snow and fog but, I couldn't remember exactly what. I thought since I had the paperwork from the mechanic I would be coverd but I can't find where it states anything about mechanical failures. I don't believe being a new driver or a dummy is a good excuse to the boss or the DOT.

I went to TDDS for truck driver training not diesel mechanics but, I stayed in the dorm which housed many of the diesel tech students. They all spoke highly of the course and said the teachers a very knowledgable. Their course did include the CDL training you mentioned. The course is a long one, I believe it's 50 weeks long.

Hello D-Wash, This is William, I'm getting back with you on the info I offered a couple of weeks ago about Dart. I finished trucking school on 4/17 and that afternoon I took my state exam as well. Passed school and the exam then I aquired my CDL the next morning. I had been in contact with Mike Britson from Dart numerous times thourghout my training and after as well. He does recruiting and (I believe) fleet service coordinating also. He's easy to deal with and, other than a few short emails with a young lady that needed some work history info, he's who I dealt with all along. He told me I could start orientation on the 27th (which is tomorrow) and he made the travel arrangements. He offered me a free bus ride from Columbus, OH or a plane ticket. He stated the bus is about 17 hours or more and the plane ride was about 4 1/4 hours with a short layover. He said if I took the plane they would pay towards it what would equal the price of the bus ticket and I would have to cover the difference. He said the plane ticket was only $34 more than the bus ticket. I told him I was broke and he said if I didn't mind they would deduct the $34 from my first check. I jumped on the deal and saved myself from an extra 13 agonizing hours of a bus trip. He sent me conformation of my travel plans and all I had to do was show my I.D. at the counter of the airport. I flew through Southwest Airlines. I got a free shuttle ride from the airport to the hotel. They put me up in a Days Inn for four nights and paid for it too. My training location got switched from Buford, GA to Eagan, MN and he gave me plenty of notice of the change. I also get a free shuttle ride to and from orientation everyday. The shuttle will also take me to resturants, grocery stores, etc. for free. Dart is paying for all of it but the $34 I mentioned earlier. I took videos of the hotel and a few in flight as well but, I don't know how to send it through Trucking Truth. If you cam PM me your email address somehow I'll send the videos if you want them. It's a decent size room with 2 quenn beds, a big (37 inch or so) flat screen tv, a desk and office chair, free wifi, heated pool, a gym, a sauna, free continental breakfast and Dart provides lunch at orientation. I only have to cover my dinner. Here's the link to the hotel: http://www.daysinn.com/hotels/minnesota/eagan/days-inn-eagan-minnesota-near-mall-of-america/hotel-overview. I'll post more tomorrow once my first day is finished. Take care D-Wash.

TDDS Technical School takes people with a record. It's not a company sponsored school so there is not contract with an amount of time you have to work to fullfill. It's an accredited school which means you can get federal student aid to help pay for it and if you're under a certain income level you can qualify for WIA. Accredited schools tend to be longer than company sponsored schools but more detailed. It's a great school, I went there. The instructors are very experienced and knowledgeable, the staff is easy to deal with and it's top notch training they provide. Everyone there does eveything they can to help you succeed. The school is great, the road trucks will pass inspection, the yard trucks are beat to hell and back and the dorms are doable but far from luxurious. Here's their link, www.tdds.edu. I went through their Externship Program. I finished there on 4/17 and got my CDL on 4/18.

I'm near the end of my training at TDDS and I start with DART on the 27th of this month. I'll let you know how it goes once I'm there and through orientation. I'm starting as a company driver although I'm sure they're probably gonna offer a lease deal sometime in the future. They seem to be big on leases. I have no interest in leaseing but it's good to know the option is there if I change my mind.

Hi Timothy, Depending on your income level you may qualify for grants, loans or WIA (Workforce Investment Act) through the federal gov. To get most financial help from the federal gov you'd have to go to an accredited trucking school. The accredited schools tend to be longer than the non-accredited schools. By going to an accredted school, it will save you alot of out of pocket money. I'm originally from Bay City, Michigan but moved to Newark, Ohio nearly three years ago. I had a really poor credit history, no job or favorable credit to secure a loan, no money in the bank and a recent life altering back surgery and was still able to get into a quality school. If your willing to go to a 10 week course instead of the shorter 3 to 5 week courses, I may have a solution for you.

My wife's income was too high to qualify for WIA so I applied for FAFSA (Federal Student Aid) and got approved in less than 48 hours. The FAFSA money I recieved was from Subsidized and Un-Subsidized Loans at a little over 4% interest. What the FAFSA didn't cover, the school I'm attending offered to loan me the rest even with my poor credit and no job. I didn't ask them to because I didn't even know they loaned money to students. I was suprised when they offer to. I didn't get approved for grants because of my wifes income was too high.

I went to TDDS Technical School in Lake Milton, OH and I'm at the end of my training. It's a great school with very kowledgeable instructors. The road trucks aren't bad and will pass inspection, but the site trucks are beat to hell and back although they serve their purpose. Since I live 138 miles from the school I get to stay in the dorm. The dorm is definitly doable but it sure isn't 5 star accommodations. More like 3 stars if that.

FAFSA is real easy to apply for and it's free to do so. Don't go to one of the paid for FAFSA websites. You can do it yourself for free. Those paid sites are only gonna input the same information you are so why pay for it. Here's the link to the free FAFSA site:

https://fafsa.ed.gov/

This is the link for my school:

http://www.tdds.edu/

The staff there is great and easy to deal with and it only took a few days to get approved to go there. The Externship Program there is the one FAFSA covers. Many of the major carriers hire out of here because the school has a great reputation for putting out well trained drivers. TDDS Technical Institute is rated #1 in Ohio, #1 in the Mid-West and #2 in the country. That's comes from the folks that rate schools, not from marketing or advertizing from TDDS. It's worth a look into. Take care Timothy.

I'm attending school at TDDS Technical School in Diamond, Ohio and should be completed by April 17th. I've been pre-hired by Dartco and should start with them sometime soon after. As far as I can tell they seem to be a reputable company and Dart Express seems to be as well. Although I'm no expert, just a newbie. The reason I say seem to be is because there is very little info out there about either company. Any info good or not so good would be appreciated. I'm not looking for a recruiters version of how well they are nor am I looking for someone to tarnish their reputation. Remember this is as positive website. I'm just looking for some info. I just want to say that I've gained a wealth of knowledge from this website and it totally rocks. Thanks to any and all that reply.