Profile For Dan C.

Thanks Brett very well written

For students looking at companies don't worry about Schneiders training being 18 days it is equal to other companies 3 months You don't want to go to a company that trains you doing a team with your trainer which is what the other company did with me I didn't learn a thing other that driving down a interstate

Let me explain what he's referring to here for people who are just learning about how training works in the trucking industry.

When you get started with your first company you're going to go on the road with a trainer for a time. That time will vary from a few weeks to a few months, depending upon the company you choose. There are two different ways a company can dispatch that truck, either as a solo truck or as a team.

If the truck is dispatched as a solo truck then only the student will do the driving unless there's some sort of circumstance that requires the trainer to take over for safety reasons. The company will dispatch the truck as if there is only one driver. The trainer will always be in the passenger seat while the student is driving and when the student is not driving the truck will be stopped.

If the truck is dispatched as a team truck then both the student and the trainer will be driving and the truck will be dispatched on team runs. That means when one driver is driving, the other is sleeping. Now there will be times that the trainer will be up front with the student. But much of the time he will be getting his rest for his next driving shift.

Solo dispatch is like full time one-on-one instruction. With team driving you'll get some instruction but not nearly at the level you will with solo dispatching.

So when you're considering your first company to work for, ask them how the training truck will be dispatched. Most companies offer a hybrid approach where they'll dispatch you as a solo truck for a certain length of time and then you'll be dispatched as a team truck once the trainer is more comfortable with your driving.

Today looks like bad weather.I actually think this is a good thing because my trainer will teach me how to drive safely I will continue to pick his brain on everything I can think of

Ok Here is my update on 2 days on the road with training engineer Wow is all I can say !!!!! Alley Docking just had me stumped I could not do it I tried I tried I tried So our load today got put off till tomorrow am so we parked at a truck stop not far away and we worked on it My trainer broke it down into segments that finally got thru to my thick skull lol Also during my driving time he taught me the Schneider way for changing lanes turning and snubbing the brakes going down steep inclines Pretrip enroute and post trip inspections Basically I do all the work and the trainer shows me how I ask hundreds of questions and want to learn I will also say if you are not ready to be out on the road they won't send you

You have daily evaluations on your progress They know you are going to make mistakes but want improvements everyday For students looking at companies don't worry about Schneiders training being 18 days it is equal to other companies 3 months You don't want to go to a company that trains you doing a team with your trainer which is what the other company did with me I didn't learn a thing other that driving down a interstate That's not what rookies need they need to learn how to run your trucking business I give Schneider a 99.9 out of 100 score Trust me go there

Dan, this is actually a very good informative post concerning Schneider's training. We oftentimes have people in here telling us how they are shying away from Schneider because they are frightened by the fact that they will only be on the road for one week with a trainer. We always try to convince them that Schneider has a system down that is both effective and efficient, but that time frame always causes them concern.

Thanks, it's nice to hear someone in their program tell us how well it worked for you. It's a great company with a long history of beating the odds.

Count me on this list. Nothing against Schneider, they are actually still on my short list of companies I want to work for, but I did get scared away a little by the relatively short training time. I second Old School on this, I'm glad you are posting about how good their training is.

That's very good to know. Thanks for the update! (I'm glad I found this thread.)

I will give a report on Friday this week to keep you updated

Ok Here is my update on 2 days on the road with training engineer Wow is all I can say !!!!! Alley Docking just had me stumped I could not do it I tried I tried I tried So our load today got put off till tomorrow am so we parked at a truck stop not far away and we worked on it My trainer broke it down into segments that finally got thru to my thick skull lol Also during my driving time he taught me the Schneider way for changing lanes turning and snubbing the brakes going down steep inclines Pretrip enroute and post trip inspections Basically I do all the work and the trainer shows me how I ask hundreds of questions and want to learn I will also say if you are not ready to be out on the road they won't send you

You have daily evaluations on your progress They know you are going to make mistakes but want improvements everyday For students looking at companies don't worry about Schneiders training being 18 days it is equal to other companies 3 months You don't want to go to a company that trains you doing a team with your trainer which is what the other company did with me I didn't learn a thing other that driving down a interstate That's not what rookies need they need to learn how to run your trucking business I give Schneider a 99.9 out of 100 score Trust me go there

Dan, this is actually a very good informative post concerning Schneider's training. We oftentimes have people in here telling us how they are shying away from Schneider because they are frightened by the fact that they will only be on the road for one week with a trainer. We always try to convince them that Schneider has a system down that is both effective and efficient, but that time frame always causes them concern.

Thanks, it's nice to hear someone in their program tell us how well it worked for you. It's a great company with a long history of beating the odds.

Count me on this list. Nothing against Schneider, they are actually still on my short list of companies I want to work for, but I did get scared away a little by the relatively short training time. I second Old School on this, I'm glad you are posting about how good their training is.

Ok Here is my update on 2 days on the road with training engineer Wow is all I can say !!!!! Alley Docking just had me stumped I could not do it I tried I tried I tried So our load today got put off till tomorrow am so we parked at a truck stop not far away and we worked on it My trainer broke it down into segments that finally got thru to my thick skull lol Also during my driving time he taught me the Schneider way for changing lanes turning and snubbing the brakes going down steep inclines Pretrip enroute and post trip inspections Basically I do all the work and the trainer shows me how I ask hundreds of questions and want to learn I will also say if you are not ready to be out on the road they won't send you

You have daily evaluations on your progress They know you are going to make mistakes but want improvements everyday For students looking at companies don't worry about Schneiders training being 18 days it is equal to other companies 3 months You don't want to go to a company that trains you doing a team with your trainer which is what the other company did with me I didn't learn a thing other that driving down a interstate That's not what rookies need they need to learn how to run your trucking business I give Schneider a 99.9 out of 100 score Trust me go there

Dan, this is actually a very good informative post concerning Schneider's training. We oftentimes have people in here telling us how they are shying away from Schneider because they are frightened by the fact that they will only be on the road for one week with a trainer. We always try to convince them that Schneider has a system down that is both effective and efficient, but that time frame always causes them concern.

Thanks, it's nice to hear someone in their program tell us how well it worked for you. It's a great company with a long history of beating the odds.

Count me on this list. Nothing against Schneider, they are actually still on my short list of companies I want to work for, but I did get scared away a little by the relatively short training time. I second Old School on this, I'm glad you are posting about how good their training is.

I will leave a report next week on my progress

Old School I come from a engineering background I am doing trucking as a second career my mother wouldn't let me become a trucker when I was younger but it's my time now The best way to put it is Schneider has some eighty years of getting this right and they have Now that being said about 25 percent of the class couldn't handle it and either quit it got sent home I am a slow learner when it comes to trucking but once I get it it really get it So they will really try there best to help you succeed as long as you give it your best Couldn't be happier leave tomorrow with my training engineer going to Massachusetts

Dan, this is actually a very good informative post concerning Schneider's training. We oftentimes have people in here telling us how they are shying away from Schneider because they are frightened by the fact that they will only be on the road for one week with a trainer. We always try to convince them that Schneider has a system down that is both effective and efficient, but that time frame always causes them concern.

Thanks, it's nice to hear someone in their program tell us how well it worked for you. It's a great company with a long history of beating the odds.

Old School I come from a engineering background I am doing trucking as a second career my mother wouldn't let me become a trucker when I was younger but it's my time now The best way to put it is Schneider has some eighty years of getting this right and they have Now that being said about 25 percent of the class couldn't handle it and either quit it got sent home I am a slow learner when it comes to trucking but once I get it it really get it So they will really try there best to help you succeed as long as you give it your best Couldn't be happier leave tomorrow with my training engineer going to Massachusetts

Dan, this is actually a very good informative post concerning Schneider's training. We oftentimes have people in here telling us how they are shying away from Schneider because they are frightened by the fact that they will only be on the road for one week with a trainer. We always try to convince them that Schneider has a system down that is both effective and efficient, but that time frame always causes them concern.

Thanks, it's nice to hear someone in their program tell us how well it worked for you. It's a great company with a long history of beating the odds.

I just completed my first week of training in Indianapolis. The first week is classroom and city driving backing and Logs The instructors are very professional and teach you a lot of the important things that you don't learn in CDL school.The CDL schools teach you how to get a CDL Schneider teaches you how to be a truck driver and they do a great job The 2nd week you are on the road with s training engineer who will be your mentor and teach you about the life style how to make money but Most Important of all how to be SAFE 3rd week you are back to do Qualcomm training and more skills Then you finish the week testing out Believe me when I tell you that all trucking companies training are not created equal I spend a 2 week session with another trucking company who I will keep private and all I learned was how to drive down the highway, nothing about backing ,logs ,and all the paperwork you need to know So moral of the story if you want to start off on the right foot do your research and go with a company that is going to really train you because as rookies you need all the help you can get

Hi Sue I am considering Westside Transport was wondering how you like it ? I was thinking about doing otr for say 6 months then doing a flex position They seem like a great company How many miles you getting ? How is hometime will they work with you Thanks for any info I would be out of glen wood Dan

Okay, today was the day I've been working towards. I got to the hotel lobby to catch the shuttle to orientation. The shuttle dtiver arrived and we head for the van. She slipped on some black ice, falling and hitting her head quite hard on the bumper of the transport van. We help her off the ground and 2 guys assist her back to the lobby where her head, knee and hand were iced and she was taken to the hospital to be checked out. Luckily we found out later shes okay. Limping badly, but ok.

Shuttle driver #2 shows up and we arrive late. It's no big deal since the hotel called ahead and explained our lateness.

First off was a trip to a doctor for company physical and drug screening. We have been told that DOT physical must have the name of your employer, because that is a law. New job, new physical. FMCSA rule?

We stopped by our largest customer to learn where their drop yards are and rules which must be followed when on their property. The rules are non-negotiable and if you aren't allowed at this customers facility because you break the rules, you will be fired. Only because they are fully 50% of our business and if a driver can't go there, it would be very difficult for load planners to keep you running.

LESSON LEARNED: A new driver was obviously lost at this customers location and the guy driving our shuttle refused to help the new driver when we suggested it. His reason? The driver should be able to figure this out without having his hand held.

Classes on how to handle things the right way, using qualcom and the varous macros, tons of paperwork which needs to be filled out. . Tonight. Lol. We were given some very sage advice about remaining calm NO MATTER WHAT. Why? Because if you get excited, you will tend to make mistakes, which can cause more panick and bad decisions, which often lead to making even worse ones and can end your career before it even gets started.

We covered logs and hours of service too. Snow storm tomorrow and WST will most likely shut down. Safety and compliance above all else here. We also heard how important communication is. Probably do our road testing Wednesday. Pay and bonuses were explained too.

Now off to finish my mountains of paperwork.

This is a message for Brett Thank you for your words of wisdom I took them to heart and finally passed the CDL test It was a longer journey than I planned but feel thru my failures I am not only a way better person but a safer better driver too Your website was a good learning tool I used it all the time

Thanks Again

Brett Yes I am correct It almost would be the same if someone goes into Roehl or Knights training programs You get a CLP in your home state to go to there school but you would test in Wisconsin or Arizona for CDL where the training goes on

I would check with the Illinois Motor Vehicle Department to see if testing in Indiana is going to be ok. Up until recently Illinois did not accept any test scores from out of state nor did they allow any license transfers into the state. If you had a CDL and wanted to move to Illinois you had to do all of the testing over again. The Feds have already declared those practices to be illegal but a lot of states are still doing it.

And hey, at 56 you're barely above the average age of truckers nationwide which is in the high 40's, almost 50. I was the oddball when I started trucking at 21 years old. I was the age of everyone else's kids. So you're in fine company.

Just keep working hard and stick with it. You'll get your CDL and once you have it you'll move on to the next step. Calming your nerves is a very slow and difficult process but it's certainly something anyone can learn to do. When I started climbing in that tree service I was so nervous my legs would almost shake the spikes right out of the tree. It took a few months of pushing myself to get comfortable with the heights but after a while I was able to fall asleep up there and hang upside down and enjoy the view without an ounce of concern.

Good luck! Keep yourself pumped up and confident. Keep repeating that mantra - "I've got this. I've got this" and don't doubt yourself for a moment. Relax, take deep breaths, think super positive thoughts, and make it happen.