Profile For Johnnie Mac

Well that journey that started so long ago is reaching a climax. I've had my license for a month now (passed first try not to brag). I'm now sitting in a hotel near Youngstown Ohio ready to start orientation with Melton bright and early tomorrow morning.

Had my first 3 road trips last week. Ive picked up all my skills and i can recite the pretrip in my sleep. Now its just a matter of using these last weeks to refine my skills to the point that i cant fail. Starting to get anxious to get to a company and start driving more than are range and baltimore city. Im getting more focused on trying to narrow down some companies that i really want to drive for. 7 weeks left heres hoping it flys by

I started November 6th and graduate april 19th. Its a 480 hour course divided into 10 weeks classroom and 12 weeks outside on the range. The classroom portion covered vehicle systems, pretrip, smith system and some other defensive driving course. We also got into HOS and map reading and trip planning. Tips for adverse conditions and such. Im sure im forgetting somethings. It was very in depth if not redundant. On the range we start with just straightline backing then its offset, parralel parking , alley docking, and more in depth pre trip. Lastly we go over the 3 skills ( straightline, offset, parralel) that we need in MD to pass our test in the truck we will actually be taking it in. Each of those last 2 weeks a peice. With around 15 roadtrips sprinkled in. Its very long and unfortunately expensive. But it also gives you ample wheel time considering i only have 2 people in my particular graduating class. Equipment is useable at best. Its good because its such a slow pace compared to company sponsored which is what steered me away from that route, but im realizing now that i would of been perfectly fine in a fast paced course.

Finished with my 10 weeks of classroom time and have been out on the range for 3 weeks now. So far i have done straight line and offset backing and im picking up the skills pretty good. Not that hard once you start to understand how the trailer reacts to steering inputs. Im getting close only 2 months left.

Johnnie Mac congrats on starting cdl school. I am in the same boat you where in trying to make the decision to get into trucking. I have been researching every place possible. I get a great amount of information but, the negative is more than the positive. Did you encounter this and if so how did you get through all of the negative talk out there? I just get tired of the people talking about how bad trucking is. My goal is to start cdl school in May. Thanks for any positive words about the trucking industry.

Honestly alot of the negative i heard was mainly from people that had crazy expectations or seemed like they were just looking for a regular job. From what i found most private schools seem to operate the same and the company sponsored programs i looked into were all more or less the same. My advice is if you want to do it then do it. Also hang around on these forums and just read the experianced drivers here are very helpful and will offer guidance... And give you an honest look into the industry. They have helped me a ton with making a decision.

I did not read the entire thread so this might have been brought up. Im in school so i have no experience in a truck yet but ive only ever driven a manual in my pov. Can you get the tractor in the right gear (mainly down a grade). My instructor wasnt very helpful because he never drove an automatic. Ive always liked a standard simply because i feel you can get a better feel for the vehicle you are driving and i feel that is important. Anyone that drives one and can answer i would appreciate it. I will be learning on old unsychronized standard transmissions but should i expect an auto in late april 2018 with my first company.. That will most likely be a larger one ?

Starting week number 3 and so far so good. The first 2 weeks were on pre trip and troubleshooting, service (as a driver), and the basics of the mechanics of a tractor and trailer. This week we started with tips and strategies for driving in adverse conditions. 8 more weeks until im on the range in a truck putting practice to theory.

I would like to thank everyone on this site for the honest assessments of this career. After 2 years of deliberation and a solid 8 months of stalking TT threads i have decided to take the plunge. I will be attending allstate carrers in Baltimore and about 6 months from now i will have a cdl and be on my way. Ive already sent out some apps and am on my way to getting some pre hire letters. Wish me luck

Has anyone gone through stevens company sponsored training and if so can i get some feedback. I start on the 17th of july and im pretty pumped about it