CDL Training With Raider Express Ft. Worth Texas.
Topic 11358 | Page 1
NOTES AND TIPS ABOUT WEEK ONE AT RADER EXPRESS CDL TRAINING.
1). Make sure you have a valid Texas drivers license and your blue social security card. Put these in your wallet and keep them with you! If you need eyeglasses or contacts you better have them. If you can't pass the eye test, drug test, and physical then you can't take the test at DMV so don't even waste time. 2). If you take drugs and there is any question...DON'T go and waste your time....Make sure you are clean and can pass the test before going. 3). Check with your doctor and make sure that all medicines you are taking will not interfere with driving. Some medicines may require a letter from doctor stating that it is ok to drive while taking these. All your medications have to be listed and explained. The tester will not know all drugs and if he does not he may send you home to get a letter from your doctor. 4). If you are thinking about getting a physical before going please check with your recruiter...They may NOT accept this.....or they may ...ask!
This is all pretty basic but we lost 6-8 people the first week due to some problem with the above that in most cases could have been solved up front by being honest with your recruiter and being prepared....
Study the CDL handbook and you will pass the 5 test...They are hard but just study and you can make it!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
Week 2 at Raider Express
Nov 16 2015 - Morning spent learning maps and trip planning after lunch spent learning truck and doing pretrip
Nov 17 2015 - Morning spent learning maps and trip planning after lunch spent afternoon inside truck bobtailing without trailer. Got to drive downtown Ft Worth Texas - very exciting---first day in truck behind wheel! I GOT THIS!
Bobtail:
"Bobtailing" means you are driving a tractor without a trailer attached.
Rest of Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Spent time learning pretrip -logs-trip planning during morning and driving in afternoon. learned parallel parking - straight line backing - right turns - left turns and WATCH THOSE TANDEMS
Scheduled to take driving test on Thursday Week 4
Ran out of time at testing so had to reschedule for following Thursday
Passed test and got my CDL on Thursday of week 5
Scheduled for orientation on following Tuesday
WILL SPEND 28 DAYS WITH TRAINER OUT ON ROAD!
Sorry to cut this short but the time was just going by so fast. Getting a CDL in about 4 weeks is doable but a lot of stress.
Raider Express has been a great company so far and has lived up to every promise made!
The CDL school run by Doug with the instructors: Darren, Kirk, Billy, Nancy, Big Robert, and Frank is top notch. These guys really know the job and teach it with pride and compassion. I am very grateful to have been given this opportunity.
Please send me a private message if you want to know more about Raider Express. No cost CDL School Paid while Training No contract or commitment to stay with company but you will!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Tandems:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Tandem:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Say Ray P are you still with raider express? If so how has it been? Trainer?
Hey there ray p. Im curious you still with raider I'm waiting on approval and hope to start. I wod love to ask you a few question.
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After spending several weeks online doing as much research and studying as possible I decided to go and get my CDL Class A license starting on Monday Nov. 9th 2015 at Raider Express.
Raider express has a referral bonus that is paid so if you are interested in CDL training please private message me and I will answer any one on one questions you may have, all I ask is that you tell them that I sent you there if you decide to attend!
Arrived Monday Nov 9th at 7am for first day of class. First day was spent studying Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Driver's Handbook. Read, Read, Read, this book! Every test question comes directly out of this book. The head of recruiting Dustin gave a speech about what and how we would be paid from day 1 until end of one year with Raider Express. Dustin was very straight and honest. I believe you can take this man's word without any problem. He told the bad as well as the good and held back nothing and made no other promises.
Arrived Tuesday Nov. 10th at 7am. Spent morning going over and studying CDL handbook. The afternoon of 2nd day was spent doing physical, drug test.
First part of physical was eye test and blood pressure test. Second was urine test. Third was with doctor discussing any medicines you are taking, reflex testing, and the hand on the balls while you cough thing! Overall was pretty easy!
Arrived Wed Nov 11th at 7am. This was veteran's day so DMV was closed. Normally we would have gone and taken 2 test on Wed so we would have our permit and then followed by the other 3 test. % written test must be passed at DMV. We studied the CDL handbook all day on Wed.
Arrived Thursday Nov 12th at 7 am. We spent morning studying CDL handbook and went to DMV to take test at noon: In texas you must pass the Texas permit test and Combinations test first. If you fail either one of these you have to wait 24 hours before you can take again. I passed both of these and then I immediately took the other 3: General Knowledge, Airbrakes, Pretrip test. I passed all 5 so I was good to go. It was kind of hectic to take all 5 on one day but as long as you read, read, read that CDL handbook you probably should pass first time....TAKE ADVANTAGE OF CDL TRAINING AND PRACTISE TEST HERE ON TRUCKING TRUTH. The only thing that is not here on trucking truth is Tx permit part which is Chapter 14 of your Texas Commercial Motor Vehicle Drivers Handbook.
Arrived Friday Nov 13th at 7 am. Since I had passed all 5 days the day before, I basically set around all day while the guys that failed a test went back to DMV.........
END OF WEEK ONE AT RADER EXPRESS.....Looking forward to week 2
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Commercial Motor Vehicle:
A commercial motor vehicle is any vehicle used in commerce to transport passengers or property with either:
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.