Trainer Request Advice
Topic 15434 | Page 2
If you have your CDL then you aren't signing contracts with anyone. You just get hired. You can ask before getting hired but many recruiters either lie or just don't know the truth. They get paid by commision. Also... you will go through many differen departments before you even get to training. In their opinion anything can be worked out and talking who will train you is like jumping the gun.
I have plug outlets and the 12 v on my truck cause of the inverter. Most students have cell phones to plug in which prime uses to call ia plus we need to call in when we get loads. The fact you keep pushing the outlet makes me wonder if it is some sort of machine with voltage you think cant handle on the truck. We have fridges microeaves... tv etc. Many prime drivers have sleep apnea machines which plug in. The plug won't be a problem. If you really really need to pee... the large plastic subway cup work great to surround a woman's private... pull the curtain shut between sleeper and driver while the trainer is driving and go... then roll down the window and dump the urine. And I did have a friend who wore depends diapers cause her trainer only stopped for the 30 min breaks.
Prime pet policy for a company driver is a $1000 fee. They take 300 from one check the 50 per week. I think it is a one animal limit and up to 60 pounds for company drivers but I'll check. Lease ops have no fee and as many as they want.
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.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
Errol - extra long fitted sheets, they exist?? Thanks... Adding to my list.
Brett - thank you, you've pretty much quashed my concerns of feeling like I should address these specifics with companies first.
As for the plug, I thought that depended on the company, the fleet they carry, and whether they allow inverters, etc? You know, while I'm sitting here thinking of people who can't even plug in a crock pot because they aren't allowed inverters...
The water -- I just don't want any trainer annoyed with me for it. (Btw, I didn't mean for someone to actually "teach" me nutrition stuff; I already eat healthy enough -- I meant in a positive influence in a successful OTR lifestyle manner, observable)
As for pet policy at prime, yes I know what the paperwork says. That's why I need to call them and ask myself directly if anything can be worked.
Thanks-- I didn't want to be inconvenient to anybody, but seems those aren't as inconvenient matters as I thought. I do still have something (unmentioned and a definite inconvenient) that needs to be addressed, so I still have to figure out best approach to inform/discuss with potential employers without sabotaging a possible pre-hire agreement.
Thanks all.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Chris, when they say they don't allow inverters that means the ones "hard wired" into the electrical system of the truck. A simple plug in inverter will work just fine for your charging needs.
Anything you need to discuss here is cool. Search the forums for anything. You may not be the first with a question. I think Jim Palmer has a 3 heartbeat policy for pets and people. Good luck. Always remember, you get none of what you don't ask for and some of what you do. ☺
Extra long fired sheets have a size code of TXL (twin extra long). Walmarts usually stock black, pink and zebra (yeccch). I ordered mine online.
Aren't "dorm" sheets the TXL? That's what I was told to look for. But my regular twin size sheets fit just fine on my mattress. But then again my mattress isn't as long as the bunk...
Extra long fired sheets have a size code of TXL (twin extra long). Walmarts usually stock black, pink and zebra (yeccch). I ordered mine online.
What, you're not a fan of the zebra? LOL
Chris, when they say they don't allow inverters that means the ones "hard wired" into the electrical system of the truck. A simple plug in inverter will work just fine for your charging needs.
OH. Cool, cool... thanks for clearing that up!
Chris, when they say they don't allow inverters that means the ones "hard wired" into the electrical system of the truck. A simple plug in inverter will work just fine for your charging needs.
On top of that, generally if it is needed for a medical condition, most companies still make an exception as well.
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I don't see any of that as being a problem at all, really. Requesting a non-smoking trainer is commonplace and every company will accommodate that. You will not likely get too far with requesting a health-conscious trainer but you might get lucky. As was mentioned above you will need to get a small power inverter which will plug into a 12 volt cigarette lighter to give you a regular 110 volt outlet for charging.
Now the water you'll be able to stock up on and keep on the truck with you but you're almost certainly going to have to come up with a way to pee in the truck if you're going to drink a gallon of water a day. As others have attested to there will be times you will not have access to a bathroom for quite a few hours at a time.
I don't think there's anything special you have to do when speaking with a potential employer about your situation. It's common for students to have special circumstances to contend with like allergies, sleep apnea devices, medications, and things of that nature. There's nothing unusual about your requests that would make a company or a trainer have any concerns.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.