No Experience No Cdl Flatbed Training Companies
Topic 20759 | Page 1
TMC has their own cdl training and they (from what I hear) try to get you home most weekends. McElroy guarantees weekends off but they don't do cdl training inhouse.
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.
Hi! I'm looking at going flatbed and wanted to know if there were any other companies besides maverick that trained no experience no cdl newbies . And which companies have better quality training. My priorities are quality training, otr/regional, pay , and home time in that order. As I have mentioned I would like to be home weekends, but I now realize that is next to impossible for someone straight out of training . So companies that are known to accommodate home time preference would rank higher on my list. I know swift, prime, and others have flatbed divisions along with other divisions, but I am focusing on companies that solely do flatbed . Thanks!
Give Prime a chance. They have some of the absolute best training in this industry. Just read some of the training diaries on here from Prime drivers. If home time is the lowest on your priority list then Prime is definitely the best choice.
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.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
What do you think Prime and Swift are a bad fit for you? They both have quality training. And with either of them, if down the road, you hate flatbed, they both have other opportunities. I think Schneider has a flatbed division as well. What if tou went to a non flatbed company for training and OTR expierence? Then after a year go to a flatbed company. Just some ideas.
Have you seen this? Paid CDL Training Programs
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.
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.
I am focusing on companies that solely do flatbed
Why is that? There's no reason to do that.
TMC does indeed fit your preferences. You can apply to TMC and a bunch of other companies right here on TruckingTruth:
Apply For Company-Sponsored Training
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
I am focusing on companies that solely do flatbed
Why is that? There's no reason to do that.
TMC does indeed fit your preferences. You can apply to TMC and a bunch of other companies right here on TruckingTruth:
I thought that maybe companies that were solely focused on flatbed might have better training in some areas such as load securement etc. But maybe it isn't that complicated in the first place. I do see the point of going with a multi division company. Just trying to sort everything out and find the best options.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
I see that TMC requires one to have their cdl permit. Should I consider this a down side or a non factor since other companies do not have this stipulation? Also, is it wise to consider flatbed as a newbie , or should I stick with dry/refrigerator truck? I like the advantages that flatbeds offer and am not afraid of hard work or extremely hot/cold weather as I have endured both as a traffic flagger . Sorry if I come off as a flip flipper, but I've had jobs I thought would be great experiences turn out horribly so I'm trying to avoid that. But I realize a lot of times one can't really know until one gives it a try.
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.
I'm with maverick now, not sure what the cost of our schooling is. I want to say western express trains flatbed with no cdl in addition to swift, prime and tmc.
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.
Conservative, I suggest you are over thinking the process.
First , the flatbed thing. I thought you were looking for more money. True, flatbed pays more, but you are climbing all over the place to set tarps and straps. Then on unload, you fold the tarps and secure them on your truck. (Check out Old School's avatar pic.) If you are looking for additional/ better training, it will be on the tarps and securement, which are not used in a dry van or reefer.
As for your permit, we suggest you get it before you start any school. The CDL permit is required before you anything at school.
Finally, though there are differences among trucking schools, they all do one thing: get you qualified to pass the CDL skills (backing & driving) test and nothing more. Even then you're not ready to take a load down a driveway. Your company will most often send you out over the road with an experienced trainer for several weeks before you're ready to handle the job on your own.
I believe you're smart enough to handle school and whatever your company throws at you. Calm down and choose your company already!
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.
Over The Road:
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.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
In response to errol. Yes you do tarp and strap but after a while that's just a 30 min to an hour delay then you're back on the road. Also some companies like maverick have boxes you throw your tarps in so it's not that bad. Not for the faint of heart of course.
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Maverick Transport Prime Inc TMC Transportation CDL Training Choosing A Truck Driving School Choosing A Trucking Company Company Sponsored CDL Training Flatbed Items To Bring To CDL School Load Securement
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Hi! I'm looking at going flatbed and wanted to know if there were any other companies besides maverick that trained no experience no cdl newbies . And which companies have better quality training. My priorities are quality training, otr/regional, pay , and home time in that order. As I have mentioned I would like to be home weekends, but I now realize that is next to impossible for someone straight out of training . So companies that are known to accommodate home time preference would rank higher on my list. I know swift, prime, and others have flatbed divisions along with other divisions, but I am focusing on companies that solely do flatbed . Thanks!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.