Headed To Training On 1/3/18. A Little Nervous I Must Confess
Topic 21540 | Page 1
My buddy and I are heading to cdl training on the 3rd. It is Ace Academy, MTC I believe. Nervous about leaving my wife and family,but excited to get started. Oh,I also worry about who my trainer will be. Any pointers or good vibes welcome. Thanks. Hope to keep you all updated. Greg
Hi Greg.
I'm new to all of this too... But from one rookie to another; my advice is simple..
Disregard the trolls, haters, terminal rats and others that spew venom on numerous other forums....most of them appear to be 'big rig' wannabes that couldn't hack It!
Read and re-read everything you can on this site...there is a verifiable mountain of knowledge and wisdom here....take advantage of It!
Use the heck out of the High Road Training on here...it's truly excellent!
When in school, at orientation and when with your trainer; Open your mind and ears and close your mouth....except when asking pertinent questions of course. lol A wise man once said that we have two eyes and two ears but only one mouth for a good reason - one should be looking and listening at least twice as much as speaking! 😜 A cliche, I know; but true nonetheless!
Feel free to read my training/orientation blogs...look them up on my profile. Shameless plug I know, but I've had such a blast that I want any and all to know that it is possible to get through this with a positive outlook! So forgive me, please?
And lastly, welcome to this amazing website!
Cheers and Happy New Year to you 👍
Simon
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.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
My buddy and I are heading to cdl training on the 3rd. It is Ace Academy, MTC I believe. Nervous about leaving my wife and family,but excited to get started. Oh,I also worry about who my trainer will be. Any pointers or good vibes welcome. Thanks. Hope to keep you all updated. Greg
Hi Greg.
I'm new to all of this too... But from one rookie to another; my advice is simple..
Disregard the trolls, haters, terminal rats and others that spew venom on numerous other forums....most of them appear to be 'big rig' wannabes that couldn't hack It!
Read and re-read everything you can on this site...there is a verifiable mountain of knowledge and wisdom here....take advantage of It!
Use the heck out of the High Road Training on here...it's truly excellent!
When in school, at orientation and when with your trainer; Open your mind and ears and close your mouth....except when asking pertinent questions of course. lol A wise man once said that we have two eyes and two ears but only one mouth for a good reason - one should be looking and listening at least twice as much as speaking! 😜 A cliche, I know; but true nonetheless!
Feel free to read my training/orientation blogs...look them up on my profile. Shameless plug I know, but I've had such a blast that I want any and all to know that it is possible to get through this with a positive outlook! So forgive me, please?
And lastly, welcome to this amazing website!
Cheers and Happy New Year to you 👍
Simon
Thank you Sir,I will check out your profile,and look forward to learning all that I can,and hopefully make a few good friends on the way. Thank you again for the info,and the reply.
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.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Greg the very best thing you can do over the next couple of days is replace the nerves with a motivation to learn and study as much as you can before arriving at school.
I believe these links were sent in another reply you were threaded on. As follows:
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road CDL Training Program
- CDL Practice Tests
Be prepared, be well rested, know what to expect and apply laser focus to the tasks presented. The nerves,...they will pass.
Good luck!
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 not sure if that's a private school or if your going through company sponsored school but know that everything you do will be evaluated. Especially if your in a company sponsored school you're basically being interviewed until you receive the keys to your first solo truck. Be sure to ask for clarity to be sure you're getting the most out of your schooling. Thankfully I had a supportive group ofstudents I attended class with (3 of us to the instructor) that helped each other as we had different strengths and weaknesses. If you show a willingness to learn, and that your taking this seriously your instructor will notice and help you more than students who think they can just "fly by", and will just he handed their license.
In addition to the links G Town sent you, if you have time you may want to start studying the Pre trip. Your school may want you to word things differently but your still checking the same things for the most part. One of the moderators on this wonderful website, Daniel B had created a pretrip study guide for us while he was a trainer with Prime.
- Pre-Trip Inspection Study Guide
- Daniel's Pre-Trip Inspection
- Pre-Trip Inspection Checklist
- Pre-Trip Inspection Practice Questions
I look forward to following your progress if you have time to post a diary.
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Thank you guys so much. I am very serious about this as I gave up my management job to better support my family. I have been reading the links and working on the tests supplied here. Thank you all for the support and advise. My training is company sponsered and I will hopfully be hired on wit USXpress.
Thank you guys so much. I am very serious about this as I gave up my management job to better support my family. I have been reading the links and working on the tests supplied here. Thank you all for the support and advise. My training is company sponsered and I will hopfully be hired on wit USXpress.
The founder of Trucking Truth, Brett Aquila drove for USX for many years. Good company. Good luck, study hard and you'll be ready.
Well,we made it to the hotel. Starting training in the AM. Gonna do my best to keep you all updated. Thanks for the help and good vibes.
Well,we made it to the hotel. Starting training in the AM. Gonna do my best to keep you all updated. Thanks for the help and good vibes.
First of all, good luck, Gregg! I too went through MTC to get my CDL. I just finished on 12/21.
Also, are you at the school in St. Louis? If so, I'd be happy to answer any questions you might have.
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.
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My buddy and I are heading to cdl training on the 3rd. It is Ace Academy, MTC I believe. Nervous about leaving my wife and family,but excited to get started. Oh,I also worry about who my trainer will be. Any pointers or good vibes welcome. Thanks. Hope to keep you all updated. Greg
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: