Game: What Was Your Very First Post On TT?

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Turtle's Comment
member avatar

Rainy made a comment on another thread about how the moderators and experienced drivers here on TT all started out as 1st day members. This prompted me to reflect on my first post, and wonder about everyone else's as well. Speaking for myself, I came seeking knowledge, just like most everybody else.

So in the spirit of Rainy's "games", let's hear your first post and on what topic it was made. Find it by going to your profile/comment history/last post of the last page.

My first post was on a topic by Daniel B.

Officially got a job hauling fuel tankers. Goodbye Prime/OTR

Congratulations Daniel on the new gig. I've enjoyed reading your posts and insights, and in fact it's partly because of you that I'm considering Prime. I begin school in late May. Thanks for all of your input here, and good luck in your new endeavor.

This is back when I thought going to a driving school was the only way to go. I ended up starting in Dec instead of May, and opted for Paid CDL Training at Prime. I'm forever thankful I did, and for the info attained right here at TT.

So c'mon, let's see em.

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.

Pete E Pothole's Comment
member avatar

"Congrats X. I've been following your diary since it began. Thank you for taking the time daily to write here for us."

Was in Professor X's Roehl diary.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

JoAnne EC's Comment
member avatar

"Hey guys! Going to be getting my CDL in the near-ish future and have a potentially silly question: I have never driven a standard transmission before and am wondering if I should learn to do this beforehand or if anyone knows if schools will teach you this. I'm thinking it may be easier to just learn in a rig as I know there are differences in how far you engage the clutch and possibly other differences. Any thoughts / advice are much appreciated. Thanks!"

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.
Old School's Comment
member avatar

There's a few of us who've been hanging around in here so long that we can't find our first post. I'm one of them. When I first started commenting here we had a different format which is no longer accessible. I'm sure I said something stupid like, "Hey, 10-4 Good Buddies, I wanna be a Trucker! If any of you Goobers are Ice Road Truckers, I'd appreciate the chance to ride across Alaska with you. That's what I wanna do - I wanna make the big bucks!"

Just kidding - I honestly have no idea what I posted. I probably just introduced myself and thanked Brett for all the helpful information. We've all come a long way, including me. That's one of the things I love about trucking. It's a journey. I enjoy the never ending journey.

Bird-One's Comment
member avatar

First post was of course an essay haha but it was 3 in a half years ago. Was getting frustrated with backing. Old School and Errol chimed in. Shout out to Errol with his "turn towards the trouble" comment. Was a game changer.

"Whats going on fellas hope you all had a good weekend. US Marine turned trucker something i never saw myself doing but figured i served my country why not see it. Anyways i am having the hardest time with backing. Now i just started school last week with Star trucking driving school in Hickory Hills, IL, Great school by the way for anyone in the area. Picked up everything well except for backing. I think maybe i am overcompensating and overthinking at the same time. I understand its delayed when looking in the mirrors and making the correction but you see where i'm going with this. Any tips would by MUCH appreciated. Great site by the way Brett help me alot and continues to do so."

Bobcat_Bob's Comment
member avatar

Brian I went to Star in Bensenville, they did a great job as well.

My first post was also long winded lol

I got my CDL about 2 months ago and think I'm ready to get started driving. I have a app in with West Side Transport and will probably be doing their Midwest Dedicated as I live about 35 miles outside Chicago and I like the idea of being home weekends as my father needs someone to fish with lol. I have heard pretty much all good things about them, and was wondering if anyone could shed some more light on their orientation do they do a physical agility test? Would it be possible to train in a automatic as not having to shift would be a big load off my shoulders. I heard they have a couple customers that make up most of their freight what kind of freight do they typically haul? Any other advice or information would be greatly appreciated.

Sorry if I'm asking too many or stupid question one of instructors at CDL school called me the great thinker cause my mind is going 240 mph.

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.
Grumpy Old Man's Comment
member avatar

Mine was in response to a driver asking about Danny Herman Trucking

I had to finally register because of this topic.

Danny Herman trucking is in my hometown, Mountain City, TN. I never met him personally, but I have heard he is a nice guy. He owns a LOT of property in the county, and has been in business there for many years, 30 or so, I believe.

Recently, I helped my brother replace the bridge to our property, located beside some property he owns ( an Xmas tree farm). We asked if we could drive across his property while it was being replaced, and also bring concrete trucks across. He said no problem, do whatever you need to do, no hesitation at all.

So, while I know nothing about DHT, he is personally OK in my book.

LDRSHIP's Comment
member avatar

My first post was fairly short.

Hello Everyone,

I have 1 week of school left. After countless hours of pouring over reviews, I have a company picked out that I want to go with. Already got a prehire certificate from them. Anyways, I just wanted to introduce myself. All the informatiin on here has been very helpful. Y'all have a blessed day, God speed, and drive safe.

Like I said, fairly short, lol.

Prehire:

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.

RealDiehl's Comment
member avatar

LOL! I've seen other new folks ask similar questions. I still remember how excited I was when I learned I'd be able to take my truck home with me.

October, 2017

I've decided to go for my cdl but, I'm not sure what companies I'd be able to work for because their terminals are all pretty far away. I live in the Philadelphia area, and some of the companies I'm interested don't have terminals anywhere near me (at least not that are listed on the maps on their websites). Now, I know that the schools provide rooms while training but, what about when all the training is done? For instance, let's say I'm home and it's time for me to go back on the road...Am I going to have to drive my personal vehicle 5 or 6 hours to the nearest terminal to pick up my truck? Or, are there places the truck can be left nearby so I don't have to commute so far? Probably sounds like a silly question; I just haven't seen this topic discussed or seen any info about 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.

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.

PJ's Comment
member avatar

Guess I’m not as old as old school. I found my first post. It was lenghty for sure

Hello, I just joined and have been looking around the entire site. I see I'm not the only person that has retired and now looking for something new. I have never driven a big rig, but have driven most everything else with wheels. I need the CDL. I do enjoy driving and I have rode my motorcycle cross country twice. My situation is like most. Want something to do, make a bit of money doing it, and be able to enjoy life. That being said; I have spoken with 3 recuriters thus far. I will say all were very helpful and friendly (as most good sales people are). My main drawback is even being retired, I have a homelife that I don't care to loose completely. I get the schooling and time commitment for the initial training. I don't want to be gone extended periods of time all the time. My girlfriend will not tolerate that. It looks to me from my research so far that Knight seems to be a better fit if I do this simply because they appear to have more regional/dedicated runs without a 6mo to 1yr waiting period to apply for one. My thought at this point is to get the training, license, and pay my dues for the experience then get something that better fits our family time. I am very fortunate that my retirement is direct deposited every month. Any comments and/or suggestions are very welcome.

Seems like just yesterday, but was 5 years ago. Time does fly when your having fun!!!

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.

Dedicated Run:

A driver or carrier who transports cargo between regular, prescribed routes. Normally it means a driver will be dedicated to working for one particular customer like Walmart or Home Depot and they will only haul freight for that customer. You'll often hear drivers say something like, "I'm on the Walmart dedicated account."

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.

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.

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.

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