Looking For Tanker/Flatbed Jobs For Recent CDL Grad

Dylan, under the drive hours you were told about the Maines school, it would be impossible for all four students to get 100 hours of pure drive time. Four drivers at 100 hours each is 400 hours. If the school is open 10 hours a day, five days a week, it would take eight weeks for all of you to drive 100 hours each.

I guess it would be possible if they ran the truck 24/7, but that's not probable.

At the school I went to, there were 4 of us students and we got there at 7AM and ended at 3PM. On some days we would do 1/2 day class and half day driving. On those days we would each drive maybe 45 minutes to an hour. On full driving days we each got about 1-1/2 hours driving. It was a six week class, 240 total hours (class and driving), so there was no way we each got 100 hours pure drive time.

You will also spend a considerable amount of time behind the wheel practicing backing. I would say that I spent more time behind the wheel backing than actual driving on the public roads.

BTW, I saw a Maines truck unloading this morning at a Wendys in LaPlace, La.

Hey Dylan. I'm afraid I've never heard of that company or their program so I can't help ya there.

But I'm really surprised at what you said about Sage. Their schooling is 150 hours? They're a chain of schools that has been around for a long time and I'm really surprised their program would be 10 hours short of the 160 hour limit many companies set. Are you certain about their training period? Also, did you ask them for a list of major companies that hire their students? Ask them who hires from them and then verify it yourself from home if you're interested in that school. If major companies will hire their students then you're generally OK.

But definitely speak with several of Maines Paper drivers before going through their schooling. Make sure it sounds like what you're looking for. Jobs that require a lot of unloading like that are indeed physically intensive but generally pay very well so it could be a good job if you feel it suits you well.

I was surprised myself, too. From what I recall, SAGE's director told me that it was 150 hour course. I can always call again to inquire about the information. I know for a fact that this school has no accreditation's because the director doesn't see the point in making students pay the extra money for them, or so he says. He said that it is set to PTDI standards, however.

Melton Truck Line's safety department said that they would not accept me from this SAGE school. The recruiter then went on to tell me that they've been having problems trying to get the safety department to accept a lot of SAGE schools lately.

I will definitely be doing a lot more research and digging into them! Thanks, Brett!

-Dylan

Dylan, under the drive hours you were told about the Maines school, it would be impossible for all four students to get 100 hours of pure drive time. Four drivers at 100 hours each is 400 hours. If the school is open 10 hours a day, five days a week, it would take eight weeks for all of you to drive 100 hours each.

I guess it would be possible if they ran the truck 24/7, but that's not probable.

At the school I went to, there were 4 of us students and we got there at 7AM and ended at 3PM. On some days we would do 1/2 day class and half day driving. On those days we would each drive maybe 45 minutes to an hour. On full driving days we each got about 1-1/2 hours driving. It was a six week class, 240 total hours (class and driving), so there was no way we each got 100 hours pure drive time.

You will also spend a considerable amount of time behind the wheel practicing backing. I would say that I spent more time behind the wheel backing than actual driving on the public roads.

BTW, I saw a Maines truck unloading this morning at a Wendys in LaPlace, La.

That's what I was thinking, as I thought about it more. It doesn't make any sense that each would get 100 hours. I'm sure it is very important to practice backing and especially turning. I have some more digging to do, and some more questions to ask. Thanks for the logical aspect. I was thinking likewise to you because it seemed to good to be true.

That's pretty cool! I thought most of it was regional , but I guess there are some OTR as well!

Thanks!

-Dylan

I know for a fact that this school has no accreditation's because the director doesn't see the point in making students pay the extra money for them, or so he says. He said that it is set to PTDI standards, however.

Actually that sounds rather plausible. The accreditations you can get for trucking are a joke. PTDI and a few others really mean next to nothing. They're just a set of guidelines someone developed. Then they charge the schools countless thousands of dollars every year just to put their PTDI emblem on the school's website so people think their working at a higher standard and can charge more. But they're not. So you can safely ignore PTDI.

But what you do not want to ignore is whether or not major companies are hiring from the school. You'll likely never find a school that all of the majors will hire from so don't be too concerned if you find some that won't. But there should be a nice list of major companies that will hire their students. And when you find an issue like they're having with Melton, ask both Melton and the school about it. See what's going on. It could have nothing to do with trucking or the training the students are getting. It could be something personal between Melton and the school. It could be a money grab where Melton wants a fee the school won't pay or vice versa. You never know what's going on behind the scenes. So investigate a little bit.

Dylan I drove a tanker OTR for Schneider up until recently. I left on good terms for a local dedicated account with US Xpress. Tankers are way more fun than Dry Van , I can tell you that. I miss my surge and I miss the open road too!

Dylan I just came across this.

CTL Transport

Fancy moving down to Florida? lol.

Here's another Dylan. Not sure if they hire fresh CDL graduates, but says they will consider. I think all their terminals are in the Southeast though, so you might be out of hiring range.

Tidewater Transit

I know for a fact that this school has no accreditation's because the director doesn't see the point in making students pay the extra money for them, or so he says. He said that it is set to PTDI standards, however.

Actually that sounds rather plausible. The accreditations you can get for trucking are a joke. PTDI and a few others really mean next to nothing. They're just a set of guidelines someone developed. Then they charge the schools countless thousands of dollars every year just to put their PTDI emblem on the school's website so people think their working at a higher standard and can charge more. But they're not. So you can safely ignore PTDI.

But what you do not want to ignore is whether or not major companies are hiring from the school. You'll likely never find a school that all of the majors will hire from so don't be too concerned if you find some that won't. But there should be a nice list of major companies that will hire their students. And when you find an issue like they're having with Melton, ask both Melton and the school about it. See what's going on. It could have nothing to do with trucking or the training the students are getting. It could be something personal between Melton and the school. It could be a money grab where Melton wants a fee the school won't pay or vice versa. You never know what's going on behind the scenes. So investigate a little bit.

Thanks, Brett! I never really put much thought into why Melton won't accept SAGE. You're probably on to something! That's what I'm trying to do now: which is look for companies that will take the school(s) that I am looking into. Thanks for all the advice!

Dylan I drove a tanker OTR for Schneider up until recently. I left on good terms for a local dedicated account with US Xpress. Tankers are way more fun than Dry Van , I can tell you that. I miss my surge and I miss the open road too!

That's pretty cool! If things do not work out with Melton, Schneider Bulk is second on my list!

I wish relocation were not too much of an issue for me at this time, however, it is. If it were not, I would be down South, or out West seeking employment where it seems plentiful. Beggars cannot be choosers and we all have to start somewhere, right? Anyway, I'll dig a bit into CTL but like you said, I'd probably have to relocate to Florida. I will have to do some digging into TideWater as well; they seem to be a pretty decent company, however, they note that their minimum age requirement is 23 years of age. Thanks anyway! I appreciate the help.

Once I get my trucking career off, I will more than likely be looking into relocation for more job opportunities in the near and distant future.

I hope all is working well at US Xpress although based on your comment, I feel as though you'll be yankin' a tank once again sometime in the near future ;)

Be safe out there!

-Dylan