Looking To Start A Career!
Topic 26726 | Page 2
Thanks so much brother! I appreciate all the responses! I'm going to try to make my final decision on school/company this week, I will look through the links you have provided! Thanks for reaching out.
Jdad, you've already discovered that school or terminal location is a minor issue. When I started out, I chose Swift because both the school and terminal are nearby. After I went OTR , I finished the biggest benefit of a local terminal was free parking. Woo-hoo!
Since you seem to be new to trucking, I'll post several links for you to research. This web site (Trucking Truth) is designed for those interested in this industry, and we want to give you a leg up.
Start here:
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road CDL Training Program
- CDL Practice Tests
Help for looking at CDL school:
- Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing A Truck Driving School
- Article Category: Choosing A Truck Driving School
- Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Truck Driving School"
- Apply For Paid CDL Training
There's tons more. At the top left is a three-bar menu that opens up the whole web site.
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.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.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.
One more to make your job easier:
Your application goes out to many companies. It feels good when you can choose one company and actually say "No, thanks" to another job offer!
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.
Hey guys, so I go Friday to take my states CDL A permit test, I figure I may as well go ahead and get that before I attend training, I got my med card so I'm good there, and I think I've narrower it down to a few different companies, so I want to ask if anyone has any experience with Us Xpress, Maverick, or CFI ? If names aren't allowed I do apologize and I'm sure a moderator will correct the issue, thanks for taking the time to help me out, I'm 34 and this is all new and kinda scary to me! Thanks again guys and gals! Look forward to hearing from you!
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.
Jdad, we constantly promote the premise; "good drivers; safe and efficient can be successful for most any company." In the final analysis, the one that really matters is all about you and only you; your heart, tenacity and ability to apply laser focus to the task of learning.
A quick entry into the search bar yields these results from our diary section (click the links):
I have nothing but good things to say about USX. I dont think they have their own CDL school. Though the CDL school I went to was affiliated with USX. I signed a contract on the first day of school that stated I would work with USX for a year. I repaid my loan for schooling with $50 per week taken put of my pay. After 1 year USX paid off the remaining balance. At that time I was free to stay or seek employment elsewhere if I wanted.
USX will try to talk you into driving one of their "Dollar" store accounts. These are difficult accounts for new drivers and it is not recommended.
There are companies that dont require you to pay anything for training. Talk with them and ask about their schooling and training.
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.
Just a quick update for those that helped me out! I should start driving school within the next couple weeks, and it looks as though Maverick and TMC more and more for this guy,I will update once I'm enrolled and everyone! Thank you all again for the help,its much appreciated!!
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Definitely give an update when you get a start date. I guess you want to drive flatbed?
I definitely will, I'm honestly willing to drive flatbed, dry van ,or reefer brother! US Xpress, landair(Greenville tn), and Total are options for me as well, but as soon as everything gets rolling and I get a date and a company i will let you all know! Looking forward to what's ahead
Definitely give an update when you get a start date. I guess you want to drive flatbed?
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.
Well it's been quite a month and now it's time for me to fill you guys in. So I went to a company sponsored CDL program out of state and was very excited to get this opportunity, I was there for a couple of days and all was going well, that is until my third day there. I needed to change my license to the state in which I was going to get my training, so we head to the DMV and they hit a snag! I was informed that my state would not let me transfer my license! So I called up my home state and they say there was nothing hindering my ability to transfer my license to another state on their end and my MVR was impeccable. So I printed off an MVR and returned to the out of state DMV and tried again, and still the same issue, so basically I could not stay due to this! So I pack and come home, once back home I attended an in state CDL training program, and as of Friday (11/29) I completed the program and I head to orientation on Monday(12/9). It has been a hectic month or so, but I have finally achieved the first step. Tomorrow I go get my CDL at my local DMV with my training papers! I will be heading to Total Transportation in a week, and I'm excited for the journey ahead. Any help from the veterans of trucking is welcomed and appreciated! Hope everyone has a fantastic holiday season and a safe new year!
Josh. (Trainwreck)
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.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
MVR:
Motor Vehicle Record
An MVR is a report of your driving history, as reported from your state Department of Motor Vehicles. Information on this report may include Drivers License information, point history, violations, convictions, and license status on your driving record.
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Thanks! I'm gonna start making calls today and see what information I can get,hopefully I can respond soon with good news!
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.