Soon To Be Flatbed Truck Driver For Knight Transportation
Topic 30315 | Page 1
Welcome to the Forum and welcome to the world of knuckle draggers. I drive flatbed for Prime but Old School can give you a lot of advice about flat bedding and Knight.
Welcome to TT. I went through Phoenix squire school and Top Gun. I just finished training and am on my second week Solo for Knight. Old school here drives flatbed for Knight and has been an incredible source of knowledge and wisdom. Ive kept a detailed diary of my experience with Knight. Good luck. I'm assuming you will be getting your CDL permit before you go. Can't recommend High Road CDL Training Program enough. Really helps out a lot.
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.
Hello Stephen, and welcome to our forum!
I am a flatbed driver out of Knight's Gulfport terminal. The flatbed job they have is serving a dedicated customer. That customer is the Hydro plant in Delhi, LA. Hydro is the world's largest producer of aluminum extrusions. They are headquartered in Oslo, Norway, but have about 25 plants here in the United States. Most of the time you will be hauling their products. Occasionally we pick up some other flatbed type loads for backhauls, but most of the time you will be hauling aluminum extrusions to Hydro's customers, or raw materials going into the plant.
The job out of Delhi is an over the road job with the exception that we seldom go out West. I've been out West a few times on this account, but most of the time we don't go any further West than the Dakotas or Texas. They can keep you busy, and you'll have a great dispatcher. This is a great opportunity for you.
Trucking is generally difficult for most folks to break into. You will find some really solid advice from the drivers here in this forum. I wish you the best, and I hope you will keep us posted on your progress. We will be more than happy to assist you if we can.
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.
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.
Dispatcher:
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.
Hey Stephen, I grabbed a few photos of previous loads I've pulled. I'm sharing them with you so you'll have an idea of the type loads you'll be hauling.
Welcome to TT. I went through Phoenix squire school and Top Gun. I just finished training and am on my second week Solo for Knight. Old school here drives flatbed for Knight and has been an incredible source of knowledge and wisdom. Ive kept a detailed diary of my experience with Knight. Good luck. I'm assuming you will be getting your CDL permit before you go. Can't recommend High Road CDL Training Program enough. Really helps out a lot.
Thanks for letting me know about your diary. I've been reading up on it and it's been a great read so far! Makes me even more excited to get out there and start the process. Also, I received my permit so that part is at least out of the way.
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.
Hey Old School! Thanks for giving me an idea as to what I will be hauling! Looks like I'll have plenty to keep me both busy and engaged in the near future. Can't wait! I see that you are in Nacogdoches. I've been through there a few times. It's not too far from where I grew up in Oil City, La. Also know of a few who attended the Texas Bible College just south of you. Glad I have someone in the area working for Knight's flatbed division. I'll definitely be having plenty of questions to ask.
Hello Stephen, and welcome to our forum!
I am a flatbed driver out of Knight's Gulfport terminal. The flatbed job they have is serving a dedicated customer. That customer is the Hydro plant in Delhi, LA. Hydro is the world's largest producer of aluminum extrusions. They are headquartered in Oslo, Norway, but have about 25 plants here in the United States. Most of the time you will be hauling their products. Occasionally we pick up some other flatbed type loads for backhauls, but most of the time you will be hauling aluminum extrusions to Hydro's customers, or raw materials going into the plant.
The job out of Delhi is an over the road job with the exception that we seldom go out West. I've been out West a few times on this account, but most of the time we don't go any further West than the Dakotas or Texas. They can keep you busy, and you'll have a great dispatcher. This is a great opportunity for you.
Trucking is generally difficult for most folks to break into. You will find some really solid advice from the drivers here in this forum. I wish you the best, and I hope you will keep us posted on your progress. We will be more than happy to assist you if we can.
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.
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.
Dispatcher:
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.
I was at our Kansas City Yard a few days ago, and met a flatbedder there out of the Gulfport yard. He said the dispatcher was awesome as well and really enjoyed his job. He had a Conestoga trailer (the covered one)? Definitely look forward to reading your progress. Ask your recruiter about Top Gun training as well, Im assuming they have their own training for flat bed, but the top gun training program really helped a lot with backing and close quarters driving.
Dispatcher:
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.
Went to the Gulfport terminal Wednesday to get my drug test and physical done. Everything went well and everyone was super nice. Today, I found out that the hair follicle test came back negative as expected. Talked to my recruiter and they are just waiting for the results of the urine test to come back. Not sure why that's taking so long. Hopefully it'll be back soon. Was told that as soon as they get the results back I would be heading to Arizona the following Monday. I do have a question that maybe someone can answer. I know that I have read that Arizona is currently under a heat advisory and often construction crews will actually do all of their work at night to avoid the dangers associated with the high temperatures. My question is, will this possibly change any part of the training process? Obviously, this wouldn't hinder any training done inside the truck while driving. What about the hours of pre-trip practice? I'm not afraid of working in the heat, as I've spent the last 10 years working outdoors in the oil field. Just wanting to get an idea of how it might change things during training.
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.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Went to the Gulfport terminal Wednesday to get my drug test and physical done. Everything went well and everyone was super nice. Today, I found out that the hair follicle test came back negative as expected. Talked to my recruiter and they are just waiting for the results of the urine test to come back. Not sure why that's taking so long. Hopefully it'll be back soon. Was told that as soon as they get the results back I would be heading to Arizona the following Monday. I do have a question that maybe someone can answer. I know that I have read that Arizona is currently under a heat advisory and often construction crews will actually do all of their work at night to avoid the dangers associated with the high temperatures. My question is, will this possibly change any part of the training process? Obviously, this wouldn't hinder any training done inside the truck while driving. What about the hours of pre-trip practice? I'm not afraid of working in the heat, as I've spent the last 10 years working outdoors in the oil field. Just wanting to get an idea of how it might change things during training.
Congrats on getting THUS far, Stephen! You're in it to WIN it !!!!
If you passed the hair, no reason the U/A should be a problem, IMHO.
Re; night construction, many states (including Ohio) do such in the hottest months, even though 'we' are only topping out in the mid to low 80's. As far as AZ specific, you might want to call your state DOT , or your upcoming training facility with your concerns/questions.
Additionally, post a question of such, in our general discussion forum . . where many of our current members from AZ will see your post, and chime in.
Wish you the best going forward; will be following your diary!!! :)
~ Anne ~
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.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
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Just a little about myself. I am 31 years old and live in Deville, Louisiana. I have spent the last 10 years of my life working in the oil field. However, I am just one of those people who have always LOVED to drive. I have often found myself during stressful times getting into my truck and just driving. It's almost like therapy to me. Not quite sure why I didn't see the idea of driving for a living sooner. So I looked for a company that had a terminal near me and saw that Knight has one in Gulfport, MS which is just a short trip from my house. Talked it over with the wife and applied. They called back and set up orientation for me next week. When I expressed my interest in flatbed they informed me that if I wanted I could start out in that particular division out of the Gulfport terminal. I'm super excited for the new challenges ahead and really hope everything goes well at orientation so that I can head to their training facility in Phoenix, AZ. Any advice would be greatly appreciated. I know I will be away from home quite often while being a truck driver so any advice for me and my wife will also be greatly appreciated!
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.