What A Miracle
Topic 4316 | Page 1
Welcome aboard David. That sounds like a pretty cool deal!
When do they plan on having you take the driving, pre-trip inspection , and backing portions of the CDL exam for your license? Before you go out with a trainer, or after you get back?
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.
Welcome aboard David. That sounds like a pretty cool deal!
When do they plan on having you take the driving, pre-trip inspection , and backing portions of the CDL exam for your license? Before you go out with a trainer, or after you get back?
The week that I'm in the yard practicing I'll have my mentor helping everyday with my pre trip, backing and every other aspect of taking my test.
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.
Yeah but when are you actually going to take the test? You have your permit now, right? So they can either send you out on the road now with your permit and have you test for your actual CDL license when you get back or they can have you test before you leave out for the road. Did they mention which way they're going to do it? I'm just curious. It's also important to get all of the details you can from them about their program, especially since it's new for them. You want to make sure they have a plan that makes sense, was well thought out, and will work well for everyone ya know what I mean?
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.
Oh I forgot to mention. They said they are hiring me before I go out with the trainer and when I finish that is when I take my test for my license. Atleast I'm pretty sure that is what she said. :)
Ok cool.
Now I don't see this as a problem myself because you said their program will be free. But keep in mind that I doubt the major carriers would accept their training unless they've gone through some trouble to document the program's details like the length of the program, the curriculum they'll cover, the qualifications of the trainers, and things of that nature.
If you stay with the company for a year or so, that won't matter at all. The OTR experience will land you work, regardless of your schooling. But if you decide to leave the company soon after training with little or no solo OTR experience, there's a very good chance you would have to do some level of training again before anyone would be willing to hire you.
So I would go into this h*ll-bent on getting a minimum of one year of safe OTR driving under my belt with this company. You have what sounds like a good deal in front of you so go for it 100% and consider yourself locked in for a year. That's the best approach to take.
Also, make sure you get as many details as possible in writing. Again, it's a new program for them so they may not have anything "too official" setup yet. I don't know. But anything that comes down to your word against theirs will likely end in their favor. So get something in writing if its important to you and protect yourself from any confusion or miscommunication.
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.
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I was going to go to one of those big company-sponsored training programs on Monday. I was all ready to share a room with three other dudes, study in a big group wait my turn to practice and all the other stuff that goes along with it.
Then today I was talking with a friend and he said try this local company. So I called them and they said they were looking into doing training like the bigger companies. I told them I have my class A permit and my DOT physical all done. They made a interview with me and told me they were willing to let me train in one of their trucks for a week in the yard (they are paying me for that) and after that they are sending me out with a mentor for 6 to eight weeks ( they are paying for that also). I don't have to pay them anything. I have to sign a contract for eighteen months though. Which I don't mind cause the terminal is 14 miles from my house. The average run is 10-14 days out with 2 days home. I couldn't be more happy than I am now.
Hope to see you guys on the road and having a great time.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.