My Trucking Training Diary From The Beginning To The End

I liked FFE Academy, but my preference was Celadon's school. They had not contacted me. However, they immediately sent me a Confirmation Letter and accepted me right away. I also prefer to begin my career with hauling dry van instead of temperature controller van.

Basically, Celadon was quicker in their replies to my application. FFE still wanted some more documents. Celadon has a terminal in my hometown while KLLM/FFE doesn't and Celadon has more customers in my hometown. That means that they bring freight to my hometown.

There are more advantages over FFE Academy:

1. Celadon pays for three meals a day while FFE provides two meals a day.

2. Celadon does not charge any administration fees.

3. Celadon pays the CDL Test while FFE requires me to bring $70 for the CDL Test.

4. Quality Drivers have a Self-Paced Program. The minimum of school training is three week; however, if someone needs three months to pass their CDL Test, they will give that time. FFE will send you home if you don't pass the CDL Test. I am not planning to take that long, but I like this approach.

5. I have never been in Laredo, TX. This is a chance to explore this place.

Yesterday, I got my Class A Licence. In Texas, I need to have the Class A Driver's Licence before I am eligible for the CDL testing.

In order to get the Class B you just need to pass the Texas Special Requirement Test. It is a test similar to the Rules and Regulations Exam from the TruckingTruth High Road Practice Tests, but for Texans.

In order to turn Class C into Class A, I need to pass Texas Special Requirement Test and the Combination Vehicle Test.

Class A allows me to drive private Combination Vehicles, but not Commercial Combination Vehicle or any other Commercial Truck.

This is the last post in this thread. I have another thread where I will write down my reports as soon my training begins.

I am by no means trying to discourage you from Celadon however I have been there and from what I hear nothing has changed so please be prepared to wait quite a while. Things were so disorganized there it was unbelievable. And you do realize the team obligation?

I am going to school in Laredo, TX not in Indianapolis. When they started the school it was probably disorganized, but the fact that they now have three schools shows that they improved. The school in Laredo is pretty new, but they say it is pretty relaxed compared to Indianapolis. Only Texas residents can attend that school which means there will be less applicants and therefore less students.

The team requirement is not that bad. This is another reason, I chose Celadon School.

I have to complete 240,000 miles with a team. This means I just need 6 months to complete the commitment. I am planning to stay with Celadon until I have 1 million miles of safe driving completed. Then I might look at different options.

They have a little low pay during training, but during team driving, I can make good money if I stay focussed. I hope I get a good partner who doesn't might to run hard. I am not planning to stop unless there is a DOT requirement (30 minute break) or checking the loads every 150 miles or every 3 hours or checking tires/brakes every 2 hours if the road is hot.

Teams that run 17000 miles or more per month receive a 6 cent per mile bonus. There is never a guarantee that Celadon can offer me that many miles per months, because it is the freight that determines the miles not the carrier. The carrier is just a middleman between Shipper and Consignee. They don't have any influence on how they do business.

There are a few Freight Broker Training self-study programs in the internet. By studying them, you are able to learn about every player in the transport industry and how load brokerage and logistics work. The players are in Domestic Transportation and in International Transportation are Shipper, Consignee , Freight Broker, Freight Agent, Freight Forwarder, Customs Broker, Receiver, and Carriers (Road, Air, Rail, Sea Transport, Inland Water Transport). There are also the Department of Transportation etc. Each one influences the market. Celadon is just a middleman. Shippers and Consignees are the major players in the market. All the others, including Receiver, are middlemen of trade. Receivers receive freight that is transported by train and they contract the carrier (trucking company) to haul the freight to the consignee.

If you know the bigger picture, the industry becomes more transparent. You also know what trucking companies can influence and what not. Sometimes, the carrier becomes just a ping pong ball between the two major players.

Here is a website where you can learn about Freight Brokering and other things related to Motor Carriers. http://www.dotauthority.com/home.htm

Here are links related to Training and Seminars: http://www.dotauthority.com/training.htm

I am planning to get my Interstate Property Broker Licence as soon as possible: http://www.dotauthority.com/broker.htm