Any Advice Would Help
Topic 6733 | Page 1
I'm looking at leaving my recent job at a big tractor company as an assembler and already signed up to start school at a local college and take night classes to get my CDL. The reason i'm doing this is because i'm in the union and being in this union I bust my butt but don't get paid as good as the lazy ones. I really want to work a job that I get paid for the work I do and what I put into it. I know I have yet to start school but I like to stay ahead of the power curve and research companies now. What questions should be asked to these recruiters? The being away from family I understand being a 14 year vet with 5 deployments under me so my family is also used to it the travel. I have came to like 3 companies I have researched which are Schnider, TMC, and Werner. I would really like to have my choice decided before school so I can start my application while there. Thank you for any help. Jeff
Contact the company you want to work for and make sure they will hire graduates from your chosen school, first. You may also want to contact the school to see what kind of job placement programs they have.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
When I signed up for class they had posters of them 3 companies and pictures of recent grads who have joined them companies.
I'm looking at leaving my recent job at a big tractor company as an assembler and already signed up to start school at a local college and take night classes to get my CDL. The reason i'm doing this is because i'm in the union and being in this union I bust my butt but don't get paid as good as the lazy ones. I really want to work a job that I get paid for the work I do and what I put into it. I know I have yet to start school but I like to stay ahead of the power curve and research companies now. What questions should be asked to these recruiters? The being away from family I understand being a 14 year vet with 5 deployments under me so my family is also used to it the travel. I have came to like 3 companies I have researched which are Schnider, TMC, and Werner. I would really like to have my choice decided before school so I can start my application while there. Thank you for any help. Jeff
Contact the company you want to work for and make sure they will hire graduates from your chosen school, first. You may also want to contact the school to see what kind of job placement programs they have.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Make sure your school gives you atleast 160hrs of training. This includes classroom and on a range/blacktop/city driving
Take a look at these links below, Starting with Truck Driver's Career Guide.
Truck Driving Jobs will allow you to search for companies that hire in your area, also i'd readUnderstanding Pre-Hires so you get a good idea of whats going on and Apply For Truck Driving Jobs should get you going. The last link there will give you one application to send to all the companies out there. (Swift, Knight, Prime, etc....)
Also while in school and before you start, High Road Training Program will help you ace that permit written test. Also has few extra sections that aren't in the written exams. (Logbook, weights).
If you need a copy of your states CDL Manuals, this will get you a .pdf form which you can put on a tablet or phone, or print out if you have enough paper/ink.
And not to throw more reading, but when you get the time, Brett's Book is an awesome read. =D
oh and before I forget, How To Choose A Company should be looked at too. It'll help you determine which company may fit your needs.
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.
Logbook:
A written or electronic record of a driver's duty status which must be maintained at all times. The driver records the amount of time spent driving, on-duty not driving, in the sleeper berth, or off duty. The enforcement of the Hours Of Service Rules (HOS) are based upon the entries put in a driver's logbook.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Pre-hires:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
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.
Jeff, my advice would be to consider which type of driving job you actually think you might enjoy. The three choices in companies you gave out all do different things. Schneider and Werner will have lots of different opportunities available such as regional or dedicated accounts. TMC sill strictly be flat-bed work - they do have a few different opportunities like specialized boat hauling, or over-sized loads, but most of those will require some experience before you can get into them.
If you think you are interested in flat-bed work TMC would be a great place to get started. You already made a reference to one of the things you like about trucking and that was the performance based pay. I'm a flat-bed driver and that was one of the biggest attractions to me about truck driving. I was a small business owner for most of my working career and I always outworked everybody else. I've always felt the folks who produce the most should reap the rewards for their efforts. This career puts you in the driver's seat and allows you to determine your own level of income within certain limits of course. The drivers who get it all figured out and are willing to make the sacrifices necessary can fairly quickly find themselves at the top of the food chain.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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TMC Transportation Becoming A Truck Driver CDL Test Preparation CDL Training Choosing A Truck Driving School Choosing A Trucking Company Flatbed High Road Training Program
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I'm looking at leaving my recent job at a big tractor company as an assembler and already signed up to start school at a local college and take night classes to get my CDL. The reason i'm doing this is because i'm in the union and being in this union I bust my butt but don't get paid as good as the lazy ones. I really want to work a job that I get paid for the work I do and what I put into it. I know I have yet to start school but I like to stay ahead of the power curve and research companies now. What questions should be asked to these recruiters? The being away from family I understand being a 14 year vet with 5 deployments under me so my family is also used to it the travel. I have came to like 3 companies I have researched which are Schnider, TMC, and Werner. I would really like to have my choice decided before school so I can start my application while there. Thank you for any help. Jeff
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: