Road Test # 2
Topic 734 | Page 2
Hey congrats to both of you guys!!!!
I agree with Starcar - we love hearing the success stories!!!
I'm really glad we were able to help and we're looking forward to following along with you guys once you get out on the road. 
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
That is great Chris. Werner has nice equipment. Good luck out there. I am interviewing tomorrow (Weds) at noon for a local city LTL gig. ( got an inside source )60 hrs a week but home every night Union Shop so good bennys and tall coin. Huge resposibility to the motoring public, navigating city docks in the first year. I spoke to them about training. They said until your trainer can fall asleep in the truck with you driving, you stay with a trainer..Good incentive to learn well.
The only pre hire I really followed up with was from Roehl ( I have a "conditional offer " ) which means they paid for my thier extensive DOT PHY, did a background check, and are just waiting to schedule orintation. There is a lot I like about Roehl. I would be MW regional 5-6 days out and home for 34-48 hrs. Anoher friend told me about ConWay , line haul and unload /load to IA every day for about 60K yr.
Lots of opportunity out there. Lets keep our records clean. If we post with " Heavy Metal " in the subject line, I can probably find your post faster. Thanks and GL
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.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
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.
Line Haul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.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.
If we post with " Heavy Metal " in the subject line, I can probably find your post faster
Right below the subject line it says the name of the person that started the topic, and to the right it lists the name of the person who last responded.
OK, got it Brett. It is great to see people I went to truck school here. I've spoken with praise about this forum due to the honest fair and correct information. As well as the truely great prep material.
I interview in about 4 hours for a local LTL gig right out of school. Any tips for good interview questions ? My goal is to be entirely honest with them, I believe I really want this job, though there are reasons that 2 years experience is almost always required.
Any insight ?
P.S I did a drive by of thier terminal testerday, looks good. They are running late model Macks, what type of transmissions are typically in that type of rig.
Thanks, Ken
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.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
You can put any transmission in any rig, but I would imagine they simply have 9 or 10 speeds in those. Nothing fancy with LTL companies, that's for sure.
As far as the interview goes, I have no idea what they're going to ask you, but I know what they're looking for.
For starters, you're brand new to the industry and most of the people working there have probably been driving for 20+ years. So they'll want you to be humble, willing to listen and learn, and just tolerate the guys giving the rookie a hard time. I mean, that's what guys do. So getting along with the veterans and being humble and tolerant will be huge.
Also on the rookie front - you're going to get most of the junk freight that nobody else wants. Freight runs are handed out based on seniority. So you're going to have to put in some time to get the better runs. I mean, you might luck out and they have some good stuff for ya. But it's hard to say. It might be part-time work. It might be inconsistent miles. You just don't know until you get started there.
They also want someone who's going to be safe and reliable. They want someone who's going to show up every day on time and focus on safety at all times.
So basically, you're the new guy in town and more than anything they're going to be worried about you ruffling the feathers of the veteran drivers. It's different with OTR because you never have to see any of the other drivers most of the time. With LTL companies you'll have a greater effect on each other. So focus on being humble, tolerant, and willing to listen and learn. That's going to be the key. Just keep your head down, focus on your work, don't ruffle any feathers, and be happy for the opportunity. Someday when you've been out there for 20 years you can give all the rookies a hard time in return 
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
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.New Reply:
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I just love to read success stories....after they had failed, thought it thru, and wnet back and showed 'em how its done !!!
CONGRATS TO BOTH OF YOU !!!!!!!!!
Now pick your company, go with your trainer, keep your mouth shut, so your ears can hear what your trainer is tryin' to tell ya,.....and stay safe and sane....