Looking For Some Input
Topic 7416 | Page 1
Did you check out the TT sections
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.
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.
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.
Not yet.. I have been reading what others are saying in the forum.. Thinking maybe I should checkout SWIFT..
Ronald. I saw your reply on another post about CR England. Here's the thing, you can't always trust sites like Ripoff Report. If you start putting stock into all those reviews, you'll become disillusioned and think that most of the trucking companies are horrible to work for. Nothing bad about getting a driver's opinion, but that should be done by a driver at a truck stop currently working for CR England, and not at a website that will attract more than one ex-employee that might be a little bitter about said employer, for whatever reason. Granted, you might catch a driver having a bad day, and drivers are notorious for complaining about something, but I hope you catch my drift. Ripoff Report, Glassdoor, and certain forums are breeding grounds for disgruntled ex-employees that probably will complain about any company they work for.
Generally speaking, if you get enough complaints about something, there's probably a grain of truth in there somewhere, but be wary of a lot of these internet reviews. There's successful and happy drivers at CR England, and they're not going to be posting reviews on the internet because they've got nothing to complain about.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Having just posted about internet reviews, I forgot to address your post for this thread ...
I'd definitely recommend going to a private trucking school, if that's an option for you. They typically run 5k, although community colleges are usually cheaper. If you go the private route - i.e. not a company-sponsored school - make sure you get pre-hires and that any companies you're interested in will hire from that school. Also, the school needs to have at least 160-170 hours of instruction / training, depending on a company's requirement for school hours. If you go to a private trucking school you'll have more options. Crete / Shaffer is an excellent company to work for and pays very well for newbies as well as veteran drivers in the truckload sector. They don't have their own school, so that's why they'd only be an option if you come to them with a CDL in hand. Schneider is another company that will accept students but don't have their own school.
Prime Inc is an excellent choice for a company that has their own school. Like Crete / Shaffer, they pay well for student drivers.
Getting paid has everything to do with cents per mile as well as the amount of miles you can rack up as a driver. So, you can't always go by the highest cpm , but Prime and Crete / Shaffer have high cpm for student drivers, and you should get your miles, especially as you become a more efficient driver. The thing I like about Crete / Shaffer for training is that they have an 8 week training program, you don't run as a team, and all of their trainers have to have a minimum 2 years experience. Some of these mega companies will throw a driver into a training role without even a year experience - that's something I wouldn't feel comfortable with.
Judge a company on the 'tangibles,' e.g. cpm, type of freight they haul (dry van, reefer , flatbed), hometime options, equipment, whether they hire from your location. Use the links that Errol posted and educate yourself as much as possible. Find out what's important to you in a trucking company. Don't put much stock into internet reviews.
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.
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.CPM:
Cents Per Mile
Drivers are often paid by the mile and it's given in cents per mile, or cpm.
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.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
I appreciate that info... after reading what others have said and yourself I definitely will take the other factors into consideration as well..
I know that truck driving is not for everyone and that there are benefits regardless to which school I attend.. Also realize that there is going to
be some sacrificing along the way... Only thing that I am really worried about is leaving my family behind to pursue this career... I don't want
to lose my house in the process... And I would like to obtain the CDL A endorsement without getting strung along if at all possible.. So I figure
I should be as thorough as possible to make sure that I find a reputable company that can help me achieve this if at all possible.. That's one of
reasons that I joined TT, because I would rather get the facts from those best qualified...
You guys all have posted some great stuff on here, and it is greatly appreciated...
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.EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
greetings all,
My name is Ron.. Currently I am not a truck driver, however I am looking into a career change..
Would appreciate any input as to what truck driving schools to stay away from and which ones will benefit me more..
I have been doing a little research and I checked into (4) namely CR England, Cardinal, Pam Trucking, and Suburban Truck Driving School..
I am concerned about CR England because when I looked them up I found a lot of bad reviews which has me wanting to look further into my options..
I am leaning more towards Suburban Truck Driving School because they seem to be more focused on training. Not to mention I haven't been able to find a single bad review on them...
Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated..
Thanks