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Oh, and no dock work during training. All driving skills.

Sounds good. I'm finally starting at the part time dock position on Tuesday. Been drug out for about a month to get going. Sure I'll be doing that for a few months, but it's my first step to trying to get to drive.

Is P&D what you wanted to do? I haven't completely ruled it out if I run into limited options, but I'd rather line haul. Just not to crazy about driving a semi around the city all day. There's some businesses so small that I have no idea how some of those guys get into the dock. Maybe if I did it all day I'd get use to it. I would just prefer to not have to deal with all of that mess. But if I don't have a choice, I may have to take what I can get.

Are you training at what will be your home terminal or did you have to travel for it? Good luck, hope it all keeps going well for you.

Sounds good. I'm finally starting at the part time dock position on Tuesday. Been drug out for about a month to get going. Sure I'll be doing that for a few months, but it's my first step to trying to get to drive.

Is P&D what you wanted to do? I haven't completely ruled it out if I run into limited options, but I'd rather line haul. Just not to crazy about driving a semi around the city all day. There's some businesses so small that I have no idea how some of those guys get into the dock. Maybe if I did it all day I'd get use to it. I would just prefer to not have to deal with all of that mess. But if I don't have a choice, I may have to take what I can get.

Are you training at what will be your home terminal or did you have to travel for it? Good luck, hope it all keeps going well for you.

Nope. P&D is not what I wanted to do but I'll do it :)

Not too much chance of that though for awhile. Working the 11-7 shift any driving I'll do will be taking a load to another station, working their dock and then bringing a load back. I'll just be classified as a city driver. Though part of the training is to ride with a "city coach" for a week while they do their P&D. Should be interesting :)

I am at a hub, my home terminal, so I dont have to commute while I train.

If you want to do this, get your DOT physical, get your learner's and apply for an apprentice position. You have nothing to lose.

Nope. P&D is not what I wanted to do but I'll do it :)

Not too much chance of that though for awhile. Working the 11-7 shift any driving I'll do will be taking a load to another station, working their dock and then bringing a load back. I'll just be classified as a city driver. Though part of the training is to ride with a "city coach" for a week while they do their P&D. Should be interesting :)

I am at a hub, my home terminal , so I dont have to commute while I train.

If you want to do this, get your DOT physical, get your learner's and apply for an apprentice position. You have nothing to lose.

So what's your story if you don't mind me asking, how did you start with FedEx? Did you do dockwork? Was driving your goal? You said you didn't have a choice in P&D....did/do you want to do linehaul?

I started last night as part time dock, still in the paperwork phase, the rest of this week will be computer training for me. do's and don't's of the company. I'm really to get going, sooner I can prove myself sooner, I can hopefully work my way into a driver's apprentice position like you.

DSH69, how's the training going? I just started the dock last night. Decided to browse the FedEx job postings and saw that there's a road driver position posted right now!

How did you get into the Apprentice program? Did you come from the dock, or did you already have a permit and just applied?

My first choice is the road driver position/line haul. Now I see this job listing right after I get hired for part time dock. My dilemma is, I want to find out about the apprentice program and ask questions, however, I JUST got started on the dock and don't want to come across as not caring about what I was hired to do, although it's primarily something I did to use as a stepping stone toward driving. What to do, what to do??

Hey Jared, Actually I applied for the DA position with not even a learners. They told me to get it and call them back. I studied myass off using the stuff here and took the written three day later and passed it :)

Called FedEx back and they started the process to hire me on.

Started the actual driving program three weeks ago. It was going well, in my mind ;) but I went through a week of remedial to bring me up to snuff for the yard skills driving: 45 backs, 90 backs, straight line, offset, door backs and parallel parking. Oh, and all of these are both driver side and blind side.

And pre-trip, pre-trip, pre-trip.

Throw in shifting (double-clutch of course), down shifting, hooking dollies, paper logging, then driving through every small town within a 50 mile radius, and you begin to get an idea.

Training is great. Instructor is awesome and is all one-on-one. Couldn't ask for a better set of circumstances.

Unfortunately for me I went to get my cdl and passed the pretrip and the skills test except for the parallel park. I had it but brain-farted and pulled too far forward and bumped a cone. Resked the test ARGH!

If you really want to do this ask your trainer to get you in touch with a driving instructor and see what they say. Regardless, to be admitted to the program you need your Learners. So get a DOT physical and do the written test to get yours. Then apply. Do well on the dock and do what they ask and a little more. The dock will make or break you. Don't worry about how well you're doing just get progressively better. The guys that get more hours and full-time are the ones that produce.

I'm gonna get the hang of the dock a lil bit for a while, then start asking some questions. Still have to get the permit. Still studying the high road. Read the CDL manual once. Hopefully only have to take it once. Dragging it out because I have a lot of down time between a full and part time job, plus making family time.

I know you said no dock work in training, are you going to have to do dock work once becoming a driver? Do they just work with you until you pass the CDL or do you only have so many chances?

I would like to think I could get in one of them trucks and do certain things somewhat easily, HOWEVER, that's just a thought. I would imagine I could back a straight line and alley dock. I will say though.......parallel a semi....pshhh. That's gonna take some practice. Never double clutched before, but seems like it shouldn't be TOO hard. Again, I may be surprised. Pretrip would definitely have to be drilled in to me. I have seen some guys back into my current jobs dock like it was nothing, nailed it straight dead on the first time, and relatively quick. Then I've also seen it as bad as a guy having to drop his trailer in our parking lot, hook to an empty to open 2 doors cause he couldn't get into just one between trailers, drop the empty, re-hook the load, back it in, drop it, and then re-hook to the empty again.

I am impressed with the way FedEx puts the efforts into protecting each and every shipment. I've seen smaller freight companies just throw stuff in a truck and hope they don't have to jam on the brakes, or that anything shifts during transit.

Thanks for the update, hope you get that parallel parking down! Good luck.

DSH69 - how's the training going? you done? get the parallel parking down?

I finally got my CDL permit yesterday. Just had a hard time of finding when to do it. I've talked to my hiring manager at my terminal about driving, so he knows I'm interested. He just said bring him a permit.........bringing it to him today. Whether or not there will be any openings anytime soon I don't know, but at least I'll be ready now.

DSH69 - how's the training going? you done? get the parallel parking down?

I finally got my CDL permit yesterday. Just had a hard time of finding when to do it. I've talked to my hiring manager at my terminal about driving, so he knows I'm interested. He just said bring him a permit.........bringing it to him today. Whether or not there will be any openings anytime soon I don't know, but at least I'll be ready now.

Hey that's great! Keep me posted if they can get you in.

Went back today and passed my parallel park and my double/triples, tanker and hazmat endorsements. A successful road test and I'm the owner of a spanking new class A license :)

Now to finish up my training with doubles this week, city driving next week and then several days training at corporate.

Watkins Shepard New Driver Well, I'm a 63 year old retired guy who decided to to get a CDL License. Used this site to do all of my CDL studying and passed, with tanker and haz mat. Went to a CDL School on my own, then on to finishing school at Watkins.

Great People, great instructors, great equipment. Class was 2 weeks - all expenses paid. $100 when I arrived, $200 at end of first week, $400 at end of second week. You could be in finishing school longer if you needed it. Finished and they were 100% confident, I was 75% confident,lol. Took a run from NC to Salt Lake City Solo. No issues. I was prepared. Great people, great company, did it their way from Day 1, not my way.