CDL Training With Knight Transportation
Topic 7640 | Page 1
Made the move! Good luck. My school (Swift) was close to home, but I heard lots about Greyhound - bring a book, or load some movies, it's a long ride. Will Knight cover your head cost? Some companies do that.
Also, if you are one of few students that have a car, you'll meet lots of new friends.
I got my cdl when I landed job picking the trash out of green waste for the city of L.A. Sanitation ,I Told them in passing that i would like to drive truck and the person said go down the hill there to the DMV and get a learners permit and we will take care of you , so when it was slow i got put in a 10 harder dump truck with a class a driver authorized to train me then they moved me into an 18 wheeler when i was ready ,we kept track of the hours i logged and did all the backing, dock parking etc. He gave me the practical the walk around, I passed that and was sent to someone in the sanitation that was authorized to give me the road test. and got the cdl.
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.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
Today I got several emails from Knight. A lot of forms to fill out and send back in, also had to send tax return copies from last two years. Got all that done and I'm scheduled to be in Columbus oh on the 16th for orientation. It's finally happening!
Today I got several emails from Knight. A lot of forms to fill out and send back in, also had to send tax return copies from last two years. Got all that done and I'm scheduled to be in Columbus oh on the 16th for orientation. It's finally happening!
Congratulations! Enjoy the journey. There will be ups, downs, and challenges. In the end, it will be very worthwhile!
I live in Columbus and was thinking about going with Knight myself. Please keep us updated on your progress!
Also, they require tax return copies? As in W-2's or actual finished tax returns stating what (if anything) you are getting back?
Well due to some guys dropping out or not showing up Knight called yesterday to tell me they have openings and I can come right away sooooo. I'm Columbus Ohio bound today!!! I'll start tomorrow with orientation. Here we go!!
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Made it here to the hotel in Columbus. Its a Super 8 and fairly clean about what you would expect from a Super 8. Not great but not bad either. I took a short drive just to try and get my bearings. Not much around really. Got a Steak and Shake, couple gas stations and several pizza and sub shops. There may be more on down the road, I didnt go far. There are several of Knights' Volvos in the parking lot, all bobtail. I overheard one guy on the phone yelling something to the effect of "just get ****ing Volvo here and get the ****ing truck fixed so I can get back on the road! He was NOT happy!! LOL I have not heard from my recruiter so I really have no idea what where or when Im supposed to do tomorrow. If I dont hear anything by morning Im just going to head on over to the terminal and see what I can find out. I have a feeling since I was a late arrival I may have been forgotten about. It happens. Thats all I got so far, more as I go along for sure.
Tater
Bobtail:
"Bobtailing" means you are driving a tractor without a trailer attached.
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.
Ok so I forgot to update the first two days of orientation. Im a bad person!! LOL It was just as others have said, physical from hell, death by powerpoint and alot of sitting around talking and bs'ing with the other guys in the class. There were 9 of all all together. Two of us going on to Squire CDL training and the others are just here for orientation and or refresher training. Three guys were actually going to get the next available truck and hit the road. Everyone here seems nice and mostly all positive comments about Knight. The only negative I see is quite a few drivers have been here for several days (some more than a week) trying to get their trucks repaired. Dont know why its taking so long, some of the repairs were minor things, its not like they were getting an overhaul or something. In fact thats a common gripe Ive heard from just about ALL the drivers is the service department is seriously slacking. Now of course I have no first hand knowledge of that ONLY what these guys and gals are telling me. Today is actually Friday and I am officially HIRED!! I got my driver ID and number and also a stack of ppw to take with me. Since I live about 6 hours away and I drove myself here they are keeping me in the hotel here in Columbus for the weekend and Sunday I will drive out to Indy to start Squire CDL training on Monday. Im feeling pretty good about my choice to go with Knight, other than the issues with service Ive heard mostly positive things and the overall feel you get is really good. Some of their policies are great and have the safety of the driver in mind, Knight is changing over to the Sonar system and most all the dry side already has them and about 70% of the refer guys. It wont be long and all the trucks will have them. Really nice system but its kind of like big brother watching over you 24/7. Way more than any Qualcomm thats for sure. Doing a pre-trip is as easy as scanning a small sticker located at all the key points of the truck and entering notes if needed. It can also take pictures of any defects or repairs needed. Its an Android tablet and of course has all the perks that go along with that. (read in Pandora Radio!!) So thats about it until Monday, if anyone has any questions just let me know and Ill try to answer the best I can. Till next time!!
Tater
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.
Qualcomm:
Omnitracs (a.k.a. Qualcomm) is a satellite-based messaging system with built-in GPS capabilities built by Qualcomm. It has a small computer screen and keyboard and is tied into the truck’s computer. It allows trucking companies to track where the driver is at, monitor the truck, and send and receive messages with the driver – similar to email.
Forgot to mention we did have one guy get sent home for failing the hair follicle drug test. Guys let me tell you. If you have done ANY kind of illegal drugs in the past 3-4 months, YES months, Dont even attempt it. YOU WILL FAIL!! Then you will always have that on your record. Just dont do it. Again, DONT DO IT YOU WILL FAIL!! There is no amount of cleaning or diet or anything that will alter the result of the hair test. NOTHING. This guy said it had been over a month and he still failed.
Tater
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
This topic has the following tags:
Knight Transport Attending Truck Driving School Becoming A Truck Driver Choosing A Truck Driving School Company Sponsored CDL Training Drug and Alcohol Testing Reports From CDL Training Truck Driving Orientation
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
Well its official I am going with Knight Transportation for my CDL training!! Ive been researching all the company sponsored schools and landed with them as being the best fit for me. I just today got my CDL permit!! Yes!! So with that in hand Im ready for orientation in Columbus OH on the 16th of March!! Yep Im all applied and signed up. My recruiter sent me all the final details today so Im ready. Just trying to decide if I want to drive to OH or take them up on the bus ticket. I go to OH for a week then on to Indianapolis for the rest of the schooling. After that I return home here in WV to take the skills test and get my actual CDL. Thats when I will be paired with a trainer and go out for several weeks for the good stuff. I am super duper stoked and ready to roll!! Ive been reading all the entries I can find here about training with Knight and overall they are mostly all positive with the usual couple of negatives thrown in for good measure. To be expected I think. Anyway, thats where Im at and where Im headed!! More to come as this journey unfolds!!
Tater
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: