Third Times The Charm
Topic 7642 | Page 1
Congrats buddy! I remember how good it felt when I got that CDL A in my hand. Remember, just don't hit anything. Slow, steady, and careful wins the race. Don't ever let anybody pressure you into something you're not comfortable with, especially as a rookie driver. Welcome to the club.
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.
Welp, just finished with the Swift academy in Phoenix... Failed the road test portion of the skills twice before managing to pass it on the third time.. Have to say its a relief, and really the only portion of the training that I had all that much trouble with. I start orientation on the 9th so should be going out with a mentor soon!
"Orientation" - is that include on the road for six weeks? (Just clarifying terms.)
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Welp, just finished with the Swift academy in Phoenix... Failed the road test portion of the skills twice before managing to pass it on the third time.. Have to say its a relief, and really the only portion of the training that I had all that much trouble with. I start orientation on the 9th so should be going out with a mentor soon!
"Orientation" - is that include on the road for six weeks? (Just clarifying terms.)
No, just 3 days at the terminal while they go over company policies and such with me.. And probably try to convince me to do a lease or something similar like that.. Could be heading out with a mentor as soon as the end of that Wednesday.. Just depends on if there is one available.
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.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
I did Swift orientation two weeks ago. No sales plug for your own truck. The orientation is pretty solid information.
(You're on payroll as of Tuesday morning.)
Yes, depending on mentor availability, but Jared, you're near Swift's Big House. My guess is you'll be spending Wednesday night in a sleeper berth.
Sleeper Berth:
The portion of the tractor behind the seats which acts as the "living space" for the driver. It generally contains a bed (or bunk beds), cabinets, lights, temperature control knobs, and 12 volt plugs for power.
Little update:
Just started orientation today... It was the typical boring stuff... Drug test and wait around for people to finish their drug test and physicals.. Fill out a bit of paper work, watch the cheesy videos...
Interesting part is that I found out that Swift will be putting me directly into one of their Dedicated fleets rather than sending me out OTR , which came as a bit of a surprise for me, as I was thinking I'd be doing OTR for at least a year. Not sure exactly where I'll be delivering for them yet, guess I'll find that out from the mentor?
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.
Interesting part is that I found out that Swift will be putting me directly into one of their Dedicated fleets rather than sending me out OTR , which came as a bit of a surprise for me, as I was thinking I'd be doing OTR for at least a year. Not sure exactly where I'll be delivering for them yet, guess I'll find that out from the mentor?
How did you do that? Who did you talk to? How much did you have to pay somebody?
My road mentor recommended me for his own dedicated account, I really wanted that (you get weekends off). But when it was time to meet my DM , I was OTR, with the admonition that I could look into it in six months.
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.
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.
Interesting part is that I found out that Swift will be putting me directly into one of their Dedicated fleets rather than sending me out OTR , which came as a bit of a surprise for me, as I was thinking I'd be doing OTR for at least a year. Not sure exactly where I'll be delivering for them yet, guess I'll find that out from the mentor?
How did you do that? Who did you talk to? How much did you have to pay somebody?
My road mentor recommended me for his own dedicated account, I really wanted that (you get weekends off). But when it was time to meet my DM , I was OTR, with the admonition that I could look into it in six months.
I never even asked about Dedicated, to be honest... Just was told by the facilitator when I checked in with her that they had me down for it. No idea why. 
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.
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.New Reply:
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Welp, just finished with the Swift academy in Phoenix... Failed the road test portion of the skills twice before managing to pass it on the third time.. Have to say its a relief, and really the only portion of the training that I had all that much trouble with. I start orientation on the 9th so should be going out with a mentor soon!
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.