I Signed Up With Swift..
Topic 8605 | Page 1
Kazi, welcome to the forum. You're in for the time of your life but also one of the most stressful careers you could ever jump into. Don't be scared though, with experience comes the reward. I've just started out with my trainer and having a great time. He's an old school driver who has been teaching me the reality of the profession and explains why things are done the way they are and two things I've learned are above and beyond all is safety. You'll learn the Smith System and it seems simple but if you use it consistently, you'll be amazed at how much easier it makes driving and how much it truly improves your situational awareness.
Get ready for the ride of your life but keep your head on straight, take initiative, enjoy the scenery and in no time flat, you'll be doing something others can only dream of. Oh did I mention that if you apply yourself, you'll build a great reputation and can pretty much write your own ticket at that point. Good luck, have fun and take advantage of all the tools available on the website.
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
I've been staying up all night reading the CDL manual and doing tests,f
Have you been working through the High Road Training Program? That should calm those nerves a bit.
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.
Hey Kazi. It sounds like you have a great attitude about getting started in trucking. That's huge.
We have tons of awesome resources to help you understand what lies ahead. We have our Truck Driver's Career Guide which is always the perfect place to get started. Follow all of the links you come across. It will take you throughout our site but I'll point out some of the other stuff you'll find.
We have my book (free online) Becoming A Truck Driver: The Raw Truth About Trucking which really explains what life in the trucking industry is like. It has a ton of stories and will help you understand the challenges you're about to face.
We also have a section of the forum called CDL Training Diaries where people share their experiences as they go through various training programs.
So those should give you a great start. And as Errol mentioned, our High Road Training Program will prepare you for taking your written CDL permit test and all of the endorsement exams. It also goes beyond that to cover the Logbook Rules and Truck Weight & Balance.
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.
Logbook:
A written or electronic record of a driver's duty status which must be maintained at all times. The driver records the amount of time spent driving, on-duty not driving, in the sleeper berth, or off duty. The enforcement of the Hours Of Service Rules (HOS) are based upon the entries put in a driver's logbook.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
If you are truly serious you will spend as many hours as you can on this site reading everything you can. Dedicating yourself to a couple of hours of the High Road training every day seems to have helped people get a leg up on their classmates allowing them to concentrate more on driving.
Good luck and please start a diary so we can follow along!
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Hey just focus on the thing which you are doing currently.. Work hard and forget all. You will get success.. Do not be panic.
Thank you guys! I've been reading and doing those practice tests, I'm spending hours upon hours, lol.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.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
I just turned 21 last month, I'm a high school dropout covered head to toe in tattoos. I've been in culinary for a few years and I can't handle it anymore, I really want something I can turn into a career that I can take pride in and not hate so much. I'm heading out to school in MO this weekend and I'm not sure what to expect, I've been staying up all night reading the CDL manual and doing tests, I'm really dedicated but I'm also nervous as hell, I don't want to fail, my father has been trucking for over 20 years and he loves it for the most part. Can someone enlighten me on what to expect in the next few months? I'm not expecting much pay being that I'm starting out, I just want to make it out with my CDL in hand and see the country! I realize money will follow if I put in hard work and get experience, Thank's guys!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.