Starting School In The Morning.

Hey Tom i started a post in the diary's section. Im gonna keep everything updated there. I had a pretty good first day it was mainly going over policies and studying the cdl book so pretty boring overall.

That's good. I'm a bit embarrassed to ask though, being that I really have been on this site for some time now, but where is the diary's section? I am unfamiliar with it.

CDL Training Diaries Forum I think thats a link to it im not sure i did it right.

Thanks. Got it...finally.

Hey Tom W and Jake Break,

Craig H here. Started CDL school this morning at Heavy Metal Truck Training in Twin Cities. Six guys in the class. That means lots of drive time for each student. But today it was paperwork, lectures and a couple of videos. Just finished my homework assignment and took the online tests on the chapters I studied. We have trucking company recruiters coming to the school for hiring events. In the next week we have Dedicated Logistics, Werner, Dart and America Transport. When I first started thinking about this I was leaning toward Werner or Dart for a dedicated route or as a regional driver in the western states. Now I am not sure. So much to think about as far as who to work for. That's all for now I will check in later and let you know how I am doing. I hope you do the same.

Craig H. fro Minnesota

Nothing to be nervous about, because its gonna be a lot of work.I never had to study and work so hard for anything in my life.After all the training,it starts to get easier as you gain confidence.

Tom, to answer your question the best pay will normally be found in jobs that require more of a driver, like flatbed or some sort of specialized hauling. Most of the best paying jobs require at least some OTR experience, even as little as 3-6 months.

However there is one exception to that and it's linehaul or LTL trucking. Traditionally linehaul companies were union companies. Today some of them are union, some are not, but they all still pretty much pay union wages. The Teamsters are the union I'm referring to and they're in companies like Yellow-Roadway, Old Dominion, and USF-Holland.

Those linehaul jobs pay way more than most any trucking job you'll find anywhere and are well worth looking into. It's hard to get into those companies straight out of school but it has been done a few times. It's well worth the wait if they require a bit of experience.

Tom, to answer your question the best pay will normally be found in jobs that require more of a driver, like flatbed or some sort of specialized hauling. Most of the best paying jobs require at least some OTR experience, even as little as 3-6 months.

However there is one exception to that and it's linehaul or LTL trucking. Traditionally linehaul companies were union companies. Today some of them are union, some are not, but they all still pretty much pay union wages. The Teamsters are the union I'm referring to and they're in companies like Yellow-Roadway, Old Dominion, and USF-Holland.

Those linehaul jobs pay way more than most any trucking job you'll find anywhere and are well worth looking into. It's hard to get into those companies straight out of school but it has been done a few times. It's well worth the wait if they require a bit of experience.

Hey Brett, Yes, linehaul is actually an area I am looking out for as well after reading everything 6 String has written. Until he posted about his pursuit of linehaul and then actually getting the job when it was considered rare, if not virtually impossible, for someone straight out of school to get such a gig, I had never heard of the word "linehaul". His writings very much intrigued me, and the fact that you can be home much more than OTR but still accrue a good amount of miles at a very high cpm got my attention. I have a friend who did this for UPS for many years (I didn't know what it was called then) and I always thought that if I ever drove, that type of driving might be for me. Who knows?!

A major part of what will play into my decision making is that I am married and it will be hard to leave my wife alone for extended periods like the first year or two will probably demand. We both accept this but it doesn't make the thought much easier since, as with hopefully all married couples, we got married to be together. That is one of the reasons linehaul is appealing even if it's not very likely immediately (still keeping my eyes and ears open though). Other than the little detail about being married (slight understatement!) I really think the OTR lifestyle fits me pretty well. Like everyone, lots of factors to consider.

Hey Craig H. and Jake Break, Today we took some tests and did a lot of work on manual logs and the rules. We are also doing a pre-trip inspection as a group every day. So far, the instructors have done it both days but I suspect we will get to start doing them shortly.

It's funny, today our instructor got interviewed by the local Fox station and will be on the news tonight. Apparently, there is some talk in NC to limit or ban trucks from parking on exit/entrance ramps for "safety" reasons. They interviewed him for this topic and also asked him about the driver shortage.

If anyone is interested and has access to Fox 46 Charlotte, it's on the 10 o'clock news. In fact, they did take a shot of us in the classroom. If they show it, I'm the goofy looking guy in the grey t-shirt sitting in the middle of the room. This could my shot at 1.3 seconds of fame.

Here's a question: One thing that has me limiting the list of companies that I can consider (at least in my head) is there are only a few companies that have terminals in Charlotte, NC and I will not be able to park my truck at my house. If I go with one of the many companies hiring in this area but they don't have a terminal here, how can I handle this? What options are there that can solve this issue?

Tom you can try to check with places like Wal-Mart to see if they will let you park a truck there for a couple of days. I've seen drivers make all kinds of arrangements with places that have a large enough parking area to get a truck into. Sometimes you may find a restaurant or a large convenience store, or whatever. If you live anywhere near an interstate or even a small state highway with a truck stop nearby you could park there and have someone come pick you up for your home time. Keep your eyes peeled for places around your town that might work - you have lots of options. Don't limit yourself to companies that have nearby terminals.

Tom you can try to check with places like Wal-Mart to see if they will let you park a truck there for a couple of days. I've seen drivers make all kinds of arrangements with places that have a large enough parking area to get a truck into. Sometimes you may find a restaurant or a large convenience store, or whatever. If you live anywhere near an interstate or even a small state highway with a truck stop nearby you could park there and have someone come pick you up for your home time. Keep your eyes peeled for places around your town that might work - you have lots of options. Don't limit yourself to companies that have nearby terminals.

Thanks, Old School. I totally forgot about Walmart being a possibility. Other places might be too. Will look around and will definitely keep options open. Individual companies might even have some arrangements made since Charlotte is a fairly major intersection with both I-85 and I-77 coming through here. Will ask them too.

Yep even check close to home, depending where you live. My buddy owned his own rig and trailers(2 Flat beds) 1 block from home, these people had huge fenced graveled yard, and rented space. $75 a month he parked his rigs there (Fontana, Calif. 2 blocks across from the Int Speedway) Was real convenient