Getting Back In After 9 Years Off
Topic 891 | Page 1
Unfortunately most refresher course can cost as much as it does for full schooling for a rookie. $600 for a refresher course is actually cheap. If you are wanting a company position after schooling try looking at the larger companies. I believe Steven's Transport hires from your area and has a school. Try this link Company-Sponsored Training and call and talk with them.
The problem is you will not find low cost/no cost training even if you already have a CDL. You still have to meet certain requirements before coming back into trucking. The only way to get low cost/ no cost refresher course is to go througha company school and agree to work with that company for at leasta year and they will pay for the schooling but chances are you will not be able to stay at home while doing that. You will have to go to their school which most times will be in another state.
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.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
After coming off the road in October of 2004, driving a local tow truck, finishing my B.A. in English (at 53), substitute teaching, and working at a bookstore; I'm looking to get back on the road. The last company I worked for, Western Express, let me know about the school/refresher course requirements that guys in my position are facing.
Welcome, Mike! I love the Panhandle. My wife and I were married in Pensacola when I was in the Navy and going to school there.
Roadmaster in Jacksonville has a refresher, but would not give me a quote; they suggested I get a prehire agreement with a company, with specific requirements for a refresher course, then Roadmaster could tailor and price the course accordingly.
Welcome aboard Mike!
That is actually really good advice by Roadmaster. Every trucking company will have different requirements for the refresher course you'll have to take and what schools they would accept it from. So there isn't a course you can take and expect to land a job with just about any company. It will depend on where you want to go to work.
I would agree with Guyjax that the fastest, least expensive way to get the training out of the way and get out on the road making money would be with one of the Company-Sponsored Training Programs, but most of them don't hire out of Florida. In fact, most companies don't hire out of Florida period. That's going to be one of the bigger challenges. I believe Prime, Werner, and possibly Swift hire out of Florida. They're all listed on that page I linked to above.
If you can't get anything going with those companies, then I would start applying for pre-hires at the companies you're interested in and find out what they require as a refresher. You're not going to get the training for free no matter what opportunity you come across, but you should be able to get it for less than $1000 I would imagine. And you'll make that back in a week or two, so that's no big deal.
We now have the ability to apply to multiple carriers with just one application. You can do a search by zip code and it will bring up all of the trucking companies hiring out of that area. Then just pick the jobs you'd like to apply for and away it goes! You can find that system here:
Apply to multiple trucking companies with one application
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.Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Pre-hires:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Prehire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I believe Steven's Transport hires from your area and has a school.
I talked to Steven's Transport this afternoon, got the lowdown on their school, and received some info via email from them about their school in Dallas, TX. According to their website they also have a school in Houston and Denver.
Thanks for the input.
Mike check into Wel Companies out of DePere, WI. I work for them. When I was in training a guy had been off the road for 7 years! They hired him put him with a local driver for a week and gave him a truck. No money, 400 training pay and a pretty good company. Worth a shot. If ya wanna call them 920 339 0110. They have a 800 number but I dont know it. They do have a website though.
Made the decision this morning to go with Stevens Transport. I'll be starting their school Monday the 15th. Lots of options out there, but the Stevens program appears to be a good fit. I believe it will be a mutually beneficial arrangement. An hour after the phone call with Stevens, I called my boss at the bookstore to let her know I was leaving. She laughed and said "Congratulations on getting a real job. You are eligible for rehire anytime."
Just completed fourth week of five week otr with trainer. Can't give details because I don't want to make waves, but let's just say that self control and perserverance are called for daily. The three week school in Dallas is designed to get folks their CDL. I already had mine, but gave the school my full attention. Lots of knuckleheads culled out, some knuckleheads remained, but met a few real good guys with good attitudes. If you are planning on going this route, get it in your head that your training is your responsibility. Yes, you will pay Stevens for the school and make only 350 a week while otr training, but self motivation and a proactive attitude are a must. And you better have a thick skin; a very thick skin. You can learn a lot, even if you're returning to the career field like me. You have to pay attention, ask questions, and know when to just keep your mouth shut. Oh, and did I mention you have to have a thick skin?
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.
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.
...but most of them don't hire out of Florida. In fact, most companies don't hire out of Florida period.
Why is this (the location restrictions)? I don't understand why location matters when hiring someone who's going to be driving all over the place!
From what I have researched... It's due mainly to state regulations on driving records. Some states won't give out the proper information, thats why prime told me they sometimes put a Freeze on hiring out of florida.
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After coming off the road in October of 2004, driving a local tow truck, finishing my B.A. in English (at 53), substitute teaching, and working at a bookstore; I'm looking to get back on the road. The last company I worked for, Western Express, let me know about the school/refresher course requirements that guys in my position are facing.
I have a CDL Class A, and within the next two weeks my background check will be done and I'll have my Hazmat. Also have a current DOT physical card. My DMV record is clean for the past 3 years and there is nothing on my background of concern.
Nearest CDL school is TDI in Milton, FL. Visited them and discovered it is a 3 week course costing at least five thousand (if you pay cash on day one.) They don't offer a refresher. Talked to Flagler Technical Institute and they offer a 40 hour one week refresher by appointment costing about six hundred (would require hotel and food for the week also). Roadmaster in Jacksonville has a refresher, but would not give me a quote; they suggested I get a prehire agreement with a company, with specific requirements for a refresher course, then Roadmaster could tailor and price the course accordingly.
Here's what I'd really like: A way to get "refreshed" on my driving skills for little or no cost, and a position as a company driver driving solo. I'm looking to do at least one full year with a company before re-assessing. Also need a company that will hire from the Panhandle of Florida, and also the Fort Collins/Denver area (wife and kids want to move out that way in the future.)
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
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.
Prehire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.