McElroy Truck Lines
Topic 2878 | Page 13
So i have finished two days orientation here it as follows;
1st day is a whole and i mean a whole lot of paper work like more paperwork than it is to buy a house. Then afetr that another guy comes in and talks about saftey and the simulator. He tells saftey is the most important thing and how 99% of all accidents are preventable and a lot of people think they are great drivers in their personal cars but are really average due to eating and checking our cell phones. Also he tells us to take the simulator very very serious and never ever call it a video game.
2nd day is your DOT physical and your agility test its pretty simple a few hard parts but not to hard just breath the whole time through try not to get excited about anything so you can keep that heartrate down. They are big on not having high blood pressure.
So hope that helped out a little ill try and let you know how the rest of my week goes.
Hey redbeard how's it going at McElroy? I'm in trucking school and got a pre hire letter from them. I just want to know about how many miles you get, the reasons they would send you home during orientation, and the thing about your heart rate. Do they check that as you are doing the agility test? Also, any tips and advice you may have. Thanks a lot bud and your career is going great
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.
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.
First week running up north...Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana & Ohio so far...Nice up here...Spent last night a block away from the Titans field in Nashville and went by Riverfront Stadium today in Cincy
First week running up north...Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana & Ohio so far...Nice up here...Spent last night a block away from the Titans field in Nashville and went by Riverfront Stadium today in Cincy
I've parked at the T/A there in Nashville and have gone to a couple of Titans games over the years there. Awesome opportunity if you're lucky enough to be in the area on game day.
First week running up north...Tennessee, Kentucky, Indiana & Ohio so far...Nice up here...Spent last night a block away from the Titans field in Nashville and went by Riverfront Stadium today in Cincy
I've parked at the T/A there in Nashville and have gone to a couple of Titans games over the years there. Awesome opportunity if you're lucky enough to be in the area on game day.
Yeah it'd be nice to get parked there on a game day weekend. I'm kind of a sports nut so I thought it was pretty cool. Drove past Riverfront in Cincy the other day and then up into Wisconsin but didn't make it up to Green Bay. Headed over to Minot ND Monday from a pick up in Illinois right on the banks of Lake Michigan which I had never seen until last week.
and then up into Wisconsin but didn't make it up to Green Bay
Never saw a game at Lambeau but the stadium looks pretty amazing from a distance. It's just by itself in the middle of nowhere. You have 10,000 acres of cornfields and a giant stadium at the center pretty much.
Thanks to all who have posted on this thread. I am like others here who are new to the trucking industry. I will be heading off to CDL school in a few weeks. Am very interested in flat bedding, have been researching several companies but really like what I have read about McElroy. Have been self employ the past 8 years or so, both my wife and I are making career changes as she went back to school and I would like to drive a truck. Have been enjoying working my way through the High Road Training Program. This is an awesome website! Thanks to Brett and the crew for all you do! With so much info to wade through on the internet, trying to discern fact from fiction, it is very refreshing to hit upon Trucking Truth website. Thanks again, have fun, stay safe, work hard, life is good!
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.
Thanks to all who have posted on this thread. I am like others here who are new to the trucking industry. I will be heading off to CDL school in a few weeks. Am very interested in flat bedding, have been researching several companies but really like what I have read about McElroy. Have been self employ the past 8 years or so, both my wife and I are making career changes as she went back to school and I would like to drive a truck. Have been enjoying working my way through the High Road Training Program. This is an awesome website! Thanks to Brett and the crew for all you do! With so much info to wade through on the internet, trying to discern fact from fiction, it is very refreshing to hit upon Trucking Truth website. Thanks again, have fun, stay safe, work hard, life is good!
Good Luck
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.
Everything that has been said here is correct. They are a smaller more personable flat bed company with good equipment and benefits and pay. Yes you are home on weekends also. They do however not put up with any crappie at all they have very high standards and expect the same. I live in Columbus close to them and see quite a few satisfied drivers.
How's everybody doing? it's been great running up north for a while I've met a lot of nice people and seen a lot of things that I've never seen before. I will even have the luxury of running quite a few drop and hook runs and in flatbed that's a luxury just tighten the straps and go. Though it is starting to get cold up here 34 this morning with a high of 60 back home it's 95 today. Anybody that is considering trucking McElroy is an A+ company .
Drop And Hook:
Drop and hook means the driver will drop one trailer and hook to another one.
In order to speed up the pickup and delivery process a driver may be instructed to drop their empty trailer and hook to one that is already loaded, or drop their loaded trailer and hook to one that is already empty. That way the driver will not have to wait for a trailer to be loaded or unloaded.
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Parrot and Reformed thanks for your input. Good news! I signed up for orientation... I go to Pleasant Hills, NC on the 21st. I - Am - Psyched!!
I live in Maryland and opted for regional. The McElroy folks we're really friendly and told me there is some flexibility with Regional. I'll watch for those dedicated account opportunities. The other pay off is the good experience, right?
My plan for now is to stay focused, learn as much as I can, improve my skills, do a good job and above all stay safe. I'm gonna dig out my atlas and brush up on my trip planning. Wow, I sound like a kid—oh well.
I'll sign off with wise words from my CDL instructor, "Watch the other guy and be safe." Have a great time up in Wheat Field!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.