Tag Archives: truck driver training

Factors Affecting Job Placement In The Trucking Industry

There are a lot of factors that will affect your ability to find job placement in the trucking industry. Not only the obvious ones like employment history, criminal history, and driving record, but also things like your physical health and credit scores. Let’s take a look at em…. Continue reading

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4 Mistakes That Cause Students To Fail CDL Training & How They Can Be Prevented

While the majority of students have success during their time at CDL training, there are others who come up short in their quest to become a professional truck driver. So, why do they fail? And how can it be prevented? Let’s take a look at the four most common mistakes and how to prevent them. Continue reading

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Passing The CDL Test, The Trainer's Viewpoint | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

A Driver Trainer’s Perspective: Some Helpful Tips And Observations For Student Drivers

Being a CDL instructor or a driver trainer is a very unique experience. I learned more about truck driving over the past 4 weeks than I have in the previous three years combined. It was an amazing learning experience for me. Here are some of the highlights I learned along the way. Continue reading

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Learning How To Back Up A Big Truck

Learning how to back up a big rig is no easy task, but a few basic tips and tricks can really speed up the process! Continue reading

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Passing The CDL Test, The Trainer's Viewpoint | Tagged , , , , , | 5 Comments

Financing Options For Truck Driving School

There are numerous options for funding your tuition to truck driving school and in this article Tonya Bons of Spirit CDL Training lists a whole slew of options including grants, student loans, tuition reimbursement, and many more. Continue reading

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Trying To Teach Proper Driver Forecasting

I’m about three weeks into being a CDL instructor now, working one on one on the road with my student. There’s a lot I can teach, but there’s a lot that can only come with experience. Forecasting what may happen next is one of the most important aspects of safe driving, and one of the toughest to teach a new driver. Continue reading

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, On The Road In Training, Safe Driving Tips, Stories of the Road, The Trainer's Viewpoint | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Types of Trainers and How to Deal With Them

While I’ve only been a CDL instructor for about a week now, I’ve already noticed that my training techniques could easily go in several different directions. Here are some of the more common personalities and traits a trainer might have, and how to deal with them as a student or new driver. Continue reading

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A Trainer’s Perspective On Teaching Students How To Shift

Today, I became a fully certified CDL instructor (woo hoo!). It feels very strange to be teaching students how to shift a truck when it feels like I just got my CDL license last week. Of course, I’ve had my license for over two and a half years now, but it sure doesn’t feel that way. Continue reading

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Great Stories, On The Road In Training, Safe Driving Tips, The Trainer's Viewpoint | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

I’m Becoming a CDL Instructor!

Yup, I’m doing something I never thought I’d ever do. I’m becoming a CDL instructor! Long story short, an old college buddy of mine started asking questions about becoming a truck driver. After several emails and a couple phone calls together, he applied to the company I drive for and was hired. He’s coming in without any trucking experience and no CDL. After a lot of thinking, I decided to train him myself. Continue reading

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Training Time Is Over And It’s Time To Test

Well, after two weeks with my trainer, I got to go home for three days to relax and get ready for my company test. Before I can get assigned my own truck I had to go back to the operating center and take a series of tests so the company knows I am knowledgeable enough and safe enough to go out solo in my own truck. Here’s how it went… Continue reading

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On The Road In Training: There’s Been A Lot Of Ups And Downs

Well, I have been out with my trainer for a week and a half now and it has definitely been a roller coaster ride. I am learning new things every day, and every day our trainer expects us to do more and more on our own with little or no guidance from him. I feel I have progressed quite a bit, but feel as tho I still have a long way to go, especially since I only have 3 more days with my trainer. Continue reading

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On The Road In Training: Doing Things For The First Time

In my first few days out on the road with a trainer everything is going great. Everything is brand new to you at this point – even my first truck stop shower! I had no idea how that was gonna go! Continue reading

Posted in Becoming A Truck Driver, Great Stories, On The Road In Training, Stories of the Road, truck driving lifestyle | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Finding A Career I’m Passionate About

The last time I posted, I had decided that I no longer would pursue Optometry school and had the inkling that truck driving might be the career for me. I started doing the research and talking to recruiters and here’s what I’ve found… Continue reading

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What You Need To Know Before Choosing A Truck Driving School

I have been in the truck driver training industry for several years now and it still dumbfounds me as to how individuals choose their truck driving school. Often times they make the least important factors a priority, while failing to evaluate the most important factors properly. You want the best quality education you can get for the money, and most importantly you want to be able to land a job after graduation. Here are some factors to consider when comparing truck driving schools. Continue reading

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Career Help, Tips, Advice, Choosing A Truck Driving School | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Showdown With “The Colonel” – Handling My Trainer’s Tirades

3200 miles with colonel Kurtz and still going surprisingly well. I needed to keep things light with this guy because I still had two or three weeks left with him. When it seemed like he wasn’t going to let up on me, I knew we were going to have a showdown. Continue reading

Posted in Advice and Opinions, Becoming A Truck Driver, Great Stories, On The Road In Training, Stories of the Road | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment