Comments By Joshua

Welcome to the forum Joshua.

I completed Knight's CDL training at Olive Branch las Oct. Your first week will be orientation. The second week will be classroom and training pad, learning all the backing skills for the CDL exam. The third and fourth weeks will be spent with an OTR trainer and a local trainer. Since you are from MS, you will be able to take your CDL exam with a third party tester that they use.

Next, you will spend 2-4 weeks with a trainer to continue working on your driving skills, as well as, learning the paperwork and Qualcomm system. Once your trainer feels you are ready, you will return to the terminal and have a road exam by one of the Knight trainers. Once that is complete, you will get your solo truck and begin the 30,000 mile Squire phase. This is OTR, and you will have a driver manager from the squire program.

Once that 30,000 mile is complete, you will be transferred to a Knight DM at your home terminal. This is when you may be able to get a regional/dedicated run. Each terminal has different accounts and it will depend on what's available at the time. Get to know your DM and prove yourself to him/her. When at the terminals, keep your eyes and ears open. I found out about the current position I'm in (flatbed, dedicated account) because I noticed some new flatbeds being delivered to a terminal and started asking questions to of the drivers that I meet.

As far as the benefits, that will be covered in orientation. If I remember correctly, you can enroll in most of them 90 days after hire or at the annual enrollment periods.

Thanks for all of the great info Sandman! By the way, great job on the Knight CDL training diary. It had tons of great info and first hand insight of their program.

I am considering joining Knight transportation by going through their training program. I am curious though about some things such as do they allow you to go straight to driving regional right after you complete their training program or do they require you to drive OTR for a period of time before letting you go regional? Also does anyone know about their benefits such as when do they start? Any other info you can share about Knight would be great as they are currently the frontrunner in my search for a company to go with.

Thanks!

I've been considering Knight as well. The training program seems to be the best anywhere and who else will pay you while you are working to get your CDL???

While you are in training just about every company pays you. The standard seems to be .12 cpm or $600 dollars.....which every is higher per week.

Just to clarify, are you referring to in training as in when you go over the road with a trainer? From what I have been told by recruiters from other companies, they will pay you for training only after you go out with a trainer but not during the first few weeks during classroom and range training when working to get your CDL, however, my understanding is that Knight does. I think its because of how Knight's training program is different and their "over the road" training is the primary form of training received rather than only training in a controlled environment prior to getting your CDL. I may be wrong about all that though and my apologies if I am. I'm still doing my research on companies to make sure I pick the right one.

I've been considering Knight as well. The training program seems to be the best anywhere and who else will pay you while you are working to get your CDL??? Those factors are what's really making me lean towards Knight but the option for regional and great home time is definitely what has my eye. Being a family man with a wife and two kids, great home time is very important to me.