Comments By Joshua F.

Good afternoon Drivers and students.

I have not posted for some time. (at home studying my pretrip and air brake routines) My Simulator training for shifting begins this Friday. And I also will get to see a Doctor about my high blood pressure Wednesday.

I am also doing research to find Minnesota based trucking companies that hire students.

I keep plugging away at it. (just no big National Carriers)

{There's a driver shortage and I find that a student fresh out of school who is "moldable" for a company would be desired. Some just need to open their eyes and be considerate to people who are turning their life around}

Congratulations. I am in my 2nd week of trucking school. I agree with the other posts here; the best company will full fill your needs and wants.

Good afternoon. I took some days off to get things straightened out with the schedule in front of me. Thankfully I'm adjusting at the propper rate. i.e. Sleep, diet, study, driving to class, staying awake using only vitamins and limited caffeine. I did obtain my Permit {apologies if I repeated that fact} and now I am choosing to attend the classes to help get the rest of the knowledge needed for time driving a truck. Yesterday was orientation for new students and our discussion of Driver Qualifications was cut short. But today was the first part of Hours of Service and it was extremely helpful! Even though most of us will be on E-logs, the instructor was demonstrating how to do Paper Logs (as a back up). Also we talked about the split sleeper berth time that Team Drivers usually use and when you get to that 14th hour of the day; you DO NOT DRIVE ANYMORE, but can still work on duty {just take a 10 hour break and you can drive again - Unless you are at the end of your 70/80 week}.

Tomorrow will be more Air Brake and Pre Trip Inspection (advised to attend as many of these as I can before I do my road test and/or instructor time in a truck off the backing range).

Classes are going good and I am glad to be at a Quality school that cares about their students. I have been talking to students from other schools and they are already in trucks and have barely gotten their permit with little to no simulator time on shifting; all the while hearing bout students messing up transmissions and gear boxes. (No Names - Anonymous)

But everyone has a different learning curve!

Have a great day and also a Safe day Drivers/students.

I passed my permit test today achieving 80% on Combination and Air Brake. Now the next hurdle is the darn DOT physical. (fear of blood pressure) But with my school (Interstate Truck Driving) the next step is to schedule backing range time and a new text book to study from. More info on that as it becomes available.

Today we went over Backing procedures/maneuvers, Coupling and Shifting (not in a truck itself).

By the way, if I have not mentioned... I am driving to and from the school location every day so I can get the feel of a schedule for this career. {even though I am used to plenty of roads trips by myself to random points on the map}

Okay, I missed a day yesterday on filling in you guys. It was actually all about Pre-trip procedures and lots of videos along with discussions.

Today however it was focused on Inspections . When Class ended at noon, I went back home to give my permit another shot. Sadly I second guessed myself on a total of 10 questions throughout the air brake and combination sections. I will hopefully be re-attempting the second try on Monday. (depending on how long it takes to get a certified birth cert.) Monday will also be my DOT physical and then more answers will follow.

Good evening everyone. I hope you all had a great and safe day.

Today was covering Pre Trip and Permit test prep. Yet half the time was occupied by recruiters. Schneider and US Express. Tomorrow will be Air Brakes.

I'm tired so I will let you go here. More tomorrow.

Good afternoon everyone. Class went quicker than expected, but enlightening none-the-less! Accident procedures were covered today. More of it will be blended into tomorrows class on defensive driving.

If you listen as they speak and check your ego at the door, you will pass these classes because it doesn't just end there. Once these 1st two weeks (for most) are completed and you get your permit; more course work and backing range/simulator training begins. They did show us the size truck and trailer we will be using on our road test to obtain the License. Since it is in a Metropolitan area, the size is smaller than OTR trucks. Although, once the road test is passed you would (depending on what program you are enrolled in) be going back for more training and simulator practice on 10 speed transmissions. (test trucks are 6 speeds) - More on that part when the time comes.

So it was just a pleasant day as I arrived early to the facility and just kept reviewing the MN Manual. Also my DOT physical is being held back a week as I work on my Blood Pressure. The faculty let me know that it was a very smart move (as 3 new comers today had theirs) to not waste the procedure. Interstate Truck Driving School is more than willing to work with me on whatever it takes to get the blood pressure under control. I was happy to hear that.

More tomorrow for ya'll. Stay safe on the roads out there.

Good morning everyone.

Just thought I would give an update before my day starts and I hopefully bring you back some great first day news. Woke up 2.5 hours before my alarms went off and couldn't get back to sleep. Chock it up to being anxious for this to start. I was already planning on using the spare time before class started at 8am to continue reviewing the manual and air brake folders provided to me. Oh well, the more time to review the better. Someone "up there" must really want me to succeed (every thing happens for a reason).

So the day begins, stay safe out there on the roads and if you are still sleeping in your truck as I post this...pleasant sleeping.

Where are you going to school?

Is it a private school or a technical college?

How much did you pay out of pocket?

If it is a technical college, were there any grants available to help lower the cost?

I will be attending Interstate Truck Driving School in South Saint Paul, Minnesota. It is a private school.

Took me 2 years to save up this amount -- $4,995 (for 160 hour manual transmission course)

The Automatic trans course (still 160 hours) was $3,995

The other school I had in mind - Heavy Metal Truck Driving, did offer grants but they dragged their heels and I was not happy with the way the recruiter rushed me into decision making. {they are based in Inver Grove Heights, Minnesota - just 8 miles from the school I'm attending}

Wouldn't it have been much easier for you if you studied/tested for the permit on your own? Then all you would have to do in school is learn the yard/road.

I did have my permit but it expired. So now I have to redo it. It shouldn't take me long to review the material and obtain it. Then I will be getting ready for the yard.

Just a suggestion, if your background is preventing you from getting company sponsored training, I suggest getting some prehire letters from several companies first. Before you spend so much $$ on school.

I agree 110% with The Shiva. I hope you have looked in to some companies or have some pre-hires due to your background.

Here are some other links that you may find helpful:

Trucking Companies That Hire Drivers With Felonies

Trucking Company Policies For Drivers With DUI-DWI

I checked the link for the felonies and I now have more companies to pursue. I'm under the case by case basis even if my felony is 14 years ago.