Comments By Sun King

In the past month or so there have been multiple changes to the Knight's Squire CDL training program. This is what I know:

- The Squire training program is alive and well for those who have gone to CDL School at other schools

- The CDL Training locations have closed down in Indianapolis and Olive Branch. As of this writing they do not look to be reopening. They don't seem to be viable any more.

- The Phoenix location is still open for CDL Training. To certain states they offer travel expenses, others they do not. Lodging expenses are on you. Unless you have a great deal of skill or knowlege, expect at least three weeks. Some have taken 4 weeks. The cheapest I have seen for lodging (off season) has been $209 a week. Off season is roughly May - October. Expect higher prices for lodging November - April.

- Knight still has you hired on while going through CDL school at $400 a week. $500 a week while going through training. After training, cpm is either .27 or .32 cents for 30,000 miles. I havent received a clear answer on that.

- My opinion: Knight is not really pushing the CDL Training except for remedial needs, Those with no lodging expenses in the Phoenix area can make Knight a viable CDL training option. Other companies are probably easier on the pocket book for those with finacial difficulties.

If you have any questions on the Squire CDL training program I will do my best to answer them.

Hello to all. I haven't been on here for a while. I just wanted to let everyone know that as of 2 weeks ago, according to Knight Recruiter "Kristen Sayman", they are NO LONGER providing training for aspiring truck drivers like myself. She said a prospective driver needs to come to their "Squire" training program straight out of another accredited truck driving school.

This is what I do know: The Squire CDL training sites in Indianapolis, IN and Olive Branch MS have closed down. During the last legislative session in many neighboring states they are not allowing the training. Phoenix still has CDL Training because there is enough interest in the surrounding states and only CA, WA, and NM don't allow the training. From what I hear, these states have state sponsored or supplement CDL training and do not want competition.

How long Phoenix will be open? Hopefully until I get my CDL. This is a very recent development so I wouldn't expect the information to be updated yet. The other Company-Sponsored Training should be good though. You will want to talk to a recruiter and check the details. Some may have changed their structure.

Hey Package Handler, I think you are making the right decision sticking it out at UPS. On the docks is where you want to be if you want to drive truck when you turn 21. The degree that works best with this career field (Logistics) is Supply Chain management as an FYI.

If UPS has a in house program to get you in a truck, great! If not, many companies offer dock to truck opportunities. Many of these companies pay well also. Here's a list of companies I know that have dock to truck opportunities:

Saia

YRC

ABF Frieght

FedEX Freight

Old Dominion

... and I am sure there are others.

I'm going out on a limb here... I'm guessing you are just a little competitive

500 more of those smiley combinations and I might catch up to Joppa

Great Job Heavy C!

Companies are being put on notice to better compensate their drivers ... how is that a bad thing? Who's side are you on?

I wish that would be the case... But the only thing that will compensate drivers more is supply and demand. Wages are going up now because there is more freight than the amount of drivers to haul that freight.

Companies are not being put on notice to better compensate their drivers. They are being put on notice that they might have to shuffle around their pay structure to fit the ruling of this case. Basically cpm goes down. On duty pay rises to minimum, the driver gets paid the same.

Daniel B's Year Diary I a good place to start to get an idea of what life will be like on the road. This is from TT's moderator who made it through the tough parts.

On you tube, Check out the channel RideWithB. This is a video journal of a kind, polite guy who ended up quitting due to the stresses on the road. Beware, parts of it are tough to watch. It made me think real hard before I decided to go forward and pursue this career.

So This is my backyard:

I am a big fan of chickens myself. We had three hens for years, then this year we bought 10 fertilized eggs and ended up with 8 chicks. At least 4 of those are roosters and they will not be staying in suburbia for long. They will be headed to freezer camp in the near future. For sure some of them roosters will be doing a ride along with me at some point in time.

Thanks for the info Old School, It is helpful! My crock pot is a small 1.5qt. I have a 3qt pot if I feel the need to upgrade though.

Sun King, I drive for Knight and I use a 120 volt Crock Pot with a 400 watt inverter that plugs into the 12 volt receptacle. You can do all kind of creative things with that method. Just recently I purchased some Cornish hens at the grocery and roasted one of them in the Crock Pot with some onions, garlic, and carrots in there also to add some flavor. The other one I put in with three cups of water some coarsely chopped onion, chopped garlic, chopped celery, and some carrots. I let it stew in the pot as I drove most of the day. Then when I took my thirty minute break I removed the bird and de-boned it adding the meat back into the broth. I then chopped up some link sausage that I had left over in the 12 volt Koolatron, threw in some noodles and let them cook for the rest of my day. At the end of the day I enjoyed some really tasty homemade soup!

That looks great Old School! A couple questions: What size is your crock pot? That doesn't look like a whole cornish hen unless they are smaller than the rotisserie chicken size I am thinking of. Do you cook with leftovers in mind, or enough for that meal?

I am planning on using a standard cooler in the beginning and going from there. Freezing a cornish hen to help with cooling seems like a grand plan to me.

This is probably not what you were looking for, but if you were hard up and in Colorado there is Hugo Golf Course.

If you are going east on I70 as you hit Limon, CO take state highway 287 about 7 miles. The course is nine holes of native buffalo grass fairways and sand greens. I doubt it costs much if anything. I wouldn't use your good clubs. You could clock a split sleeper berth to pull this off. It's easy to get back on I-70 or to shoot down south toward Texas.