Comments By G-Rod

i will don't worry it's on the line ill keep you posted thanks all

Any updates Waterboy on the linehaul gig?

I may be able to answer some of your questions regarding the Fed Ex Driver Apprentice program as I will be starting it in a week or two. Im in California and the particular terminal I will be working from is non-Union. Starting pay while in the program is 21.25/hr. After4-5 weeks of training(I have my Class A license already, just no experience) and once I become a full time P&D driver pay goes to 23.43/hr. In time pay will top out at around 26.50. from what I understand there is more money to be made driving linehaul, but those positions are usually taken by the more senior drivers. I have a long time friend that has worked for Fed Ex for a long time and has always been happy there. He has done everything for them(dockworker,driver,dispatch,and management) and has been promoted several times. Also if u get into the program u will need to stay with the company for a year or you will be required to pay them back for training. There is a percentage you have to pay back if you are not there a year. I hope this helps and good luck to you.

How's the Apprentice program been going for you Skippy75 D.? Is it tough? Hoping to get into one myself.

Thanks start training tomorrow at 9:00pm Denver to omaha

Any updates on how this is going for you?

Did this ever end up working out for you?

I had this happen to me here in Mi. I have my permit with all of the endorsements EXCEPT the Haz Mat. The DMV gave me a paper with the name of the Co they use for finger printing and I had to go on-line to make an appt. Here, they r only open for 3 hrs a day, & the cost is $90. My test is good for 60 days, so I hope the results come in faster than that. (Was told it could take 60-80 days)

This is pretty much where I'm at with it too. My next early week from my full time job that gives me a 2.5 hour window between jobs I'm gonna try to go get the DOT physical and find out more about the finger prints.

So, I went and took and passed the CDL permit test for Missouri last Thursday. Their computers were up and down so I was bouncing back and forth between computerized tests and paper, color in the dots tests. Scores are as follows.....paper tests were the lower ones, don't know why, maybe from doing the high road on the computer things just flowed easier.

General Knowledge - 84% Combinations - 86% Doubles/Triples - 94% Tanker - 94% Hazmat - 96%

Hazmat was my biggest fear, and ironically did the best.

So I get to the DMV to get the permit and they tell me I have to go get finger printed and a DOT physical first. But the paper I got from highway patrol told me the next step is to get the permit, then submit my finger prints. Only having a 2 hour window between my full time job and FedEx which is where I'm hoping to get on as a driver apprentice, now I have to spend more time finding out what exactly I need to do next.

With that said, I can also say the high road works. Wording was quite a bit different on the test, and I did run into a few questions that pertained specifically to the Missouri manual, so don't abandon your manual just for the high road.......those are some of the questions I missed, "guessing" the best I could.

One was on hydroplaning, everyone knows what hydroplaning is, but the question was: you're driving down the highway in the rain, how do you know you're in danger of hydroplaning?

A. There are many planes in around you in the sky B. The car in front of you is splashing water from as it drives down the road C. You can see raindrops splashing as they hit the water on the road

Anyone? It's obviously not A, so that took me from a 33.3% chance to a 50% chance of getting it right. My thought process said, well if there is enough standing water on the road to see raindrops splash as they land, then that layer of water is enough to be in danger of hydroplaning. So I went with C.

NOPE. It was B.

There were a few others also that were easily narrowed down to two choices, but both choices seemed like they could be the right answer. Most of these were related to my state manual though. While I read it, I missed retaining some of that information.

Point is, I passed, just need to get to the next step. I did get complimented on "flying through tests and passing" so that was nice.

DSH69 - how's the training going? you done? get the parallel parking down?

I finally got my CDL permit yesterday. Just had a hard time of finding when to do it. I've talked to my hiring manager at my terminal about driving, so he knows I'm interested. He just said bring him a permit.........bringing it to him today. Whether or not there will be any openings anytime soon I don't know, but at least I'll be ready now.

Anyone know about how long it takes to do the written permit test, with the endorsements? Next week I will have about 2 hours between jobs......and hoping, thinking, and wondering if I could get it done in that time. I've gone through the high road twice......first, "studying." And the second, from memory and did pretty darn good I think. And may go through it once more this weekend to hopefully have it down front to back.

From what I've read in other posts, the test should total around 100-125 questions? That about right? Want to get this done, but have a small window of opportunity next week. Actually took a half day off of my full time job this past Monday to go do it, got all pumped up, walked into the building, with people on duty and was told I couldn't take it because it was Columbus Day. I was ****ed!

I'm gonna get the hang of the dock a lil bit for a while, then start asking some questions. Still have to get the permit. Still studying the high road. Read the CDL manual once. Hopefully only have to take it once. Dragging it out because I have a lot of down time between a full and part time job, plus making family time.

I know you said no dock work in training, are you going to have to do dock work once becoming a driver? Do they just work with you until you pass the CDL or do you only have so many chances?

I would like to think I could get in one of them trucks and do certain things somewhat easily, HOWEVER, that's just a thought. I would imagine I could back a straight line and alley dock. I will say though.......parallel a semi....pshhh. That's gonna take some practice. Never double clutched before, but seems like it shouldn't be TOO hard. Again, I may be surprised. Pretrip would definitely have to be drilled in to me. I have seen some guys back into my current jobs dock like it was nothing, nailed it straight dead on the first time, and relatively quick. Then I've also seen it as bad as a guy having to drop his trailer in our parking lot, hook to an empty to open 2 doors cause he couldn't get into just one between trailers, drop the empty, re-hook the load, back it in, drop it, and then re-hook to the empty again.

I am impressed with the way FedEx puts the efforts into protecting each and every shipment. I've seen smaller freight companies just throw stuff in a truck and hope they don't have to jam on the brakes, or that anything shifts during transit.

Thanks for the update, hope you get that parallel parking down! Good luck.

DSH69, how's the training going? I just started the dock last night. Decided to browse the FedEx job postings and saw that there's a road driver position posted right now!

How did you get into the Apprentice program? Did you come from the dock, or did you already have a permit and just applied?

My first choice is the road driver position/line haul. Now I see this job listing right after I get hired for part time dock. My dilemma is, I want to find out about the apprentice program and ask questions, however, I JUST got started on the dock and don't want to come across as not caring about what I was hired to do, although it's primarily something I did to use as a stepping stone toward driving. What to do, what to do??