Profile For Troy S.

Amen and good luck to you!!

Thanks G-Town! Cannot wait!

Hey all,

Its been a while since I've posted anything about my training progress at NTTS in Liverpool, NY. I began training in the 18 week program on August 8, and just finally graduated on December 9th. I was able to pull off class champion which is a huge honor for me as I've never really been #1 at anything. On Tuesday, December 13, those of us who graduated proceeded to take the NYS DMV Road test and I'm happy to report that I passed - although by the skin of my teeth lol (nerves can cause crazy mistakes!). Now my next chapter begins, and on January 4th I begin orientation at Werner Enterprises in Allentown, PA. I had several option for carriers to choose from, and in the end, Werner had the best to offer for myself and my family. I'm super excited to begin this new career after what seemed like an eternity of training! If anyone has questions about NTTS training, or training in a private trucking school I'll be happy to share my experiences. Hope to see you all out on the highway!

Your trucking brother,

Troy

Well the second ride was definitely an improvement! We get 24 total so I think I should have it down by then, or kill the truck trying lol

Had my first road ride at NTTS yesterday in a 10 speed International we call "Big Bird" because of its yellow color. While I was able to move the truck in a forward direction, I doubt the transmission has much life left after me.

Here's hoping drive number 2 (we get 24 plus crew rides) goes better!

T

This is a continuation of my earlier posts. I decided to wait until I made it through the 1st half of training to post another update. Half way point of 18 weeks was last week so here is what we've been up to.

(Note: each phase consists of 3 weeks)

Phase 1 was classroom only and was relatively boring to report about but went well and I finished with the top grade. We covered DOT regs, map reading, log books, and a lot about air brakes, drop and hook procedures and backing maneuvers.

Phase 2 we practiced pre-trip inspections, drop & hook, and straight line backing in the field. At the end of the 3rd week we tested for each of these as well as a written test for some other lab work we had been doing. I finished this phase successfully and was quite pleased with my grade.

Phase 3 we moved on to see-side and blind-side backing maneuvers and also covered cargo securement and driver health and wellness in lab. This was considerably harder for me but I was able to maintain a good grade. I needed a 3rd pull up for my see side at a cost of 10 points but did well on everything else.

Today we begin phase 4. Finally after 9 weeks of field only maneuvers we begin taking road rides and really learning how to drive! Super excited!!

Stat tuned for more to come!

Troy

Hey all,

I figured Id summarize all of week 3 into 1 post. The bulk of the week was DOT regulations and defensive driving. Necessary but definitely not exciting to talk about lol! The excting thing is we are now done with phase 1 training here which was all classroom. Monday morning we finally head out to the field for some real work and I cannot wait!!

All in all its been a good 3 weeks. My GPA is currently a 97 which I'm very happy about, and I know some trucking companies check grades of those coming from trucking schools so I'm definitely glad I did so well.

We also had 5 different companies come and give some great presentations about what they have to offer: Gypsum Express, Werner Enterprises, TMC Trucking, H.O. Wolding, and U.S. Express.

Each company had some great things to offer but currently my favorite is H.O. Wolding. I've been prehired by them and several others, so now I just have to knuckle down and do well on all my practical learning and of course pass my DOT road test.

A word of advice to anyone going this route. Be on time and don't miss classes! UnlIke normal college, if you miss material here you HAVE to make it up. The more time you miss the more you have to make up while still learning other stuff. Eventually it will catch up with you and you'll be sunk so, unless your truly so sick you can't make it or have a legitimate emergency (not getting your oil changed like one lady) be there! And at my school at least, tardys effect your grade and are also seen by potential employers. Trucking employers DO NOT like people who show up late. Remember the old adage in this biz, early is on time!

Next week we begin learning straight line backing, drop and hook, and pre-trip. Should be fun, I'll tell you all about it as I can!

Until then,

Troy

Week 2 days 4 & 5

Sorry for the delay - been a busy week. Thursday was interesting and we covered a lot of material. Our main focus was Drop & Hook procedures, and we also learned about 9 & 10 speed transmissions. After lunch a recruiter from Werner Enterprises came and gave a great presentation (any Werner folk care to comment?) I was very intrigued by what they had to offer!

On Friday our focus was map reading and route planning all day. Very interesting stuff! Not much more to report on that unless you want a play by play of reading an atlas lol.

I'm looking forward to next week as it will be our last week of classroom only work. Week 4 we begin working in the field and in labs doing more hands on stuff, so I'm excited for that!

Have a great weekend, back at it Monday morning!!

Troy

Thanks G-Town, it's nice to get feedback like this from experienced drivers!

Week 2 day 3 (late update..)

Today we focused on log books and hours of service. While most trucks are already using e-logs and it will be industry wide by 2018, using paper logs Is still an essential skill. We also got all of our remaining text books today which is always exciting!

Tomorrow Werner Enterprises will be coming to do their company presentation so that should be interesting!

More updates to come!

Troy

Thank you Stacie :)

Well a short day 2 (week 2 day 2) is done and a successful trip to the DMV as well! I took 6 tests, General Knowledge, Combination Vehicles, Air Brakes, Doubles-Triples, Hazmat, and Tanker. Im happy to report that I passed them all! Definitely breathing a sigh of relief! Im glad I studied as much as I did, since the actual tests were much harder than the practice tests! If you are preparing for the learners permit written tests, make sure you study study study. The High Road training here is a great way to do that!

Now we begin trip logs starting tomorrow and will be in the trucks soon! I can't wait to finally be able to get my hands dirty! Until next time...

Troy

HDHP,

I'm not sure about Stacie, but I am in a private trucking school as opposed to company sponsored. The main difference is the private school is like any college where you have to pay for tuition either out of your own pocket or with student loan and any available grants. I was fortunate enough to qualify for the Pell Grant since I'm laid off and unemployed, so the student loan portion wasn't too bad. Many companies offer tuition reimbursement to help you pay back student loans if this is the type of schooling that you chose to do.

I personally chose this route rather than company-sponsored because I like the slower pace of learning as opposed to the short period of time and then jumping on the road quickly as is how it is with a company sponsored program. Dont get me wrong, many people choose that way and it works well for them, and many have become successful drivers that way. It just wasn't something I was comfortable with. Also, my school is about 10 minutes from my house so I don't have to go to another state for 4 to 6 weeks and be away from my family while I'm in school which is a huge advantage.

I Hope that answers your questions. Good luck with your decision, there area many great options to choose from!

Troy

Week 2, day 1 is in the bag. Today we finished going through the CDL manual and took 4 tests, 3 on general knowledge and 1 on air brakes. I aced all 4, so I'm now 5 for 5 at 100%! This is really helping me feel confident going into the learners permit written test at the DMV tomorrow! I plan on taking the Hazmat, Tanker & Doubles/Triples endorsement tests as well to get them out of the way. I'll let you all know how I did tomorrow - here's hoping for good results, wish me luck!

Troy

Good luck to you too Mark, Keep us posted!

Agreed Stacie! I'm much more comfortable going at a slower pace. Especially when you hear horror stories of new drivers getting in accidents because they were pushed through too quickly. It is a long time to wait, but I'll be so well prepared when I'm done. Good luck to you in your new career!

Troy

Kenneth it's 4 1/2 months but who's counting lol This school covers a lot in more detail and at a slower pace and also get a lot more time behind the wheel than the company programs I believe. Plus there are other courses that cover fork lift use, dispatch, advanced mapping etc that isn't typically covered in a shorter program.

Troy

Mark, I'm not sure about that particular school, but here the graduate to placed job percentage is in the high 90 percent rate. In many cases students are hired before even finishing. We have recruiters here each week sometimes several a week sharing about their company's specific benefits.

The cost is fairly high here as well but most carriers offer some tuition reimbursement incentives and/or sign on bonuses. Unless a student didn't want to work, the possibility of getting a job right out of school is practically 100%!

Good luck with your research and decision, the number of options is mind boggling!

Troy

Well day 5 and week 1 came to an end. I feel very prepared for the learners permit test on Tuesday. Once that's complete we can focus on some real practical learning . We also had our first company come for a visit, Gypsum Express. Pretty interesting presentation, and a place that I could see myself driving for. They did have a few negatives however, such as no tuition reimbursement, so I'll have to see what others offer. Still it's nice to know we are all wanted for the most part!

Next week I'll start a new blog and call them NTTS WEEK NUMBER 2 (and so on) from here on out (hopefully that's acceptable Brett?)

Anyway look for my continuation next week and have a great weekend!

Troy

Day 4 has come and gone! Today we focused on air brakes and took our first general knowledge test which I scored 100% on (woot woot!). In our school, not sure about others, it is an accredited school, so our test grades count towards being able to graduate. Students have to maintain a minimum grade in order to qualify to be able to take the DOT road test, so I'm glad I was able to start out strong. Tomorrow, Friday, we will take our air brake test for the school. If I do as well on that, I know I'll do fine on the written tests at the DMV, which happens on Tuesday.

Today I got my first recruiting letter in the mail from a company called H.O. Wolding, which is one of the carriers I'm interested in. It was a welcome to school letter and a brochure about what they offered. It's weird ( and exciting) going from the regular job market where no one would even respond to a resume, to being sought out before I'd even finished one week of school!

Thats all from today, there's not much more to report. Next week we will start to dig in deeper so if you're reading stay tuned. Also GOOD LUCK to my fellow rookies just starting out or preparing for school!!

Troy

Well today, day 3, went similarly to days 1 & 2 with one exception. For about half of the day we had a different instructor come and teach which was quite interesting. He has over 30 years experience driving just about every type of route imaginable so his stories were entertaining and educational.

One thing I like about having more time at this school is we get to spend a lot of time asking questions and hearing different experiences from the different instructors. I'm definitely getting more and more excited about getting started in this career, and right now 18 weeks seems like an eternity but I know I will be well prepared .

Next week once we have our learner's permits, we will continue in the class studying log books, map reading and trip routing.

See you after day 4!

Troy