Comments By Danielle

Background check I'm not sure about. I know the first day of class I filled out a paper to have my MVR pulled for my driving record but I'm not 100%sure on the background check however I know that one of the guys in my class did say he has a felony and he just got released in April. He also paid for the courses out of pocket so I don't know if that matters since I applied for the grant thru the school to get funding for the program.

You had to do a background check to get in program? Lady told me that on phone wasn't sure if she was trying to scare me.. What bout the drug test was it hair or urine?

Thanks G-town for your words of wisdom!

Day 4 My instructor left early as a matter of fact as soon as we got in class. She said that she wasn't feeling too good and we would have the director of Continuing Education Department sit in with us today. We watched a few videos on combination vehicles and railroad safety then we discussed some of the new technology that the truck driving industry would soon be rolling out or planning to invest in. He had opinions on self driving trucks and stated he doesn't believe he would ever see those in his lifetime but supposedly 2035 self driving 18wheelers. Can you imagine that ? Anyway class was short and not really focused on learning to drive trucks but more of discussing the industry of trucking and its future.

Day 5- 8/7/2017 Today when I got in I saw a note on the board that the class would be meeting in a different room because there was a recruiter in to speak with us. When I got in the room I saw another evening class there along with a few of my class mates. The speaker was from Covenant Transport and she gave us a lot of information about there program. She told us that the company is known for team driving but they also have solo routes. And if you don't have a partner that the company has like a match making site to use to get a partner that has similar habits as you. For instance if you like to run hard you will be matched with a partner that runs hard if you want a female partner that doesn't smoke and has pets then the site would match you with a partner that has some of the same qualities that you desire. I thought that was pretty sweet. Also you are paid as long as the truck moves whether you're driving or sleeping you are getting paid. She had a lot of information and I liked the fact that they don't split the pay just the miles both people will make 0.52/per mile after training. I will do more research on this company because they have a lot of qualities that I may be able to benefit from. Once we finished with the recruiter we went over our study guides on Chapter 1 and 2 of the handbook and learned a lot about the pre trip inspection. I got a link from here that Ive been studying to get more familiar with the pre trip parts. I was thinking of printing it and asking the instructor if I could give a copy to my classmates so that can get familiar also. I printed a copy for myself and I have been reviewing it daily while sitting here at the front desk.

Day 6 8/8/2017 We got to class and had a short discussion on the Training website that we are supposed to do our quizzes on. The instructor sounded a little frustrated as she mention that some of the students hadn't even logged in and she stressed that all 35 chapters had to be completed before the 10/20/17. "My boss is really getting on to me about you guys finishing those quizzes". In my mind I thought to say well if we had classes on Friday we could dedicate that day in the computer lab getting some of the quizzes knocked out but I didn't because I have a computer at home and nothing to do on the weekends so I will be getting at least 20 done this weekend. Besides that She handed out 2 study guides on airbrakes and combination vehicles each study guide has 36 multiple choice questions. All the answers are in the book and I'm actually working on it now at the front desk since I don't have any customers. I decided to update you guys. Yesterday class let out about 7:45pm. I am going to get back to this airbrake study guide and talk to you all later. Have a great Wednesday your guys!!!

Class is scheduled Monday thru Friday 5:30pm -10:30PM. So I cant understand why we leave at 8:30pm and also No classes are on Friday now thanks to the class. Like I said the Instructor said if we would like to come on Friday we can but I just don't think she will even be there once she finishes her day class. Today after class I am going to ask her if she thinks we should resume classes on Friday because all of our labs are online now and it is part of our grade they no longer use books as of this past September but a lot of guys have not even logged in to the website are quizzes are on I have studied 3 chapters of out 35 myself. But I will complete at least 20 this weekend for sure. I just don't know if its her or the students but we are all new to this Only 1 guy in my class has his class a cdl so I really cant understand why the students would decide this.

When I arrived in class the first question the group asked me is would I like to have class on Fridays. My response was it is up to the class. I didn't know that out of the 7 students the majority had already voted to skip classes on Friday. However the instructor stated that If we wanted to still show up we could. I found this kind of odd but at then again we do have a total of 12 weeks to learn the material, shifting, backing, and basic control of the vehicle. I just want to make sure that I focus while I'm there and learn as much as possible.

That is odd. Was class originally scheduled on Fridays, or was that going to be added on as an extra day? Sure, you have plenty of time to learn the material but I still wouldn't take it too lightly when they start taking away precious learning time. That's just my two cents.

Day 3 8/3/17. Today was kind of a slow day but a lot of Knowledge was given on trip planning, reading road maps and learning how to get from point a to b when using a road atlas. When I arrived in class the first question the group asked me is would I like to have class on Fridays. My response was it is up to the class. I didn't know that out of the 7 students the majority had already voted to skip classes on Friday. However the instructor stated that If we wanted to still show up we could. I found this kind of odd but at then again we do have a total of 12 weeks to learn the material, shifting, backing, and basic control of the vehicle. I just want to make sure that I focus while I'm there and learn as much as possible. Anyway after the trip planning we watched a video on railroad safety(train vs truck). The video was very interesting. After that, we reviewed our study guide which is 300 questions on just Chapter 1 & 2 of the dps manual. I answered the first 50 questions and I will complete the rest tonight since there is no classes on Friday. Any who just a quick update. Thank you for taking the time to read this. And I would love to continue to hear your feedback and your experiences during your training. Have a great day.

You're right Trucking Truth is awesome I really mean it when I save I love this site. Yes I am fully dedicated to this and anything I set my mind on I put my heart into it. No half stepping on this end. I just feel like getting my CDL will really change my life mentally physically and financially. Keep studying and quizzing and testing yourself to make sure you have everything down packed. I have a an app called dmv genie and cdl studybuddy which is awesome also. Good Luck!

I guess you can tell I am extremely sleepy by the grammar of my last post lol I just reread it and I apologize I don't know how to edit a post I have already submitted. Tomorrow I will be better thanks goodnight

I'll bet you're tired! That's quite the dedication taking evening classes after work. Good on you, I know it'll be worth it in the end, once you're on the road going solo (or team, if that's what you prefer). I'm taking time after work doing some of the Highroad Training until I head out for my own training and even that is tiring!

I have never driven a manual shift anything. I have driven a commercial van but it wasn't nearly as big as rig. It was more like a van really.Thats a good point starting in flatbed in the first year to build your confidence. I am sure you can do anything you put your mind too! Good Luck and Godspeed.

Congrats on your journey and I will be following as soon as you start posting!! What school are you attending if you don't mind me asking? Lonestar? Steven's Transport? 12 months is not so bad. Have you ever driven a commercial vehicle before? manual shift vehicle? I wanna know details:)

I don't mind at all! I was considering Lonestar, since I live within a few miles of the CyFair location, but I decided it would be best to go the sponsored route, instead. I'm going to do training up in Iowa with TMC at their own training facility. They only do flatbed, which I hear is harder than dry van, but I figure that if I take a more difficult path my first year, I can make it with more confidence moving forward!

I've never driven a commercial vehicle but I have driven many manual shift vehicles and actually prefer them to automatics. It's been awhile, so I'm sure that I'm a bit rusty but I'll shake that rust off in no time. Heck, my car now doesn't even have gears to switch to! It's a single-gear eCTV transmission.

What about you? Have you ever driven a commercial vehicle or a manual transmission?

I said the same thing. I also have to factor in that our instructor has a day class from 7:00am-5:00 pm and then we come in @5:30pm to 8:30pm. Not only that but the day class is 6 weeks the evening class is 12 weeks. So we get an extra 6 weeks to learn the material. I am grateful for that!!! bigtime.

Danielle,

I'm glad to see your off to a good start. Just seems odd to me that your instructor is letting you out so early. I would want to be getting the most out of the money I spent.

Hope your day goes well.

Scot

I guess you can tell I am extremely sleepy by the grammar of my last post lol I just reread it and I apologize I don't know how to edit a post I have already submitted. Tomorrow I will be better thanks goodnight

8/2/2017 Day 3 Our instructor greeted us at the door and told us she would not be staying for tonight but she will see us tomorrow. Another gentleman took over for today and started the class with a video on pre trip inspection and the 7 method Inspection method. The video last about 30 minutes and we watched a couple more videos about road rage and road behavior. After the video we discussed the different weather conditions we could inquire while out on the road. We also watched a video about security and make sure your loads are sealed and locked tight because of theft and other situations that can occur while at truck stops are parked at shippers. Soon after that we were given a study guide over general knowledge and rules and regulations packet to complete while reviewing the book to find the answers. Class ended around 8:30. I'm eager to see what tomorrow may be bring just wanted to give you guys a quick update. Thanks for reading I appreciate your responses and look forward to reading your diaries ttyl goodnight!