Graduated From Melton Orientation
Topic 10354 | Page 1
Good show, Evan. Your experience shows It Can Be Done. About every other week a No-school CDL driver asks how to get a job. And as you experienced, the main companies will mostly say "No". (Yes, Melton is a "main" company!) It'd great that Melton got you on board. Keep us posted on your training.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Congrats Evan!
There are a lot of things that can be done but in the end they don't always make a lot of sense. Like you can get started in trucking without going through the proper schooling, but knowing that one tiny mistake could kill someone's entire family would you say it's a good idea? Probably not.
I would say learning how to knit blankets or build paper airplanes are great candidates for learning on your own. "Google University". But driving an 80,000 pound killing machine? Maybe not so much.
I have to make this point not because I want to direct it at you personally but because I really don't want people thinking they should take shortcuts to get their career started in trucking. It's just not the type of job you should take shortcuts on.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
I agree with you brett I don't recommend it for everyone to do it for sure. I wasn't going to post it just for the fact I didn't wanna urge anyone to try it. Eroll asked me to is the only reason I did at all. Luckily melton brings u here not expecting you to know anything at all besides how to start a truck moving.
But I have met plenty of people at this class come straight from a school and not know jack crap at all I know 2 people didn't make it past day 1
Now I should have clarified this before......you had your CDL before going to Melton, correct? You obtained it without going to school? It just dawned on me that maybe you meant Melton has their own school but I'm not aware of it if they have one.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Correct I got my cdl by using my father in laws truck and just went to the dmv myself. They do not have a school just an 8 day long orientation before being with a trainer for 21 days
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
Correct I got my cdl by using my father in laws truck and just went to the dmv myself. They do not have a school just an 8 day long orientation before being with a trainer for 21 days
Ok cool. Thanks.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Dm:
Dispatcher, Fleet Manager, Driver Manager
The primary person a driver communicates with at his/her company. A dispatcher can play many roles, depending on the company's structure. Dispatchers may assign freight, file requests for home time, relay messages between the driver and management, inform customer service of any delays, change appointment times, and report information to the load planners.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
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There are a bunch of people on here lately asking about if you can get a start in this industry without paying for a school to do so. It is possible since I did not go to a school, but I do not recommend it for everyone. Out of almost 20 or so companies only 3 would even talk to me so I got told no a lot as you can imagine. The only companies that did not seem to care were Melton, USxpress, and Dollar General. I decided to go with Melton and so far I am happy with my decision. They seem like good people but can't know for sure till the new wears off, I completed orientation today and am just waiting for a trainer to take me out. Their orientation is 8 days and they teach you quite a bit in my opinion from trip planning and logs to load securement and tarping they start from the bare basics they don't expect you to know much but do expect you to catch on quick. Just wanted to share my experience and I hope to see tall on the road.