Is Illinois A Cursed State To Be A New Driver In?
Topic 10448 | Page 2
LittleTrucker listens to "people":
Now, blah blah blah ....
blah blah blah ....
Errol, I agree I should have used different terminology. I simply meant "people" in the trucking company recruitment offices .....are now telling me that because I moved to Illinois, they can no longer pay for the cost of trucking school and get me out there. I have to pay for it up front and go from there. So yes I listen to "people," as in recruiters.
LittleTrucker, I use those little intros to keep straight just who it is I am quoting. The "people" thing comes from your first line about "people are saying". I am not poking fun at you or your sources.
I get the impression that you have the impression that it's hard to find a school that will provide transportation out of Illinois, or maybe that's just the school you were already talking to. Many companies will only hire from certain areas, so if you move out of their area, you are high and dry as far as they're concerned. Many other companies, if you meet their qualifications, will be happy to have you come aboard and will get you that sought after Grey Dog ride. BTW, if you get to Swift Memphis, let me know. I'm at the terminal nearly every day.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Interesting as my school DOES include the cost of your DOT physical (in my case twice lol) and testing fees in with tuition. Incidentally, for those who have been residents here less than 30 days, the state (Kentucky) charges $150 more for your initial cdl.
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.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Interesting as my school DOES include the cost of your DOT physical (in my case twice lol) and testing fees in with tuition. Incidentally, for those who have been residents here less than 30 days, the state (Kentucky) charges $150 more for your initial cdl.
Well that's interesting. When I talked to Swift on the phone, they just told me all I would need is to pay for lunch and $50 for my CDL license. They didn't tell me I would need to pay for anything else, but we'll see. I am going to go back and talk to them sometime next week. I have decided Swift is probably the best company for me.
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.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Little Trucker found out:
When I talked to Swift on the phone, they just told me all I would need is to pay for lunch and $50 for my CDL license.
At my (Memphis) Swift orientation, a few people couldn't pay the $40 for a Swift physical, and the school just added it to their tuition bill. I think they do charge extra for the CDL class, and that delays your whole course by a week - I think. And I know they won't pay your state license fees. If they do, that will be added to your bill.
Pay for lunch? The first day Swift buys lunch in the company restaurant (not too bad cookin'). After that you need to get your own grub - breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
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.
I have seen post like this before. I too am an Illinois resident that is going to Roehl for company sponsored training. I already got my permit in Illinois. I asked Stephanie from Roehl if I would have to retake the driving test after I passed mine at the Co. Sponsored training program. She has told me they have everything ironed out and i would not have to take anymore tests in Illinois. If I was to have problems at local DMV to give her a call, they have a contact within Jesse Whites office.
I am from Illinois also. It would be very surprising to me if you don't have to take the road test in Illinois. I have never heard of anyone getting an out of state cdl license to be recognized by Illinois.
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.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
I am from Illinois also. It would be very surprising to me if you don't have to take the road test in Illinois. I have never heard of anyone getting an out of state cdl license to be recognized by Illinois.
Well by Federal law they're supposed to accept the skills tests done in other states. If they aren't accepting them yet they will be soon.
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.
Little Trucker found out:
At my (Memphis) Swift orientation, a few people couldn't pay the $40 for a Swift physical, and the school just added it to their tuition bill. I think they do charge extra for the CDL class, and that delays your whole course by a week - I think. And I know they won't pay your state license fees. If they do, that will be added to your bill.
Pay for lunch? The first day Swift buys lunch in the company restaurant (not too bad cookin'). After that you need to get your own grub - breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
Swift says since I'm not that far from a trucking school location I would probably be getting transported to school, and go back home. So I can eat breakfast before I go and dinner when I get home.
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.
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Thanks for your advice though. Your feedback is appreciated.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.