Please Help
Topic 10589 | Page 1
Michael you've just got to get on board somewhere and spend some time learning this stuff. If you're not confident yet, maybe you need a lengthy training period like they do at Prime. Is there some reason you can't get on with them?
How are the job applications going? Are you getting any responses?
Thank you for replying old school always love hearing from you. Yes I'm accepted at transam who has all the bells and whistles but only 3 week training. Abilene motors wants me who says there training is self paced but can't find any info on them and I don't know if this is true or not but been told they don't pay orientation hotel travel or anything. Wels wants me but been told my backing needs to be strong. Waiting on Knights to clear me through security due to my 9 year old felony
Okay, keep it up. You'll land somewhere. You just need some good exposure with a decent trainer.
You check out Millis, they have a training school in Cartersville, GA and from Columbus, you could go OTR or SE Regional. There in the Company-Sponsored Training Section. They give you unlimited time to back, small classes no more than 12, mine had 6.
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.
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
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.
Sorry man reposting. Thank you for replying old school always love hearing from you. Yes I'm accepted at transam who has all the bells and whistles but only 3 week training. Abeline motors wants me who says there training is self paced but can't find any info on them and I don't know if this is true or not but been told they don't pay orientation hotel travel or anything. Wells wants me but been told my backing needs to be strong. Waiting on Knights to clear me through security due to my 9 year old felony
I believe Trans Am is all automatics now or damn close to it
Michael, regardless of who you go with don't sweat the learning curve. Nobody is a natural at driving a big rig. It's a learned skill and everyone struggles with it in the beginning. Don't let that worry you a bit. The only thing that matters is that you don't hit anything. So whatever it is you're doing just go slow enough that you can do it safely. If you're driving in tight city streets, take it nice and slow. If you're backing, take all the time you need and get out and look as often as you like. Getting in a hurry is what causes more grief for new drivers than anything. They worry about looking dumb or holding people up in traffic. Forget about that, relax, and focus on the task at hand. You'll do just fine.
This is why I love this sight, I know I can come here and get the truth and be guided in the right direction thank you guys. On a side note I start with knight transportation next Monday after training I will be doing dry van in the southern region. I chose dry because of the more drops and hooks compared to refer and very long waits every time in my experience. I'm very excited I love this industry and all its challenges that come with it. UNTIL NEXT TIME STAY POSITIVE BE SAFE HAVE FUN
Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.New Reply:
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Some of you have seen some of my posts sorry it's been a while. After failing the upgrade test at PTL I came home embarrassed but positive. There upgrade test is backing between trailers at different widths and is timed. I did not hit anything but timed out. For the last two months working for a friend and many adventures of unpaid tickets on his behalf and only one truck and him not wanting to maintain his truck and run illegally all the time I found myself between a rock and hard place and parted ways. Now here is my dilemma. I have problems backing and shifting. I was trained in school on a manual 10 speed double clutching went to ptl and trained on an automatic then worked for my friend who had me floating gears on a manual 13 speed and never let me back said we needed to get the shifting down first. I am currently applying for different companies and not giving up but I have doubt now in myself and a little scared and discouraged. I love driving and the freedom of the road and the challenges. I am confused now though experiencing different manuals truck and worried about backing. I am not a natural and am dealing with learning curves. Any honest advice would be greatly appreciated
Floating Gears:
An expression used to describe someone who is shifting gears without using the clutch at all. Drivers are taught to "Double Clutch" or press and release the clutch twice for each gear shift. If you're floating gears it means you're simply shifting without using the clutch at all.
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
Double Clutching:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.