FFE Training Academy....My Journey Continues
Topic 1260 | Page 6
Thanks a ton Tim for all of the awesome information you put here. People are going to be reading this and learning from it for years!
And of course congrats on being solo! You made it to the big time! 
Yeah, that was one heck of a way to start your solo career, but that's what trucking is all about. You'll never know what's coming your way until it's there in front of you so you take it one moment at a time, make smart decisions, keep your cool, and try to have all the fun you can.
Brett and Tim, I am one of those people thankful for your experience! I have been following this post for awhile now, and I just started FFE Driver Academy today myself. Of course, we were told that today was the first day that FFE no longer exists, it is now KLLM officially, but it pretty much will remain the same from what we were told. Pay during training will be lower, but starting solo will be higher pay rate than we were originally told. We are staying in a hotel the while time now, no more on site housing. First day was fun, and thanks to the High Road CDL training program I was way ahead of a lot of my class! We take our "final exam" tomorrow, CDL exams at DPS on Wednesday, and get into the trucks on Thursday. I'm so excited I'm drooling a bit...
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Brett and Tim, I am one of those people thankful for your experience! I have been following this post for awhile now, and I just started FFE Driver Academy today myself. Of course, we were told that today was the first day that FFE no longer exists, it is now KLLM officially, but it pretty much will remain the same from what we were told. Pay during training will be lower, but starting solo will be higher pay rate than we were originally told. We are staying in a hotel the while time now, no more on site housing. First day was fun, and thanks to the High Road training program I was way ahead of a lot of my class! We take our "final exam" tomorrow, CDL exams at DPS on Wednesday, and get into the trucks on Thursday. I'm so excited I'm drooling a bit...
I have been seeing KLLM trucks driving FFE trailers.
Dave
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
This topic has the following tags:
FFE Transport Attending Truck Driving School CDL Exam CDL Training Company Sponsored CDL Training First Solo Months On The Road Getting Your CDL On The Road In Training Reports From CDL Training Truck Driver Training
Why Join Trucking Truth?
- The High Road Training Program
- The High Road Article Series
- The Friendliest Trucker's Forum Ever!
- Email Updates When New Articles Are Posted
Apply For Paid CDL Training Through TruckingTruth
Did you know you can fill out one quick form here on TruckingTruth and apply to several companies at once for paid CDL training? Seriously! The application only takes one minute. You will speak with recruiters today. There is no obligation whatsoever. Learn more and apply here:
TT On Facebook
Wow, what you said sums it up perfectly.
After training, there was not a truck for me immediately available, so to give me some miles, I was dispatched to do a recovery along with its load........in the middle of Chicago! This is how my first solo experience went.
After waking up at 8am, I caught a Greyhound from Dallas bound for Chi town at 1:30pm. Was on the bus for 21 hours. I am very tall, so I am squished in like a sardine, so no sleep for me. Got to Chicago okay and caught a 20 minute cab ride to the terminal. Found the truck okay....but the trailer load I was supposed to pick up was not there. I was then dispatched to pick up a trailer at a local shipper. I had never been to Chicago so naturally, I got lost, not once but twice during heavy afternoon traffic near O'Hare airport. Finally got there and the reefer unit was not working. Hooked up and got rolling and scaled, then finally got out of Chicago. I am so sleepy I could not safely drive more, so I pulled in to a TS where there was no available spaces. Had to park on a side street next to the TS where a couple other trucks were parked and hope I don't get a ticket. After waking up, I get going and I finally made it to my fuel stop in Springfield IL, where I was then told to go back to Bloomington to get the reefer repaired. The load was only needing cooling at 65 deg, but OSD did not want to chance it. After a few hours, the reefer was repaired, but now there is no way I can get the load delivered to Fort Worth on time. I drove very hard the rest of the way to ensure the load got there as soon as possible, but by the time I got to the receiver, dropped the trailer, and returned to the home terminal in Dallas, I had 12 minutes left on my clock. Whew.
To sum it up, I don't know how a rookie driver could get get a much tougher experience on his first solo trip unless wrecking or something. The truck I recovered was a ProStar, and I trained in a Cascadia. I did not realize until I drove the ProStar just how different the two are in feel. I really hated the ProStar. It was basically a terrifying experience in places, and overall was not enjoyable, but I learned many lessons that I will take on to the future with.
I was happy when I got back to be issued a 2010 Century. After driving her around the lot, I already like her much better than that ProStar. Even though it is an older model, she seems sound and in good shape.
This is where I will end this thread, since I am solo now, but will continue to post in the general forum as I can. Thanks for reading. Hope my experiences helped people.
Shipper:
The customer who is shipping the freight. This is where the driver will pick up a load and then deliver it to the receiver or consignee.
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.
Reefer:
A refrigerated trailer.
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.