Retired After 28 Years
Topic 20214 | Page 1
Welcome to the forum Ryan. You have come to the right place for honest straight forward information. You may not always here what you want to hear, but it will be the truth. Have you seen our starter pack?
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road Training Program
Then there is this.
- Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing Your First Truck Driving Job
- Article Category: Finding The Right Truck Driving Job
- Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Trucking Company"
That should give you a great start. Swift is a great company with almost every type of driving oportunity. However, we have people here who love every company out there with a bad rap. This industry will be what you make of it. Good luck.
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.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
Hi!
Welcome and fire away with your questions. ;)
Its all about attitude and having the determination to succeed.
Welcome Ryan Remy, and thanks for that 1st icebreaker post. Although I greatly appreciate your kind words, I am certain you will find a large percentage of really good people on this forum from all different walks of life, backgrounds and yes, even the type of trucking job they have. Diversity at it's absolute finest. We are happy to offer positive reinforcement, support and honest advice. Nothing like you will read about on other sites; the negativity, embellishment, company bashing and belly-aching. That is not acceptable here for too long. Call this a rookie "safe-haven" if you will...
To add to your initial post, I work for Swift on a NE Regional Walmart Dedicated account, very happy there and no intention of making a change. As you will learn, try like he** to stay at your first company for a year or longer. Many opportunities will appear and doors will open at that point, not only in perceived greener pastures, but many times in your own backyard with your present employer.
Once you have reviewed the links Big Scott replied with, stop back and offer your thoughts and hit us with any questions you have. eep in mind we believe there are no stupid questions, only the ones that never get asked.
Good luck to you, and again welcome aboard.
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.
So glad I found this site, because WOW, do I have a lot to learn!
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I've spent 28 years in a great job that kept me on the road for 6-8 months per year. Now that I am retiring trucking is something I am excited about pursuing as I am only 50 years old. If you look on YouTube, the small majority of active truckers seem representative of the most unprofessional group of misfits. I have to say I was a bit discouraged. But if you can delve deeper I found a couple of bright spots that I think actually represent the people who make this industry and career great: Craig Ryan of Maverick (YouTube) and G-Town here on trucking truth. Also, I am considering Swift and this company gets so beat up online. But I ran across this training video made for Swift, and it tells me of the quality training they are providing and that maybe it is the tiny percentage of misfits who are ruining their reputation. Here is link: https://youtu.be/O8I0OwRHzUQ
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices