Knight Transportation CDL Paid Training November 2017
Topic 21322 | Page 1
So.....how was your day 1 experience?
Day 1, Orientation and assessments. *Great first day
There were a couple of challenges (typical of organizations, but in Knight's defenses - everyone I interacted with was friendly, helpful, and understanding. The first 4 hours consisted of a company enforced drug test, urine test, and regardless of having a DOT Physical Card, one performed by their own, third party doctor.
The remaining 4 hours consisted of 4 different segments covering company policy, safety and security, introduction to safe driving, and time to mutually introduce ourselves and what brought us to the program. (The instructors also took the time to do the same). Whenever anyone in the class had a question about procedures and how drivers are paid, we were able to ask random drivers arriving and departing from the terminal for their input, mid-discussion.
All of the staff I interlaced with were all helpful, willing, friendly, and ready to share their individual experiences.
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.
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.
Day 2
One half day of classroom training (consisting of safety, payroll, benefits).
*The current list of what to expect from Knight Transportation regarding "Paid CDL Training" is outdated. The process is different (improved), and the training pay has been improved.
We were able to meet the CEO, the original owner's "The Knights" and we were able to ask any questions we wanted to during mutual discussions and time was permitted for one on one discussions with any of theses folks.
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.
Day 2
One half day of classroom training (consisting of safety, payroll, benefits).
*The current list of what to expect from Knight Transportation regarding "Paid CDL Training" is outdated. The process is different (improved), and the training pay has been improved.
We were able to meet the CEO, the original owner's "The Knights" and we were able to ask any questions we wanted to during mutual discussions and time was permitted for one on one discussions with any of theses folks.
Can you elaborate on the improved training pay? It's a huge consideration for me since I still to make car payments while in 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.
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Subject: Arizona Resident, joining the Knight Transportation Paid CDL Training .
Following the application process I pursued my Arizona DOT Physical and obtained my Arizona CDL Learner's Permit.
Orientation is scheduled on Monday, December 4, 2017 at 6:30AM.
I'll be providing a daily update detailing the process to help others learn what they may expect.
The application process was smooth and straight forward. After communicating with several other companies for similar paid training situations, I chose Knight. The recruiter was fairly realistic and in spite of the reputation of recruiters being salespeople who may be uncaring, the Knight staff has been more genuine whereas I noticed others were trying to sell lots of rainbows and glitter. Knight has also followed through the first steps just as they outlined with me in the first interview, and I was able to obtain documentation of the process to compare to. The Staff at Knight has been patient and communicable. Some of the other companies where very pushy and a little intrusive during the initial process of applications and interviews.
Moving forward with this process I'm accepting that I will be starting out OTR and in the end it seems a realistic and fair exchange to start a career as a professional driver. Committing to one full year as a solo driver is a fair trade to suit my needs and expectations.
I've continued studying the ADOT CDL Manual, and referencing learning materials from other sources. It's helpful and insightful and I plan to continue doing so throughout the process to help me to develop my driving confidence as I embark on this path. Although endorsements were not required, I'll be adding the endorsements by completing those exams to open me up to more opportunities in the future, rather than to limit myself. The CDL Representative at the Arizona Department of Transportation reminded me how Arizona allows you to add endorsements without having to retake everything else, so it seems wise to take advantage of that opportunity.
There are other opportunities at Knight Transportation and other trucking companies that require a CDL License holder with at least one year's experience. Some of these other opportunities are non-driver and administrative roles and those may interest me in the future.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
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.
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.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
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