Do I Have What It Takes? You Tell Me.
Topic 22093 | Page 1
Living near a terminal is not as important as being in the company's hiring area. Many people leave there truck at a truck stop or get creative. With Paid CDL Training Programs your credit score doesn't matter. We always suggest people start here:
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road CDL Training Program
- CDL Practice Tests
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.
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.
Job history is important, especially to Prime and Jim Palmer.
Other options can be doing here:
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.
A. Nobody cares what your credit score is.
B. I wouldn't recommend consuming alcohol on a 34 hour reset unless you are at HOME.
C. Your citations are so old, they simply won't matter.
D. Apply to all the company sponsored schools who hire from your area of residence.
This information will help you get started:
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road CDL Training Program
- CDL Practice Tests
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.
None of us really know the answer to that question Maninblack.
You listed a few qualifiers that although important to get you in the door, won't necessarily help you get into the game.
Desire, determination, focus, good listening skills and effort will get you through school.
While road training you'll need to add patience, humility, a cool-head and communication into the mix to achieve success in that phase...
Once into your first year...you'll need all of those things, in spades.
Brett recently published an article in the Blog section written by Old School. It's something you should read:
Good luck!
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Welcome, as said most of the items you listed are going to matter much if at all too get you in the door. As said job history will be important. I’m taking a stab in the dark here, but I’m betting you are a type A personality. In this industry that can be a curse or a blessing it’s up to you to manage it. For as structured as this industry is it sure has a way of seeming like it isn’t at times. You have to be able to just roll with the punches and make the best of it when it happens. I’m also guessing you're a problem solver... You’ll have to learn the boundaries with your company. And that is not generally taught in school.
Best of luck in your search and journey
Hey guys -
Thanks for the replies and assistance. I mainly posted this to see if there were any glaring things that would get me turned down. The rest may not matter, but I believe responsibility for a concealed firearm, credit score, etc. is important to judge character in a person.
I did leave out job history. I worked the last year and a half as a subcontractor for a friend of mine's business. However, I really don't like California or the work itself. Prior to that, I worked at a very busy Pacific NW resort for 17 years over three separate tours. In between tours, I worked at UPS and Town & Company Markets in Seattle, where I became a journeyman grocery worker.
I understand the need for flexibility in this business, and it'll be the hardest thing to get used to, as I am indeed a problem solver and Type A personality. But I consider that a plus, rather than a detriment. I'd rather be overly concerned and attentive, rather than uncaring or distracted.
Prime Inc. has the best network due to their size, Roehl starts paying on day 1, and JP Trucking has a small class size and one on one instruction that appeals to me. After that, they are relatively the same. Regarding any of them, I approach the first year or two years as a learning experience with company support, NOT a quick money grab. I have some debt and back taxes, but not a staggering amount. It would quickly get paid once going solo, rolling a solid 2000-2500 miles a week, and no rent.
I am driven, motivated, humble and not a know-it-all who can't be taught despite my age. I take the act of truck driving a very serious and potentially very dangerous situation. If I were to hit someone at 35 mph in my Honda Civic, it probably wouldn't be fatal. An 18-wheel, 80,000 with god knows what amount of freight load moving at 65 mph is very different story.
I am just a little bummed right now and wanted to reach out to some fellow truckers for advice and encouragement. You guys have been great, thanks!
MIB Trucker
Prime Inc. has the best network due to their size,
Please explain the above comment, What network?
If a 65 hour work week wore you out, trucking may not be for you.
Why are you bummed?
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CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
HAZMAT:
Hazardous Materials
Explosive, flammable, poisonous or otherwise potentially dangerous cargo. Large amounts of especially hazardous cargo are required to be placarded under HAZMAT regulations
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.
Doubles:
Refers to pulling two trailers at the same time, otherwise known as "pups" or "pup trailers" because they're only about 28 feet long. However there are some states that allow doubles that are each 48 feet in length.
Sleep Apnea:
A physical disorder in which you have pauses in your breathing, or take shallow breaths, during sleep. These pauses can last anywhere from a few seconds to a few minutes. Normal breathing will usually resume, sometimes with a loud choking sound or snort.
In obstructive sleep apnea, your airways become blocked or collapse during sleep, causing the pauses and shallow breathing.
It is a chronic condition that will require ongoing management. It affects about 18 million people in the U.S.
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.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
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.