As Soon as you have updated your license, start the process. Most companies will try to get you started asap. Give them a "I want to wait a month or two" response, and they will move onto the next person, who wants to start now. They won't forget you, but you will not be a priority.
The Substance Abuse Professional (SAP) is a person who evaluates employees who have violated a DOT drug and alcohol program regulation and makes recommendations concerning education, treatment, follow-up testing, and aftercare.
Yeah, wait until about 30 days before you're ready to start. Make sure you go through our entire High Road CDL Training Program before you step into a classroom on day one so you really understand the materials. It will put you way ahead of the rest of the class and take a lot of stress off you.
Having a passport will be convenient if you're going to be going into Canada, so it's a good thing to get, but not imminently necessary most of the time.
The DOT Physical will be done by the company you're going to work for. If you're on any medications, talk to a DOT approved physician to see if that medication will be allowed for commercial driving. If not, speak with your doctor and get on something that will be ok for commercial driving.
I would also make sure you're working all the way until you're ready to get started in driving. Some companies don't like to see any recent employment gaps. They'll understand a short time without work if you were in the process of moving or something like that, but try to make sure you're working steady.
Also, stay on top of your license. Keep it clean. So many people fail to pay their insurance and get their license suspended. Don't let something like that happen, and of course no tickets or accidents.
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
About to be in this situation Jan/Feb next year, CA to UT. Glad it's just 30 days in general, as a Prime recruiter has also confirmed this recently with me.
Will, something I plan to do is get a medical card and take the permit test here in CA, sort of a trial run. I don't have any medical issues but I do want to show up with a permit from CA and then take it again in UT, might prove to someone I am here to work if they are selective at the time I am hoping to apply. Maybe you don't have the time frame to do so but this will help me through the long wait.
Gotta keep going on the high road training and I hope you get to start on it soon, it's really not something you can cram in on the weekend before.
Salut
30 days before hand sounds good to me. As for the employment that could be sticky as I posted elsewhere due to not working except for a temp tax job since I retired from the Navy. However I was/am going full time to college and I will be done in the spring (main reason for the time table).
Full time schooling is just as good as working.
They just want to see someone who is rather ambitious. To find out that someone has been sitting on the couch collecting unemployment or disability for months or years and suddenly wants to jump into one of the most demanding jobs on the planet is not normally a recipe for success. They want to see people who are consistently productive, out there putting in the work.
Start looking at our diaries section to learn what to expect from training. Research the companies that pique your interest. Read the
look at their websites, put the names in our search bar to get first hand info. We are here to help. Take your time, this is not something to rush into. Good luck.
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.
About to be in this situation Jan/Feb next year, CA to UT. Glad it's just 30 days in general, as a Prime recruiter has also confirmed this recently with me.
Will, something I plan to do is get a medical card and take the permit test here in CA, sort of a trial run. I don't have any medical issues but I do want to show up with a permit from CA and then take it again in UT, might prove to someone I am here to work if they are selective at the time I am hoping to apply. Maybe you don't have the time frame to do so but this will help me through the long wait.
Gotta keep going on the high road training and I hope you get to start on it soon, it's really not something you can cram in on the weekend before.
Salut
Don’t waste your money. I did this for the medical card & had to do it all over again when I got to orientation at Prime. For trainees in Utah, Prime says you’ll need a permit from your home state.
If this is the case, the best solution is to get busy learning the High Road Training program on this site. Once you have that down, you’ll pass the permit test easily. Actually, I’d recommend learning the Pre-Trip also. This will give you visuals as to what each component looks like & also what it’s function is.
I’m only saying this in an effort to spare you you from spending money unnecessarily.
As to when to start contacting your respective companies? I started 6 months in advance. This gave me enough time to get all my paperwork in order. Plus, this gave me the space & time to ask many questions & sort through my decision making process without feeling rushed. All I had to do was resubmit my application 30 days prior to leaving for orientation.
Long short, save your money. Learn the High Road Training & Pretrip programs & you’ll be way ahead of most your peers in training. Good luck to you both!
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
Thank you everyone for your support. I really appreciate the help to roll back the vail if the trucking industry.
I know that most of the big companies in theory comes out about the same with the pros and cons. However, since I am going to have about 12-14 months left on my GI Bill I do know I want a company that has a military Apprenticeship program since that would be a lot of extra money a month until it's used up. So far I only know of Roehl and Swift that offer this. Does the hive mind that is TT know of any others?
Most companies have deals for vets. I know CFI does, but don't know what it is.
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This spring I am moving across country to Yuma az and at that time I want to start trucking AZ soon as I can afterwards. My question is how far out should I start the process of putting myself out there to find a company? Also what things should I take care of ahead of time; such as DOT medical, Passport, and whatever else that should/could get done ahead of 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.