Lots Of Experience, Now Have To Start All Over!
Topic 24062 | Page 1
Welcome to today's world of trucking! You're absolutely right - that's the way it works now. You'll find you can prove yourself rather quickly once you get back in a truck. Just take the necessary steps and keep moving forward. We've got some great information available if you're interested in looking at some of it...
- 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.
Welcome to today's world of trucking! You're absolutely right - that's the way it works now. You'll find you can prove yourself rather quickly once you get back in a truck. Just take the necessary steps and keep moving forward. We've got some great information available if you're interested in looking at some of it...
Yeah I know I'll be able to prove myself quickly, and after the fact when I get going again, I'm sure my past experience on my resume will work in my favor. But, dont have the money for school so will probably have to go the route of company provided training and indentured servant for awhile for low pay, bummer because before I got out of it I was making up to $2/mile as a company driver in heavy haul!
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.
One of the most challenging aspects of my training has been learning the Mobile Computing Platform installed in all of Schneiders trucks. I'm sure my grandson would master it immediately, but it's hard for me. If you had lots of driving experience but only did paper logs in the past, you would need quite a bit of time to master the MCP. Most of the time I hear them called Qualcomms. Trip planning, ETA's, Next Available Time (NAT), etc. are all a steep learning curve for me and I have an advanced degree in an unrelated field of endeavor. For obvious reasons, training programs don't call their programs "crash courses", (just a little dark humor), but that's what they are. Hopefully much of what is being taught will materialize in my brain when I go out with my trainer, but I'm sure I will still fumble through many things when I go solo. So, tell us, with these considerations in mind, do you need a refresher course or are you up to speed with the current technology? Just curious.
Qualcomm:
Omnitracs (a.k.a. Qualcomm) is a satellite-based messaging system with built-in GPS capabilities built by Qualcomm. It has a small computer screen and keyboard and is tied into the truck’s computer. It allows trucking companies to track where the driver is at, monitor the truck, and send and receive messages with the driver – similar to email.
But, dont have the money for school so will probably have to go the route of company provided training and indentured servant
Please do not use that kind attitude here. I understand you are disappointed, but you are insulting the many of us who are thankful for our companies and who choose to remain with the so called starter companies. We made a commitment for training and were glad to do it. In no way are we indentured servants. This site was created to.motivate and inspire prospective drivers and we dont like negativity, it gets you nowhere.
I understand your frustration, but you need to return to school because of your own neglect/disinterest to renew your DOT card. Otherwise you would have done a couple weeks of team training and boom, you are back. I understand your frustration having to collect the same "lowly salary" as many of us, but had that $2 a mile job paid off you would either still be doing it or atleast be able to pay for school.
As an experienced driver Im sure you have much to offer the new and future drivers who come to this site and i welcome you. However, you will have to adjust to changes in the industry such as automatics, elogs , and HOS changes. In some respects you will feel like a new driver and we will be here to listen and help. But please, dispense with the "i did better than all of you who are just a bunch of steering wheel holders" type of attitude. You may not have meant it, but that is how it conveyed to me.
Again, welcome and I wish you luck in adjusting and hope you accelerate to the heavy haul once again if you so choose.
Elog:
Electronic Onboard Recorder
Electronic Logbook
A device which records the amount of time a vehicle has been driven. If the vehicle is not being driven, the operator will manually input whether or not he/she is on duty or not.
Elogs:
Electronic Onboard Recorder
Electronic Logbook
A device which records the amount of time a vehicle has been driven. If the vehicle is not being driven, the operator will manually input whether or not he/she is on duty or not.
SAP:
Substance Abuse Professional
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.
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.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.
Completely agree with Rainy.
Considering the level of experience you have, you should be able to earn 50k during your first year. There is no comparison to that income and indentured servitude.
Get over yourself, go get it done and deal with the reality of the situation and spare us your “woe is me” whining.
Michael S.-
Welcome Michael. You struck a raw nerve in me also. I am also coming back into this. Should I also feel that because I drove before, these companies should bow down and kiss my A**? The rules are the rules, like them or not, they are there. As others have said there a many changes since we both left this fun way of life. Do you think you are the only one that has to go back and start at the bottom?
Old School gave you some valued information. I suggest you use it, get your permit back then go for the links he gave you. Attitudes like yours is not going to get you where you need to go, if you want back into this industry. There are too many young people trying to get into this field, they don't need old workhorses as us having an attitude. Have some humility and get to work. If you really want back in, then do the work to get back in. If you here to whine like on other trucking sites, then you picked the wrong one. This is TRUCKING TRUTH, not whine for a day. Brett started this site so people could get the help they need to succeed in this new style of the industry. Changes have been made since both us drove before. Embrace the changes or ..........you'll be job hopping until you won't be able to get a gig anywhere.
You will also see the other changes that Rainy pointed out. They are there and they are here to stay. Did you challenge yourself before? If you did then think of this as a new adventure. If you didn't then that maybe your attitude. Pull your boots up by the straps and get to work and then come back with, "I passed my CLP , and then hey I passed my CDL." And so on. As others here know I don't pull any punches. I'm a very easy person to get along with. But when "Old Dinosaurs" come here and act like you started off, I can't let it go. Almost anyone can get behind the wheel of a big rig and eventually figure out how to drive. But it's only a small portion of the things that drivers are expected to do. I hope you don't go to shippers or receivers with this attitude.
Raptor
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.
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.
CLP:
Commercial Learner's Permit
Before getting their CDL, commercial drivers will receive their commercial learner's permit (CLP) upon passing the written portion of the CDL exam. They will not have to retake the written exam to get their CDL.
Michael S, Reread your post to see how you came across. You gave up your CDL for reasons that matter to you and no one else. The advice you have received here from some of the most professional people on the forum, Old School, Rainy D. and G-Town were meant to help you see the right way to go about re-entering this profession. I too left the profession and retired after 45 years and sometimes wish to come back but truly understand that it is possible but with an open mind. In my case no more paper logs, auto transmissions, computers and being retrained. It is not hard to accept reality if you keep the right attitude. I hope you take the constructive criticism and move forward.
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.
Completely agree with Rainy.
Considering the level of experience you have, you should be able to earn 50k during your first year. There is no comparison to that income and indentured servitude.
Get over yourself, go get it done and deal with the reality of the situation and spare us your “woe is me” whining.
You're both absolutely correct, except I never intended to look down on anyone, I'm sorry if it was taken that way, I was just frustrated with my own situation . After sleeping on it last night, I realize that with all the changes in the industry in the last 10 years,the schooling would be a great benefit to me. If I do decide to follow through on going back into driving it would be with nothing but a positive attitude! I truly appreciate your responses and for helping me change my attitude and outlook. No negative from me anymore, and I do apologize for allowing my frustration to portray negativity. I look forward to enjoying this awesome positive forum in the future! Thanks again!
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:
Prime Inc Stevens Transport CDL Test Preparation Changing Careers Company Sponsored CDL Training Free CDL Training Getting Your CDL Paying For Truck Driving School Return-to-Duty
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
Went to truck driving school 25 years ago, 15 years driving experience after that including 4 years huge oversize work! But, 10 years ago I got out of trucking, moved to neighboring state and didnt renew Cdl there, Now I'm wanting to get back into trucking, but am finding my experience means nothing because it's not in the last 3 years. I get it, it's all about BS insurance requirements, but it pushes me off that I would have to go all through school again and start over at the bottom!!!!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: