New Old Guy
Topic 24791 | Page 1
Welcome aboard, Jon! If you have not already done so, check out these links for some great information:
- Article: Understanding Pre-Hire Letters: The What, Why, And How Of This Important Step
- Trucker's Wiki: "Pre-Hire Letters"
- Forum Topics Tagged "CDL Pre-Hire Letters"
- 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"
- 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.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
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.
Hello Jon, and welcome aboard!
Its a big leap for me especially the first year. Any useful comments are appreciated.
Hey Jon, going in to trucking is a huge leap for anyone! Like you, I started this as a "mature" individual. Guess what? I've got a lot of young guys asking my advice now. Just recently I had one of our other drivers bragging to me about his paycheck, and then he said, "Man, I just started doing things like you told me, and it's turned everything around for me." I only tell you that so you'll realize this business is completely performance based. You'll do as good or as poorly as you determine.
Don't let the idea of being too old handicap you. I've met several successful drivers out here who were in their early eighties! On the day I got my first trucking job, there was another gentleman getting hired with me who was seventy three! Getting started at this is tough on everyone, but I think older individuals have a slight advantage. They've hopefully already endured a few of life's challenges and are better prepared to buckle down and get it done.
We strongly encourage people to stick with their first trucking job for one full year. It just takes that long to really establish yourself and get to the point where you start understanding how this career really works. You're not going to get rich doing this, but you can earn some of the best blue collar wages out here. It's critical that you commit to that first year if you want to develop yourself into a Top Tier Driver.
Remember that truck driving schools will only prepare you to obtain your CDL. The training is rushed and minimal at best. You'll go out with a trainer for about a month when you get your first job. That's probably the toughest part of getting started at this, and then they'll drop you into your own truck as a fresh greenhorn. That is typically the second most trying time of starting this career. Yep, they dump all the hard parts on you right at the start. Be prepared to feel inadequate for the task, but don't let those feelings distract you from your goals.
Hang in there, and feel free to jump in here with any questions you have. We don't bite, and there are no stupid questions. We're glad you're here, and we will certainly do what we can to help you.
Since you're going to Roadmaster, I just have to ask, "Are you aware that many of these large trucking companies will put you through their own schools and pay you as much as $700 a week while you're training?" That's right - we call these programs, Paid CDL Training Programs.
Again, welcome aboard, and don't be shy. We enjoy helping the new guys - that's how we roll.
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.
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.New Reply:
New! Check out our help videos for a better understanding of our forum features
Preview:
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
I will be attending Roadmaster Driver school her in San Antonio starting next week I am trying to get input from folks who have been around. Its a big leap for me especially the first year. Any useful comments are appreciated. Thanks Jon
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.