Trucker Wants To Give Back To The Industry, Pass On Knowledge To New Drivers

Topic 2643 | Page 1

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David S.'s Comment
member avatar

I have just joined Trucking Truth and I am very impressed with the way this site is laid out, I just want to let you know you did a wonderful job. I have been in trucking since 1978 and have had my own authority since 1995. I am ready to get off the road so I have decided to start my own driving school here in Oregon, {this is not an advertisement} just want you to know there is so much " Good Valuable" information on here I was surprised. I have been thinking for several years that I would like to share my many years of being a driver as well as having my own company with others and I got to thinking a driving school would be the best way I could give back to an industry that has given my family and myself so much. I have been waiting on my career School license from the Board of Education here in Oregon and it is not an easy task to start any school in Oregon. the standards are very high. I have been ready to open since June, 2013. there are 9 steps for a school in Oregon and I am on step 3, my curriculum is 2 reams of paper plus 8 other binders of information from Standards and Competencies, Admissions, Business Plan, Record keeping, etc...this is such an involved process, but I do believe it will be worth it in the coming days. I hope to open this spring as the process has just started moving along at a faster rate. As an advice site this is the best I have seen, many drivers will learn from the various experience I have seen on here and I as well will learn from the comments pertaining to the driving schools the drivers went through, I want to know what was the training lacking in. Need more backing time, more trip planing, log book practice, this is information that will help me to have a school that a student can be proud to have attended. I look forward to ideas of what my school should offer for a driver to be ready to be placed with a carrier. Thank you all and welcome to the wonderful world of trucking. This can be not just a job but an opportunity of a lifetime to eventually be your own boss, see the sites, meet new people. Good luck to you all. " Be the best you can, and you will be rewarded".

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.
Brett Aquila's Comment
member avatar

Welcome aboard David!

Thanks so much for the compliments about the website. Really appreciated.

We'd be more than happy to have you around here in the forum answering questions for the rookies and getting to know our moderators and regulars. And we'd be happy to throw you a link to your school from time to time for your efforts - no problem there!

Hey, if you haven't already, take a look at our High Road Training Program. It is by far the most thorough and effective CDL test preparation course on the planet - bar none. Not only does it have the entire CDL manual built right in but it also has a couple of sections we've built ourselves on Logbook Rules and Weight & Balance. There are 700 multiple choice questions, a scoring system, and a very sophisticated review system that recycles questions you've already seen to better reinforce the materials. We're also in the planning stages of adding two new sections - "Trip Planning 101" and "Advanced Trip Planning". The "Trip Planning 101" will focus on the basics - routing, fuel stops, working around cities at rush hour, being prepared to find parking when your hours are running out, looking for low brides and restricted routes - things like that. Advanced trip planning will focus around more advanced techniques for trip planning, going into finer detail. It will teach drivers how to squeeze every minute of time you possible can out of the electronic logbooks using things like the split sleeper berth rule and the two hour emergency provisional to keep rolling legally when most drivers think they're out of options.

The Logbook and Weight & Balance sections are two areas right there that most Truck Driving Schools do very little with simply because they don't have the time to teach as much as they would like to. It's a competitive environment out there. The length and cost of your courses will have to be competitive with the other schools in your state, which unfortunately means there's a practical limit to what you can teach. But not for us there's not! Students can take their time and work through our program anytime, anywhere at their own pace.

Have a look at our program and see what you think. The course is 100% free for anyone to use and you can even use it for your students. There are a number of schools that use our program straight off the website in their classrooms and it's highly effective. Personally I think schools should require their students to complete our training program and get their permit before they start their schooling. That way you're a million miles ahead of the game right from day one.

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.

Logbook:

A written or electronic record of a driver's duty status which must be maintained at all times. The driver records the amount of time spent driving, on-duty not driving, in the sleeper berth, or off duty. The enforcement of the Hours Of Service Rules (HOS) are based upon the entries put in a driver's logbook.

Sleeper Berth:

The portion of the tractor behind the seats which acts as the "living space" for the driver. It generally contains a bed (or bunk beds), cabinets, lights, temperature control knobs, and 12 volt plugs for power.

Schism's Comment
member avatar

I am not entirely sure when its going to be nationwide but the owner/instructor where I am in school currently has stated that the Federal Government is in the works to standardize the CDL education and licensing procedures and will be using New Hampshire's process .

This could be as soon as January 1,2015 . Something to think about if your starting a school this year is to plan ahead for major changes coming in the following year .

`S`

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.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

Daniel B.'s Comment
member avatar

David, that is wonderful of you!

If I ever move from my crappy state and into OR I'll be sure to submit an application!smile.gif

BMI:

Body mass index (BMI)

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:

  • Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
  • Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit

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.

guyjax(Guy Hodges)'s Comment
member avatar

I am not entirely sure when its going to be nationwide but the owner/instructor where I am in school currently has stated that the Federal Government is in the works to standardize the CDL education and licensing procedures and will be using New Hampshire's process .

This could be as soon as January 1,2015 . Something to think about if your starting a school this year is to plan ahead for major changes coming in the following year .

`S`

They have been talking about this for the last 34 years since CDL's came into being in 1980.

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.

OWI:

Operating While Intoxicated

Schism's Comment
member avatar

So changes happen quick in this business?

I had no idea Guy...but it's not surprising . The government being what it is .

guyjax(Guy Hodges)'s Comment
member avatar

Not sure I would use quick to describe the government. First they have to hold talks to decide to form a group to hold talks and then an oversight committee to make sure they are actual holds the talks correctly and then form another group to make sure the first three groups are talking and doing their job. Then maybe...MAYBE they might form another group 30 to 40 years down the road to talk about the decisions of the first 3 groups. God forbid someone in those first 3 groups picked their nose cause then they have to form another group to decide if the nose picker turned the talks one way or the other if someone saw him pick his nose.....

I think you see where I am going.

HOS:

Hours Of Service

HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Starcar's Comment
member avatar

Welcome David !!!! And I know exactly where Tangent is...I was born in Lebanon !!!! I went to a 4 day CDL school in 1997..but I'd been a driver in OR for alot of years, on and off. I drove O/ O OTR until lat year..so I've seen some asphalt. But I do have a few suggestions regarding your CDL school...coming from a woman's point of view smile.gif

If at all possible, have a lady instructor....why ?? because ALOT of women are going into trucking....and lets face it...its different for us in some areas. The owner of the school I went to is a lady...and she did classes on the difference women will face when OTR. Also....I know that TIME is a premium for schooling, both for the school, and for person going. And one way to be able to have quality classroom time, with less questions and more learning is to REQUIRE the students to go thru the High Road...THEN you can concentrate more time on having that student in the drivers seat, on the practice pad...THATS where students don't get enough time...backing, parking, docking, blindside backing, etc. Also, a dorm setup would be great !!! If you built your building with the school rooms in the bottom, and the dorm above ( a few rooms for the ladies), then you would pull students from all over, instead of just driving areas. I won't address the cost of schooling, because it is what it is...If you want quality training, its not real cheap. One thing I think you can do, tho is make sure that you are certified, so that you can offer your students to alot of companies. AND you should be able to be accepted for the state tuition payment that way too. You didn't say whether you are going to offer van, reefer ,flatbed,tank training, and I don't really think that its that important, since learning to operate the truck is the most important, and the specialized training on what you pull can come from the company that they sign on with. So now that I've bent your ear (eyes,lol), I hope that I've offered you some insight....And we look forward to having you here on TT !!! We kinda rock !!!!!!

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.

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.

Reefer:

A refrigerated trailer.

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