Starting Local School Monday, Looking For Tips And Advice.
Topic 27204 | Page 1
The 1st portion of school is going to be in the classroom. You are going to be preparing to take the exams necessary to obtain a learner's permit. These include the general knowledge, brake test and vehicle inspection if I remember correctly.
Once you pass the tests in the classroom and obtain a permit, you will go out to the yard area and learn maneuvers. Straight back, parallel both sides, and 90 to drivers side. Most important of these 3 is straight back imo. You always want to position yourself to go in reverse as close to straight back as you can.
Once you are proficient on the yard and there is room to sit in a road truck, you will be taken out on a route to learn shifting past 1st or 2nd gear. Once you get comfortable out there, you will be scheduled for a final road test.
There is alot of material that you can review online prior to getting to class. Good luck.
Take your positive attitude with you and do what they tell you. You are interviewing for the job EVERY day, from here on.
Read as much as possible HERE. The Moderators here are THE BEST and they are free to you.
This job is much like the military; hurry up and wait, you need a thick skin, expect people to be hard on you, but keep a positive attitude and enjoy the simple pleasures.
Remember the school is only training you to pass the test. The real tests will come when you get into a truck and are getting paid to haul freight.
Do all your pre-hires at school so you’ll have a job when you pass the test.
I hope this helps.
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.
Pre-hires:
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.
Welcome!
Try to stick with a schedule. My days started at 0500 and ended at 1600. It was rough at the start, but I focused on being in bed no later than 1900.
A good attitude and trying to stay loose and humble with the backing got me through. Be gentle with yourself. You are taking the first steps on a huge learning curve.
Congratulations!
Cheers,
G
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.
Thanks for the replies, I will be doing my best to take it all to heart. One of the things I like about this site is everyone's willingness to help those of us new to the industry. I really appreciate the advice, thanks so much!
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Welcome Joe.
Not sure if you’ve had a chance to review the Trucking Truth starter kit...
- Truck Driver's Career Guide
- Brett's Book: The Raw Truth About Trucking (free online version)
- High Road CDL Training Program
- CDL Practice Tests
...it’s chocked full of valuable content designed to set realistic expectations and goals. The High Road Training program is the best path to learning everything required to pass the permit exams and beyond.
I also suggest a visit to the blog section of Trucking Truth; numerous articles on school and training.
Don’t hesitate to ask questions and make observations; we’re here to help!
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.
I’ll give you the advice my truck school instructor gave me. Don’t watch any YouTube videos! At least until you get your cdl. Listen to all the TRUCKING TRUTH PODCASTS.
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.
Just want to thank everyone again for the replies and advice. Got through the first week of school, got my permit, and hit the yard. First time ever in a rig, and it was fun! Really enjoying the adventure so far, I'll keep everyone updated. So far only concern i have is the 90 back. For some reason i struggled with that one, the other 2 no real problem, any tips would be appreciated. Everyone have a Merry Christmas!
Your tribblations with the 90 are common. There is lots of detailed advice here. Search for "90 alley dock" in the Trucking Truth search bar (the blank area just under the title at the top of the page).
My one piece of advice for now:
it's OK to get frustrated. But each time you start setting up for it, start your thinking process fresh.
Hi Joe - I'm in NC, too - and just passed testing in New Bern day before yesterday.
My struggle was with the 90 dock alley, too. Get all the time you possibly can in the yard working on that one. When I went to DMV Thursday for my exam, the tester actually referred to it as an "offset left" maneuver. I'd not heard of it referred to as that before, but for me it kinda made sense.
At some point you'll find what works for you in figuring it out. That's how it seemed to work out for my class of 5. Best of luck to you, and enjoy putting yourself out there!
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.DMV:
Department of Motor Vehicles, Bureau of Motor Vehicles
The state agency that handles everything related to your driver's licences, including testing, issuance, transfers, and revocation.
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Hi all, I have been on the site for while, reading, studying high road, and just taking everything in while considering trucking as a career. I'm 43 years old, good driving record and this will be my second career(hopefully the last). My wife actually suggested trucking and after being in retail for 15+ years I was ready for something new. So, I am heading to a local school this week, and would appreciate any and all tips and advice everyone has for getting my cdl and doing well in this industry. It's a bit overwhelming but I want to be successful, so any and all advice is welcome, thanks in advance. Love the site by the way, very helpful with the study guides and high road training!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: