Aspiring Truck Driver With Some Questions
Topic 28639 | Page 1
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Check out these links. We always recommend company sponsored schooling programs because they have a vested interest in you succeeding, plus a guaranteed first driving job.
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.
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.
Distance to the company will not matter with the big national companies as they are all over and will bring you in for training. I went private school to get CDL but was in far different circumstance than you. I had a job lined up and just needed the CDL itself as I had drove semis on the farm for 30 years. You should definitely consider a company sponsored program as with that you have a job waiting when finished with school and the cost is usually nothing as long as you stay with company for a set period. These big companies go all across the nation so your actual home address does not make much difference. 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 went with ROEHL years ago and it is not really one year. It’s really about 15 months because your training time and your probation time don’t count (The time were they have a plan or hand pick easy loads for you for the first six weeks)
One thing I will tell you, no matter what big company you choose or if you get a small one, make sure that they pay for all your reserved parking.
Your life will be stressful for the first year or two and if you get good at doing your planning and have an idea of where you’re going to park for the night you want to have a reserve spot paid for early in the day. This will reduce your stress level greatly during your first year.
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.
I went with I went withROEHL years ago and it is not really one year. It’s really about 15 months because your training time and your probation time don’t count (The time were they have a plan or hand pick easy loads for you for the first six weeks)
One thing I will tell you, no matter what big company you choose or if you get a small one, make sure that they pay for all your reserved parking.
Your life will be stressful for the first year or two and if you get good at doing your planning and have an idea of where you’re going to park for the night you want to have a reserve spot paid for early in the day. This will reduce your stress level greatly during your first year.
Does roehl pay for reserved parking now? They didnt when i worked for them. As far as the OP it really doesn't matter where you live as long as the company operates in the area. PA is a great place because its the gateway to the northeast lol. I live about an hour north of Pittsburgh myself and there's plenty of companies that run around there. Roehl is a great place to start, as well as Schneider, Swift. Im not really sure who else has company sponsored training but this is definitely the place to start.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
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.
I’d also recommend company sponsored training. Roehl is the one I went with and it’s been good so far. You’re right in the heart of our main shopping lanes so location is no problem.
As an answer to the paid parking question, we can typically get it covered if we run out of time at the shipper or cons and need to PC out.
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.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
I don’t believe they do unless you can get them to put it in writing which I have heard of at least two people that “claimed to”
I went with I went withROEHL years ago and it is not really one year. It’s really about 15 months because your training time and your probation time don’t count (The time were they have a plan or hand pick easy loads for you for the first six weeks)
One thing I will tell you, no matter what big company you choose or if you get a small one, make sure that they pay for all your reserved parking.
Your life will be stressful for the first year or two and if you get good at doing your planning and have an idea of where you’re going to park for the night you want to have a reserve spot paid for early in the day. This will reduce your stress level greatly during your first year.
Does roehl pay for reserved parking now? They didnt when i worked for them. As far as the OP it really doesn't matter where you live as long as the company operates in the area. PA is a great place because its the gateway to the northeast lol. I live about an hour north of Pittsburgh myself and there's plenty of companies that run around there. Roehl is a great place to start, as well as Schneider, Swift. Im not really sure who else has company sponsored training but this is definitely the place to start.
Company Sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
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.
Distance to the company means nothing. My company has one terminal in WI. I live in Buffalo. I go to the terminal once a quarter or so for service.
They have me bring a load out, then bring one back, so it’s just like any other driving week, with a 34 at the yard while they do routine service and I grab a safety meeting.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Here my video that will bring up topics of local schools you may not have considered.
CDL School Truth You Need to Consider
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.
Great responses guys, these were very insightful and helpful. Now, I got a new somewhat dumb question. So, I have a trip planned at the end of November to visit family out of town and was wondering if I should wait until after the trip to apply for the paid CDL program or if I could apply now and notify them in advance of the trip?
Thanks,
Alex
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.
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Good morning, good afternoon, good evening, whatever is appropriate for your place in the world, and welcome to my post.
My name is Alex and I am a 21 year old interested in trucking. I first considered doing trucking at the age of 17 after I met a hardworking professional truck driver through my best friend (His father is a truck driver). Since then I have always thought about a possible future in the trucking industry but did not do anything about it until now. I talked to my mother about a possible career in trucking and she was 100% onboard with the idea and is helping me in any way she can to get me started. I also told my girlfriend about this and she also supports me. My plan is to work OTR for 2-3 years and then transition to a local company and move in with my girlfriend and our pups (We have three Chihuahuas combined haha!). I have been reading the "Truck Driver's Career Guide" to familiarize myself with the industry and have also read some of the stories attached to the Guide that cover topics like pay, truck driving culture, hours of work, sight seeing, struggles rookies face, erratic sleeping schedules, how to maintain strong relationships with family & friends, etc. I am aware of the good and the bad of this job but somehow I find myself more interested as I keep reading your great stories about your adventures on the road. Anyway, question is, should I do Private CDL Training or Paid CDL Training? I understand that with paid CDL training I would most likely have to work for the company for a year which I do not mind at all for this was my plan all along. However, since I am not familiar with trucking company names and live in a small town, I have not been able to see if there are paid training programs near me (Closest big city to me is Pittsburgh which is about 1 hour away). In addition to that question, I was wondering if I need a CLP before attending the paid training program or if I could start from scratch with the company. As for private schooling, I found a school in the town I live in but they don't have much information posted on their website which makes me feel skeptical about it. Recently I have been getting ads from Roehl and Swift but I don't think either of those companies are within reasonable distance from me. I would really appreciate it if you guys could drop some names down below so that I can look into them and research them further, it would really help a lot. As of right now these are my only questions so far, if I think of another one I will try to look at the "Truck Driver's Career Guide" and if I can't an answer there I will come back to this thread and ask. Thanks for your time and help in advance.
Safe Driving,
Alex
P.S. I am not sure if this is the correct section to ask these questions and I apologize to the moderators in advance.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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.
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.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.