Getting Into Trucking
Topic 32892 | Page 1
There is no Ivy League in truck driving schools. The objective is to get your CDL. The fly by night schools have disappeared because of the FMCSA's ELDT mandate. Knight/Swift is the largest trucking company in the US so they know how to train. The biggest difference in schools is between company sponsored or private. Private schools sell, "training", not a CDL. Once you finish your training you get to use their truck once or maybe twice to test at the DMV. Whether you pass or not is up to you, the DMV and God - NOT their problem. If you need to test more than two times to pass you need to find a truck and a licensed driver at your own expense.
Company sponsored training is about getting butts in trucks. They usually run a new class through every week. If you are having problems with a block of instruction, no problem - they will, "recycle" you and let you repeat that week with the class behind the one you started with at no additional cost or obligation. It's not about maximizing revenue - it's about maximizing the number of CDL holders who finish the program. You still have to test with a DMV licensed evaluator and pass a written test at the DMV so you do earn your CDL but the school will, "grease the skids" and bend over backwards to ensure you get every chance to succeed.
The question is, "What school is right for you"? I don't have any information about your needs. What do you want out of this? Do you want to bring a pet or a passenger? Do you want to maximize your earnings? Do you want 100% PAID healthcare for you and your family? What's important to YOU in training and in the job you'll have afterwards?
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.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
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.
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.Fm:
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.
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.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
In my thinking, any driving training should be hard. Not impossibly hard, but not a cake walk. This is so the unsuitable candidates with an entitlement attitude are weeded out. When I went to school at Schneider, it was fast paced and challenging. Lots of homework and studying every evening after school. Of the 13 who started the class, only 4 graduated. If the training is hard, it produces better drivers because they had to prove themselves. Even then, just graduating is no guarantee of success. Every day for a long time will be a training day.
Im not saying I want it be cake walk I just wondering cause I never have done anything with tractor trailers and was wondering how the school was
In my thinking, any driving training should be hard. Not impossibly hard, but not a cake walk. This is so the unsuitable candidates with an entitlement attitude are weeded out. When I went to school at Schneider, it was fast paced and challenging. Lots of homework and studying every evening after school. Of the 13 who started the class, only 4 graduated. If the training is hard, it produces better drivers because they had to prove themselves. Even then, just graduating is no guarantee of success. Every day for a long time will be a training day.
I’m looking in to knight transportation and I would like to be able to bring my wife with me sometimes and I would like good benefits and what I want out of CDL training is I want to be able to learn and them willing to help me if I have questions since I have never driven a tractor trailer before
There is no Ivy League in truck driving schools. The objective is to get your CDL. The fly by night schools have disappeared because of the FMCSA's ELDT mandate. Knight/Swift is the largest trucking company in the US so they know how to train. The biggest difference in schools is between company sponsored or private. Private schools sell, "training", not a CDL. Once you finish your training you get to use their truck once or maybe twice to test at the DMV. Whether you pass or not is up to you, the DMV and God - NOT their problem. If you need to test more than two times to pass you need to find a truck and a licensed driver at your own expense.
Company sponsored training is about getting butts in trucks. They usually run a new class through every week. If you are having problems with a block of instruction, no problem - they will, "recycle" you and let you repeat that week with the class behind the one you started with at no additional cost or obligation. It's not about maximizing revenue - it's about maximizing the number of CDL holders who finish the program. You still have to test with a DMV licensed evaluator and pass a written test at the DMV so you do earn your CDL but the school will, "grease the skids" and bend over backwards to ensure you get every chance to succeed.
The question is, "What school is right for you"? I don't have any information about your needs. What do you want out of this? Do you want to bring a pet or a passenger? Do you want to maximize your earnings? Do you want 100% PAID healthcare for you and your family? What's important to YOU in training and in the job you'll have afterwards?
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.
CSA:
Compliance, Safety, Accountability (CSA)
The CSA is a Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) initiative to improve large truck and bus safety and ultimately reduce crashes, injuries, and fatalities that are related to commercial motor vehicle
FMCSA:
Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration
The FMCSA was established within the Department of Transportation on January 1, 2000. Their primary mission is to prevent commercial motor vehicle-related fatalities and injuries.
What Does The FMCSA Do?
- Commercial Drivers' Licenses
- Data and Analysis
- Regulatory Compliance and Enforcement
- Research and Technology
- Safety Assistance
- Support and Information Sharing
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.
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.Fm:
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.
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.
TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
I have my CDL permit and I am looking see what CDL school would be best I live in Utah I been looking at Knight Transportation to go to there school I was wondering how there school is and how hard is it to pass the school since there isn’t any recent post about Knight Transportation I’m asking this
There are two drivers here with experience driving for Knight. I am sure they would be willing to answer specific questions. Just ask whatever you want to know. They are here regularly.
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.
Ok thank you I just been doing my research online and on trucking truth and so far I like knight transportation from what I have seeing on trucking truth posts and online
I have my CDL permit and I am looking see what CDL school would be best I live in Utah I been looking at Knight Transportation to go to there school I was wondering how there school is and how hard is it to pass the school since there isn’t any recent post about Knight Transportation I’m asking this
There are two drivers here with experience driving for Knight. I am sure they would be willing to answer specific questions. Just ask whatever you want to know. They are here regularly.
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.
If you are accepted by a company like Knight or any of the other big companies, you will be able to get all your questions answered, starting with their website and recruiter. They bring you in and WANT you to succeed, so the instructors and trainers will be there to answer all your questions.
It would be a good idea to start writing down questions you have in a notebook, if you haven’t already started to. And this forum is a great place to get questions answered in a constructive way. Good luck, it can be a great career.
Thank you and I have questions written down to ask and I hear it a great career
If you are accepted by a company like Knight or any of the other big companies, you will be able to get all your questions answered, starting with their website and recruiter. They bring you in and WANT you to succeed, so the instructors and trainers will be there to answer all your questions.
It would be a good idea to start writing down questions you have in a notebook, if you haven’t already started to. And this forum is a great place to get questions answered in a constructive way. Good luck, it can be a great career.
Feel free to look in our CDL diaries section, do a search for Knight. I wrote a comprehensive diary of my experience with Knight from day (I'm still with them).
The are many people that have had both good and bad experiences with them. As far as the mechanics of how the school, training and top gun work, for Dry van , ask your recruiter but in general; 3 weeks school, paid while in school at 480/wk. 1 week Top Gun program. 850/wk. Two weeks OTR training 850/WK. 30K Solo miles (Squire miles) under a DDM.
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.
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.Dry Van:
A trailer or truck that that requires no special attention, such as refrigeration, that hauls regular palletted, boxed, or floor-loaded freight. The most common type of trailer in trucking.New Reply:
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I have my CDL permit and I am looking see what CDL school would be best I live in Utah I been looking at Knight Transportation to go to there school I was wondering how there school is and how hard is it to pass the school since there isn’t any recent post about Knight Transportation I’m asking this
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: