Ring The Bell...School Starts Next Week!

Aloha Y'All!

I'm very excited as I am now scheduled to start at Knight next Monday, May 6th in Phoenix for their CDL program, and hopefully, for hiring afterwards. While I got my CLP back in February, I had to finish up some work commitments before actually applying. There were a few companies that appealed to me, but Knight seemed to be the best fit for me at this time. (Having a terminal in my home city of Las Vegas wasn't the sole determining factor...but it didn't hurt either)

I'm coming from a non-trucking background, (I've mostly been a musician/entertainer on cruise ships and working the road back in the day) but feel that this is going to be a great fit for me. I'm just about to turn 57, and I know that this is not especially old, so now is the right time to start on this journey. New skills, new industry, new life.

I'll do my best to post over on the CDL Diaries side, and look forward to being an active participant on this side...when I have something to say. In the meantime, thank you to those who initially lent me their ears from my first post, (including some who emailed me or who I actually spoke with on the phone) and gave me some really good advice on choosing a path forward.

Any advice going forward is always appreciated and welcomed. In the meantime, I plan on keeping my eyes and ears open, and taking things slowly. Stay safe y'all!

TD

Congratulations and best wishes. I have passed by that location several times. It looks ok. Knight is a good company. You may know that Swift and US Express are under the same umbrella. You can do this. You will be learning lots during your training and years on the road.

Aloooo-ha, Dave! Welcome aboard!

Quick advice: #1. If you haven't started on your CDL Permit yet, click on the hamburger menu at the top left, scroll down to the CDL Test Prep section and get into the High Road Test Prep.

Also, check out all the other powerful information available here using that menu.

#2: Just like shipboard, Trucking is not a regular way of life. There are many rules/regulations governing how you go about your business and you have to get used to a 24/7 type life. You won't get "worked to death" but you certainly won't have a 9 to 5 schedule.

Check out the rather new thread by Brett: Do You Still Have The Drive For This Career? and see what keeps us drivers going.

Congratulations Dave, good luck with Knight and training.

One thing I tell students going into these training programs is to be very aware that there is usually a “no tolerance “ alcohol policy. This usually means no alcohol in the motel room, in your luggage or at any place you go out to eat while in school. If a student is caught consuming even a beer while at school, it can mean instant dismissal.

I remember a story I heard that some students went to a restaurant to celebrate their graduation from the program and thought it was okay to have beer. They got bounced.

Also, try to get some other students together and form a study group. Extra effort always pays off.

Looking forward to hearing about your experience.

Hi Dave, I'm a musician as well, and went through knight as well, in fact I'm still at Knight. You can find a very comprehensive diary of my experience with them all the way from day one through solo training. In our CDL training diaries. I highly recommend digging into that diary asap.

As mentioned, make sure your clp is squared away before you start. Make sure things are in order. You will attend school for 3 weeks, after, which I highly recommend discussing with your DQP and or recruiter, attend Top Gun for 1 week. After that, you will go back to your home terminal and go out with a trainer for two weeks if you do top gun, 4 weeks if not.

You're actually an employee with Knight already. Your first day of work will be when school starts. We have some great instructors down there, assuming you're going to Phoenix. But like much of trucking, your success will ultimately depend on your mindset and your performance.

I've had very positive interactions with most everyone I've met at Knight, and I've had good luck with getting work and interactions with the Vegas terminal. Many things are terminal specific at Knight with each terminal being almost like its own business.

I can't stress being open minded, honest and willing enough. They seem to be the keys in enjoying a successful experience at school and training. We have one of the shortest training peroids in the industry, so there's a lot pick up in a short time.

Hope you find success in your endeavors, my email is in my profile, feel free to reach out here on the forum or personally with any questions and please start the diary.

Thanks for all the positivity so far! To answer a few points:

-I already have my CLP and DOT...although Knight wants me to go again, (today) to get one that is closer to my start date, as well as the urine and hair test...no worries.

-As mentioned by Errol, trucking is not a "regular" lifestyle, and I think that this is one of the things about it that appeals to me. I've never wanted to do a 9-5 and wear a suit/tie and sit at a desk with an unchanging view, and I've been successful at that so far. I like the idea of waking up in a new place each day.

-Having worked on cruise ships for the better part of the last twenty years, I am very used to living and working in confined small spaces, so the living/sleeping/working in the truck poses no problems to me. I have slept like a baby through twenty foot swells and having an anchor being dropped into the water thirty feet from where I am.

-BK mentioned the likelihood of the a "no tolerance" alcohol policy. One of the benefits of being my age and starting this, is that I got ALL of that out of my system years ago. I'm now that "glass of wine with dinner" guy at home, so going out with the guys just isn't an issue. Looking at the schedule, it looks like 6:00am start times each day at school...so that means 5:00am wakeup for me and the LAST thing that will make that doable is a couple of drinks.

-Davy mentioned Top Gun...I know I'm going to have a ton on my plate, but I'll look into it. Heck, if it cuts down the time with a trainer by two weeks...I'm all for it.

Again, thanks for the responses, please keep them, and your advice coming. Stay safe y'all!

Hello Tiki Dave, and welcome to a new challenging/rewarding career. I've been with Knight for over a million miles. It's obviously a great place to be in my opinion.

Trucking is so radically different than most other jobs. It really throws a lot of folks into a fit of dissatisfaction right off the start. Don't make any rash or quick decisions when starting this career. Be deliberate, and learn from the flow of things. Keep yourself from the malcontents and the complainers. They'll only make your vision skewed and biased.

Many new truckers get demoralized by the jaded truckers who take it as their personal mission to expose the horrible conditions truckers submit to. Don't allow them to pollute your mind. Listen to the people who are successful at this, and form your own opinions based on your experience.

Welcome to trucking!

Feel free to ask us anything. We don't bite, and we believe every question is worthy of a helpful answer. There's no question we consider dumb or beneath us. We were all beginners at this one time. Someone helped us, and we just enjoy helping others who are going through the process as well.

Aloha Y'All!

Well, I thought I'd do a check in since I began CDL Academy with Knight yesterday. From the get go, everyone at the Phoenix terminal/academy made us feel welcomed and part of the company...even though we're not officially hired yet. The terminal/campus is pretty darn cool, and once you get through the gates, it's like it's own little world. From the director, to the instructors, to the DDMs, everyone is on the same wavelength, and even though it's only my second day, I'm really digging it!

In the first four days, we're doing a bunch of computer based modules that cover everything from basic terminology, to what to expect at inspections, to CSA to...about a hundred other things. We're learning how to fill out paper logs, (JIC), going over the Smith System, starting to learn driving "theory", and of course, starting to tackle pre-trip. Tomorrow they will be guiding us in their methods, but have already given us some great resources and material to use for study. I'm currently taking a break from watching the pre-trip video, (my fourth time) to give my brain a rest, but will probably let it run a couple of more times tonight before I call it a night. (5:30am lobby call comes early, you know?) I'm told that we might be doing coupling and uncoupling on Thursday or Friday...so much to take in.

As someone who has taught in the past, I recognize some of the methods that they use, and I'm glad to see it. It's not scattershot at all, and it's pretty methodical as one thing leads into another in a good flow. There's a lot coming at us, but if you take notes, pay attention and take your time to digest it, it goes down pretty nicely.

Anyway, thanks again to everyone who has been so encouraging with this new journey I'm on. I'll try to check in periodically...I'll see if I can work in the phrase Properly Mounted and Secured once or twice, as it is now burned into my brain! Stay safe y'all!

TD