Well, I have been here at Crowder College Transport Training for almost two weeks now. I haven't had sufficient internet access to post until today, so I thought I'd give y'all an update.
It's going well. This school has a tough program. They start you out on a simulator, and you have to pass a test on it before they will even allow you near any of the trucks. As easy as it may sound to clutch and shift on a simulator, I am here to tell you that it's challenging. The machine is designed to highlight your weaknesses, and it does its job very well. The first week is spent mastering your shifting skills enough to satisfy the simulator (you have to pass a test on it the first Friday), and then it's off to the range.
Once you get on the range, you are immediately taught how to button hook turn. The range is also where you learn how to upshift/downshift on a real truck. Of course, the trucks are very different than the simulators, so it takes a few times around the range before you are shifting smoothly. The button hook turns aren't difficult to master, but they can get tricky, especially if you don't swing to the left quickly. If you knock down a barrel, then you have to get out and put it back in its place.
This week started off working on the range. We also spent a couple of hours learning how to hook and unhook. While out on the range, we learned how to straight back and serpentine back. On Wednesday, we had to pass a range test in the morning, because the afternoon was spent on our first actual road trip and learning how to parallel park. The road trip included some highway driving, but not too much. It was mostly driving on back roads around the airport. The whole day today was spent on parallel parking.
Over all, my impression of this program is that it's very, very good. The information they give us is very detailed, and we have to pay attention because we are tested on everything. Mixed in with the simulator time, range time, and road time is information on HOS , CSA , weighing, the pre/post trip inspection, logging, etc., all of which we get tested on. They gave us each a video on the CDL pre-trip inspection , and you have to watch it until you learn it because they don't spend a whole lot of time teaching us how to do it. We get to practice it every time we go out on the range, but that part of the learning process is almost wholly up to us being vigilant in watching the video and practicing it on our own when we have the time. This bothered me at first, but I've realized that teaching it via DVD frees up time for them to focus on teaching us how to downshift, back, park, and deal with traffic.
All the instructors here have 20 or more years experience, so they know these trucks, and how to drive them, inside and out. Honestly, I don't know how they do their jobs because it would take more patience than I have to do what they do.
We've lost a couple of students, both because of illness. There is at least one other student who will probably not make it, but that has to do more with his attitude than from a lack of proper instruction from the instructors. You really have to be willing to humble yourself and pay attention to what you're being told. Otherwise, you make this process much harder than it already is.
I am convinced that I made the right choice in choosing this school. I wanted more than a CDL mill, and feel blessed to have found this school. I went into this feeling excited about learning how to drive a truck but very intimidated by the size of the truck and the knowledge that one mistake can cost someone his/her life. The almost two weeks I've been here has given me the confidence I need to know that I am entering this industry with a rock solid foundation to build from. The remaining three weeks will be filled with road trips, more practice with parallel parking, an obstacle course, the skid pad (assuming they can get the equipment together for it), and other necessary maneuvers I still have to learn. I'm tired and sore, but happy. I will keep y'all updated.
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
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
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
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.
Well, I have been here at Crowder College Transport Training for almost two weeks now. I haven't had sufficient internet access to post until today, so I thought I'd give y'all an update.
It's going well. This school has a tough program. They start you out on a simulator, and you have to pass a test on it before they will even allow you near any of the trucks. As easy as it may sound to clutch and shift on a simulator, I am here to tell you that it's challenging. The machine is designed to highlight your weaknesses, and it does its job very well. The first week is spent mastering your shifting skills enough to satisfy the simulator (you have to pass a test on it the first Friday), and then it's off to the range.
Once you get on the range, you are immediately taught how to button hook turn. The range is also where you learn how to upshift/downshift on a real truck. Of course, the trucks are very different than the simulators, so it takes a few times around the range before you are shifting smoothly. The button hook turns aren't difficult to master, but they can get tricky, especially if you don't swing to the left quickly. If you knock down a barrel, then you have to get out and put it back in its place.
This week started off working on the range. We also spent a couple of hours learning how to hook and unhook. While out on the range, we learned how to straight back and serpentine back. On Wednesday, we had to pass a range test in the morning, because the afternoon was spent on our first actual road trip and learning how to parallel park. The road trip included some highway driving, but not too much. It was mostly driving on back roads around the airport. The whole day today was spent on parallel parking.
Over all, my impression of this program is that it's very, very good. The information they give us is very detailed, and we have to pay attention because we are tested on everything. Mixed in with the simulator time, range time, and road time is information on HOS , CSA , weighing, the pre/post trip inspection, logging, etc., all of which we get tested on. They gave us each a video on the CDL pre-trip inspection , and you have to watch it until you learn it because they don't spend a whole lot of time teaching us how to do it. We get to practice it every time we go out on the range, but that part of the learning process is almost wholly up to us being vigilant in watching the video and practicing it on our own when we have the time. This bothered me at first, but I've realized that teaching it via DVD frees up time for them to focus on teaching us how to downshift, back, park, and deal with traffic.
All the instructors here have 20 or more years experience, so they know these trucks, and how to drive them, inside and out. Honestly, I don't know how they do their jobs because it would take more patience than I have to do what they do.
We've lost a couple of students, both because of illness. There is at least one other student who will probably not make it, but that has to do more with his attitude than from a lack of proper instruction from the instructors. You really have to be willing to humble yourself and pay attention to what you're being told. Otherwise, you make this process much harder than it already is.
I am convinced that I made the right choice in choosing this school. I wanted more than a CDL mill, and feel blessed to have found this school. I went into this feeling excited about learning how to drive a truck but very intimidated by the size of the truck and the knowledge that one mistake can cost someone his/her life. The almost two weeks I've been here has given me the confidence I need to know that I am entering this industry with a rock solid foundation to build from. The remaining three weeks will be filled with road trips, more practice with parallel parking, an obstacle course, the skid pad (assuming they can get the equipment together for it), and other necessary maneuvers I still have to learn. I'm tired and sore, but happy. I will keep y'all updated.
Pre-trip Inspection:
A pre-trip inspection is a thorough inspection of the truck completed before driving for the first time each day.
Federal and state laws require that drivers inspect their vehicles. Federal and state inspectors also may inspect your vehicles. If they judge a vehicle to be unsafe, they will put it “out of service” until it is repaired.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
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
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.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.