OTR Training Periods
Topic 5559 | Page 1
As a trainer my recommendation iz 4 to 6 weeks. The first 2 weeks your head is spinning from so much knowledge that you arent fully grasping everything that is being thrown your way. It is only after that that you relax a bit and start to retain anything. At the same time. Too long of a training period will have you too reliant on the other person to tell you want to do and how to do it. You start getting comfortable with the comfort zone of having a trainer there. Our training is 4 1/2 weeks and all of my girls have been ready by that time. But at 2 weeks I wouldn't feel comfortable with that at all.
As a trainer my recommendation iz 4 to 6 weeks. The first 2 weeks your head is spinning from so much knowledge that you arent fully grasping everything that is being thrown your way. It is only after that that you relax a bit and start to retain anything. At the same time. Too long of a training period will have you too reliant on the other person to tell you want to do and how to do it. You start getting comfortable with the comfort zone of having a trainer there. Our training is 4 1/2 weeks and all of my girls have been ready by that time. But at 2 weeks I wouldn't feel comfortable with that at all.
RedGator,
Thanks for the advise...makes sense to me. Although I want to go flatbed right out of the gate, I sometimes think there might be value in considering dry van in order to get a solid tractor OTR training period, then switching over.
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.
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.
I can't speak for other companies but I know how prime did it for me. When i was in the PSD phase I had to document how much driving and backing practice I did daily. Then a weekly call to my FM. Then it was up to my instructor to decide when I was ready to be able to test out. Then for the tnt phase it was 30,000 miles with my trainer. Then an upgrade to solo.
I started PSD feb. 14th, TNT mar. 24th and upgraded to solo may 14th. I'll let someone better at math figure out the times.
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.PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
- Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
- Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
- Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
- Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
- Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
- Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
I can't speak for other companies but I know how prime did it for me. When i was in the PSD phase I had to document how much driving and backing practice I did daily. Then a weekly call to my FM. Then it was up to my instructor to decide when I was ready to be able to test out. Then for the tnt phase it was 30,000 miles with my trainer. Then an upgrade to solo.
I started PSD feb. 14th, TNT mar. 24th and upgraded to solo may 14th. I'll let someone better at math figure out the times.
Mango,
Thanks for breaking down your training period. That sounds like very good training. I would think a training plan like that has to make a difference. By the way, I reenlisted a Corpsman today!
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.PSD:
Prime Student Driver
Prime Inc has a CDL training program and the first phase is referred to as PSD. You'll get your permit and then 10,000 miles of on the road instruction.
The following is from Prime's website:
Prime’s PSD begins with you obtaining your CDL permit. Then you’ll go on the road with a certified CDL instructor for no less than 75 hours of one-on-one behind the wheel training. After training, you’ll return to Prime’s corporate headquarters in Springfield, Missouri, for final CDL state testing and your CDL license.
Obtain CDL Permit / 4 Days
- Enter program, study and test for Missouri CDL permit.
- Start driving/training at Prime Training Center in Springfield, Missouri.
- Work toward 40,000 training dispatched miles (minimum) with food allowance while without CDL (Food allowance is paid back with future earnings).
On-the-Road Instruction / 10,000 Miles
- Train with experienced certified CDL instructor for 3-4 weeks in a real world environment.
- Get 75 hours of behind-the-wheel time with one-on-one student/instructor ratio.
- Earn 10,000 miles toward total 40,000 miles needed.
TNT:
Trainer-N-Trainee
Prime Inc has their own CDL training program and it's divided into two phases - PSD and TNT.
The PSD (Prime Student Driver) phase is where you'll get your permit and then go on the road for 10,000 miles with a trainer. When you come back you'll get your CDL license and enter the TNT phase.
The TNT phase is the second phase of training where you'll go on the road with an experienced driver for 30,000 miles of team driving. You'll receive 14¢ per mile ($700 per week guaranteed) during this phase. Once you're finished with TNT training you will be assigned a truck to run solo.
I was talking to my brother who is an Train Engineer and we discussing pay benefits and I must say I wish these Trucking companies paid like they do and the benefits were like them too...
My two cents here... Roehl, after thirteen days with my trainer, i have to agree with red. Most of the time my trainer was spelling things out for me, it wasn't until the last run that i did a lions share of the work, but he still... "Pointed things out" rather than letting me show what i did retain and what i needed help with... Another week would have done me worlds of good, there are things that come up that your trainer may not have opportunity to go over, another surprise. Yes, i asked tons of questions, yes i have a notebook full of wisdom, but i still find myself scratching my head.. He/she is experienced. Knows the ropes and sometimes forgets i think that they were new once to. Any trainer your with, try to think of different scenarios as you move along. Example, my truck pc goes down, what do i do? Trip planning. More than an hour explaining a map, get details. My tandems got stuck while i was trying to adjust them. Wouldn't move either way. What do i do? I found out the hard way lol. And when you call dispatch, if you can get a hold of them ha! Don't take the attitude personally. As a rookie, your expected to ask questions! Ask for help! Ha... Sry. Rambling. Waiting at a shop for a repair before i move on.
Tandems:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Tandem:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
My two cents here... Roehl, after thirteen days with my trainer, i have to agree with red. Most of the time my trainer was spelling things out for me, it wasn't until the last run that i did a lions share of the work, but he still... "Pointed things out" rather than letting me show what i did retain and what i needed help with... Another week would have done me worlds of good, there are things that come up that your trainer may not have opportunity to go over, another surprise. Yes, i asked tons of questions, yes i have a notebook full of wisdom, but i still find myself scratching my head.. He/she is experienced. Knows the ropes and sometimes forgets i think that they were new once to. Any trainer your with, try to think of different scenarios as you move along. Example, my truck pc goes down, what do i do? Trip planning. More than an hour explaining a map, get details. My tandems got stuck while i was trying to adjust them. Wouldn't move either way. What do i do? I found out the hard way lol. And when you call dispatch, if you can get a hold of them ha! Don't take the attitude personally. As a rookie, your expected to ask questions! Ask for help! Ha... Sry. Rambling. Waiting at a shop for a repair before i move on.
Hi Andy, glad to see you made it through school ok! I am getting ready to leave Sunday for Roehl's school in Marshfield. Any tips for getting through? Also, once you finished, how long did you have to wait for a trainer? Best of luck to you out there on your own!
Tandems:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Tandem:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
Jolie, are you going to Marshfield or Appleton? I went to Fox valley tech for training. Roehl has a contract with them for training. From what i understand, the Marshfield school is much more thorough than Appleton. An extra week or so... As for me, i got home on a Monday night, and Wednesday afternoon i met my trainer. Advice? Leave your fear at home lol! So far everyone has been incredibly helpful. Other drivers, fm's, training manager. But i think there is no replacement for experience. You will learn the basics of what you need to know. The rest is trial by fire. I'm more the type who over thinks at times ha, I'm only on my third run, and no matter the headaches, i absolutely love the job. The things I've seen in such a short time are more than enough to make up for the messy truck stops and the blind back around a corner i had to do today lol please, start a diary of your journey, I'd love to read it! Feel free to ask any questions, happy to help in my limited experience!
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.DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
Jolie, are you going to Marshfield or Appleton? I went to Fox valley tech for training. Roehl has a contract with them for training. From what i understand, the Marshfield school is much more thorough than Appleton. An extra week or so... As for me, i got home on a Monday night, and Wednesday afternoon i met my trainer. Advice? Leave your fear at home lol! So far everyone has been incredibly helpful. Other drivers, fm's, training manager. But i think there is no replacement for experience. You will learn the basics of what you need to know. The rest is trial by fire. I'm more the type who over thinks at times ha, I'm only on my third run, and no matter the headaches, i absolutely love the job. The things I've seen in such a short time are more than enough to make up for the messy truck stops and the blind back around a corner i had to do today lol please, start a diary of your journey, I'd love to read it! Feel free to ask any questions, happy to help in my limited experience!
I will be going to Marshfield for school. I will be the only female in the class as the other one that was registered backed out. Oh well, I'm kind of glad to be honest. I work better with men as a general rule and don't want to be lumped together with anyone else based solely on gender which can happen all too easily. I am not very good at keeping a journal but I will try! 
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.DAC:
Drive-A-Check Report
A truck drivers DAC report will contain detailed information about their job history of the last 10 years as a CDL driver (as required by the DOT).
It may also contain your criminal history, drug test results, DOT infractions and accident history. The program is strictly voluntary from a company standpoint, but most of the medium-to-large carriers will participate.
Most trucking companies use DAC reports as part of their hiring and background check process. It is extremely important that drivers verify that the information contained in it is correct, and have it fixed if it's not.
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Hello all.
Any thoughts on the differences between company OTR training periods. For example, Roehl's phase 2 OTR period with a trainer is 13 days, Melton is 21 with a trainer, TMC is 5 weeks? What are some considerations I should think about? Thanks for the help.
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.