I Need Some Advice
Topic 6892 | Page 1
Christina I have no advice but a question I just sent you a pm thnx
I recently acquired my CDL through a company I've come to despise. The training course was accelerated( can anyone guess who they are?). I had maybe a total of 4 days in a truck before my final test which consisted of skills in the yard. Ok great I get my CDL and get sent out into the general public feeling like I'm going to kill everyone because I don't really know what I'm doing. To me that's unacceptable and the company disagrees threatening me with a huge bill. Went OTR with a trainer that I felt was a hazard because of numerous things wrong with his truck and the lack of caring as to what I was doing behind the wheel. Yes I got off his truck. I'd like to go back, but I have 2 major issues. 1 I can't stand this company and 2 I still don't understand or know how to properly downshift. I asked the trainer I had to help me understand and downshift properly and he just said "I don't have time." I've asked the company for more training before I get another trainer and they said no. I've been told this stuff comes with time, but I like to know what I'm doing at least a little before I do it. Does anyone have any advice?
Its hard finding a good trainer. I read stories all the time about drivers with bad trainers who apear to just be in it for the money. It is sad.
As for what you can do, keep your head up high and get another trainer. If the school gave you a completion certificate, i'd perhaps locate another company that will hire you as a student driver. Even if they wont give you your certificate, I'd still work on seeing if you can get another company to take you on.
As for downshifting, it gets easy once you learn. Say your in 10th gear, and you need to start downshifting. Start by getting your RPMs down to about 1000, clutch in, go to neutral, clutch out, rev the rpms up to 13-1500, clutch in drop to 9th, clutch out. Now thats how you double clutch down. and you repeat down to 3rd gear (most the time you can start in 2nd/3rd gear) you will need to hit the brakes to get yourself slowing down more and to drop the RPMs, but thats basicaly how it goes. every truck is different though so the RPMS will take a bit to get use too.
Do your best to try and work with the company. Try and get another trainer that can actually help you out.
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.
Double Clutch:
To engage and then disengage the clutch twice for every gear change.
When double clutching you will push in the clutch, take the gearshift out of gear, release the clutch, press the clutch in again, shift the gearshift into the next gear, then release the clutch.
This is done on standard transmissions which do not have synchronizers in them, like those found in almost all Class A trucks.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
That settles it with me, just hearing one more story like that. Thanks, I am supposed to be in one of the schools in the Fort Worth area on the twenty-sixth of this month. I do not owe them anything for the application verification do I ? I am going to try to get on at Lone Star College instead if I can and pay up front. 240 hours and they claim 98% job placement. Hope you got on with someone else Christina. It may just be a upset driver setting you up for failure or it may be true what I am reading about going that route.
That settles it with me, just hearing one more story like that. Thanks, I am supposed to be in one of the schools in the Fort Worth area on the twenty-sixth of this month. I do not owe them anything for the application verification do I ? I am going to try to get on at Lone Star College instead if I can and pay up front. 240 hours and they claim 98% job placement. Hope you got on with someone else Christina. It may just be a upset driver setting you up for failure or it may be true what I am reading about going that route.
Same thing I was thinking. I enrolled at a local tech college for cdl school. I will find out what the out of pocket will be soon. The most will be about $2000.00 which I already have more than that saved for the purpose of getting my cdl. So the horror stories and the fact I had a way around going company sponsored kept me away. I feel for people that go through this kind of treatment. The crap you go through to get a better job and want to do it safe and right. I plan on learning everything I can and becoming a trainer to help others.
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.
That settles it with me, just hearing one more story like that. Thanks, I am supposed to be in one of the schools in the Fort Worth area on the twenty-sixth of this month. I do not owe them anything for the application verification do I ? I am going to try to get on at Lone Star College instead if I can and pay up front. 240 hours and they claim 98% job placement. Hope you got on with someone else Christina. It may just be a upset driver setting you up for failure or it may be true what I am reading about going that route.
Never heard of paying for application verification... Unless you sign a contract, you don't owe anything.
Now keep in mind, if your going to a private school, you'll still need to go with a trainer at a company that you choose. The only difference between a private and a Company-Sponsored Training is your basically paying for it, and you have to work on finding a company to hire you Vs. being hired by the company doing the school.
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.
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.
That settles it with me, just hearing one more story like that. Thanks, I am supposed to be in one of the schools in the Fort Worth area on the twenty-sixth of this month. I do not owe them anything for the application verification do I ? I am going to try to get on at Lone Star College instead if I can and pay up front. 240 hours and they claim 98% job placement. Hope you got on with someone else Christina. It may just be a upset driver setting you up for failure or it may be true what I am reading about going that route.
Same thing I was thinking. I enrolled at a local tech college for cdl school. I will find out what the out of pocket will be soon. The most will be about $2000.00 which I already have more than that saved for the purpose of getting my cdl. So the horror stories and the fact I had a way around going company sponsored kept me away. I feel for people that go through this kind of treatment. The crap you go through to get a better job and want to do it safe and right. I plan on learning everything I can and becoming a trainer to help others.
It can happen at a private school too, thats why its important to pick the right school. Once you get the right school then you can worry about the right company
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.
That settles it with me, just hearing one more story like that. Thanks, I am supposed to be in one of the schools in the Fort Worth area on the twenty-sixth of this month. I do not owe them anything for the application verification do I ? I am going to try to get on at Lone Star College instead if I can and pay up front. 240 hours and they claim 98% job placement. Hope you got on with someone else Christina. It may just be a upset driver setting you up for failure or it may be true what I am reading about going that route.
Same thing I was thinking. I enrolled at a local tech college for cdl school. I will find out what the out of pocket will be soon. The most will be about $2000.00 which I already have more than that saved for the purpose of getting my cdl. So the horror stories and the fact I had a way around going company sponsored kept me away. I feel for people that go through this kind of treatment. The crap you go through to get a better job and want to do it safe and right. I plan on learning everything I can and becoming a trainer to help others.
It can happen at a private school too, thats why its important to pick the right school. Once you get the right school then you can worry about the right company
Double and triple checked I'm in the clear with the school I picked and already speaking with companies. Have a list of 8 and will work from there. All companies are very close to where I live. Have a family member that went though their school as well as Anchorman went though the same school.
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.
Pretty simple folks . . . if money is an issue, go to a TRAINING COMPANY where the school is free up front but you pay back weekly or work it off by staying with them until paid off (Prime, Inc has by far the best deal - check out the various companies on this website . . . that's what it is FOR!) and then go to work and make some money so it is no longer an issue . . . all this worrying is not necessary - the year goes by REAL FAST . . . Christine, get your butt over to a reputable training company and don't worry about owing the first jerks . . . some companies will even pay off your debt for you is you agree to stay for the contract period with them . . . I don't know what company put you out into the world like that with NO REAL training, but if you can't even downshift yet, you aren't trained (it's like anything, it's a mystery until it is not, if you know what I mean) . . . all bad problems are solvable with the right help, advice and attitude . . . if you want it then you'll figure out how to get it and everyone here wants you to have it too!
Jopa
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
Thank you everyone for all the replies. I wasn't trying to put out a "horror story" just the experience I've had with this particular company. Money was an issue for me so I jumped at this opportunity since it's free up front and if you fulfill your nine month contract you can leave. I signed up for this to be a real truck driver not a wheel holder like basically I am. I was going to contact other companies, more up front companies, and see if they can help. I did my research before entering school and it backfired. I will get back out on the road, but with way more training so I can feel comfortable in that truck.
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I recently acquired my CDL through a company I've come to despise. The training course was accelerated( can anyone guess who they are?). I had maybe a total of 4 days in a truck before my final test which consisted of skills in the yard. Ok great I get my CDL and get sent out into the general public feeling like I'm going to kill everyone because I don't really know what I'm doing. To me that's unacceptable and the company disagrees threatening me with a huge bill. Went OTR with a trainer that I felt was a hazard because of numerous things wrong with his truck and the lack of caring as to what I was doing behind the wheel. Yes I got off his truck. I'd like to go back, but I have 2 major issues. 1 I can't stand this company and 2 I still don't understand or know how to properly downshift. I asked the trainer I had to help me understand and downshift properly and he just said "I don't have time." I've asked the company for more training before I get another trainer and they said no. I've been told this stuff comes with time, but I like to know what I'm doing at least a little before I do it. Does anyone have any advice?
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.