Starting My CDL Training Soon!
Topic 9271 | Page 1
I'll answer with what I've learned from my own time spent researching.
It will probably be more difficult for you than your kids if they are very young. OTR doesn't make money if you're home every night. Your company of choice has home time policies and you may not get home often or you may get home more frequently. It also depends on if you're doing regional runs instead of all 48 states sometimes too.
How else do you expect to be trained if you aren't driving with a trainer? I am just going to nicely say suck it up. :)
You can't wrap your head around the concept of clutching what? A car is different than a truck. Some companies have automatics but, your school should be training you on a manual or both. Don't let yourself be limited by your own mind. If you walked into a future job and said you can't drive a manual because you didn't try to learn, and all they have is a manual fleet, you won't be getting that job.
Millions of people have learned how to drive a manual truck and some of 'em ain't too bright but, if you tell yourself you can't do it when you haven't tried then you won't learn to do it very well now will you?
As far as internet and school, you're not always going to have a good connection and sometimes won't have any connection. You're also working for 10+ hours a day. If you can download lessons and have flexible submission times then you might be okay if you don't drop dead in the sleeper from a hard day.
Ultimately, it looks like you should do a lot more research to decide if trucking is going to be a fit for you. Especially OTR. You might want to see what other options are available for different home time.
Also, you might want to read these.
Truck Driver's Career Guide
Brett's Book
Regional:
Regional Route
Usually refers to a driver hauling freight within one particular region of the country. You might be in the "Southeast Regional Division" or "Midwest Regional". Regional route drivers often get home on the weekends which is one of the main appeals for this type of route.
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.
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
Welcome Amiel.
I don't have any children so I'll leave that to people who do.
As far as clutching goes, don't sweat it. Everyone struggles to get the feel for shifting and double clutching. You'll get it. It's far from rocket science. You're simply going to push in the clutch and let it back out twice in between each gear. That's it. They'll teach you and you'll get it just fine.
As far as training with a mentor in the truck, trust me, you wouldn't want to come out of school and be sent solo. You're worried about clutching in between gears but handling every last detail of life on the road straight out of school doesn't worry you? You've got that backwards. Clutching is no big deal. Making every last decision out there alone without any experience should be terrifying.
As far as being gone a long time you should be able to find work straight out of school that at least gets you home on the weekends. After about a year of that you should find job opportunities that can get you home every night.
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.
Double Clutching:
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.
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.
The school is very flexible. As a student i have an entire week to complete quizzes, read a chapter from the subject material, attend a seminar and do any assignments that there may be that week. I can easily do a lot of it from my phone and laptop. I just need direct internet access when submitting my assignments.
I am going into trucking school with an open mind. This is my chance to learn from professionals and i will do everything I can to learn everything they throw at me, even clutching!
My plan is yo stick with May trucking for a year and then use that experience to look for a local job so that I can be home more often. With May i will be out two to three weeks with one day at home at a time.
BMI:
Body mass index (BMI)
BMI is a formula that uses weight and height to estimate body fat. For most people, BMI provides a reasonable estimate of body fat. The BMI's biggest weakness is that it doesn't consider individual factors such as bone or muscle mass. BMI may:
- Underestimate body fat for older adults or other people with low muscle mass
- Overestimate body fat for people who are very muscular and physically fit
It's quite common, especially for men, to fall into the "overweight" category if you happen to be stronger than average. If you're pretty strong but in good shape then pay no attention.
I agree it will be harder on you then it will the kids. Both my kids are living with their moms and i see them every other weekend or sometimes longer. And with today's technology of video chat and instant messaging I don't think it'll be much of am issue for me.
Y'all forgive the misspellings. Smart phone and fat fingers don't do well with each other.
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Hey guys! My name is Ty. On august 3rd I will start attending trucking school at iitr in albany, oregon. After that i will start working for May trucking based out of salem oregon. I just have a few questions that maybe you guys can help me with. Would being an otr trucker make it difficult for my two toddlers at home? Do i really have to share a truck with someone else to be trained? Is there any possible way to get an automatic truck instead of a manual? I have an insanely difficult time with the concept of clutching. I am desperate for a job and this seems like the only option right now but I am also worried about missing out on my kids growing up. Since i am an online college student is it possible to do school work at truck stops?
That is all for now! Thank you.
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.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated