Orientation In Allentown
Topic 9277 | Page 1
Welcome Sean. We don't get a ton of people that go to Werner for whatever reason. I can tell you that you'll take another physical when you get to Werner, you can be sure of that. Other than that I really don't know much about their setup.
I'm new to the site, and new to the trucking industry. I got my CDL last month, and am headed to Allentown to orientation for Werner next week. Can anyone out there fill me in on what to expect? I had a DOT physical in school. Will I take another one there? What was your experience while in orientation? How are the facilities? How are the driver trainers?
Can you let us know how it goes? I'm considering Werner once I get my license.
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.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
I'm new to the site, and new to the trucking industry. I got my CDL last month, and am headed to Allentown to orientation for Werner next week. Can anyone out there fill me in on what to expect? I had a DOT physical in school. Will I take another one there? What was your experience while in orientation? How are the facilities? How are the driver trainers?
Can you let us know how it goes? I'm considering Werner once I get my license.
One of my instructors at Smith & Solomon used to run for Werner and he had a great experience.
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.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Thanks. I will keep you all posted on how things go. Living in Maine, I'm not looking forward to the 14 hour bus ride to Allentown.
I just finished training with Werner about a month ago. I went to the Lakeland, FL terminal for orientation. Those who went to Roadmaster school and got their physical there didn't have to get a new one when they went to Werner. Everyone else had to. I think that was because they had the doc doing physical at both. That may vary at the Allentown terminal.
I haven't been to the Allentown terminal at all yet, so I can't speak for the facilities there, but I can tell you the quality varies from terminal to terminal.
The quality of the trainers varies from trainer to trainer. I had two really good trainers myself. I would have stuck with the first one, but I ended up needing surgery 2 weeks into training. But I have also heard horror stories about some of the trainers. If you have issues with your trainer, try and give it a week or two to straighten out if you can but if necessary do not hesitate to call the student dept to get a new trainer.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Dm:
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.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
I just finished training with Werner about a month ago. I went to the Lakeland, FL terminal for orientation. Those who went to Roadmaster school and got their physical there didn't have to get a new one when they went to Werner. Everyone else had to. I think that was because they had the doc doing physical at both. That may vary at the Allentown terminal.
I haven't been to the Allentown terminal at all yet, so I can't speak for the facilities there, but I can tell you the quality varies from terminal to terminal.
The quality of the trainers varies from trainer to trainer. I had two really good trainers myself. I would have stuck with the first one, but I ended up needing surgery 2 weeks into training. But I have also heard horror stories about some of the trainers. If you have issues with your trainer, try and give it a week or two to straighten out if you can but if necessary do not hesitate to call the student dept to get a new trainer.
Thanks for the help. I head to Allentown, Tuesday morning. 5:20 am. 18 hours on a bus. My recruiter said there will be another physical and drug screening. I'm praying for the right trainer. I have read some HORROR stories. I have also read some positive stories also. I am excited about my new career. I'm scheduled for the New England region. Maine to Virginia.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
Dm:
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.HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.
Ok, I'm back. Sorry its been a few days. Orientation here in Allentown. So, here's an update. Day 1 was 18 hours on a bus. 'Nuff said. Day 2 started at 6 waiting for the van from the hotel to the terminal. There is A LOT of paperwork. Training sessions on the computer and DOT physical. Back to the hotel by 7. Day 3 consisted of finishing up the last of the computer sessions, a few more classes and hanging out. There has been a lot of information thrown at us in 2 days. Tomorrow I will get to try the simulator. After that, I will get to meet my driver trainer and head out on the road. Stay tuned, more updates soon.
Terminal:
A facility where trucking companies operate out of, or their "home base" if you will. A lot of major companies have multiple terminals around the country which usually consist of the main office building, a drop lot for trailers, and sometimes a repair shop and wash facilities.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
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I'm new to the site, and new to the trucking industry. I got my CDL last month, and am headed to Allentown to orientation for Werner next week. Can anyone out there fill me in on what to expect? I had a DOT physical in school. Will I take another one there? What was your experience while in orientation? How are the facilities? How are the driver trainers?
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.