My Millis Experience

Discussion in 'Millis' started by GeminiTrucker, Jan 12, 2015.

  1. Danvitt

    Danvitt Light Load Member

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    Dec 10, 2014
    Dayton, OH
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    Hey Gemini, Just a question or 2 if you don't mind. I'm strongly considering Millis due to their school being less than an hour away. Do they pay you when you start school? Or is that just after you get paired up with a trainer? What are the school hours? Which school location are you attending?
     
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  3. GeminiTrucker

    GeminiTrucker Bobtail Member

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    Dec 23, 2014
    Mechanicsburg, Pa
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    No, you don't get paid while you are in school, but you start getting paid when you go with a trainer. There are no set school hours. Today we left the hotel around 7:30am and finished around 4pm. Did mostly paperwork today, and learning how to fill out log books tomorrow. Supposed to start in a truck on Wednesday. Trenton is the school location I'm attending. I have a great instructor, but then again, I've never heard of a bad instructor. If you have have any other questions let me know.
     
  4. GeminiTrucker

    GeminiTrucker Bobtail Member

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    Dec 23, 2014
    Mechanicsburg, Pa
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    Day 2

    Had a great day! Learned how to fill out a log book, and how to complete a monthly summary.

    Also learned about an atlas and learned how to use it. Have to give directions to different cities. A lot harder then I thought it would be, since it has been a very long time since I have had to use one.

    There are some great people in the class, and we are helping each other to become great drivers.

    Tomorrow will be the first day we get in the truck and drive the "Millis 500." A little nervous, but I am very excited. It amazes me how much Millis wants you to be a great driver and they invest a lot into you to make sure you have all the tools to be a great driver.

    We we have homework to do tonight, so stay tuned for how well I do driving tomorrow.
     
    kewphotog, Danvitt and Puppage Thank this.
  5. littleduck

    littleduck Light Load Member

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    Feb 7, 2014
    caswell county nc
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    Good luck i just went through the eden school had a blast while i was there im sure ill make it back around the 24th or 25th for some home time and ill have to stop by and yes evan is a good very laid back enjoy the millis 500
     
  6. sapamil

    sapamil Medium Load Member

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    Feb 7, 2012
    Middletown Ohio
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    Bill in Trenton is a great instructor listen to him you will learn allot
     
  7. WisconsinF150

    WisconsinF150 Light Load Member

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    Dec 21, 2014
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    Agreed,

    Please pay attention to him when He tells you how to crank your landing gear !

    Never crank it all the way to the ground. Always leave an inch and a half or two between the ground and the landing gear pad.

    I can't tell you how many Millis drivers lower the gear all the way down and then they try to crank it down even further, lifting the trailer higher. I saw an instructor teaching his driver to crank it down, lifting weight off the tractor. Dumb a s s !

    There's nothing worse than having to hook to a trailer which wasn't dropped right.

    For you newbies, and the instructors who don't understand.......


    By cranking the landing gear all the way to the ground, the gear binds if you don't pull out straight or if the next driver doesn't pull in straight. When it binds, it's extremely difficult to then crank the gear up. Millis reported a few years ago that in one year they had 6 guys on disability because of shoulder injuries caused by that.

    Another advantage of leaving 0ne and a half to two inches clearance is; in many cases, if the trailers were parked too tight to get between them and crank the gear up, you may be able to just pull the trailer forward a few feet and then crank the landing gear up.
     
  8. littleduck

    littleduck Light Load Member

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    Feb 7, 2014
    caswell county nc
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    I aways leave about a inch and a half ground clearance but i never knew thays why the landing gear got in bind and was hard to crank happens all the time when i get drop and hooks i just thought it was so ya didn't have the tralier to high for the next guy cause ive had that happen to trailer to high and i have to crank it down
     
  9. SHOJim

    SHOJim Road Train Member

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    Apr 19, 2011
    Columbus, Ohio
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    How are things going for ya littleduck?
     
  10. kewphotog

    kewphotog Light Load Member

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    Sep 30, 2014
    Dacula, Ga
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    While I can't speak for little duck, I'll say that yesterday was a blast. We pretty much ground the gears all day bobtailing in circles. Some of us had no experience with a clutch and others did. By the end of the day we all were on the same par.
     
    Chinatown Thanks this.
  11. GeminiTrucker

    GeminiTrucker Bobtail Member

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    Dec 23, 2014
    Mechanicsburg, Pa
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    Missed posting yesterday, but on Wednesday, we learned how to double clutch. Just like kewphotog, we all did very well. Spent the day bob tailing around the yard. Just about all of us had no experience, but by the end of the day, we were all doing great.

    Today, we spent the day in class learning about safety, blind spots, communications, pre trip inspections, backing up, and coupling.

    Tomorrow we start driving again. Hooking to trailers, and learning straight backing. Going to have to start getting to class at 6am. We were also told that we can go to the terminal on Saturday and Sunday to work on our pre trip inspections. That is going to be very difficult for me, so I will taking every chance I get to work on it.

    I'll say it again, I'm thanking that I choose Millis, because everyday we meet drivers and they are great. They always answer any questions that we may have.

    Well ill we will see how it goes with hooking to trailers and straight backing.
     
    Danvitt and kewphotog Thank this.
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