hiring process

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by rebel95b, Jan 7, 2014.

  1. rebel95b

    rebel95b Bobtail Member

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    My husband and I are planning on team driving. We are just curious as to how quick the hiring process is from application to training date. I am very aware that this question depends on several factors. I'm just trying to get an idea based on other experiences to see if there is a general consensus. Thanks.
     
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  3. buzzarddriver

    buzzarddriver Road Train Member

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    Lots of variables. But from newbie, through CDL school, then through company training, 12-15 weeks.
     
  4. RiskyBusiness

    RiskyBusiness Light Load Member

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    Depends on which school you go to. Are both of you going to a CDL School? If so team driving with your spouse is going to take a while. You will have to complete your individual training with trainers then there is that possibility of teaming. Alot of big carriers offer CDL Schools then a job offer after completing it. Ask them if teaming is a possibility with your spouse after completing training...thats if both are going to school. If one of you is an experienced driver once the other has finished school and the carrier the other is currently driving hires new drivers with no experience I imagine they would let them ream up.
     
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  5. rebel95b

    rebel95b Bobtail Member

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    We are going to a cdl school together. The class is 6 weeks long, he has a class b already and has experience driving larger vehicles in the military, however, I have no experience.
     
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  6. Wooly Rhino

    Wooly Rhino Road Train Member

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    Most likely you will be split up for the first month or so. Both riding with different trainers.

    If you are in class that last 6 weeks, the background checks will be done during that time frame. You should have a pre hire letter from some companies. Husband and wife teams are the cream of the crop. You will find that getting hired will be easy.

    Because neither of you have driven before in a Class A dot vehicle the company only has to verify your background for 3 years. You will be asked to provide 10 years. Any time in that 10 year period of unemployment just make sure you note it. This rule is because of 9/11. The companies do not look down on anything they just have to verify it.

    You should go from school to company orientation within a week. There you have to pass a drug test and new physical before they will put you in a truck. You will spend your time there in lectures but all you are really doing is waiting for the drug test to get back. Use this time as a vacation paid for by the company. You will also have to do a road test for the new company. They will assign you both a trainer. I am not sure but again, I think, you will be in seperate trucks for the first month. Then off you go. Making the big bucks.

    So my best guess is the process will be 6 weeks school, 1 week orientation, 30 days trainer. 12 weeks total from start of school to Happily ever after. Unless you are like my ex wives and then you will be happy but he won't.
     
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  7. blairandgretchen

    blairandgretchen Road Train Member

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    Find "jungle drums" on here - she and her hubbie are doing the same.

    Send a pm or read her posts . . .

    She may have some pointers.
     
  8. Brandson

    Brandson Medium Load Member

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    So, not including the length of your training school, you'll likely have to wait for your hard copy license to come in the mail, that's a week or two. That is plenty of time to get yourself set up for orientation (if you're going to a large carrier, they have orientation once or twice every week, scheduling to get in should not be hard). Orientation will likely to be the first Monday after you get your license and last 2 to 5 days. After that is training. Training does not always start the day after orientation. My partner had to wait nearly a week more than me (I shipped off on a bus the night orientation ended), but that was with Thanksgiving dropping during that week. Then you add in however long your training course at the chosen company will take, which will likely be four weeks, though some are as short as 2 weeks or as long as 8. Then whatever that company has you do after the training, whether it be a driving test or a few more days of orientation like stuff. Remember that you have to wait for both you and your spouse to finish this process, which could very easily not match up at the same time.
    The time waiting and/or away from your wife is going to depend on your company, the training length and likely a bit of luck, lol.
    BTW, my partner and I JUST started teaming at USX. Things aren't perfect here, but we did just go through the things you're wondering about here, so if you have questions, hit me up. Better than that, check out the USX forums here and ask other team drivers there that have far more experience than me. Nonocraig and Truckduo have answered a lot of my companies, and you can see accounts of both their experiences in the USX thread. Good luck to both of you.
     
  9. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    What is your location, city/state? Need to know this for the hiring area you live in.
    Some companies you will be on the road together within 2 or 3 weeks from time of application. Some companies drag it out longer. For example, Watkins & Shepard, you won't be seperated at all and orientation is only 2 weeks, then you're on the road making money.
     
  10. rebel95b

    rebel95b Bobtail Member

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    Thanks for all the helpful info. We are primarily concerned with when we will start getting a paycheck even the minimal one provided in training. Our current employer is not going to be happy about us reducing hours to take the cdl course so we need to have an idea how long we may go without a paycheck if they don't work with our schedule.
     
  11. zincman

    zincman Light Load Member

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    My wife and I went to the same CDL school together, but they did NOT put us on the same truck together. Their experience was that that couples tended to fight! NOT GOOD!

    We had offers from several companies. I had 5; she had 6. For some reason Schneider National didn't like me but they liked her. We completed our schooling in 9 weeks and had offers already in hand by then. We made our decision together with the companies that wanted us and had team freight. Every recruiter that came to school got asked that question: "Do you have team freight?" There were plenty that didn't so that ruled them out automatically.

    We were assigned separate trainers. I went coast to coast while she went on a dedicated route and got home most every weekend. The training time for us was 6 weeks. I saw her ONCE during that time but we talked on the phone every day. It was an incredibly tough experience for us being separated like that.

    The company wanted to put her on the coast to coast with a smoking male driver and she FLATLY REFUSED. So they offered it to me and away my trainer and I went. Her experience with her trainer was very good for her and they got along very well. Mine tended to be in it more for the money but that's my opinion.

    All together, the time for school and training was 18 weeks. Perhaps long but a reasonably good experience. Our student loans were paid in 1.5 years and we decided that it was time to start looking for more money and a faster truck!

    Wooly Rhino mentions about husband and wife teams being the cream of the crop. He is correct. Companies LOVE teams like that! They want to be together and can work together generally very well. When you're both of the same mind and the company recognizes that and want to utilize it to the fullest, you'll knock down some incredible checks. The best part is that you get to keep all that lovely money right there in the family!

    But you're going to have extra work to do in keeping those marriage bonds strong. Team trucking is going to do one of two things: it'll either bring you closer together, or drive you apart. In our case, it brought us closer together.

    But a word of advice, if I may. If you start having squabbles that escalate, and you get into fights that just cannot be resolved over even little things, HANG UP TEAM DRIVING! Your marriage is NOT WORTH LOSING. Decide now what your exit strategy is going to be. I've thrown a logbook and a few flashlights to the ground because my temper got the better of me. I've gotten out from behind the steering wheel to let HER back it into the dock...and she put it in on the first try too!

    But after 22 years of marriage to the same woman, I think this gives me just a little credibility. My wife understands what I go through out here, even as a local driver. She's been with me in the truck as my non-driving support team when I ran regionally. Team driving isn't all bad by any stretch of the imagination, but you have your work cut out for you.

    Perhaps a bit more than you asked for, but certainly hope this helps!
     
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