oh yeah, lol thanks for bringing that up. There ARE backing exercises in the driving portion of the test. We used 53 foot trailers. They show you how to set it up and all during the two weeks you are there. (although if you already have a CDL, you just might go through a 4 day orientation and driving exam).

I think the backing we did was 45 degree sight side backing. that isnt too hard to set up. During the test, we did three right after each other. The first one, just had to get the back of the trailer in between the cones, The second had the trailer in there and the third had the whole truck / trailer between the cones.

I guess I dont know if you need a CDL for the guard or not. If not and you dont have one...your state might have different requirements for the CDL exam than Schneider does. Schneider does have third party testing for some states. They don't for my state, WY. They did prepare me for WYs tests by teaching me how to do a couple of extra things that they don't normally teach.

i would have it but before i could get a copy my dd-348 (record of driving with vehicles and miles driven in them) the unit lost the records. (was going to get it when i got back to the states but the shipping container with the computer used for the tracking in it got lost, typical army) and schneider does have a 3rd party testing with MO. and no i dont need a cdl for the army as long as im driving for the army (during drill or at or other stuff). reason im pissed at the dd-348 is MO will wave the skills test and pretrip for their cdl.

__________________
Pumpkin Driver - we got problems but so does every one else
Army Driver
"Wars come and go, but my soldiers stay eternal." tupac

Hey ziggy,

Any idea why only 10 of 24 finished? What were the others bombing out on?

Well we had a few hispanic people in class, none of them made it. One was sent to get some papers and never returned so we think he might have been an illegal. A couple of others just couldnt read English that well.

We had a guy we nicknamed Jesus....hippy looking guy who didn't want to listen to his instructors, showed up in flip flops one day. They kept having issues with him and he ended up getting the boot.

Another guy, black dude we named JJ Skillz. I can't remember if he worked at Swift before or not. Either way, he didn't study at all, and then during the tests, kept saying "Jesus, Jesus help me!"....kind of off just a tad. He failed one test three times and that was his fifth retake or something so he ended up getting the boot and that was on the second to last day of class. He tried going through the chains of management or something there, but that didnt help.

We lost another black guy for some odd reason, not sure why.

We lost two women (only two in class). One just had a hard time in general with shifting and backing and such...I think she just got too nervous. She was really nice, tried to get tutoring, but she failed the drive portion of the final.

Another gal couldnt back up...I think that was her only problem. She ended up quitting and got signed up with Werner a few days later.

One guy just got too nervous while driving and couldn't get the handle of it.

What they stressed alot was study groups. Make a study group and study each night. You might not think you need to, and most likely probably wont have to. But for the Trip Planning portion, that is tricky and lots of people have a problem with that.
**one thing they mentioned was the fact that the people who don't do well are the people that don't show up to the study groups. As time went on, the people that didn't show up for study groups were usually the ones who struggled and failed. Showing up at the last minute for a study group doesnt help either, lol.


Make sure your background is clear. If they cleared you to start the school, thats good. However, I think they still run some more checks while you train and they might ask questions. I don't have any felonies more misdemeanors or anything like that so that wasnt an issue. I did have some speeding tix as well as a red light issue. The red light issue was clear in MN and NV, but showed up on a national search. So I had to get a reciept showing I paid it and my stuff was clear for NV...I brought that down with me just in case. They will tell you what to bring:
Sleeping bag (in case you get sent OTR after training)
Hammer to bang stuff like wheels with (many drivers have their own you can use)
Flashlight (ditto with the drivers having these)
Gloves
Clothes (they dont mention, but just bring Tshirts and jeans.)
Boots (boots are ok as long as they are skid resistant or something like that....or you can have shoes that are the same I think). Either way you will get new boots when you graduate.
Paperwork - birth certificate, dot physical card, SS card...etc. Anything that might clear up a background check issue / concern.
backpack - dear lord...I brought a duffle bag and thought it was going to be too big. Turns out I needed something bigger to hold more stuff. You get a couple of books, an atlas, logbook...etc.
money (they say 200 bucks). You get breakfast at the hotel and then they give you coupons you can redeem for five bucks each at the cafeteria for lunch (or whatever you want, breakfast, dinner...etc.) the only time you spend money for food is if you spend more than the five bucks on the coupon....and for dinner. Dinner is on your own. However, if you go out to Subway each night and get a six inch or footlong...that isnt too bad.
Find out where you are staying. You might be in a hotel with a kitchenette where you can buy groceries and make your own dinner.

what books do they give you and what do you get to keep. as far as cash goes, how far did that $5 last at the cafeteria?

__________________
Pumpkin Driver - we got problems but so does every one else
Army Driver
"Wars come and go, but my soldiers stay eternal." tupac

What they do is give you a packet of 14 coupons worth 5 bucks each. You decide how you want to spend it, but ideally...one coupon per day at lunch time. However, you can spend it on a breakfast (made all day) or anything else.
The five bucks will get you most things on the menu...a burger for example...but no fries. a couple of hot dogs, patty melt...etc. Breakfast is usually a better deal....seem to get more. I got breakfast a couple of times...two eggs, meat, hashbrowns, toast for less than the five.
Heres the kicker. WHen you spend the coupon...you don't get any money back. SO if you spend a buck and give them a five dollar coupon....you won't get the change back. So try tos pend as close to the five dollars as possible. Keep in mind tax too.
Our OC also had daily specials which were 5.95+tax. Not bad. Their cafeteria food is not bad at all. Some people would take a few extra muffins from the hotel or whatever and munch during the day, then use their coupon for a dinner to take home (they provide take out boxes).

Id say bring a big bottle of water, just fill it up at the hotel and fill it up during the day as you need it. Healthier than pop and will allow you to get more when you go to the cafeteria instead of spending that money on a drink.

As far as what they give you...hmm. Log book, Atlas (motor carriers), big Schneider textbook (HINT...focus on the questions at the end of each section!) focusing on most everything trucking and various Schneider policies. Smaller Schneider textbook focusing on the qualcomm, mapping and trip planning. You also get a Pumpkin book...a small little pocket flip notebook...rather neat and handy. Lots of handouts and various laminated handouts. Plus many people brought their own gloves, flashlights, hammers...etc.
Most everything they give you, you get to keep. Its not too terribly much, but enough to where you should bring a decent sized duffle bag or backpack. They do have you use the FMSCR book for a half day or so. YOu don't keep those, although that would be a handy tool to sort of research all the geeky laws associated with trucking.

Another thing is that they have a section where they have extra trip packs, log books and pumpkin books laying out. I grabbed a few extra of each since Im up in the middle of nowhere.

thanks for the tips i leave out friday. every thing should go well

__________________
Pumpkin Driver - we got problems but so does every one else
Army Driver
"Wars come and go, but my soldiers stay eternal." tupac

Thanks for the info! I leave Nov. 23rd for Green Bay. Already have my CDL but no verifiable experience. Made lot moves with a regular tractor for 3 years 12 years ago and drove my buddies race car hauler all summer. The hauler is a Kenworth T-600 with a 53' Featherlite stacker trailer, but it's a registered RV so it doesn't count.