Quality Drivers School - Celadon Trucking - Indianapolis, IN - 2013

Discussion in 'Trucking Schools and CDL Training Forum' started by DocComm2, Jun 27, 2013.

  1. Drachen

    Drachen Heavy Load Member

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    Jan 29, 2008
    Indiana
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    what did Celadon say they'd be paying you? i can see stuff on their job site but it seems to be limited to experienced drivers. you can just pm me if you want to witht hat information instead of sharing publicly or not answer it at all if uncomfortable.

    i'm gettin tired of where i work right now due to low pay and other oddities.
     
    simon sez Thanks this.
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  3. simon sez

    simon sez Bobtail Member

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    Nov 18, 2011
    SEA, WA
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    Congratulations Doc!! I knew you'd do it!!----->just hoping you wouldn't forget your already forming 'fan club,' lol!! And I am very glad to hear you continue this journel. I am sure once your with a trainer tomorrow or Friday that we'll expectedly hear less from you; but who knows..? Hopefully that'll go smooth for you and you get one that'll be patient and not just doing it for the extra .?0..... some odd cents. I 've been reading some pretty funny stories about different trainers, lol, and actually not funny at all.....everything from not ever showering/washing clothes to crapping in buckets(ewwwww!), and sorry for being rude ms doc:biggrin_25510:, already forgot your handle. I am also confident you be just fine and get a great trainer!
    Then you'll get your own truck!! Wow, must be cool thinking that. You'll have to post a pic. And I gotta ask, how'd you do that vid with the spinning car?? Lol, it isn't real is it?----old computer I got: it looked pretty real!
    Currently I am waiting on if or not I am gonna make the sept 13th deadline to go to Bates Tech. It's a two quarter course and covers everything and they have their own 2 mile course and the dmv comes there and does the testing when completed, so you get to use the trucks you were driving. I am deciding this route only because of the 'no strings attached' and they'll cover much more over-all, flatbeds/tankers/dumps/buses, pretty much everything.....the only options available being whether you want the OTR or City courses. So you know I am choosing OTR and then I am 'trainable' to most companies. Look up Bates Tech if your curious or have advice. The other thing is that this is only 20 miles from home and WA is one state that a lot of the big companies don't want to teach/train in: apparently they have different wage laws?
    Anyway, we'll be waiting for the updates.
    Be Safe/keep safe!
    Simon

    edit: http://www.bates.ctc.edu/truckdriving if you get the time
     
    Last edited: Aug 15, 2013
  4. Roamer

    Roamer Bobtail Member

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    Jul 27, 2013
    Carthage, TX
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    Good luck on the road Doc. You'll be happy to know that they are starting to lay concrete on the range starting Monday.mthe "Dust Bowl" will be a thing of the past. But it'll give you a "Well, I remember when I was training..." story to tell.
     
  5. DocComm2

    DocComm2 Bobtail Member

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    May 8, 2013
    Fort Wayne, IN
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    It's not really a secret. You get $125 for Orientation. Then, when you accept your first load, you start getting paid $50 a day which continues until you are released from your trainer and issued your own truck. The only thing that can interrupt that is if you go home for home time. If your trainer goes home, you still get paid. If the truck breaks down, you still get paid. At least, that is how it was explained to me.

    After you are issued your own truck, you get $0.27 per mile for your 120,000 mile commitment. I have been told that you start getting raises after your first month or two of successful driving which gets you to $0.32 by the time your commitment is met, but I can't confirm this.

    I will be posting more details about this as I progress, so stay tuned!
     
  6. DocComm2

    DocComm2 Bobtail Member

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    May 8, 2013
    Fort Wayne, IN
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    I hope so! I have been hearing that since July 15.

    "You young punks got it easy! Why, when I went to driving school, we had to walk a mile - up hill - both ways - in the blowing snow - to get to the range to practice our backing on a dusty filthy dirt lot while standing under a ratty tarp. There wasn't any of this sitting in a permanent structure with a shuttle to take you back and forth! We were real truckers! We endured so you could have a better life. You ungrateful little....."

    The story will probably go something like that.....
     
  7. DocComm2

    DocComm2 Bobtail Member

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    May 8, 2013
    Fort Wayne, IN
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    That's great! It was the route I wanted to go - private, no agreements school. It just wasn't going to work for me. Glad, however, it is going to work out for you. I think you will get a more thorough education that way. This program is designed only to get you past the state testing. The second part of training, the real-life training, begins after orientation.

    I know the school would love to be doing the testing themselves, but they are too new to be able to get certified for that. So, they send us to a testing center in an unfamiliar setting. I think that the challenge of an unfamiliar setting helps to prove you have the skills to pass the test. Yea, I know it would be easier if you tested on the course you trained on, but at least you know for sure you have learned something if you can pass the test anywhere.

    The video was made with an app on my phone called FX Guru. You shoot a video of the area you want the overlay to appear, and it does the processing. Then, a few minutes later, you see a car come racing in to the shot, spin around, and then a semi hit the car. Love that vid!

    Best of luck to you, Simon! Just remember one thing - everything on the truck has PMS - Properly Mounted and Secured. You remember that, and you will be just fine! Peace.
     
    simon sez Thanks this.
  8. DocComm2

    DocComm2 Bobtail Member

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    May 8, 2013
    Fort Wayne, IN
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    Well, it is 06:30 Friday morning and I am in the hotel. I have everything set, as of last night, to meet up with my trainer either later today, or more likely, tomorrow morning. If he is making good time, we may still get out of here yet today. But, I expect that he won't have many hours left, so we will roll tomorrow. I am going to call him a little later and see what his plans are. I CAN'T WAIT! I was with a friend from class yesterday when he was picked up by his trainer. To watch him load his stuff in the truck and how cool his trainer is, just made me want to get out there even more.

    Why am I at the hotel? Well, I wasn't able to get a hold of the training admin Wednesday - he was very busy - and I didn't want to take the chance to miss my trainer. So, I rolled out at 6 yesterday morning and checked in at Celadon. Got with the right people who got everything confirmed for me. Then I got my Comdata card made and grabbed a voucher for the hotel. I really didn't want to drive all the way back to Fort Wayne for one night. I knew I needed to be here today just in case, and I didn't want to spend more money on fuel, so here I am. I will keep you all posted as to when we hit the road and what it is like to go out with a trainer. Stay tuned. Peace.
     
    simon sez Thanks this.
  9. simon sez

    simon sez Bobtail Member

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    Nov 18, 2011
    SEA, WA
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    Haha!, thanks for the PMS advice-----makes perfect sense and I am sure is one the most important parts to know all that! I was checking out a couple of trucks today a the rest stop/scales here on I5 on my way to Seattle and took note of all the different things/different trucks....huge diff between the flat-beds and vans alone, then to consider oversize or tankers....they each have their own set of things to check, I am sure, as I am sure with the PMS rule too. Thanks for that: I will keep that in mind always, from here on out.
    I sure notice a different way I look at/respect trucks when going down the highway now.....the more I learn(not even in school yet, lol). I never realized all the crap they deal with in just the laws by itself, the following distances, electronic log books, navigation, clearances, etc., albeit with good reason; and I never had a clue most of the company trucks are governed on max speeds, etc. And to think you can get pulled over(or aside) by enforcement for no reason at all, and then get ran through inspections, etc.
    But yeah, really hoping to get this schooling going in sept. I should know this coming week, maybe the week after.

    Really looking forward to hearing how it's going with your instructor. I assume you'll want to run through it straight without home-time? If MsDoc goes for it, eh? Maybe you'll get lucky and your trainer has time off coming up shortly and you'll still get your daily wage. That WILL be getting better when your off running solo, so I am sure your priority is getting into your own truck. If it's not against the company rules, can you get/post a pic of what your running?
    I must seem to act like a little kid, eh...? Well, yeah, but hey: I wanted to do this since I was a kid, lol! I see my chance coming for once....almost for sure. We'll see. I did read on here somewhere that the average age of truckers is over 50?? Doesn't sound right, but I am cool with that----I 'll fit right in!

    And don't have to much fun! Remember that's a job:biggrin_2559:, and DO have fun when it is!


    simon
     
  10. DocComm2

    DocComm2 Bobtail Member

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    May 8, 2013
    Fort Wayne, IN
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    Well, it has been a little while since I have been able to sit down and blog about my experiences. I have been out with a trainer for 2 weeks now. It has been a real treat thus far. I am due in Indy some time this week to get my two week testing and evaluation. I have been cleared so that, if I pass this 2 week testing, I can go in to team mode for 2 weeks. After that, I get to test one more time, then get my own truck. I have already been doing 98% of the job since day 3 of the training program. My poor trainer is so bored because he doesn't have very much to work with me on. We haven't got in very many backings, however, and that is my only real weak point.

    So far, I have passed through and/or stopped in the following states. IN, OH, WV, PA, NY, CT, MA, NH, KY, TN, AR, IL, IA
    Before this, I had only been in 5 of those states. Looking forward to knocking some more off the list, soon!

    You know, even though you hear so much about the lifestyle adjustment of being on the road for a few weeks, and you try to prepare yourself mentally for what you hear, it still wears heavily on you. You are stuck in a truck with someone you don't know for up to 20 hours a day. You don't get the good accommodations and you are on the top bunk. You eat, sleep, and breathe based on whatever your trainer tells you. If he says drive, you drive. If he says stop, you stop. You don't get to think for yourself. You think whatever he tells you to. I am usually a pretty up person, but this process is really starting to take its toll on me.

    As long as I get out of training mode and in to my own truck, I will be ok. If I end up with 4 more weeks of training....... Yea, that's probably not going to work. As strong as I am, I just don't think I can handle another 4 weeks of this being couped up with another guy in a truck. No space for me. Not being able to make any decisions on my own. So on, and so on.......

    I can't wait to get out there and start making money! I have been keeping track of our paid miles each week and I would have made about $1200 over the last two weeks. That is pretty decent for a noob imho. We have been shut down for the holiday weekend so far - but that is trucking.

    So, I will post the results of my testing and what the next phase holds for me. Take care. Peace.
     
    simon sez and Drachen Thank this.
  11. 45root

    45root Bobtail Member

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    Jun 27, 2013
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    Good luck with the testing. Its rough being with someone for that long and also having to put up with the "this is my truck. Do it my way or I will leave your #####" attitudes of some of these trainers. You just have to look at the big picture and hold it together for 2 more weeks. Its not very long when you are moving.

    BTW, Brian and jeff are finished, in case you hadn't heard already. They have their own trucks now.
     
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