Been thinking about getting my Class A for awhile now. Need info. Any help is greatly appreciated!

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by chrismcallister34, Aug 18, 2022.

  1. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Apply to them all; CRST, PAM, CR England.
     
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  3. chrismcallister34

    chrismcallister34 Light Load Member

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    Yeah I definitely have. I've owned up to those mistakes, have lived with them, and have moved on from them. I've matured a lot, turned my life around, and had a change of character a lot in the 3 or so years. I would call myself a pretty good defensive driver, and don't put myself in situations that I can't get myself out of or that would cause me to get fired. And I'm really big about about not being on the phone. I don't even like talking on a Bluetooth headset if I can help it. And I have experience pulling trailers and backing them up. Maybe not a 53 foot trailer, but I still know how to back up a trailer, and I know when to stop before I mess something up, or if I know that I just won't be able to make the hole. It's just learning the in's and out's of the business, how to deliver the load on time while keeping everybody happy that I have to learn in order to get me to where I wanna be.
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2022
  4. chrismcallister34

    chrismcallister34 Light Load Member

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    Is this OTR? Or regional?
    Gotcha.
     
  5. chrismcallister34

    chrismcallister34 Light Load Member

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    So would it be safe to say the Swift, Schneider, and Knight are all out of the question? I don't want to be wasting my time nor their time if I'm not even going to be able to make it past all of the background checks and stuff.
     
  6. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Knight owns Swift.
    Schneider, I don't know how they will look at your driving record. Guess you'll have to apply and find out.
     
  7. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Labatt has local and regional.
     
  8. chrismcallister34

    chrismcallister34 Light Load Member

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    So if Knight owns Swift, do they both have the same hiring qualifications and requirements? Would Swift still be a long shot with the obstacles that I have?
     
  9. chrismcallister34

    chrismcallister34 Light Load Member

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    Gotcha. Appreciate the info. We're both wanting to go OTR.
     
  10. Six9GS

    Six9GS Road Train Member

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    Swift and Knight are owned by the same folks. But, are run separately. So, my guess is their qualification requirements are different. About the only overlap I'm aware of is that, since Covid changed things, they've opened it up so that we can use each other's terminals.
    With your record, I suspect Swift will pass on you. But, it doesn't hurt to try. I have no idea about Knight.
    Despite the reputation Swift seems to have, Swift is actually a pretty good place to get a start. Many of us end up staying, as I have. Getting close to 3 years now and still no temptation to look elsewhere.
    All that said, trucking requires alot of repetitive attention to detail tasks. In example, you'll most likely hook and drop trailers frequently. There is a number of steps which must be accomplished every single time you hook to and/or drop a trailer. Thing get messy if you miss a step. So, attention to detail is very important in trucking. Alot of details and yucky consequences if you forget or miss a step. It doesn't matter who you work for.
    Best of luck to you!!
     
  11. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Apply to all of those mentioned then. Even a company you don't prefer, is still a start and is temporary until the contract is fulfilled.
    This isn't a situation where you can be picky.
    [​IMG]
     
    Last edited: Aug 18, 2022
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