I MADE IT!

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Dink, Feb 9, 2013.

  1. Dink

    Dink Bobtail Member

    17
    7
    Dec 22, 2012
    Pennsylvania
    0
    Passed my road test this Tuesday! (Doing happy dance!) So now the job hunt is on....
     
    KMac, pattyj, Puppage and 2 others Thank this.
  2. Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.

  3. Barchetta53

    Barchetta53 Light Load Member

    104
    65
    Nov 2, 2012
    Minneapolis, MN.
    0
    Congrats! Passed mine in Thursday, glad that's over! I still have 3 weeks of school left and then the job hunt will begin.
     
  4. EZX1100

    EZX1100 Road Train Member

    4,017
    5,711
    Aug 18, 2012
    0
    congrats and welcome to the club

    let the abuse begin!
     
    Dink and pattyj Thank this.
  5. pattyj

    pattyj Road Train Member

    22,474
    20,137
    Jul 19, 2008
    Sioux City,ia
    0
    Congratulations to you all that passed.
     
    Dink and RevKev Thank this.
  6. RevKev

    RevKev Medium Load Member

    420
    283
    Jan 12, 2013
    Decatur, AL
    0
    Congrats! Passed mine a week ago yesterday, & just finished my first week of work.
     
  7. Dink

    Dink Bobtail Member

    17
    7
    Dec 22, 2012
    Pennsylvania
    0
    Cool! So how was it? Was it hard to adjust to driving for longer periods compared to driving during school?
     
  8. kerosene jockey

    kerosene jockey Light Load Member

    99
    88
    Jan 31, 2013
    0
    Well done and best of luck to you !
     
    Dink Thanks this.
  9. RevKev

    RevKev Medium Load Member

    420
    283
    Jan 12, 2013
    Decatur, AL
    0
    Well, Dink, we really haven't done a lot of driving in our first week, which was orientation. We did a pretty simple road test (4 miles or so down the road & back; very sime compared to the CDL road test), & have driven the same route 2-3 times daily in "shift training". Also have had 3 different sessions in a simulator. That thing is sharp!

    Most of orientation was a out learning company policies, safety, basic load securement stuff, hooking/unhooking procedures (something I did in CDL school just about everyday, but of the other guys in my orientation class, only one of them had hooked a trailer at their schools, & that was just one time. Another guy failed the road test. Not sure what some of these Schoenberg are teaching, but it's not much. None of the other guys had been taught anything about log books or recap. Glad my school had.

    Tomorrow we'll be on the skills course for 5 hours working on 6 different backing moves, & will test one them Monday. They're 48' flatbed split-axle trailers. We'll also have shift training & simulator sessions throughout the week, as well as a lot of load securement stuff, along with road time pulling a loaded trailer thru town, as well as on the highway. Go home on Friday, meet up with driver trainer on Sun afternoon for a week, back in on Friday. Rinse & repeat for 3 more weeks after that, then final week of training when we get assigned our own truck.

    So far I'm learning a lot & having a ball. It's a lot to take in, but hey, if its what ya really want to do, ya take it in like a sponge!
     
    Dink and kerosene jockey Thank this.
  10. Pmracing

    Pmracing Road Train Member

    6,354
    3,178
    Jan 28, 2011
    Arlington Heights, IL
    0
    Congratulations to each of you.

    But the job hunt should have started midway through school or sooner. Make a good choice and make it quick. For several companies there is a time limit from when you graduate to the time you get hired or be accepted for orientation/training.

    Mikeeee
     
    raetnrunner, RevKev and Dink Thank this.
  11. RevKev

    RevKev Medium Load Member

    420
    283
    Jan 12, 2013
    Decatur, AL
    0
    Yep. I started filling out apps online w/a few companies my first week of my 4-week CDL school. A recruiter of one company that stopped by our school one morning told us "Now, don't fill out the online app w/o calling me first b/c there are some things on there you'll need me to walk you through." Well, at the end of his schtick, I pulled him aside & told him, "Look, I've already submitted an app to your company a couple of weeks ago, as well as several other companies, b/c in my research I noticed it was best to fill out several & get as many pre-hire letters as you can." He said, "I don't know who told you that, but you should only deal with one company at a time, then move on to the next." I just grinned and said, "I hear what you're saying, sir, but that's not the route I'm taking." Of course, I was actually thinking, "I hear what you're saying, sir, & I WHOLE-HEARTEDLY disagree with it!" lol
     
  • Truckers Report Jobs

    Trucking Jobs in 30 seconds

    Every month 400 people find a job with the help of TruckersReport.