What is the process?

Which company are you going with? The answers to your questions will vary depending on which company, which terminal, and how far you live from orientation/training location.

Basically, more info is needed in order to get specific answers

 

Take 3 or 4 changes of clothes, sleeping bag, pillow. Dont use sheets because you'll be with a trainer; the sleeping bag you just roll it up and out of the way wnen it's your turn to drive.
Pack light until you go solo.
Pack in a duffle bag, not a suitcase. Hard to stow a suitcase.

You might finish training and go straight to the OTR highway. You can adjust your needs first time you swing by the house.

 

good idea to pack light even after he goes solo. never know when you might get thrown off the truck and be takeing the bus home. LOL.

 

Depends if there's extra trainers,if their's freight where you're at how many others are waiting for a trainer.But normally you go thru orientation once you pass everything they start looking for a trainer.Could be the next day could be 3 days it depends where the trainer is at.Trainees have been known to go back home after orientation and wait,then I would be having doubts about that company,is this what its going to be like once I get my own trk,will I be waiting a lot for loads or what.Once you get assigned a trainer,he or she will call you hrs before they come get u.Then you observe for awhile.You'll be out with trainer during your entire training period unless you get a load where ya live then you can go home for a few hrs.Once training is completed you get back to the terminal do test and wait for a trk which could be a day to days depending how slow your company is.You'll meet your dispatcher then you ask him to route you home to get your things.They're pretty good about getting you home your first run.You'll take much needed hometime 4 days or so then you'll be ready to rock and roll.

 

You kinda didn't mention if you had a CDL or not.
With a question like that I'm assuming no.

 

I'm closing in on a year with Swift and did orientation in Fontana. From the time I put in my application to being scheduled for orientation was about a week. When I came to orientation I came prepared for the road, with a large duffle containing clothes, sleeping bag, pillow and other light stuff. I also had a small duffle with food (knowing that eating "out of the bag" would be much less expensive than buying fast food on the road). I also had my computer bag.

Orientation is 3 days, Tuesday through Thursday. I was assigned a mentor (trainer) and was on the road the next day, while several orientation graduates had to go home I was on the road right away. You need 240 hours behind the wheel to qualify to test out of training and get assigned your own truck. That took me 6 weeks and I tested out in Fontana, then got assigned a truck in Mira Loma and immediately hit the road for 3 weeks before taking home time. From the time I kissed my wife goodbye until I came back home was about two months.

During your first 50 hours behind the wheel the mentor will be in the passenger seat, and he/she will decide whether you qualify to start driving as a team. Once you start team driving your mentor will usually be in the sleeper berth and vice versa, like a real team. However, your mentor will often get into the passenger seat as needed, like when you are docking or going through challenging driving situations. If you are completely new to driving your mentor may have you sit in the passenger seat as he/she demonstrates certain principles of driving when you are still on your first 50 hours BTW.

If you arrive to orientation ready to hit the road you'll be ahead of the curve. Check out the thread on what to bring to orientation:

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...-drivers/16652-packing-list-for-students.html