Stevens Transport - Dallas, Tx.

I have to go through their three week school before I go out with a trainer. I am starting on oct. 5th.

 

If your CDL isn't expired, I don't see any reason why you'd have to go through CDL school again. During orientation, before you'll get your trainer assigned, there will be a lot of learning in the class and practicing skills on the "hill". It's basically driving school compressed into 2 and 1/2 says.

But I don't want to argue. If there is a DOT requirement that you have to go back to a CDL school and do it all over again after certain period of time not driving commercial vehicle, it's my bad that I don't know about it.
What I know is that I came to Stevens with a fresh CDL from Roadmaster and there were quite a few guys in my orientation class with some experience already. Whether their experience was from 10 years ago I don't know.
Everything is possible if we talking DOT rules and regulations. I wouldn't be surprised much.

 

Stank0,

Well we will see I suppose. Like I said, I have no problem with going through the entire Truck Driving School again. Safety is #1 , I understand that. I know that if I would have to jump in a truck right now with a trainer, start the truck up and get down the road, I could do it. There would be some seriously frightened motorists with pale skin and wide eyes and my trainer would probably experience chest pains, but I am sure I could get the Truck rolling and it would pretty much all come back to me in a few hours. I would be nervous as all get out, and the possibility of making a mistake that could lead to an accident would be higher than if I had trained for three weeks, but I could do it. That being said, I understand why the DOT and Companies would want someone without recent OTR experience to go back through schooling, and again , I am ok with that. As a matter of fact, I am actually excited about it. I know that there are alot of things that I will learn, and alot of things that I will re-learn.
A question I do have for you is about shifting gears. When I went through training with Schneider, they taught us to double-clutch and were very strict about it even when I got out on my own truck. When I went to Carco Carriers in '99 after being off the road for 4 years, I had to go out with a road trainer ( My step-dad was driving for them at the time and got me on, I guess that's why I didn't have to go through school again) and when my road trainer saw me double clutch, he looked at me and said 'WTF are you doing? You're gonna wear out my clutch'. So he showed me how to float gears and I learned that really quickly. At this company,we had to take our final road test with another road trainer. When I got on this other road trainers' truck to take my test, he told me he had removed a fuse that disabled his odometer so his truck wouldn't register out-of-route miles. Unfortunately, removing this fuse also disabled the Tachometer, so I had to float gears going by sound alone. Well, amazingly I floated gears like a hot knife going through a stick of warm butter, and passed the road test no problem. The trainer that tested me actually said 'Son of a bytch, you're floating gears better than I do, and you don't have the Tach!!'. I passed with flying colors.
Now, I am sure that Stevens trains to double-clutch, but when one gets out with a road-trainer, do they continue double-clutching or will it be like my experience with Carco Carriers and be told to learn the 'float' way of shifting??
Thanks for the replies.

 

If you have a valid cdl and you pass a road test(required by FMCSA) you can drive for whoever. Will their insurer insure you? That is a whole different story.Double clutching is a timing method they teach newbies. once you learn to float youll never go back.

 

I can speak only from my experience. My trainer started teaching me to float gears second day on his truck.
AFAIK everyone's floating.

 

I drove for Stevens for 5 months. Everything was great until the day I got sick on their yard. I had bought a microwave oven at a Pilot in Wyoming so I could cook my own food and not have to rely on eating truck stop food all the time. On a Friday at the yard, my truck was in the shop for repairs and I asked for my microwave to be hooked up. Their shop foreman told me to walk down the street to the nearest Napa auto parts store. The heat was well into the 90's, and I hadn't eaten anything, and after getting back to the yard I ended up feeling sick. Everyone freaked out, they called an ambulance, and ordered me to go to the hospital. The hospital ran every test on me and found me to be in (their words) perfect health, nothing was wrong with me. The following Monday I was sent to their company doctor for a follow up checkup, the doctor didn't look at me, didn't run any tests on me, nothing, but make a diagnosis that I had "fainting spells" and just like that they sent me home. To make matters worse, they told their insurance company that they terminated me a week before they actually did, sticking me with over $4000 in hospital bills. Now to add insult to injury, they filed a claim with a bill collector against me claiming that I owe them $200 for an accident that I didn't even have. I've tried to find a lawyer but haven't found anyone that is willing to help. Any suggestions?

I do have a job offer from Werner, but after going back to my old job I'd hate to leave it again especially since I've heard Werner is just as bad. I loved my time over the road but don't want to work for another company that will look to screw me over again. Any suggestions?
Thanks.

 

Every company that you can think of off the top of your head has screwed drivers. The same companies have also helped drivers succeed in life. That's an impossible question to answer. Keep it legal and take no prisoners is all I can suggest.

 

So do you presently work for Stevens?

 

Jim, yes I am still here at Stevens working. I have a student that just got my truck last week in fact. If you have any questions ask away.

 

I tell eah of my students it is their choice. I can show you to float or you can continue to dbl clutch. As long as they learn how to do everything they can in the time they are with me then whatever makes them more comfortable. There are those who make students float because they are worried about clutch replacement or whatever. If you burn out a clutch then Stevens sill repair it. It's a learning curve and of all people Stevens should expect nothing less or they would be like USExpress with automatics in their trucks.