YRC CDL training program experience

Any updates on this?

I just got an email from YRC about joining their line haul academy in Portland. I was planning to save and pay for independent CDL training this winter. But I am getting antsy to get on with it. I have Class B with a Class A permit all endorsements.

Is YRC a good start? Is the road/shifting training generally good? I like the assurance you could keep training until passing DMV.

 

Thanks, man. Great to hear you are driving solo! I just replied to their email and said I would like to attend the training here in Portland. Going to be a big step but your posts here give me a lot of encouragement to go for it.

 

I recently got my CDL from YRC line haul academy out of Denver a few weeks ago. Getting the actual license from the DMV took awhile for it to arrive to my home state but I am now doing the 4 weeks of training with a safety trainer.

The days are 12 hours long and the route is 500 miles per day; 5 days a week. Even though I’m doing 12 hour days, the job itself is super easy. After you punch in, you find your truck and trailers on the pad. Then do a pre-trip and start rolling to the destination terminal. Once at the destination, you drop your load; hook up empties and start rolling to the next terminal.

Now the guys that I went to academy with were all planning to be P&D city drivers. I’m not sure what their post CDL training is like but I can ask. I’m sure that it’s probably a lot more hectic than line haul.

Currently the plan that has been outlined for me by HR is: 4 week CDL academy——> 3 week Line Haul training with safety trainer ——> 1 week Mountain driving training with another safety trainer ——> Sleeper teams

 

Hey Grove_LA, thanks for this post a while ago. I just got accepted into the YRC training program to drive P&D in Portland. I start on the dock this month and then attend the September CDL academy. If I pass the DMV drive test then I start P&D with a trainer for four weeks. I wanted line haul but out here there centers are so far apart you spend 2-3 days out each trip. With the P&D I will be home every night so I opted for that.

I am pretty excited about this. Been waiting since February to hear back from a freight company and finally YRC called yesterday and did a brief interview and signed me up. Thanks to some of you guys commenting on YRC jobs I am confident it will be a decent start. Hopefully it develops into a solid place for the long term. Goal #1 is to get the CDL, Goal #2 is to get the one year experience. I have my permit with all endorsements and registered for hazmat and drug testing so should be good to go after I do the initial drug test tomorrow.

I've been driving haul truck in a quarry since April so kind of out of the loop. But I remembered this thread so when YRC called I jumped on it. Thanks to all!

 

Any update? Also, did any of the drivers in the school already have their CDL & just refreshing?

 

I just started at YRC. Was supposed to start on the dock 8/24 and driver training early Sept. But I got Covid the week before. Longer recovery to full strength than I anticipated. I did orientation yesterday (mostly videos on code of conduct and hazmat), and will learn forklift operation on the dock today. Scheduled to start driver training 10/4.

I am the only new hire this week. So lots of time to ask questions and get detailed explanations and some get to know you chat.

The couple of trainers and drivers I have met have been very relaxed and helpful. Seems like a good place to work. Supposed to have no-cost full health coverage for myself and wife but takes 60-90 days of probation first. OT for anything over 8 hrs/day and lots of OT for holiday work up to 3x.

The only local home every day routes they have in Portland are P&D. They say they have tons more work than drivers and I might even get a limited choice of routes. I was intending to go for line haul, but here those routes are two days out due to distance to closest terminals.

 

Day 3 at YRC completed. One day of HR and hazmat videos and easy testing. Two days of forklift certification and learning to load and unload trailers and handle the waybills and computer tracking system. Six more days on the dock then to driver training. Great company experience so far.