Transport Corp. Of America - Eagan, Mn.?

Transport America Orientation, day two.

This day was divided into two parts. The first half of the day was classroom instruction, the second was range and road instruction.

Classroom time was devoted to covering Hours of Service, logs, and trip planning. The classroom instructor was very polite, knowledgeable and professional, and he went to great lengths to make certain that the incoming students learned the material well. It is instructors like this who give student drivers a good impression of the company they are considering working for.

Range and road time started off awkwardly for myself and the other student we were paired with. Our instructor wandered away before our pre-trip inspection was finished, and I had to chase him down to ask a few questions on subjects I was concerned about. This bothered me, but I let it slide.

After we got on the road, I asked the instructor for advice on how to safely and efficiently deal with shifting in a specific situation, and was told, "I don't care how you do it." That wasn't the sort of answer that I want to hear from somebody whose job it is to instruct me, so I explained to him that it was my desire to learn proper technique so I could do my job safely and professionally. (We weren't in any sort of critical situation at the moment I asked my question. I'm a very cautious and observant driver, but my lack of experience with a 10-speed gearbox is causing me to do some grinding and fishing.)

Perhaps we had just gotten off on the wrong foot or misunderstood each other, because after my short talk, the instructor was much more helpful, and his evaluation of my performance was strict but accurate.

In general, the company seems professional and the classroom instruction is excellent. The experience out on the range is not as focused or instructive as the classroom time at this point, but perhaps things in that area will improve as the orientation progresses.

One other thing that deserves mention is the fact that most of the staff at the Scottsburg facility are polite and respectful. They seem to have a lot of self-discipline, and that's something which really catches my attention at this company.

Now I'm off to McDonald's to use my meal voucher!

 

I don't say much... but I am intently reading all your post about this...

 

Thanks DirtyDragon, you are providing a thorough description of your orientation experience with TA. Exactly what I was hoping for. Please keep up the great work!

 

Transport America Orientation, day three.

The classroom portion of today's instruction covered accident and incident reporting procedures, protecting cargo from theft, cargo securement, use of the Qualcomm, and trip planning. As in previous classroom sessions, the quality of instruction is excellent, and although the instructor has an incredible amount of material to cover inside of a short schedule that leaves no room for delays, he still manages to clear up any questions asked by the student drivers who share my class.

There are several short written tests given in each class session. They are open-book, and scoring a perfect on each of the aforementioned tests is an easy task.

A number of student drivers were having difficulty reading the maps in a standard motor carrier's road atlas. The instructor lectured with great clarity on how to properly use an atlas, but I suppose that a few people have never used maps before, and perhaps they are still overwhelmed by having to plan an entire trip. Hope they get used to it.

The time on the range was spent in practicing a variety of different backing maneuvers in close quarters with obstacles present and with limited room for correctional pull-ups. All of the instructors on the range were extremely helpful during this range session, although there was an abundance of verbal joking and storytelling that I found to be distracting.

One of the range instructors was of an exceptionally high caliber, and I was impressed by his ability to clearly elucidate the precise details of the maneuver that he was assigned with overseeing. He was able to deliver his knowledge clearly and without any uncertainty in his words.

After spending a long day out under the blazing sun at the range, I almost pulled my tractor out without unhooking my air lines and electrical connection. The instructor who I had for my first day of road time quickly and politely corrected me in a good way; by telling me to stop and think about what I was doing wrong instead of just immediately telling me what to do. He also told me that everything that I'd learned in CDL school was only enough information and skills to get me through the state exam that granted me my license. Actually getting out on the road and driving for a motor carrier is a whole different league of experience, and any driver who ever stops learning might as well just go and dig himself a grave.

To give a summary of my opinions on the first three days of my orientation with Transport America, I feel that the classroom instruction at the Scottsburg facility has been uniformly excellent. The road and range time with instructors has been of mixed quality and could be conducted in a more focused and effective manner, although there are two instructors who seem to be exceptionally skilled at communicating their knowledge to student drivers.


Another thing I should mention is that if you choose to attend an orientation with TA, you should plan on concentrating on nothing else for the days you are at the facility. (If you're a professional driver, you will have three days of orientation before you're sent out on the road. If you are a student driver, you will spend six days in orientation before you are teamed up with an over the road instructor for at least three weeks.) Each day of your orientation will be full of work, and each day will begin at around 06:00 and end at 17:45.

 

Transport America Orientation, day four.

Classroom time covered HAZMAT, payroll policies, CommData, Transflo, and reimbursements. We also set up our voice mail boxes and were photographed for our company identification tags. More work on trip planning and logs was also included in the classroom session.

There is only one more full day of student driver orientation remaining. The regular classroom instructor will not be with the class tomorrow. The final day of orientation will fall on a Saturday, and that session will end before noon.

Road and range time was conducted very well once again. The evaluations from the instructors were strict but fair, and their commentary was thorough. I only wish that we would be allowed more time on the road, and that the time we are given could be one-on-one with an instructor. At present, most students are grouped two to an instructor.

My own road time was lackluster and almost demoralizing. I missed two downshifts. I misunderstood a direction from my instructor on where to make a turn, and that ended up in my receiving an impromptu lesson in backing down an extremely narrow street that was canopied with a net of low-hanging tree limbs and phone lines. I also shifted gears on a railroad track that I didn't see. (I couldn't even see the tracks or a road marking in my mirrors after my instructor told me what I had done.)

Still, I keep listening and learning, I don't get upset or frustrated, and I refuse to give up.

I'm not certain how many students have flushed out of orientation so far. My guess is that five or six have left. I know that two students failed their physicals. I've also heard that two more failed their drug tests, and that another struck a trailer while driving, but I can't confirm those last two rumors.

I hope that I will make the cut and get myself assigned a trainer for four weeks on the road. One thing that I've heard about Transport America's road training is that a student driver will not be working as a team driver while they are paired with a trainer. They will essentially be working as a solo driver who just happens to have a knowledgeable mentor riding along in the passenger seat. If this is a true and accurate description of how Transport America conducts its training, that time will be an invaluable aid in building good road skills.

 

I met a driver here at Hartt transport in maine last week where I work. he told me he was selling his 99 freighter century class,he was teaming with his wife and leased on to transport america,he did really good and made a decent living,but his wife decided to stop driving,his benifits are good at hartt as he used to pay 400 a month for health insur alone. Enjoy your new career drivers.

 

DirtyDragon, once again thanks for the excellent informative posts.

You should have but a few more hours of orientation remaining today and a half a day tomorrow.

It doesn't sound as though many of your class have dropped out, or been dismissed by TA as of now. I am interesting in learning how many of the 27 that started the week actually complete orientation and are OK'd to go with a trainer.

It sounds as though you are doing well and are, for the most part, satisfied with your training.

BOL

 

Transport America Orientation, day five.

Today's classroom instruction covered permits, Bridge Law, maintenance intervals, monthly idling bonuses, and Sensor Tracs. The class concluded with a final assignment in trip planning that requires a great deal of work to complete. Log books were also checked again to assure that they will be correct and legal when students in the class get out on the road with their trainers.

Tomorrow will be only a half day of class for most students. I'm assuming that after our trip planning homework and logs are checked over, there will be some final paperwork to complete. Slightly more than half of the remaining student drivers still need to take their final run over the road with an instructor, and that task will also be completed on Saturday morning. I am among the students who will drive tomorrow.

A total of 14 students still remain in my class. One fellow was sent home this morning after a problem with his license history was discovered.

Time on the range today was spent in working on backing and docking. The instructors strongly urged all students to think through the maneuvers independently, and to try and get themselves out of whatever problematic positions they put their vehicles into.

I had difficulty with two of the four maneuvers, and I ended up asking for a walk-through on them. Both of the instructors I needed advice from were extremely helpful, and they shored up a couple of points that I was weak on.

Although my maneuvers were far from being the quickest or the best, they were all completed and done so in a safe manner. The range instructors encourage all drivers to stop, get out of the truck, and study the path that our trailers will likely follow and the objects and obstacles that surround it. I did a great deal of getting out and looking, because I want to understand exactly how my trailer is going to move in different situations.

Tomorrow will mark the end of orientation. I hope that everyone in my class who has made it this far will go on and earn themselves a place at Transport America.

Thank you, No9Klein, buck and a half, mike4104tx, and everyone else for your comments, feedback, and encouragement.

 

Transport America Orientation, day six.

As far as I know, all fourteen of the remaining student drivers made the cut.

I received my certificate of completion, the name and voice mail number of my assigned driver instructor, and some final odds and ends of paperwork to complete.

I am now waiting for my instructor to get in touch with me so we can figure out where and when to meet up. Tomorrow, I'll drive up to Janesville to have a look at the support center I'll be working out of.

All in all, orientation with Transport America was a good experience.

 

Congratulations on successfully completing orientation, DirtyDragon.

Thank you for the excellent recaps of your days with TA in Scottsburg, IN.

I realize internet access may be hard to come by while you are out with your trainer, but I certainly would like to read about your experiences while you complete OTR training.

Hoping to read more posts from you.

BOL and stay safe.