Team starting out with US Xpress

Hi Nococraig, thank you for your reply. Did you get a sign on bonus? and is there a sliding pay scale after your trainging, just trying to decide what co. to go with.

 

we'er a scheduled/dedicated truck so we don't get the hasmat bonus, even thought some of the loads are hasmat and if we didn't have hasmat we couldn't be on the run we have

 

I am so happy for you two. From all you've said you two have had very good trainers. I wish I would have....my training was basically "get the load and get it there" very little of how to do a lot of things. I've had to learn all that on my own.

I know you will be happy to be back together. I was gone for just about 6 weeks and the only one I had at home was my son and he was sure glad to see me....LOL

 

Exciting times for you and your bride!! You both have been very clear and succinct in sharing your USX experience so far. I'm sure many, myself included, have enjoyed hearing of the adventure up to this pivotal point...the all important up-grade test!!

I remember very clearly when Carl dropped me off at Tunnel Hill last March for my upgrade. As he drove away and I watched his truck disappear, I recalled a feeling like I had when, many years earlier, my parents dropped me off at a four week long scout summer camp. Or leaving my new bride while I left to go overseas in the Military, not knowing if we would ever see each other again.



I'm sure your trainer has prepped you thoroughly on what to expect, but I'll go ahead and offer my recollections of the experience as it unfolded for me. Things may have changed somewhat over the past year and each individuals experience is probably unique as well. As clear as my decrepit old memory can recall, the process was divided into the following:

• BACKING SKILLS TEST: We went to the dirt lot accross the street from the terminal. Tony, the examiner, demonstrated each back first (talk about being helpful!) then instructed me to simply do the same. We did a straight back, an offset back, a 45' back, and then drove around a row of parked trailers to set up and do a 90' back. There was a trailer on one side of the slot and cones on the other. But Tony was adamant that we treat the cones as if it were a trailer. Of coarse, we did a pre-trip on both the tractor and the trailer before beginning.
• ROAD TEST: Again, I had my check ride with Tony. We quickly found the Interstate and drove that for 5 or 10 miles, and then worked our way back to the term via mostly back roads that included a few things like low bridges and unusual intersections with roads feeding into them from a variety of angles. Expect to be quizzed on road signs both before and after you pass them. A pleasant drive and really not too stressful at all. During the test drive conversation revolved around a drivers life at USX, including what challenges and opportunities one could expect to look forward to.
• E-LOGS: Two parts to this one. First part was a class given in a room dedicated to teaching e-logs. There were 6-8 in the class and I was the only one there for an up-grade, the others were company drivers making the transition from paper to electronic logs. A most informative and worthwhile class taught by an excellent instructor who began by explaining procedures step by step, then had us work a series of problems, and finally had us transfer our prior 7 or 8 days of paper logs into the e-log system. (Remember to have your logbook with you and up to date.) The second part of this section of up-grade was a fairly lengthy exam where we had to solve a number of problems involving various e-log scenarios. One fellow had been there for several days taking the test over and over again until he made a passing score. I was impressed that the staff kept working with him until it all "sank in" and he finally got it...he probably left there knowing e-logs better than any of the rest of us!
• WRITTEN TEST: This caught me a little off guard. There were 60 questions, all taken word for word from the student training manual. To pass, one could not miss more than 12 points, each question being worth 1 point. Since all of the questions are taken verbatim from the student handbook it should have been simple enough. The multiple choice questions were easy, but the rub comes in being able to remember word perfectly (or VERY close to it) the answers EXACTLY as they are written in the book. Well, on my first attempt I lost 13.5 pts. They will allow one additional attempt, but only one here and that on a test with different questions but still covering the same material. By this point I was really "sweatin' bullets", I spent the night in the Motel and really boned-up on the written answers and got a perfect score the next day. The final part of the written test involves trip planning. If one knows their way around a Rand McNalley MCRA, then this part is not too difficult.
• DRIVING SIMULATOR: Getting a passing score on this one was not required to complete the up-grade process, so the pressure is off here. This would be a gamer's dream if he also liked semi's. We were given 4 or 5 scenarios involving weather, city traffic, backing situations, etc. I suspect they were looking mostly to see how one reacts to situations not easily duplicated at the terminal or surrounding area. This one wasn't graded but everone had to do it anyway.

Throughout the whole process it's helpful to remember that USX didn't bring a student this far just to fail them and send them home. Both the student and the company have made a considerable investment up to this point and both want to see a successful outcome. But before handing over the keys to 80,000 lbs.of eighteen wheels of rolling destruction (potentially) the company has to be certain they're protecting the stock holders investment.

I don't think there is any doubt whatsoever that you and Anne will be on the road together shortly, and beginning an adventure that the rest of us are eagerly looking forward to hearing about.

 

boy have things changed over the years

• ALL I DID WAS A 45
• AND A FAKE HASMAT LOAD WHEN YOU GET TO THE R/R CROSING
• I'M STILL NOT ON THE E-LOGS
• I WAS THE FIRST DRIVER TO TAKE THE MAP TEST AND MY WIFE WAS THE FIRST TO GET 100% ON IT
• HAVE NEVER DONE THIS ONE

when i took the upgread test it took about 1.5hr for all of it