NCTDTS # Johnston Community College

Discussion in 'Trucking Schools and CDL Training Forum' started by beancounter, Apr 4, 2011.

  1. beancounter

    beancounter Light Load Member

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    Went in for orientation at North Carolina Truck Driver Training School today at JCC. Not a very action-packed orientation, just basically paperwork, and what to expect out of the class. Everyone on the staff that I was able to meet were pretty much straight to the point, down to earth, cool people. Also was able to chat with a few of my soon-to-be classmates. It amazing how quickly you can "bond" (for lack of a better word) with other people, all because you have the same goals and dreams for your future.

    I'll try to keep the updates coming from now 'til the end of June when the class is finished, and I have my CDL in-hand.

    Wish me luck y'all!!
     
    Last edited: Apr 4, 2011
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  3. Lantern

    Lantern Road Train Member

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    Good luck Bean. Bonding with your classmates is awesome to, usually people who aim for the same goals tend to help each other out on the way so that is the best thing.
     
  4. WitchingHour

    WitchingHour Road Train Member

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    Uh oh. My old stomping ground. Good luck to you. Enjoy your classes in Smithfield, but don't stay too long. Johnston is another of the "invaded" counties of North Carolina, and Clayton is well on its way to becoming a mini-Cary.
     
  5. beancounter

    beancounter Light Load Member

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    Hahaha!! Well, to me it's all good 'cuz I'm "one of those" (so I don't get censored) yankees myself. However, it was rural Michigan, the land of farm fields and dairy farms, so I can still somewhat relate to folks down here.
     
  6. WitchingHour

    WitchingHour Road Train Member

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    My girlfriend's from Royal Oak, so we go back and forth about that all the time. My problem isn't where people move from, but the way their heads go way up their rectum once they get to NC. People will move to Cary from wherever, and be decent enough sorts when they arrive, but once they live in Cary for a week or two, suddenly, they become something special. The biggest pain in the (fourth point of contact) whenever we did road construction projects in Cary was always the residents. "We live in Cary, so the world owes us something!". And, like I said before, you're starting to see a lot of it in Clayton now, as well. And Clayton's pretty crap compared to Cary... compared to a lot of places, as well. But, on the bright side, there's outlet stores in Smithfield... none of them ever sold anything I wanted to buy, except for the Pepperidge Farms store (love goldfishes, 'cause they're so delicious!), but they're there, anyhow, and enough people seem to want to shop there. If you're looking for entertaining things to do in the area, you're not going to find it in Smithfield. Raleigh, of course, has more. Downtown area has lots of nifty restaurants, pubs, etc.. some of it's only open on business days during lunch hours and such, but some of it's open the rest of the time, too. If you're into shooting guns, there's Personal Defense on Tryon Road in Garner.. Eagle One has an indoor range, as well, but I'm less than impressed with that place. To be honest, there really isn't anything anywhere in Johnston County worth going out of your way for as far as entertainment goes. Bright Leaf Blvd/US301 and Business 70 are the main fare in Smithfield. If you go down the 70 Bypass towards Clayton, you'll pass by D&J Cycle Center. Directly across the service road from them is a small drop yard.. I think it's Keen (they pick up a lot of stuff out of Caterpillar in Clayton). Used to belong to a guy who owned a fleet of ex-Werner trucks. Don't know the story behind that. Anyhow, if you look behind the D&J Cycle Center as you pass by it, you'll see a truck and equipment repair place directly behind it, and behind that, you'll see a tan colored steel building where you might see four dump trucks (Macks with green cabs and aluminum dump bodies). I used to work for the guy who owns those dump trucks.
    I'm sure that was just fascinating to read, but anyhow, once you get your CDL, are you planning on going OTR, or looking for a local job? If you're going for a local job.. well, you live in Cumberland county, so I'm assuming you'd look there, but if you were looking for one in the Raleigh area, there's two companies I suggest you avoid like the plague. The first is... well, several companies rolled into one, but they're all associated with Shotwell Landfill. Debris Removal Partners, Capitol Waste Systems/Capitol Waste Management, and Shotwell Trucking. Unless you like the idea of running unsafe equipment up and down the road, and having steer tires patched (which, by the way, is illegal to do) instead of replaced (yet that company doesn't even flinch at a $1000+ weight ticket). The second is Puryear Transportation. Not that they're terrible, but they're just slightly above that. They're the largest dump truck contractor in the RDU area (they also run end dump tractor-trailers, and will even do some RGN work). There's also a tanker company by the name Puryear (yes, they're related). Funny thing.. the guy I'm working for now, he lived in NC for a while, which included doing some work with Harold Puryear. Apparently, Puryear screwed him out of a good bit of money.. which doesn't surprise me. Also, you'd be well advised to avoid anyone who contracts out to S.T. Wooten. The company itself is good to work for, but they're not so good for their contractors.
     
  7. beancounter

    beancounter Light Load Member

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    Thanks for the heads-up, man. Right now I have a few apps out at some flatbed outfits (Boyd, McElroy, Melton, and CT). I've got about every crossable joint crossed that I can get on with one of those guys and not have to go to the likes of Swifty or the Blue Screw. Also, I talked to the recruiter with Howard Transportation, they have a plant in Kenly, and was told that she'd be at our class for a recruiting day, so I'm going to put in an app with them as well. I would put one in with them now, but she told me that it wouldn't make a difference wether I get on or not if I do one now, or when she comes to class.
     
  8. WitchingHour

    WitchingHour Road Train Member

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    I used to run for Swift's flatbed division out of the Eden, NC terminal (which, to my understanding, is now defunct or used only for the beer contract). Wasn't a terrible gig.. did mostly stepdeck stuff. Had to carry 20 chains and binders on the cheap headache racks Swift ordered, because a Utilimaster chassis load of five chassis called for... 200 chains and binders. They started me off on an International 9400 with a 51" flat top sleeper.. I believe it was formerly a Merit truck.. then they moved me into an 02 FL Columbia, which seemed a bit odd to me, because it had a 13 speed, rather than the 9 speed which was normal for Swift's Columbias. Heard two different stories on this.. one was that it was a lease-purchase truck which the owner defaulted on, except it was white, with the full Swift regalia on it, and it lacked the amenities which came with a lease-purchase truck, such as a CD player, and the front curtains. The other story I was told was that it was a west coast truck used for pulling the Rocky Mountain doubles, and it somehow ended up in Eden, NC. Either way, it was a decent enough truck. 3/4 wheel fairings, which allowed for a toolbox to be put on the passenger side which you could use for straps, edge protectors, etc (the battery box was opposite, on the driver's side), and the catwalk was spacious enough for your tarps.. you had to keep your fifth wheel slid all the way to the rear, because all the weight from the fuel tanks went to the drive axle. After I got back from my deployment, I talked with some Swift flatbed drivers who had been issued Volvos, and they turned out to be less than satisfied with them. I believe them, too. The guy I'm working for now has me in a Volvo, and they really weren't designed with flatbedders in mind.
    My Platoon Sergeant in my National Guard unit.. he drove for Swift initially (he's the one who recruited me into Swift), then started driving for Boyd Bros. We don't keep in touch, though, otherwise, I'd ask for some insight into them. Melton seems to have drivers who are good at what they'd do. I know a couple times when I was with Swift, I'd pick up loads I wasn't familiar and/or comfortable with, and I'd often ask Melton drivers for some pointers. They gave me good advice. Can't really tell you anything about CT or McElroy, except they run Macks.. my first choice if I was buying a dump truck, my last choice if I were to buy a road tractor.
     
  9. beancounter

    beancounter Light Load Member

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    Ever wonder why things just can't be simple? My class was informed at orientation that if you have not been a North Carolina resident for at least 4 years that they need a copy of your driving record from your previous state of residence. No problem, right? Well, I moved here from California (see where this is going?). So, I go on-line to try to print out a copy, pay the fee, and be on with my day. However, I don't remember my Driver's License number from my California license. After all, I only lived there for 7 months, and I turned my old license in when I got my NC license. So I give them a call to see if I can give them some information (SSN, DOB, ect.) to see if they can pull my license number so I could get a copy of my record. But no, since I'm no longer a California resident, it all has to be handled by mail. Can't fax them, e-mail them, or give them info over the phone. :banghead: Alright, this kinda sucks, but whatever I'll play by their rules. Fill out the form they told me to print out from their website and mail it. Shouldn't take too long, right? Well, yesterday I get a copy of another form that I have to fill out and mail back. Now I really feel like calling them and letting them know all I want's my freaking driving record, not a pen-pal in a cubicle!!! And to boot, I get a call from the school's assistant to the secretary informing me that I need that record preferably by next Tuesday. Awesome!!!
     
  10. beancounter

    beancounter Light Load Member

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    Today was registration day for the May 2 class at JCC. I went up there expecting to see the same faces as I did a couple weeks ago, but only about half of them were there. Apparently some of them are going on WIA funding, so they didn't need to come submit a payment, but then when we walked out to go pay our tuition and get our student ID's there was about 5 guys waiting in the lobby to get the same breifing the rest of us got from the school secretary. Apparently "between 9 and 10 am" means "show up as late as you'd like, as long as you get there before 10" to these guys. Unbelievable. You're going into a time-sensative career, so it might be a good idea to start practicing being somewhere on time, fellas. Oh well, anyway, I'm a little lighter in the wallet now, but I'm looking forward to the challenges and training I'll get through this school. I'll keep you all posted how training goes through this thread. Hope some of you will follow along and offer some advice (and please feel free to offer) whenever I get into a jam. See y'all.
     
  11. beancounter

    beancounter Light Load Member

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    Lunch break time on Wednesday of the first week. Just got off the field for the first time. Only got to actually hop into the truck to practice straight-line backing, but got to do a pre-trip. So far, its been awesome. Most of the trainers are crazy cool. Tomorrow starts road driving, should be a good time.
     
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