Transport America

Good luck to you Woodust! Keep us updated on your progress!

In case you don't already know what to expect... I think I posted some information in my blog about the training / physical and drive evaluation.

I was lucky (I guess) that my recruiter arranged a rental car for myself and another student out of my area. That was a whole lot better than taking the Greyhound... which some people did have to do. Everyone gets their own room. If you have a laptop, you can use it at the hotel - you won't need it for time at class. The time spent on the computers is kinda boring - but necessary - as it gives time for everyone to go out and do pretrips, exercises, and driving evals.

When I was there, Jason ran the show - but there was a new guy that was just starting, that is supposed to be taking over... so I don't know if things will be as smooth or not? Mike Rozeski should be there too... he was both my drive evaluator and my first driving trainer. I was totally impressed with the entire process.

The physical caused the guy I went with to be disqualified. He couldn't stand on one of his feet for up to 30 seconds without losing his balance and putting his other foot down. You will have to lift some weight, carry some weight, push a cart, pull a cart, step up and down on a ladder, balance on each foot, and do 'step-ups' to a constant beat for 2 minutes (or something like that) and then have your heart beat checked, to see that it subsides to 120 bpm within 5 minutes. It's not a cake walk, but it's not extreme either.

The road eval is kinda like the driving portion of the state test. They know students don't have all of the skills yet - they just want to know if you can drive the truck safely. Don't worry too much about grinding or missing gears - just recover and keep going. Not everyone passes the evaluation though... Mike said he let a couple guys go from one school, because they just couldn't drive (period).

They're looking for people who have the basic skills, can drive safely and be aware of their surroundings - as well as their behavior behind the wheel.

Once you pass the physical and do the road eval you are pretty much hired, as long as your drug test doesn't come back positive on the last day. Also - be aware - you are being watched at all times while you are there, and being evaluated in everything you do... the way you handle instruction, complete the tasks at hand, and interact with both fellow students and the staff. It won't come off like that - and they won't tell you that - just be aware of it. They want to know that the people they put behind a wheel are also people they would recommend to the company to be hired - or not!

But honestly - it was all very laid back and casual, and nothing to get uptight or nervous about - just relax and enjoy the time there, and it'll be over before you know it!