newbie questions

Step 1: Make #### sure you really want to get into the industry. Research it thoroughly first and then decide.

Step 2: Go to your employment office or community college and see if you qualify for a grant to pay for training. Don't go paying for your training out of your own pocket unless you can get it cheap. By cheap, I mean 700-1,000 bones. Don't buy into the notion that you must pay 5,000 bones for training.

Step 3: Don't go the company-training route unless you MUST. Companies will train you, but there's a catch: you become an indentured servant for the period of the agreement, which is usually one year. If you go this route in a year-long, and then decide to quit on day 355, guess what? You're still responsible for paying the outfit 100% of the training cost, which is usually some outrageous amount (think 5,000-7,000 bones). If you don't fork it over, they will report you and your credit will be trashed. Plus, you'll be out of a job.

Step 3b: Make sure your training school is accredited. Check with Crete and see what accreditation they accept. Crete is a good company you should aim to get a job with after graduation.

Caveats:
*Stay away from high-turnover outfits (these clowns usually advertise alot and all over the place).
*Stay away from reefer, at least when you're green.
*Keep your nose clean during your first year. Don't make waves. Don't cop attitudes.
*Stay at your first company for at least a year before moving on, as stability is key in the trucking business.

Good luck

 

I have not heard this piece advice before... Can you elaborate for me?

Thanks

 

Well, if you don't know reefer is a refrigerated trl.. An added responsibility..
I can see what the poster was saying but it would be okay for some drivers.. I personally see no problem with a new hire doing it.. If your able to sleep with that thing kicking on and off then go for it if thats what you want to do..


To answer your questions specifically

Go to it.. Its exactly that a career fair and they will have information for all.. Student and experienced....

No, most companies like you mentioned provide company training.. You will have to sign a contract saying you will work for them a min of 1 year.. If you quit before a year then you will have to pay the entire cost for training.. (usually around $3000-4000)

License.. They will tell you before you can attend orentation that you must get a CDL permit.. You would need to go to your local motor bureau and pick up some CDL training books.. You will then need to study them and take the test.. (just like it was back when you got your drivers license but now it will ask you truck question and not car)
Here is what you will need to study and pass on
Air Brakes
General Knowledge
Combination Endorsement

You must take the test at the motor bureau and pass them..
You also must have a DOT physical that the company will set up for you..
You will not get your permit without a DOT physical..

Once you pass and have your CDL permit you then will be scheduled for orentation..

Most of the people in the class never even been inside a truck befor.. Some will not even drove a car with a clutch before..
Some do fail and they are sent home..
Companies like Schnieder usually go way out of thier way to keep this from happening..
AS in anything you do its up to you how much you will get out of it.. Many people will be there just to pass the coarse and get a CDL.. They will lack the knowledge it really takes to be a good truck driver..
Its the people who take it serious and apply themselves 100% that will be well informed and generally make good drivers.. Its a serious game, A life and death game. thats reality when you are behind the wheel of 80,000lbs. So, i would only hope one would take it serious..

 

that would depend on the company, schneider is if you quit you pay what remains on the training currently for us drivers they pay $50 a week and you pay $12.50 a week for 18 months paying off the debt if you quit at month 17 you only owe them $62.50 now with that said each company is different and i would be real sure what im signing if you go to a company paid school

 

That must be something Schneider change recently because it has been "quit before your year is up, pay back full cost of training" for many many years... No prorating..

Interesting... I guess they figured it would be easier this way to actually get people to pay if they quit.. People would be more likly to pay $1000 then $3500

 

Sure. I'll be glad to elaborate in only two words: DRIVER UNLOAD.

Get ready to do a lot of lumping if you go reefer. A green driver may not be ready to do that and may even quit over it. Quitting when you're green is a definite NO-NO. It's best if you stick with the first company a year. That will be easier to do if you're yanking a dry van.

Another bad thing about reefer is the insane delivery schedules. I once drove for a reefer outfit that wanted me to (believe it) drive from Chula Vista (just south of San Diego) to New York City in 48 hours. I did it in about 58 and still felt like I'd been thoroughly beaten when I arrived at Hunt's Point. You probably won't see this craziness, but you'll see plenty of runs that will wear you out. If you're green, you won't be able to handle many hot reefer runs in succession. When you get used to living in a fiberglass box 24/7, you can do it. It justs takes time for your body to adjust.

Go easy on yourself by going dry box first. Try the reefer insanity later, after you've gotten that first year in.

 

Tips from tipster worth repeating:

Caveats:

*Stay away from high-turnover outfits (these clowns usually advertise alot and all over the place).
*Stay away from reefer, at least when you're green.
*Keep your nose clean during your first year. Don't make waves. Don't cop attitudes.
*Stay at your first company for at least a year before moving on, as stability is key in the trucking business.


Mainly don't cop an attitude. New drivers will be dumped faster than yesterday's garbage if they try to tell a dispatcher (other drivers, the company) how rotten they are and how good the complainer is (based on his ability to ? (keep a truck on pavement?))

In RE: reefer freight -

It's usually ALL "hot freight" which receivers (actually the brokers) want as soon as you can get it there. And, dispatchers will try to get drivers to exceed the laws of physics (and common sense) to make happen.

Produce requires more attention than anything you'll haul in a dry box. That attention begins before you load and continues until you deliver.

I once knew a newbie who picked up a load of produce after hauling a load of frozen and he forgot to reset the thermostat. Receivers (and the company) get real unhappy when a driver delivers frozen produce that is supposed to be fresh.

The upside to reefers is they tend to stay busier than dry boxes (or flats) and they tend to run longer trips.

But, if you can't pick up in CA on Friday and deliver in NYC on Monday morning, you need not apply. . .

1,000 miles day is not for people who like their sleep or truckstops.

Not all companies run those kinds of schedules, but that is what many reefer outfits expect. And, if you can't or won't do it, you'd be better off with a dry box or flat. They tend to run schedules that rival the railroad.

 

Me husband in law (ex's now ex hubby) went to Schneider's truck driving school and has been working for them for over ten years in the tanker division.

I lost track of him after he & the ex divorced, but he was still working for Schneider as of about 2003. And, from what I heard, he was happily doing so.