Knight Squire Training Updates

This is my take on the school, A break down of how it is done at the Memphis terminal (Olive Branch, MS), what drove me to chose it, and some NEW things that are being enforced as of Monday 11/17/14!

Well going through this training has been an awesome experience. I did about a month of research in the companies before chosing which company I wanted to go to that had a school with it. After looking in to things like contracts, company profiles, company profit margins, treatment of drivers, talking to drivers for personal experiences and more, I decided to go with Knight's Squire program. I also wanted a school that was thorough enough to cover the topics needed as well as give me enough training time to make sure I was ready, but did not over kill me with "team driving" during my training period.

Now while I was there I was talking with the Southeast regional manager and he was telling me some awesome things about the program that are being updated.

**I attended the Memphis terminal, so I am not for sure if this is just for that program or the entire new schedule for the whole program**

See the Squire program is a bit redesigned from what it is publicized in order to get students more hands on time and seat time prior to testing in their state for their CDL. so now what happens is:

Step 1) Week 1 - Orientation/ Drug Test (Hair and Urine)/ DOT Physical + ability test (doesn't matter if you currently have a physical, you will get another one)/Range introduction with the first week focusing on all the backing maneuvers.

Step 2) Week 2 - Focus on backing maneuvers on the range and introduced in to driving locally with the road instructor. At the end of this week you should be ready for your test and will be tested out of the course. They (or you if your state requires you to do it) will schedule your CDL test.

Step 3) Depending on your CDL test date, you will either remain at the site and prepare for your test (if in MS,TN,AR) or go to your home terminal and prepare for it if it is within a close time period. If it is (what seems to be) more than a week or two out, like mine is (December 11, 2014), than you will go out and start on your 4 week required training time with a trainer up until the week of your CDL test. The week of your test you than get routed back through your home terminal to practice your backing maneuvers. You than take your CDL test.

Step 4) Now that you have your CDL you will return the following Monday to your home terminal for your orientation. After completing your orientation you will be scheduled to go out with a trainer to either 1) complete the remainder of your 4 week training or 2) start your 4 week training.

Step 5) After your 4 week training is complete AND your trainer reports that you are ready to test out for your own truck, than you will be routed back to your home terminal and just do some basic tests (backing, drop and hook, etc.) just to show that you can do it on your own. Congrats you now have your own truck.. **also another thing is that safety frowns upon team driving with student drivers!!!**

THE FOLLOWING IS WHERE THE UPDATES COME IN

Step 6) Now that you are in your own truck you are considered a "probationary" Squire driver. You will complete 30k SAFE miles in 3 months.... well at least that is how it was set up. Now what is happening is IF you reach 15k SAFE miles squeeky clean than they can release you to be a full Knight driver with no more probation!!!!

ANOTHER awesome thing, is during your probation time you are paid at a lesser rate than a full time Knight driver. Your pay WAS going to be on a 28-37 CPM sliding scale.... WELL, now there has been a 4 CPM pay raise for all of the Squire drivers! So now students are starting out on a 32-41 CPM sliding scale.

Also when you become a full time Knight driver you receive another pay raise bringing you up to 34-43 CPM sliding scale!

 

detention is paid after 2 hours, there is layover pay, breakdown pay starting the first hour (Company 10/hour/Lease 15/hr), multiple stops are paid after the first stop (believe its about 30-35/stop). It is a sliding scale and are very personable and open dispatch system. So if your at a terminal and have a few hours to kill they love it when you stop by in the office (Knight has a open door policy) and ask if there is any local loads that you can take if you want some more miles. We have a sliding scale so the shorter runs, with no experience and brand new, drivers make 44 CPM running them and they have quite a few of them at each terminal! They have some more pay and I will look in to it.

We have 4 division right now We have Dry van, Refrigerated, Port/Rail, and Squire (training)
**we also have some dedicated accounts throughout the country that have different things like flatbed that pay more and have tarp pay and so on.

 

They have some dedicated accounts. Right now they have a new dedicated route out of Yankton, SD. They just bought a whole new fleet for it to include curtain side flatbeds. they pay $30 per paid stop and $30 tarp fee (even though most of it is already set up for drop and hook) you deliver directly to their customer and deadhead back with empty, drop and hook with full load and repeat. getting their CPM and will bring that back here too, I want to say its mid 40's to start out with.

 

Sorry to hear that. Wish you well with Prime, I had looked in to them, but they did not fit my bill as a company as a whole and how they are towards their drivers.