My Experience With KLLM

Drive during the day, and your doing all the back in's. You have a final road test in the city in week 6.

 

Hey there TJ -

I noticed you are from Raleigh too. How is your hometime during training and afterwards?

FYI, I live over here near Hedingham (Skycrest & Trawick)

 

Hey ya'll -

Been enjoying the posts and sort of sitting back, keeping my mouth shut.

I got my pre-hire Friday and was scheduled for orientation for (she said) Feb 17th, not 16th) in Atlanta. Should I be checking into this? I think I would prefer going to the Jackson orientation as I hear it is a nicer place to train. Got a little time to play with it as I still have two more weeks of school (which is "a thrill a minute").

I also have a pre-hire from Conway for the week prior, but I am thinking that KLLM would be a better fit for me. Ya'll seem to be a tighter-knit group and you don't hear a lot of complaining on the boards. To me, that signifies either a better company, or a better class of drivers (I am assuming the latter). I guess what I am saying is that reading ya'll's posts apears to be more like a huge family talking back and forth.

Couple quick questions.....

NYC?
CANADA?
Any updates on the Automatics?

I appreciate all that I have read here (and RT, you are something else! Especially when it comes to your selection of words!.... hehehehe) and the information has been a great help. If this all comes together, I look forward to sharing the roads with you.

Thanks in advance for everything!

 

Hello Scooterdawg. Glad to hear you are considering KLLM. As for the orientation in Atlanta its not that bad ( although the Jackson terminal is nicer) I did mine in Atlanta and as you are from NC it will be in Atlanta, and it does start on Tuesdays in Atlanta. As for NYC, very limited, been to Long Island once myself. No Canada. The automatics are just about all gone, they will soon be a distant nightmare. If you have anymore questions, fire away and one of us will surely answer. Good luck to you.

 

Appreciate that Out Of Route.....

What should I expect at the Atlanta Orientation? A thorough blow by blow description would be welcome..... and how about the accomodations and amenities (local eats, stores)

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the posts while your out with a trainer. I just got in to Jackson today and I will be in orientation first thing tomorrow morning. It's nice to hear somebody post who is out with a trainer. Hope mine isn't an Eskimo like yours, rnbw!!

 

Hey OOR, why were the automatics such a nightmare? Don't get me wrong, I want to drive a manual, at least when I first start. But I figured automatics were the wave of the future for new trucks. Is it just hard to break old habits? Less control on RPM's? Mechanical problems?

Thanks! Just curious.

Congrats on the pre-hire Scooter! We should be in training around the same time, so stay in your lane!

 

The automatics where,are, a mechanical nightmare. As far as control they can be locked in a gear for descending hills and so forth, that was not the main issue. I drove one for a short while and it kept getting locked in 10th gear going down the highway and to get it out you had to pull over on the shoulder and shut it off for 10-20 minutes and then it would go back to neutral and you could start over. After two tows and two freightliner dealerships that could not fix it (in shops for 10 out of a 12 day stretch, thank goodness for breakdown pay) finally got into Atlanta to swap trucks. That one has since been retired.

 

The first morning will be spent at the doctors getting physical, drug screen, agility test ( easy, lift a box with some weights in it up on a shelf, push/pull a weighted sled, nothing major) then back to terminal for road tests, and then bascially 3 days of paperwork, videos, and listening to Ed, and various other people. Accomodations are adequate at the Ramada limited, free continental breakfast. Local food near motel was bascially Dennys, Waffle house, and there is also a Quiznos and Subway within a short walk. They used to use Dennys for lunch during orientation but I believe they have since been relieved of that duty. I am not sure who they are using now. Hope this helps.

 

Question for the group. How are the miles? I have been hired all I need to do is call and set up a orientation date. I am in CA and would go to orientation in Fontana. Would I be dispatched out of that terminal or is it done out of the main office? Do they run a lot of stuff this way as my recruiter claimed? Does anyone know what is need to "meet eligibility" to get your tuition paid off by them? And finally a superficial question, do most the trucks have apu's? Thanks in advance.