Schneider Bulk Orientation

Today I begin my Schneider bulk training/orientation. I am inexperienced so training should take about four and a half weeks. I will try to update as my days go by.

Day 0
I drove from Dallas to the hotel in Houston along I45 in the afternoon. Traffic was crowded but averaged 70-80 mph. Drivers down here seem to either keep a safe following distance or tailgate people hard, does not seem to be any in between. Hotel is old but servicable. My roommate is friendly and is clean and quiet, so that is good since I am a light sleeper. Had trouble sleeping, was itchy all night. Fortunately I went to sleep rather early.

Day 1 (so far)
Breakfast was a warm croissont sandwich, juice, and a piece of fruit. Better than I expected. Our shuttle left the hotel at 6:30. At orientation, we we told about company policies and what was expextect of us. The instructors seem friendly enough and have a sense of humor. Paperwork consisted of physical and pre-work screening forms to fill out. Out of 12 people maybe 8 are left after pre-screening and physical (will update for sure later). One guy had contact lenses and did not bring glasses. He could have stayed if he could buy one-hour glasses at walmart (one of the instructors drove him there), but he had no money to buy them with. Unfortunate for sure, he flew all the way from Florida. My new student login does not work, so I am just sitting here bored while everyone else are watching and reading company policy stuff. Lunch was our choice of subway.

 

The pre-screen physical was similar to the normal Schneider pre-screen you can find online but with tanker specific parts. Asside from the normal background check stuff, the pre-screen made sure you can work with a tanker trailer.

1. Blood pressure was taken. Mine was kind of high (135-139 / <80) but nothing was said during the pre-screen or the physical. I beleive any higher and it becomes an issue.
2. 60 seconds of steeping up and down a step. We had to move in rythym with a pacer and was the most physical part of the test. Heart rate is taken after each step.
3. Carry 30 lbs in a basket some distance and back.
4. Lift weights from floor to waist.
5. Lift weights from waist to eye-level. Was awkward to do.
6. 10 squats.
7. Three repetitions of rope pull.
8. Three repetitions of rope push.
9. We had to walk a tanker catwalk, kneel down and touch a washout cap, and walk back three times. This was done on the ground with a simulated catwalk.
10. Climb a ladder onto an actual tanker, move around and touch the manhole, and climb back down.

My neck was not measured and no sleep apnea testing was mentioned. I was worried I would have to test since my bmi is just over 30 and my necksize is just under 17 inches, which I believe are the qualifiers for a sleep study. I believe one guy was sent home for being way overweight and physically unfit, but I am not sure.

Random note, Orientatuon pay is $80 per day for inexperience and $100 per day for experienced drivers. You can make it through training with no initial money, but I would bring some for dinner and emergencies (such as the guy that got sent home for no glasses).

 

It is surprising how easy it was to get out of breath. I struggled to keep pace with the step test only halfway through.

 

Day 1 (Afternoon)
We received our PPE equipment consisting of $35 dollar boots (I already had boots but got these anyways), gloves and eye goggles, and a hardhat with face shield. We finished the pre-screening by climbimg on top of a tanker, and it was kinda scary being so high up with no guard rails. Certainly not the right driving job for someone afraid of heights.

Day 2
Everyone else spent more time in class watching safety videos on the laptops while I sat around. I finally received a working login around noon before our safety driver leader dropped by to talk about Schneider Bulk division and answer our questuons. More subway for lunch and we went upstairs for actual classroom instruction. We were separated by inexperienced- and experienced-drivers, four in each class. We were given a road atlas, Schneider Bulk textbook, and a logbook to work on as we were taught about HOS rules, Schneider policies, and other basic topics.

Later that day I went to Walmart to pick up food. I can safely say the traffic in Houston is just awful, and everything just looks rundown in this area. At least I am getting used to the humidity.

 

Day 3 and 4
More classroom learning all day. Topics ranged from Hazmat and tanker training, as well as trip planning and reading maps. We did get fitted for gas masks on day 3 first thing in the morning. The gas masks require you to have zero facial hair that could break the seal, so if having a beard is important, the bulk division is not for you (tidy mustaches are fine).

Day 5 and 6
Now the actual fun starts. Friday and Saturday we practiced unloading the tankers with pumps and air pumps. There are a lot of steps involved and the guides given to us had the complete process, but was organized in a way that I caught myself going out of order a few times. The instructors were very good about teaching us how to unload the tanks though, and we all got to unload six times, three using air and three using a pump.

The pump and especially the air compressor are incredibly loud, so I recommend bringing hearing protection. There should be earplugs onsite available for use.

One person from the experienced class decided to leave friday morning. His roommate stated that the guy was offered a bonus at his old job, and wouldn't be returning to class. I know I can find better paying work if I look hard for it, but I want tanker hazmat experience for more job opportunities after a year or so with Schneider. Plus Schneider paid for my CDL school, so I don't have much of a choice.