Conway TL student orientation

yes I do... still looking for that passenger of the month award no such luck

 

HI,

I obtained my Class A with HAZMAT on my own without school training . Would I have to go through the Boot camp or the full training school with Con Way?

I also live in Sacramento. Do you work for Con Way in Sac?

Thanks

 

If you had gone through a 160-hour program at recognized school & you have a blemish-free record, Conway truckload would probably accept you and put you with a finisher for a month. Since you got your cdl without any formal training, they would probably want you to go through their partner school (maybe just a boot camp, but I doubt it). A recruiter could let you know for sure.

Conway Freight has their own hiring requirements...


As for being out of Sacramento -- conway truckload will take you but parking sucks on hometime. The Freight yard has a waiting list more than 2 years long, the pilot charges $12/day, & Flag City/Lodi is a good 30 miles away with very limited parking. There are also a couple small mom & pop truckstops (as well as certain street parking), but you may well be greated by graffiti when you return.

 

The other issue is time between when you get the CDL vs when you go out with a finisher. If the time is too long, Con-way (and I believe other companies too) see it as a lapse in your training and will require that you start over. Do it now ronjon! Call recruiters for the companys you are interested in, get the scoop and get busy.

 

From a trainer point of view (and student too for that matter), that sounds like a train wreck.

1) The trainer must simultaneously determine the learning styles of both students, adapt teaching to that for both students... double trouble.
2) two in a truck is a challenge, 3 is cruel and unusual punishment
3) Trainers and students sometimes don't get along. This doubles the chance of failure. For example, if hubby can't get along with trainer, and requests a new one, then the chance of second trainer pleasing both hubby and wife are reduced.

I hope it works out for you guys.

If it doesn't, you guys should consider separating for training and then get back together when you are finished. Thousands of couples and companies do it that way... there must be a reason.

Good luck!

 

Trainer pleasing both Hubby & Wife ....

Sounds like a Swinging Trainer!!

 

Beware of some of the bad trucks Conway has especially International ProStars, the MaxForce engine is nothing but junk...for the most part they breakdown a lot(you may get a good one now and then but I know,as I have one)...

Pros of Conway are streamlined as follows: Just gave across the line raise to all drivers, year end bonus, and an increase in breakdown/layover pay, Overall communication is good, mechanic, body,tire shops are all good, road service is good to excellent, fleet mgrs are above average for the most part, road service when you breakdown will work with you to get you into a dealer-shop-motel, etc in reasonable time, above average getting you home for hometime, a "new" trailer abuse reporting hotline phone# has been established (picking up a trailer dropped/left by a previous driver that is in bad shape or not swept out?) you now can call direct to the trailer abuse hotline and they will follow up with the previous driver) take a photo(s)or short video of the issue at hand and you can email that in-I use it as I don’t leave any trailer unswept or knowingly unsafe and not post tripped, so report their ###..lol..I see good changes happening, the only drivers that should fear are the lazy drivers that wont climb up in a trailer and clean it out and/or don’t do post/pre trips on their trailers-thus leaving it to another driver-they don’t want to take the trailer to a trailer shop or truck stop(yes you don’t get paid-but it isn’t fair they dump on you/me either!) so they leave it to you-which can make the load late, relay the load which you lose the miles on, its poor safety practice, and customer service to is affected..so don’t be afraid to report them for god sakes!! Again it doesn’t affect you for reporting their lazy ###. Overall terminal facilities in Joplin are good, nice reclining chairs, TV rooms, full course gym with basket ball court(and provide a basketball if you don’t have one), quiet room for reading and computer use, free Wi-Fi inside the terminals (the W.Memphis,AR stinks for Wi-Fi as it downloads via satellite), has two sets of scales for scaling your load at the terminal, 2-truck wash bays, Conway store, facility cafeteria is good-open during regular business hrs. The company has started a new communication line which is called "Your Voice Heard" you can call in live/or email ANY concerns or questions you have and company executives will be on hand to answer-I believe they have this every other week and will also send you a message over the QUALCOMM on the upcoming one a couple days or so before. Open door policy is a little vague but does work, basically if you don’t like what you get for an answer or no results you can call the comment line or address the issue directly to the president after you have gone up through the channel of management. The other terminals Laredo,TX, Lancaster,TX, W.Memphis,AR, Taylor,MI, are all average to good..also these locations do not have mechanical facilities, except for Laredo,TX which has tire,brake, and minor repair services, and trailer services(limited).There are also several drop yards throughout the country, you can also park overnight/fuel up at many of the Conway Freight yards throughout the country ,this is a plus when you cant find overnight parking and your near one of their facilities.

Cons: For the most part have to consistently follow-up on your weekly miles, the norms well throw a dart..lol...1500 to 2500 miles, I have seen bonus weeks(lol) that may hit 3900 miles..to me planning should be improved upon, however they are trying to improve this. Night and weekend dispatchers/planners need some major retraining, most don’t have a clue-poor dispatching/planning many times, so get your weekends preplanned if you can via your fleet mgr. Various truck models breaking down a lot especially International ProStars with the MaxForce engine. Even though they are getting rid of the mistake in their purchase of tag axle trucks, they suck in the winter-they obviously didn’t consider the driver, nor winter driving safety when they bought these. I have video/pics of my tag axle truck in the winter and it’s a joke. Truck Assignments Dept. in many cases refuse to get rid of trucks that consistently breakdown and have issues(another words your just not one of those drivers looking for a new truck),they say it isn’t based upon the miles you have on your truck and that it has a lot to do with trade-in value, etc etc etc, yet it remains that problem trucks are an issue, you can get on a waiting list but you are only put on that list while your truck is in the shop for 5 days or more or if your fleet mgr. puts you on the list, but bottom line is that you are removed from the list once your truck is released from the shop and you leave the motel(yes, I know this is what I been told by speaking with the truck assignment dept. directly). Many new trucks coming in are Peterbuilts, KW's, Freightliners, Internationals(with Cummins engines), Volvo's. Most of these new trucks are twin screws, some have the super singles and some have dually tires. Most of the new trucks being bought are automatics not 10 or 13 speeds, this is due mainly to mileage, also in 2015 all new trucks coming through will be automatics, yeah I know all in the name of fuel mileage. Lol...I have another take on this they should be for those drivers that have a legit disability, or those that don’t know how to shift. My friend drives for another company I wont say who but they are getting rid of all their automatics and telling drivers, if you don’t know how to shift well learn or move on down the road. I think they should let the drivers have a decision on which they want..automatic or manual transmission, in my case I will take a 13 speed any day over an automatic(and yes I drove an automatic back in the day for about 6 mos before they got rid of it..lol). Also No APU's in their trucks, but idling is fair here,just it becomes illegal in many areas of the country and you can get a ticket for idling in the more strict areas of the country. Their slow to make changes in various departments and policies and these that should be in the weight of checks and balances aren’t you might say. Just like the driver is, I mean you know that as a driver if you were to make a load late consistently, have out of route miles that are absurd, have a bad MVR. CSA score, etc well hey you’re not going to be around for long, this should also apply to various depts. at Conway, as we the drivers are held to a tight line and they should be to is all I’m saying.

Overall: Conway for the most part is a good company, they just need to fix some areas and NOT take forever in doing it..lol. If you plan to come to work here make sure you want to do it for the long haul, because overall their good outweighs their bad, BUT the bad that is and it’s only in a few areas really, can really try your patience and endurance. Some may not agree on the above, but as I say be fair to yourself go around to truck stops and I don’t mean speaking to one or two drivers with multiple stars on there trucks...lol...but consider speaking to a few like a dozen or more from Conway and ask them about things. Remember NO trucking company is perfect, it just depends on what is important to you and what you’re willing to put up with, and be fair and honest to yourself, and yes to the company you choose to work for. Hope this helps the seekers and searchers out there...and yes I been here a long while.

 

I'm looking for info on what to bring to Conway orientation with me and what to expect as well