effect of passing skills,pretrip,driving portion of the CDL test at different times

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by Nightwind8830, Mar 31, 2014.

  1. Nightwind8830

    Nightwind8830 Medium Load Member

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    I appreciate the input from everyone. no,it wasnt paid by the hour the school give you a certain amount of hours then you pay by the hour after that.my hours were separated by a few weeks because the school scheduled them that way, then i couldnt afford more than a few extra practice hours at a time after i passed pretrip and skills and needed to practice for the driving portion. im not prideful,just want to learn as best i can,get the practice I need, and go out into the industry as a safe driver. as for getting a few hours here and there,it was because i couldnt afford more at that time,not trying to rush. I ,as someone new to the trucking industry,am developing my opinions about Mega Carriers from this peoples experiences on this forum.multiple times its been said there are better places to start than a mega carrier company. There are so many negative stories about the Mega carriers, it doesnt seem worth it to go through one of them. the forum is full of stories from people who went through Mega Carriers,not very many of them are positive.
    I think,at this point, since i just need the practice,it seems like a better decision to finish with the school I started with than start all over with a mega carrier.
    Any constructive opinions are welcome about this, but it wasnt the point of this thread to argue the wisdom or lack thereof of paying for practice with the school to pass the test. I was looking for opinions of whether finshing te cdl tests at different times would have a negative impact on getting a job.
     
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  3. TAC12

    TAC12 Light Load Member

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    Like stated earlier it probably wont matter much on how long it took. I always said that a doctor that made a 70 on his final is still a doctor..:)

    IMO talk to Watkins Shepard. They are a good company with a ten day orientation/training...Then solo...Also CT Transport or on of the "comcar" companies...Good training, decent pay and home time.....after a few months experience of OTR there are a few companies that you can take advantage of a L/P...Epes seems to be a good requiring 3 months of OTR also they have a "true L/P'" with a $1oo buy out. Most seem to have a 10% buy out which IMO sucks.......Also most of the companies will do a tuition reimbursement up to $6k...Schnieder, Watkins Shepard, Comcar, just to name a few....I'm like you for the most part in reference to the mega carriers, I tired to stay away from them as well due to the horror stories I heard..
    When are you schedule for your road test again? Is that all you have to do or do you have to re-take skills and PTI?
     
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  4. Moosetek13

    Moosetek13 Road Train Member

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    The job is what YOU make of it, not what anyone else says.

    I have been with Swift for over 3 years, and I'm doing just fine.
    My mentor is still with Swift after 9 years.

    And Swift is the Mega of mega carriers!


    You never know.
    You just might get that special instructor that explains everything so well that you actually learn what you need to know to pass that test.
     
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  5. TAC12

    TAC12 Light Load Member

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    Jan 27, 2014
    North GA
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    I think that Swift, as in most of the mega comp are known for they're "sweat shop" mentality of student drivers...And of course the perception of new drivers themselves. They may be an awesome company to work for after you make that transition from student to experienced driver, but from what I have heard from the recruiters on the Swift program, they suck, IMO.....Low pay, long miles, long training and not much home time...Of course I mean NO disrespect.
    For a student driver to do the same job, run as many miles and make $2.72/hour....Seems as if they are displaying their true lack of respect for new drivers. Sure they're in training but still deserve the respect. they also have over a 200% turn over rate, so Ive heard along with Covenant, USXpress, Werner and many others. Why? Well simple math, They really don't care about the driver nor can they deliver the promise. They know they can heard up to 400 more through orientation within the next week and start the process over and over again.
    Werner, as an example ran over 10k new driver through in 1 yr, Covenant, 100-200 + per week. Sure most don't qualify and some find out it just isn't for them but out of the high ratio you have to be real and say the company couldn't deliver their promise as well....But then again it is indeed all in what one wants.....I think most opinions are truly in the eyes of the beholder......Thanks for what you do and Im glad you are happy and believe in them. They do seem to move a lot of freight up the road...good Luck and Stay Safe!!
     
  6. Scott101

    Scott101 Medium Load Member

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    You are right! no need to go to a mega. I didn't. And neither did most of the guys I run with.

    My first job out of school I hired on with a produce company that ran local Class B route trucks and line haul Class A trucks. Yes, they started me out in a straight truck, But within a week or so I was yard jockeying trailers around, and in very little time I was filling in on the line haul side. -- I never even took a road test with that company! Worked there for years. I was never treated unfairly.

    Living in the Chicago area, I'm sure there are tons of opportunities like that. You may have to "pay your dues" up front by actually working to find a job like that; but it's better then taking a job with a mega and "paying your dues" in the long run by being treated like dirt and often times being set up to fail.
     
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  7. Vito

    Vito Heavy Load Member

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    Wise. You've done your homework on this site, just like I did when I was starting out.


    Yeah, this kind of thing happens all the time, where the point of the thread is lost. But it looks like you got your answer.
     
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  8. Nightwind8830

    Nightwind8830 Medium Load Member

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    Jul 13, 2013
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    Thanks everyone for the input :)
     
  9. Nightwind8830

    Nightwind8830 Medium Load Member

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    Jul 13, 2013
    Chicago,IL
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    I already passed skills and pretrip, need to pass road test only. The school has 3 guys from the state come to the yard every monday to test. I can test any monday I choose, but I know I need practice before I test again. im planning on buying practice hours for the week of 4/7-4/11 if the school has them available and then testing 4/14.
     
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