European has some questions about the truck driver job in the US

Euro: You can get your CDL in the U.S.A. at a trucking school and that takes two to three weeks depending on the school. Most trucking companies have a tuition reimbursement program to pay back your schools tuition while you work at your first company. A second option is to go with a trucking company that helps drivers obtain your CDL through a company sponsored CDL program but they will pay you much less money per mile so i would suggest going the CDL school way with job placement.

Most trucking companies will hire you flat out if your piss test is clean, your MVR is clean and your background check is clean. After you are hired on with your first company a new driver rolls with a trainer for about four weeks on the road being trained OTR. Some companies have good training and some not so good. Then when a driver is released from his trainers truck he is on his own. So it is about a two month process in the states depending on the CDL school and the company who train es you.

Remember HazMat endorsement applicants must have U.S. Citizenship or permanent resident alien status to be eligible to obtain a new, renewal, or transfer HazMat endorsement and pass TSA clearance. So you can't come to the states and yank Hazmat tankers if you catch my drift?

To get into heavy haul or over-sized work most good heavy haul companies require one or two years of flatbed experience and a clean MVR from a driver. I have even seen some strict heavy haul companies ask for five years of flatbed experience and a clean MVR from a driver. I hope this helps you and best of luck to you.

 

You being so use to automatic transmissions and synchronized transmissions, do you think you will be able to shift an Eaton Fuller transmission (crash box as you guys call it. LOL.)?

 

Once you get your CDL, take a look at this company :

System Transport
systemtrans.com

This company does heavy haul and other specialized hauling.

 

I'm not being so use to automatic transmissions. I've also worked with old trucks without synchronized transmissions. Maybe you can't compare it to your "crash box", but it's not that I don't know how to shift gears in a 8/16-speed transmission. And btw.. Most of the European cars and trucks have manual transmission. It's only the long-haul trucks that have automatic transmission. I'm sure there are millions of Americans who are not even able to drive a small manual car
I don't know if I'm able to shift an Eaton Fuller transmission - cuz I've never done this. But I'm sure learning by doing will help me.

 

Thanks man, that really helped

 

When did they change all the stuff about having to go through an apprentice ship program to be a driver in Germany? I guess I have been gone to long. Left there 19 years ago. Most has been covered so far about getting your license and so on. I wonder if they will accept work history from a foreign country since they want ten years of that here.
Be careful with training companies. The recruiters will tell you anything to get you in the door. If you can afford it get your license on your own. Also have you picked a place where you would want to live? That will make a big difference to on getting a job and who you can work for. We got automatic transmission here as well. I have a 2013 Volvo with a I-Shift 12 speed. I love it and all the places and small towns I deal with it makes my day a lot easier. It will take some time to figure out the eatons coming from the 16 speed. You will learn to double clutch and float gears. Floating gears means shifting without using the clutch. You will use the clutch to get going and than you just match rpms. Also when you use the clutch you don't put the pedal to the floor like on fully syncronized transmissions. If you push all the way down you use the clutch brake. This will miss your shift up too. Clutck brake is used to get into first or reverse. I hope any of that makes sense.
If not, look on you tube there are lots of videos on shifting the different kind of transmissions.


Let me know if I can answer any questions for you.

 

Euro, do not move to Florida!