Got a packing list from my trainer: Why a crowbar?

Mine wanted me to pack extra ammo!

 

crowbars come in different lengths. it can be easily packed into your duffel bag or soft-sided luggage.

there are many uses for a crowbar..

1) remove nails from the trailer floor BEFORE loading

2) bump your tires to check if any are flat

3) bump someone on the head that bothers you

4) open up crates

5) tear apart a pallet for fire wood

6) taking a bend in the metal out (like your bumper if you hit something)

 

Be sure to let greyhound, or Delta know you have one !!!!!

Greyhound won't even allow fishing poles, or a short cb antenna.........

 

Howdy my new truck driving friends.
I am seeking to get my CDL and have a list of companies that offer the training.
My concern is finding the RIGHT company for me.
Now that i have a few new friends ( thats all of you) i would like to get your advice on some of these companies.
ANY advice is good for me.
Here goes the list :
1 . FFE Transportation
2. Covenant Transportation
3. Deboer Transportation
4. Prime
5. KLLM Transport
6. Maverick Transportation
7. Schneider National
8. Shaffer Trucking
9. Star Transporation
10. Watkins & Shepard Trucking ( Montana)
11. TMC Transportation
12. Willis Shaw Express
13. P.A.M. Transport
14. Lisa Motor Lines
Thanks all for your advice .

 

Schaffer will be your best bet for good training. steer far away from covenant and the sister company star transportation out of nashville.

there is Star Transport out of Morton Illinois you can check out too, heard ok things about them. people have a habit of mixing up the 2 star companies. the blue logo star out of nashville is owned by covenant.

the red star in morton illinois has nothing to do with covenent.

schneider might be a good choice too. those are about the only ones i would toss out there for a fresh trainee/graduate.

good luck.

 

Then only time I've needed a crowbar so far was with a trailer that had doors that were hanging too low(bad hinges) and I needed to jack it up to close it properly so I could get it back to terminal and red tag it...

 

Every company is not all good or all bad. Read some of the threads and you will be able to come to the conclusion yourself. Do ALOT of reading, only then will you learn a little bit about the people on here, who is full of it... who gives good advice and what some companies have to offer. Good luck!

 

Most new drivers would be amased at what tools are needed to get the job done. A crow bar is good, a hardware store is better! Freight in a van trailer is easier to control sometimes. A flat bed is a whole different thing. I still have a problem with trucking companys charging thousands of dollars to teach someone to drive. Hundreds yes. It just don't cost that much. When I signed up for this Great Forum I put down 26 years. I can prove that through the ATA. It's more like 35 years. 90 % is flat bed, heavy haul. I see people saying they can make you a Trucker in 6 weeks. That's just silly. It can't be done. After 5 years of safe driving you can start to call yourself a Trucker. I am also ex safety. Most of the trucking outfits you listed are respected companys. Now, If you remember nothing else remember this, it is given from and old drivers heart. If you ever think that you are better than that rig, have complete control over it, that's the day it will kill you. You can't live long enough to make all the mistakes that other drivers have made. If your not sure Slow Down.

 

Reallllly big crowbars come in handy on occasion. More than once I've asked a customer if they had one when they showed me a hole made for a U-haul trailer with a pick up truck and expected me to put a 53' with a stretched sleeper in it.

 

The REAL reason you need a crowbar is because when you adjust the tandems you put the crowbar in the hole next to the one you want to go into. Then you just go the other way a little bit so you can get it back out, and go back and release the handle so the pins will lock in when you go the direction to get them to lock in the hole. This way you are not going back and forth missing the hole you need to be in. You can buy a 24" one for this and pulling nails out of the trailer floor.