Graduation in a week - still unsure of what direction to head in

I've talked to a few of Beelman's drivers when I pulled dry bulk tankers picking up lime in St. Genevieve,MO and they seemed content working there. Probably depends on the terminal and the type loads they haul.

 

Schneider has a huge box truck fleet and most of those jobs are local. Check www.schneiderjobs.com for those jobs. Some of those jobs don't require a cdl because the trucks are small.
Many of Schneider’s 26-foot box truck equipment is from Watkins & Shepard, a Less-Than-Truckload (LTL) industry leader we purchased in 2016. Plus, we’re continually adding new box trucks to the Schneider fleet, aligned with our commitment to innovate and invest in new equipment and technology

 

I'll toss in a little something.

If you are sent to Hunts Point in NYC, there is a offset you must do under the Elevated Tracks above you. It's a set of green steel posts in the roadway. If you did not already know they are coming up you have a problem when you encounter them at night for the first time. So you miss the first set and go right and through the second set and done. At about 35 mph. You cannot be off by much.

Sight side is a favored way of backing. However due to the physical structure of the docks in some places you will have to do it blind side. There is no two ways about it. I remember one shipper near Hartford Con that was strictly box trucks and here I am with a freaking cab over and 45 foot reefer filling everything from the box trucks front ends all the way to the fence. That fence got pushed down a little more when I got through docking. Gently. I told the boss about it and after the laughing was finished we never did haul there again. I wish that I took a pic of that place. I am giggling now just with the memory and it's not a pretty thing to see a old trucker like me do that.

Side parking, I learned that in school when Maryland did not require it for Class A (Before CDL) and it became a competition rodeo of sorts. Later on in Cape Cod Mas for seaport fish, I parked and fed 8 meters to go get breakfast across the street downtown. its a really tiny town. People complained. Cops showed up measured the wheels to curbs 3 inches or less on all of them, all the meters fed and so on. There was nothing they could do with a lawfully really large parked vehicle. While the reefer howled like 10 feet from the bedroom window of the person who complained at 7 am. (If I lived there I would call too ha....)

Anyway just a couple of tidbits about putting a semi somewhere. Trust me, there are things you will have to do with them sometimes at least once in life.

 

You'll do fine.

Work on C-turns if you can so you can make little adjustments without thinking about it. If you haven't done them in class, try them with a toy truck so you can have a bird's eye view of what does what.

 

Parallel parking is very uncommon. Backing is a skill that takes time. At some point, you will go to a drop yard and you will be by yourself. That is the perfect time to practice. Also, whatever company you end up with will probably have a trainer. Use this resource if they are any good.

No company will expect a student to be great at backing, so don't worry too much.

 

Don't apply to this until you have hazmat. If you leave that box checked NO it will boot you out right there.

 

I remember I got my license and then like a week or so after that I started at the beer distributor fun times!