H.O. Wolding - Amherst, Wi.

The old serpentine backup.Something most schools use.I have been in a lot of situations where I had to back down a winding drive to a dock.Guess you could call that serpentine backing.But I never had a problem with it.Once you get the feel for backing a trl.there are a lot of things you can do.But I doubt if if I could pass their serpentine backing test.

 

I know that the serpentine back was a required manuever for the Ohio CDL test. The did let you do that in one of those pop delivery trucks (28' trlr with the side roll up doors, oh and auto trans)

 

Just curious about Troubles post.Did the individual whos wife had cancer have medical insurance?

 

It happens but thank God only once in a while or only in places like the Caverns in MO or Reserve Banks places most drivers don't go :smt039

 

When I was in school back in 1993 we had to do the serpentine back as part of the CDL test. Wasn't really an issue once you learned how to do it. I do remember HO Wolding though. I first started driving for Millis Transfer, but I do remember talking to HO Wolding recruiter. I don't know if they still do this, but they were going to stick me in a truck with another trainee and let us learn from each other! Thank god I decided not to do that.

 

I had to in Mo.. Backed in off a small street, into a gate then turn to where the ramp was and then turn it back toward the ramp. Big S backing. After I got back, i missed being straight with the ramp by a half an inch on one side. Was going to go and take that half out but they were so shocked I made it in omne try they said I got it better than any other driver. Many they had to move the ramp to middle of the yard to unload.

 

I still only see old Junky trucks,Mostly old Cornbinders and freightliners with short noses and tiny flat top sleepers.

 

There are a number of things I don't buy about this entire thread. I worked for HOW, and as trucking companies go, it was a decent place.

Next, about Skullitor's comment: "I still only see old Junky trucks, Mostly old Cornbinders and freightliners with short noses and tiny flat top sleepers."

I don't buy that either. Straight out of finishing they put me in a four year old Columbia with a mid roof sleeper. At 5'6" tall I was able to stand up anywhere in the truck. It ran great, was maintained regularly, and was generally a lot better vehicle than I saw some other people stuck in for other companies. They didn't whine one time about doing the several things I requested to "make it mine" (installing a power inverter, for example).

Also, there were maybe two flat-tops left in the fleet, and both of those were being used at the yard for training purposes. When I left they had a dozen brand new Freightliners in the yard being prepped for road service. Those would naturally go to senior drivers, with the other trucks then being shuffled down the pike.

With that said, I'll note that one day I was sitting in the driver room talking with my dispatcher and a driver actually refused to move to a newer truck. His thought was, "Look, all of my stuff is in the older vehicle; it runs great, and I need to be on the road." They said okay and passed on to the next guy on the list. So there may be a flat-top or two left out on the road somewhere, but it could be the particular driver just refuses to switch trucks. That is not the companies fault.

A career educator before getting into driving and some other work, I've worked in some other settings and have been around a lot of training programs. Their training program was above average, and new drivers go out with a certified trainer for a minimum of 5,000 miles before the week at the yard for finishing. I am sure there is some inevitable variety in the quality of different trainer's work, but the guy who trained me was a top notch professional and very conscientious about his work.

HOW supports its drivers in some subtle ways that are often overlooked. I had a Comdata card and rarely had to go inside and pick up a fuel receipt. The two times I had flat tires or otherwise was stuck on the roadside, they paid for a service to come out and get me rolling and never whined about it.

I was able to refuel anytime I needed to, and did not have to abide by any arbitrary, "so much money or so many gallons per day" guidelines. They serviced the truck every four weeks and paid me to be in the safety meeting while the truck was in the yard. About 85-90% of what I hauled was drop and hook; and I never had to listen to a dispatcher P&M if a lumper fee was required.

They no longer do a serpentine back, but do still require the parallel park. The finishing week was helpful from the standpoint of truck lot and parking skills, including even the parallel park. I was thinking, "I'll never do this again" after the school, only to find that I had to parallel park at many roadside rest areas, and occasionally in other places. After a while it got comical sitting in truck stops watching some of the drivers for other companies trying to park. I still can't figure how some of the people I saw ever got a license. Anyway, if someone finishes with HOW, they can at least park the darn truck.

Was it a perfect employment experience? No, and nothing ever is. But overall it was a decent place with capable drivers and a concerned, supportive admin staff. Health and family issues forced me to look for other employment that put me home more often, but otherwise I would still be with HOW and enjoying it.

Naturally, this is just MHO