I MADE IT!

WV_Daddys_Girl · Feb 9, 2013

Dink said: ↑

Passed my road test this Tuesday! (Doing happy dance!) So now the job hunt is on....
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Congrats and welcome!!

Pmracing · Feb 9, 2013

RevKev said: ↑

Yep. I started filling out apps online w/a few companies my first week of my 4-week CDL school. A recruiter of one company that stopped by our school one morning told us "Now, don't fill out the online app w/o calling me first b/c there are some things on there you'll need me to walk you through." Well, at the end of his schtick, I pulled him aside & told him, "Look, I've already submitted an app to your company a couple of weeks ago, as well as several other companies, b/c in my research I noticed it was best to fill out several & get as many pre-hire letters as you can." He said, "I don't know who told you that, but you should only deal with one company at a time, then move on to the next." I just grinned and said, "I hear what you're saying, sir, but that's not the route I'm taking." Of course, I was actually thinking, "I hear what you're saying, sir, & I WHOLE-HEARTEDLY disagree with it!" lol
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Hahahaha, Yes!

He wanted to dazzle you with his BS before you could learn too much.

Mikeeee

RevKev · Feb 9, 2013

Wait, Mikeeee...you're not implying that a recruiter might taint the facts just a tad, are ya???

Dink · Feb 10, 2013

Pmracing said: ↑

Congratulations to each of you.

But the job hunt should have started midway through school or sooner. Make a good choice and make it quick. For several companies there is a time limit from when you graduate to the time you get hired or be accepted for orientation/training.

Mikeeee
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I did fill out a few and got a couple pre-hires but I kept getting conflicting information on when I should actually fill out apps. Some said wait until I graduate others said do it during school. I just didn't want that clock to start ticking too early in case something happened and I didn't pass on the date I was expecting to.

Dink · Feb 10, 2013

RevKev said: ↑

Well, Dink, we really haven't done a lot of driving in our first week, which was orientation. We did a pretty simple road test (4 miles or so down the road & back; very sime compared to the CDL road test), & have driven the same route 2-3 times daily in "shift training". Also have had 3 different sessions in a simulator. That thing is sharp!

Most of orientation was a out learning company policies, safety, basic load securement stuff, hooking/unhooking procedures (something I did in CDL school just about everyday, but of the other guys in my orientation class, only one of them had hooked a trailer at their schools, & that was just one time. Another guy failed the road test. Not sure what some of these Schoenberg are teaching, but it's not much. None of the other guys had been taught anything about log books or recap. Glad my school had.

Tomorrow we'll be on the skills course for 5 hours working on 6 different backing moves, & will test one them Monday. They're 48' flatbed split-axle trailers. We'll also have shift training & simulator sessions throughout the week, as well as a lot of load securement stuff, along with road time pulling a loaded trailer thru town, as well as on the highway. Go home on Friday, meet up with driver trainer on Sun afternoon for a week, back in on Friday. Rinse & repeat for 3 more weeks after that, then final week of training when we get assigned our own truck.

So far I'm learning a lot & having a ball. It's a lot to take in, but hey, if its what ya really want to do, ya take it in like a sponge!
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We coupled the trucks a lot where I went to school too, but log books and trip planning were practically non-existent. A total of one combined hour for both. When I approached my instructor about it he says its OJT. I'm kinda worried because aren't companies expecting me to come in knowing this stuff already? I don't want to get there and have them ask me what I've been doing in school all these weeks.

6 more backing moves!!!!!!!!! OMG it took me a few days just to get down 1!

RevKev · Feb 10, 2013

Dink, by "some" do you mean trucking companies? Just asking to better understand. I did have the one recruiter I mentioned in my post to Mikeeee tell me something similar, but I knew he was full of it telling me to deal w/one company at a time! He called me later that night & said, "yeah, if deal with more than one at a time, you'll only get confused." I replied, "Thats why I always take notes -- just like I'm doing right now. No confusion."

After filling out an app a/Schneider for tanker div (they're hiring CDL grads for that in some areas), a recruiter called & just said for me to contact th again after I had my CDL, tanker, HazMat, & TWIC. That's understandable, considering you must have those for the job.

RevKev · Feb 10, 2013

Don't sweat the log books. Not difficult to pick up on. Just have pay attention to detail. I can only speak about McElroy, but they didn't expect us to know log booking when we got here. I was just glad I did. I think all companies have their little preferences when it comes to how they want certain things filled out on the logs anyway (things that don't effect legality). Plus, a lot of companies are all elog. So, don't sweat it.

Yep, backing --- straight back, different 45* angle backs, parallel, & serpentine. The serpentine is new for me! Should be interesting. lol

Barchetta53 · Feb 10, 2013

Yeah, the only reason I have not sent out any pre-hires is cause I am waiting on some paperwork from social security with my EXACT work history for the last 10 years. Although I am good with my 6 or 7 recent years, there are a few years towards the end that I am a little fuzzy on my start and stopping dates. I am a displaced sheetmetal worker, and when I was laid off here and there I was on unemployment and also worked a few odd jobs to survive. Not knowing how detailed the company work history research will be, I wan't to be sure I am accurate with my dates. For $35 you can get a complete 10 years work history complete with dates, address's, phone numbers, and everything you would need for filling out applications or resume's. The only trouble is waiting on them to get it sent out... takes 6-8 weeks

RevKev · Feb 10, 2013

Good idea. Some are more strict than others on that. Best to just nail it, I'd think.

Dink · Feb 10, 2013

RevKev said: ↑

Dink, by "some" do you mean trucking companies? Just asking to better understand. I did have the one recruiter I mentioned in my post to Mikeeee tell me something similar, but I knew he was full of it telling me to deal w/one company at a time! He called me later that night & said, "yeah, if deal with more than one at a time, you'll only get confused." I replied, "Thats why I always take notes -- just like I'm doing right now. No confusion."

After filling out an app a/Schneider for tanker div (they're hiring CDL grads for that in some areas), a recruiter called & just said for me to contact th again after I had my CDL, tanker, HazMat, & TWIC. That's understandable, considering you must have those for the job.
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Not just companies, I spoke to drivers at truck stops, and the placement folks at my school.

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