I'm trying to secure a grant to go to trucking school. I have questions.

Please elaborate...on what you think the real minimum is.....interested to see what you've learned in your time behind the wheel...pattyj can chime in also. just curious.

 

Since I'm new to this industry (less than 2 years), I will try to answer some of these from a "Company Driver" perspective:

1. A newly graduated driver will be most likely driving OTR (Over The Road or Inter-state) in anywhere from 11 to 48 states. Until you get at least 2 years of clean, quality driving under your belt, this seems to be the only option. I have figured out that the reason for the limited opportunity is due to insurance coverage.

Most of your day will consist of driving, of course. However, from day to day this depends on many things: Drop & Hook vs. Live Load - while you're being loaded or unloaded at a customer's facility, you are at the mercy of the staff and their time schedule. Sometimes the "Lumpers" (the people that load/unload cargo from the trailers) are fast and sometimes not; sometimes your cargo is ready to be loaded, sometimes not. There are many variables while at a customer's facility that will impact your day and your driving schedule. You may have a "Drop & Hook" (drop off the trailer you have at a customer or a drop yard and then hook up to another trailer either empty or pre-loaded for your next trip), but the trailer you're hooking to has flat tires, something broken, bad brakes or a number of different things. You may hook to a empty trailer that is dirty inside and you have to sweep it out. If you're hauling Refrigerated trailers, you may have to go to a truck wash and have it washed out. On days that include a stop at a facility, a "perfect" loading experience is something to be treasured.

Since you get paid by the mile, you're only getting paid when the wheels are turning. And even then, sometimes you're not. You will do work while you're "off the clock" such as Pre and Post Trip inspections, trailer sweeping/washing, tire inflation, fueling, waiting around for a repair, etc.

With the advent of computerized logging, etc. there isn't a ton of paperwork. There is some paper logging of fuel purchases, trailer transfer (T-Call), etc., but it's not too bad.

As far as pressure and risk, well, I'll just say that in my experience, most of my pressure has been self-imposed. You are usually given plenty of time to make your appointments as scheduled, but I like to be early...sometimes to my detriment. Make sure you're on time, but don't deprive yourself of sleep and relaxation time. You will feel anxious when you drive in a big city, when you get "lost", in rush-hour traffic, in extreme weather and maybe at night. With experience and patience, this will go away and just become a sense of caution. Parking for the night at a truck stop can sometimes be a day at the circus. I like to start very early in the morning so I can shutdown early in the afternoon. Many times you won't find parking if you get in to a truck stop after dark. I would feel a ton of pressure trying to back my trailer into a spot with a line of other trucks behind me waiting for me to get out of their way. Don't rush, they just have to be patient. Trust me, 99.9% of the time they will be patient and let you G.O.A.L. (get out and look) as many times as you need. Don't hit anything with your truck! Learn Truck Stop and CAT Scale etiquette from a "Million-Miler", they should know. Also learn Weigh Station etiquette. It will serve you well during "inspection season".

I'll skip the "qualifications and education questions". You can Google that easily enough.

Pay depends on the stuff in the previous section, mostly. As a new driver, you'll make less Cents-per-Mile(CPM), than an experienced driver, but you'll make a living wage. I would say an average of about 30-33 CPM would be expected. Multiply that by your weekly miles driven and then do the rest of the math to figure out your annual salary. Many companies will throw out figures of 45-50K per year, which is totally doable, but it depends on some of the stuff I talked about in the first section. I would say to figure on about 30-35K your first year. If you do better, great.

Your work hours and schedule will be managed by you, for the most part. Depending on when you have an appointment at a customer will dictate how you will manage your own schedule. Some drivers like to drive like me, in the early morning and all day. Others prefer to drive at night, especially in the summer when your tires can run cooler. If you drive at night, finding a parking spot in the morning to shutdown is a piece of cake. However, if you can't idle your truck to run your A/C in the summer, your bunk will get very hot. Also, in the winter, the roads are likely to be icy at night. I see better in the daytime, so I prefer to drive in the light. Then again, if my delivery/pickup appointment is at 3 a.m., I have to drive at night.

Career growth: As a company driver you will probably top out on your CPM after a few years. At that point you can choose to continue at that pay rate and receive extra pay by driving farther or collecting different bonuses that your company will offer. You can also get into a Lease/Purchase program through the company. You will be paid more per mile, but your expenses also go up since you essentially own your own truck. You can also buy your own truck and run your own business by becoming an Owner/Operator, but that has it's own level of benefits and responsibilities.

I hope these insights help. Like I said, I'm new to this business so I'm sure some drivers will have addenda to my information.

The biggest thing I've learned in this biz is: your reputation as a driver is everything. Take things slow, be patient, be precise, be diligent, be aware, plan ahead, don't trust your GPS 100%. This leads to being a safe, productive driver.If you screw up, it goes on a report that stays with you for many years. Nothing in a big truck should happen quickly. Also remember that no driver (despite what some will tell you) is perfect. Drive your own trip and don't feel peer-pressured into following the pack. Many times you'll see a convoy of trucks on the West Coast diving 65+MPH through the desert (CA and OR law is 55mph for trucks). Jump in line at your own risk. It's your ticket, not theirs.

Lastly, avoid negative people. You can easily get caught up in some Driver's Lounge gripe session that can put you in a weird mood for the day or deprive you of sleep. When things run smoothly in this job, it can be one of the best experiences you'll have. I have often felt like a paid tourist while driving. You'll get to see sights that you can tell others about for a long time - sunrise in the Utah desert, snowstorms that you would only see on the news, tossing food to the seagulls from your cab while waiting for the Port of Galveston to open, National Monuments, UFOs in the middle of the night, trees turning colors in the fall, talking to all kinds of people and hearing different accents and stories, wildlife and much, much more.

I wish you the very best!!

 

Various things, like drive, do basic repairs and such, general maintenance.

A typical work day is hard to pin down, for me it is checking my trucks and reviewing their performance, others it is started with a call by their dispatch to where they are to pick up their next load.

Responsibilities also vary, some are just steering wheel holders while some are owner operators and while some depending on the job have to do more than just driving (frac operators come to mind).

Pressure all depends on the company, customer and the attitude one has.

Risks are numerous, mainly we put our lives on the line every time we climb into the cab, which most people think that a fire fighter or cop is riskier but according to a friend who is a fire figher, he has a lot less risks he faces during the day than we do and thinks that even if you look at the risks as a whole, we face more deadly risks than he will.

Well it is simple to get the CDL, the tests are too easy, the road tests are too easy so not much.

Not much, I think someone said breathing is one.

It all depends, you can make good money but overall it all depends. I have met some who are barely making $350 a week while I know a couple who are making 5 times that a week.

24/7 - that's what a lot of us are doing, when you get dispatched, you are on your way.

It depends on the person, the CDL isn't a license to work but to learn and because there is so much to learn if one wants to do more than just work for a company (nothing wrong with that by the way), it can be done if one sets goals and follows through to them.

By the way, I don't know why you would need this info for a grant, if you are going through all this, I would just go with a company and do the year driving for them to get started, there is a lot you could learn just doing that.

​

 

Well the license is a given and the next things that come to mind arent so much technical requirements as personality traits of what would make a more successful driver such as being fairly mentally stable, organized, comfortablewith extended isolation and adaptability. Resourcefulness and ability to make executive decisions on the fly and follow through rather than panic. Good with numbers is a plus, especially for a prospective lease op.

Just my two cents. Ive been out here 7 months and learn something new almost every day. Came into the game with nothing more than a high school diploma, a love of big trucks, and a Class A CDL. I keep a notebook full of info on what I learn as I go along. Just determined to succeed even if I have to fight tooth and nail for it.

 

Good questions! Here's how it works:

Your dispatcher will transmit a potential load assignment called a "pre-plan" to your on-board computer thingy called a Qualcomm, or something similar. You can choose to accept the assignment or to refuse it. Some companies don't give you the option to refuse, they are called "forced dispatch" companies. Either way, if you have time available on your Hours of Service clock (HOS or driving time) you should always accept the load (remember what I said about reputation?). The load assignment will have information including pickup and delivery addresses, date and time of your appointments, special instructions concerning the customers facility, estimated load weight, AND the miles they will pay you for to complete the trip.

Many companies will pay for the miles from city limit to city limit or zip code to zip code. They often refer to software called "PC Miler" which I believe moving companies use for their routing. They will give you a route based on the fewest miles (theoretically) including any fuel stops along the way. The routing computer chooses the fuel stops based on the route and the lowest per-gallon price. This may seem very efficient, but most of the time, the miles you drive are anywhere from 5-20% less than your Hub (odometer) Miles. On a rare occasion, you will drive fewer miles than the company pays you for, but it's not the norm. I spent many a fruitless hour debating the issue of this unfair practice with my dispatcher, with little success. There are some companies that pay "Practical Miles", which is based on the actual odometer.

If you ignore the suggested route and drive "Out of Route" and put on more miles than you should, not only do you NOT get paid for those extra miles, you could get in trouble with your boss, especially if your chosen route makes you late. A trucking company's biggest expense is the cost of fuel, so they are very mindful of the miles driven, engine idle time, and the fluctuations in fuel prices.
They can usually get a new appointment time for you to deliver, but it's always best to be a little early or on time. There have been times when I found a more direct route and was still able to hit all of my fuel stops and get to my destination early. By driving shorter miles than the load plan had figured, I made more money.

If you can arrive early to the final customer (the consignee) and they can either take you early or you can drop your trailer and hook to another one, you may get paid faster for that trip AND you'll be able to start your next one. After each delivery, you send in all of the paperwork (Bills of Lading, Trip Sheet, Receipts, etc.) to your company. This can either be on a trip-by-trip basis or every week. The company I work for wants us to send in the paperwork ASAP after the final delivery. The sooner they get paid, the better. I am on a "Daily Pay" option, which means that after I send in my paperwork, I get paid within 24 hours for that load, so I may get 3-4 "paydays" a week. Some companies will pay their drivers once a week. Some companies will give you the option to choose either pay method.

After you graduate from commercial driving school and are hired for a driving job, you will be paired with a trainer or mentor for anywhere from 2-4 weeks, depending on how well you learn all the procedures. During your training period, your mentor will explain everything that happens on a daily basis and will be right there when you have questions. He or she will also help you with any difficulties you may have regarding the actual driving of a 70 foot vehicle. Driving a Big Rig is less like driving a big car and more like driving a building.

Drivers of cars (4-wheelers) will be rude and try to cut you off just because they think where they're going is way more important than where you're going. They also seem to think that your 80,000# truck can stop on a dime. Actually, they just don't understand how difficult driving can be sometimes. Not only do you deal with traffic, but there's weather, sharp & narrow corners, steep hills, construction, non-truck routes, low bridges and lots of other stuff that is taken for granted in a 4-wheeler.
With planning, preparedness, and a little mind-reading ability, you will be able to avoid getting into any tangles with them.

I hope this answers your questions without being more confusing.

Here's a pretty good book that explains the "life": http://www.truckingtruth.com/book/

Again, I wish you the best!

 

Pell grants.www.fasfa.com if you go to a qualified school.