Paid CDL training with trucking company near Chicago or NW Indiana. Advice?

Why can't you ask something simple and less divisive like, "Who is the one true God"? There are arguments to be made on both sides. I got into the industry when they were starting to switch over. My first carrier didn't have automatics as an option when I started. Two years later just before I quit that carrier they were getting in brand new Freightliners with automatics at their terminal in Cedar Rapids.

Most large fleets switched over to automatics around 2017. Most large carriers retire a truck after it has reached 500k miles. That's because a newer truck is cheaper to maintain and has less downtime. Some trucks get used more than others so it takes some trucks longer to get to the 500k mark. A few years ago when I did a check ride for my current employer it was in a manual transmission truck, even though they only had one manual left at that terminal. Today, they do check rides in an automatic truck.

A truck is a working asset. No one buys one to park it on a lot and leave it there. They buy one to have it turn miles and earn money. In my experience there are four reasons why you will still see a manual -

1. The truck wasn't running because the fleet didn't have the miles or it was involved in some legal issue.
2. The fleet is in serious financial trouble and can't afford to upgrade (UPS Freight, Reddaway).
3. The truck needs a manual because it's needed for the type of loads it hauls and automatics burn up or otherwise can't handle the task (rare).
4. The company's drivers are old-timers who prefer them because (insert random reason here). They won't like you anyway.

Will you have more opportunities without a automatic restriction? Yes. Is it possible to make good money and never be out of work with an automatic restriction? Yes. Fact is, there are fewer manual trucks on the road every year. In another 10 years they will be difficult to find - like cabovers. Change takes time. Henry Ford started production of the Model T in 1908. Horse drawn delivery wagons were a common sight in New York City up to the early 1960's.

 

Call the toll-free numbers of any school you're interested in and ask if the training is on autos or manuals.

 

Last I heard FFE is still training on manual shifters. They still have a few manuals here and there. And if they decide they want to rent you a truck while your primary gets repaired, there's not always an auto available... usually, but not always. So they don't want auto-restricted drivers.

Once you graduate and upgrade, it's probably close to guaranteed they will stick you in an auto, though.

No driver-facing cameras that I know of. As long as you are willing to work the pay is good. And I had a lot of fun in the driving school. If you are set in stone on not driving mountains then I'd go regional. But you shouldn't worry, they'll teach you what you need to know to keep your truck on the road.

 

Nope! You have to rely on the opti-idle. My first truck, the opti-idle worked perfectly.. it was a 2018. Then I had two newer models, the 2020 & 2021 -- never worked. You turn it in to get fixed, it won't get fixed. The only way I know to get around that is cutting the grounding wire to the outside temperature reader.

That's my fleet, most of us were having issues with idling that were just being completely ignored. I don't know about the food side. I don't know how linehaul trucks are holding up.

 

The last I heard the school was only accepting students that live in Texas. But that might have changed now, I am not sure. All-in-all, it's worth a phone call to them. You may not end up having a problem with your truck running A/C at all. You'll never know. I have my assumption, but one thing I learned in life most assumptions are wrong. I just gave you my experience. It's a decent, mid-sized company.

If they do let you attend their school in Dallas I can tell you it's very good. I had a lot of fun. They have dorm room you can stay in, your own room, you will not have to share. They will also feed you 3 times a day in the cafeteria.

 

New school in Burns Harbor, Indiana

 

If you are willing to work you can make a lot of money with them fresh out of driving school. Your mindset is really what is going to determine your pay. If you have hours on clock, drive. If you are parked somewhere waiting to get loaded, ask if you can help out local stuff. They will pay you hourly.

If you are willing to team drive and also work, plasma is probably going to be your best choice.

What's unique about plasma is you will park in cities a lot, right in the middle of everything. So you can take walks and check things out, see how other cities are. Doing that job I've been to a lot of restaurants, many of which were excellent.

There's a pick up close to Miami I would do, and there's a Vietnamese restaurant close by I would always do take out. OMG so good! I would always try to order something new every time I stopped by. Couldn't pronounce any of the dishes, I'd just point on the menu and say, "I want to try that." The super-friendly Vietnamese guy would say, "yes sir!" A few things I didn't like, but most of it was good.

 

I work for FFE. I was linehaul (OTR- mostly terminal to terminal drop & hook) for yrs. Now I am regional.

My truck is a 2020 freightliner. We do not have APU's but we are allowed to idle unlimited for heating and AC. We also have a fridge and inverter that comes with the truck.

 

Yeah my 2020 and 2021 came with inverters and refridgerator... but I was not allowed to free idle... for whatever reason. I kept getting the run around.

Finally I cut the grounding wire to the outside temp reader and it idled the entire night if I wanted it to. But before I did that, I would not turn back on at all. I know of multiple other teams in plasma having the same issue.

But, that said, I cut the grounding wire and no one said anything. I turned the truck in to have a PM done, the mechanics fixed it, didn't say anything. Then when I got the truck back, I just cut the wire again. lol