Started with Knight

CDL school was relatively easy--more so for those who are natural drivers.

Training, spending 7/24 with another person in cramped quarters who is in the 'master' position (controls your life, when you sleep, where you eat, etc) as opposed to the trainee who is in the 'slave' position (following orders w/o much control over what's going on), was kinda like going thru military 'boot camp'---when it's over, it was an accomplishment that you are glad that you made it thru.....but you wouldnt want to go thru it again!!

 

Awesome. I just got my invitation to start orientation at the Phoenix site. I already did my DOT physical and got my permit, the email from Knight said the first day of orientation includes "Hair & Urine Drug Test Physicals? What are Physicals, is it the same DOT test or something different?

 

Is that a truck co school or a cdl school? I think I will go to a local school so I know I will be in my bed at night. I don't need basic trng anymore

 

Its a truck school, Knight Transportation. I am mainly going with them due to that they will finance the cost of the school with no interest. Also like their training policies and pay scale. Will be able to be home for the first couple of weeks and then likely OTR with a trainer for another couple of weeks until I am solo.

 

K. Thanks.

 

I just got accepted to the Memphis location for this Monday...

 

First post in this forum hope its in the right place. I am in my 2nd of an 8 week course. I have had my CDL for over 30 yrs but not an A rating. I went and got my permit on my own but soon found out that most every company I spoke with really wanted an approved course. Well I think the front runner as of now is Knight Squire division out of Indy, Thats about 70 miles from where I live now ( Danville, IL ) Any other sugestions for a first company?? I know every company has its ups and downs. Any thing I should be aware of about Knight Squire division??... Thanks everyone...

 

I'll give you my personal opinion and you can decide on your own. First of all I've been out of OTR trucking for a number of years but I will probably be returning soon. I drove OTR for 15 years and I worked for Knight as well as other companies. Here is what is good about Knight. They treat you well, get you home often enough (if that's what you like), and have good equipment. Here is what I did not like at Knight: 1. Sliding Pay scale 2. Too many short trips 3. Too much fingerprinting (driver unload or at least driver assist) 4. Low starting out pay per mile. 5. Low miles per week
I've checked out about 5 companies that provide their own training or provide financing for training at a school they are contracted with. They are: Knight, Central Refrigerated, Stevens Transport, Con-Way Truckload and Con-Way LTL, and Prime Inc. Of these the top 3 were Prime Inc., Con-Way Truckload, and Knight (in that order). I have decided my choice will be Prime Inc and here is why. 1. They provide complete training. If you pass the training, get your CDL, and stay with Prime for 1 year, the training is free. If you leave after 6 months but before 1 year, you owe them $1800. If you leave before you finish 6 months, you owe them $3600. (1 year is easy). When you finish the training they start you out at .36 mile and if your a good driver that can stay away from truckstop arcades, make your pickups and deliveries on time, every time, you will have no problems averaging close to 2800 miles a week after you prove yourself of course. Really good drivers can probably get more. Mediocre drivers will probably average 2500. Plus, if you drive a "lightweight, you get an extra .05 per mile. That .41 mile starting out. On top of that, if you qualify for the fuel bonus you can get another .05 -.07 per mile. I promise you that you will never get that at Knight. Now I have been working in Transportation Logistics overseas for the last 9.5 years but I am due to be released at the end of the year (contract work) and if I am unable to stay in this field at a decent rate of pay, I will return to OTR driving and while 15 years ago I never considered Prime, today I am most definitely interested. If you want more information on Prime, there are 2 threads here called: "NEW to Prime INC - What to expect (Springfield edition)" and "Ask your questions about Prime here" These 2 threads will provide you a lot of information. Good luck my friend.

 

I don't understand why this is an issue for so many drivers? There is a base pay/mile, and shorter runs pay MORE per mile. If you think the base pay is too low, I can understand that. But complaining about more money for the shorter trips? I don't get it.

 

The sliding pay scale that some companies used was put in place to pacify drivers for the low miles they will average week in and week out. The fact is you need to have at least 1 good long haul if you want to get the maximum number of miles you could actually get. I already know that Knight drivers average about 2500 miles each week. That isn't a whole lot. Don't get me wrong here, Knight is not that bad of a company and if you like regional driving, short runs, and fingerprinting loads, it's not a bad company to work for. But if you like long hauls, seeing different parts of the country and more miles (not too mention more pay per mile) Prime is a better fit.