To the Wannabe Class of 2010!

another thing that i have heard is that you MUST be able to pre trip the first day you get to orientation or they will send you back home that is coming from a guy that went to an orientation and sais they sent a bunch of people home cause they could not do a pre trip

 

That's a given... Being able to do a pre-trip is very basic. I know I had to pass a pre-trip test for the DMV get my CDL.

If someone can't do a basic pre-trip they need to be sent home, the trainers need to have something to work with.

When you show up for orientation and to begin being trained you need to have at least the basics down, be able to drive the truck fairly well, cornering, backing, shifting... You should be able to do pre-trips, during-trips and post-trips, as well as have the basic understanding of logging and regulations. You should also know how to couple and un-couple, slide the tandems and fith wheel and understand what effect that has on how the truck maneuvers and all.

If you don't have the basics then your not ready to begin to be trained yet.

 

Allow... Before I even showed up for the first day of school I was ahead of the class. I had readand studied the cdl manual and taken the pre-tests online.
On the first day the first thing we dd was take the written pre-test, I passed with flying colors and they sent me to the DMV to get my cdl permit. My class mates stayed in class and went over the test and manual while I was in the truck and learning.

It took one three days and the other a week before they could pass and get their permit, by that time I had already learned how to straightline back and been on the shifting circle a few times.

I stayed ahead of the class all through school, I would test out and get more time in the field one on one with the trainer. By the time I graduated I had almost twice as much time behind the wheel, I could alley doc, straightline and I learned advanced shifting, I could double clutch, skip gears, split gears and float gears.

When it came time to test, I passed all test the first time with no problems. One guy failed every written test at 3 times and it took him 4 times to pass the skills and road test. The other guy failed a few times also.

I know for an absolute fact that when we graduted we were not on a level playing field. My abilities allowed me to road test and get hired on with a good small company. The other guy who was pre-hired got tuned away from three companies after his road test. The other guy got a local driving job starting out driving a class b truck and able to move up later...

There is no level playing field. I am certain that my being out in front before the first day of school and staying that way, which gave me more time in the truck one on one with the instructor gave me the leg up after graduating.

I am also certain that the fact I am receiving good training from experienced drivers is keeping me out in front.

Students show up for school and barely speak english, or can not easily absorb and understand things as I was able to.

I am sure the fact that I came from a good home and was afforded a good education before I even got my drivers license, some 30 years ago gave me a leg up.

I just can't see where you see anything that resembles a level playing field. We don't live in that kind of a world, sorry to say it, but it is the truth. Among those 30 newbies I may stand a better chance just because I am not ugly. That may sound shallow, but, there is truth to it. I may stand a better chance because I am dressed better, more charming, well spoken and all sorts of things that do factor in.

Some of those things can work against me too, I remember the day I went to me the OO I am running with now. I drove out and met him and his wife at a truckstop about halfway between his house and mine. I hit it off with him right awy and passed the road test he gave me. Well, I could tell the wife was not warmed to me, she asked if I was married, which I am not and I realized that I had to take a gamble, I let it out that I was a lesbian and that seemed to helped. Because shortly after she gave her okay and I had a job. I am pretty certain that if he had not liked me I would not be running with her hubby.

 

AllowMe - I understand what you are saying, and you are right in what you are saying (in regards to 30 people showing up for orientation), but I am going to have to side with Lavendar and NoTarps on this one.

I started out about a year ago and I can honestly say that there was indeed not ONE level area out there. I did pretty well in school, found a good starter company, and had a great trainer. Granted, my situation was different in regards to training and the sort, but all the same, I was well-trained.

Coming out of school, there is absolutely no advantage for ANY graduate. Currently, these schools are graduating students right and left. Therefore, the companies that hire recent graduates pretty much get the pick of the litter. Things have changed. Freight is down and trucks are sitting still. Companies have the upperhand, and the playing field is far from level.

I also agree that research is quite crucial. Know what you are getting into. Yes, this is a career, but it is also a lifestyle. You can drive a truck? Big deal... I can show you a monkey that can fly a space capsule. There is a lot more to this than shifting gears and turning a steering wheel. You need to be able to change your sleep habits, drive miles and miles without falling asleep at the wheel, be patient, control your rage when some teenager cuts you off at an onramp, and many many more things.

Am I trying to deter you from doing this? Absolutely not. I love my job. I just wish I had started earlier in life. But read Lavendar's post again... it's dead on the money.

Here's one other thing you will need.....

A WINNING ATTITUDE. It will get you hired, it will get you through training, and it will get you through everyday. It is all about attitude.

 

Hey scooter he has over 30 years as a driver. The point I am making is that times have changed. His outlook is not what todays market is for newbies.

 

Oh, I agree. THat's what I was trying to get at. Maybe I am just too tired tonight to "properly verbalize". hehehehehehehe

 

Todays market is different... However, I doubt if many of todays newbies would stand half a chance if things were still done old school.

I run with an OO and I first had to go through his interview and road test, but I have also seen others go through it when he needed to hire a driver.

There was this one guy that applied and I thought, wow, he had a bunch of experience running with his Dad, who was an OO and had just recently passed away. They had to sell the truck to take care of some financial stuff. He took a year or so off and then went to school because he missed the road. Because the way his dad did things verifying his experience was going to be difficult because of his fathers passing.

I bought it, made sense to me, well, Big D has been around and has much more instinct about things than I do. They went out to the truck and were under the hood for a bit, then went on a very short road test.

He didn't hire the guy, said he was full of #### and he has no use for someone who won't be straight forward with him. He said there was no way that guy had all the experience he claimed to have. The stupid thing was, Big D would of hired him with the skills he had if he would of just been sraight forward.

that is the thing with him, you had best be up front and honest with him. He wll work with you and over look a few things, but he doesn't tolerate you not being up front with him...

He has interviewed and given a road test to multitude of drivers, you won't be able to pull the wool over his eyes. He also has his own tricks. I remember him talking with one driver and he asked him "Do you have any problems running illegal or breaking a few laws to get thejob done" The guy answered that he didn't have a problem with that and would do whatever he had to. Then D said, well son, I got a problem with running illegal and breaking laws, then they guy was back stepping and he didn't get the job.
Another guy was supose to meet up with us at 4 at a truck stop, D had called him at 2pm to say we were on schedule and would see him at 4pm. At 4:28 the guy walks up to us and sticks his hand out and asks "Are you Dean" and Dean just says "No" The guy asks if he knows Dean and Dean says "I can't help you son"
D didn't like that the guy was 28 minutes late and hadn't called.

The thing he does that is also part of his screening is he only gives them just enough basic info... Like a Red and black 2005 Peterbilt flat top hauling pipe, a basic discription of him and me, what truck stop and when. If they can't find us with that I guess he assumes they couldn't find their way around the country.

When I met him, I could tell the difference between a Frieghtliner and a Pete, but I couldn't tell the difference between a 2000 Pete and a 2005 Pete... Geeeesh, I am green.
Anyway, I found him and his wife by the truck. I did pretty good with his screening I guess cause I got hired.

Looking back I can now see where he was testing me. I remember him asking me to hop up there and get a chain, then we walked 1/2 way down the truck, went under the truck and then towards the back, then he decided he didn't need another chain so I hopped up and put it back. Then he opened the hood, that was cool and I stuck my head in there, looked around and asked questions. Then he closed the hood and gave me the keys and said "Let's go for a drive, I just want to see how much you know or don't know" So I jumped in, and that was the sweetest truck I had ever been in, and I couln't help but say so. I also felt pretty cool in it and I am sure I wasn't able to hide that all to well. I am a newbie and I just couldn't play that one off. Then we went for a drive. I was worried a first, but after I got going the truck drove great, much better than the trucks in school or anything I had ever driven.

He gets a kick cause he knows I love this truck and still feel cool in it and he knows I don't want to pull in grinding gears like a rookie in a such a cool truck. LOL

 

You pretty much answered your own question. Being driven and determinded isn't everything as there is such thing as to much. Being ####y would be your (along with most other's) problem and down fall as to why you won't make it very far in this industry.