What do orientations and road tests consist of?

When I went to my first orientation, it amazed me by the number of potentially new drivers that were sent home through the course of the week. My orientation lasted 5 days with our trainers being assigned on the afternoon of the 5th day. One thing I noticed was the ones who talked the most were the ones who never lasted to the 5th day. These carriers know who has experience and who is new. They don't need to hear about every encounter the experienced drivers have had on the road. They don't have time for it and they've heard it all before.
As has been posted previously, have all your stuff in order. Employment history, medical history, any past traffic tickets, criminal background, etc. It doesn't automatically mean you won't be hired if you've had issues with the law in the past. But if you try to cover it up and lie about it, you are history.
As for past employers, I know in NY, they can't say anything good or bad about your work history. All they are legally able to do it verify your dates of employment. That's NY State labor law.
As for the road test, it depends on what carrier you go with. When I went through orientation at Celadon we had several road tests with the safety department. We also spent 2 days in the yard practicing our backing. We could tell who was serious about driving and who was there just to be there. The drivers who actually spent time practicing their backing and driving made the cut. The ones who just stood around smoking cigarettes in the yard and bs'ing with eachother didn't make it. They each failed their road test with one driver actually wrecking her tractor during the final road test doing her backing eval. She ripped the right front fender clean off the truck when she hooked it on the corner of a trailer that was parked to simulate the corner of a building. When you do your backing, TAKE YOUR TIME!!!! The majority of preventable mishaps occur from backing. Theses carriers would much rather see a driver take their time, get out and verify placement of the trailer during the backing maneuver and getting the trailer in the spot without hitting anything. If you THINK you've got enough room on your blind side when you're backing and you don't get out and check, don't be surprised when you hit something on your blindside.
On the actual road test, make sure you maintain a safe following distance at all times. Don't wait to start slowing down and brake. Just remember what you learned in school. Don't let the evaluators make you nervous. They aren't there to crucify you. They are there just to make sure you know what you're doing.
Oh...one final thing. LEAVE THE CELL PHONE OFF when you're in orientation and driving. If you want a sure fired ticket home, keep your cellphone on when you're in class or driving. Don't even put it on silent or vibrate. If the company thinks you can't live without your cellphone, they won't trust you to be able to concentrate behind the wheel of their equipment. At Celadon our evaluators actually made us show them our phones to see if they were turned on when we were in the truck.
I hope these tips help. Just take your time and remember this acronym:

G - Get
O - Out
A - And
L - Look

You'll do fine!!!!

Brian

 

Most carriers are happy with contact numbers to be able to call them to verify employment. Check with your recruiter to make sure though before you get there.

 

You should be good to go then. No worries. Good luck!!!! One other tidbit of advice. Go with your gut when it comes to choosing a company. I say this because in the past I chose carriers that, looking back, I didn't have a completely easy feeling about. If you talk to a company and something just doesn't "feel" right, then follow that feeling. I will never make that mistake again!

Brian

 

How did your driving test at USA Truck go>