Questions from a Wannabe

Well, I have done it! I have taken and passed all my state certification for my CDL. My training was great and enjoyed all the instructors. Especially Jane who was our trainer on the backing range. She made and explained everything thouroughly and made it a great learning experience. Harry was the in truck/on road instructor and again a very personable guy. He has been in the industry for over 40 years which I admire. On our first day of driving and just learning the gears I developed what he called the trucker "kick". I was bumping the throttle on my upshifts just within the first hour of road driving. He asked if I had ever driven a large truck before, to which I replied "no." He said the trucker kick is something that some, not most, of truckers have a hard time developing. I found it very easy to do, since this is what I was taught when down shifting, except the down shift is a much higher rev. Anyway, three days after graduating I passed my state exams and afterward the inspector said I was his only passing driver of the day. Made me feel proud! Since then I have been looking for a job that fits well with me and not trying to leap into anything too quickly. I have been waiting on a reply from a local fruit distributer that a frind of mine works for. It is all dedicated routes and the pay seems more than fair. I have also been looking into some other companies that offer dedicated routes so I can balance my home/work time. I do know I will be on the road for an extended perid of time for training, but I would really like to be home a couple of days a week to see the wife and work on the yard/garden and maybe take a day trip on the bikes once in a while. I know it has been a while since I have written, but I would like to thank all of you on this site that have lent me a hand. Answering questions I know all of you have seen and answered before. I will keep posting from time to time and I have kept up on visiting and reading this site often. I will keep my status as a Future Truck Driver until I have a job and some experience under my belt. Thanks again and god Bless!!!! Roadhard

Category: General

Good evening everbody. Damn, I cannot believe how the time has passed and how long it has been since I have last written. Thanks to everyone for their advice that I had asked for not so long ago. I appreciate the insight that experinced drivers have and have shared with me. I have recently started my CDL training at CDTC here in Indy. I am really enjoying the training, instructors, and studying like crazy. I have been in class now for three days and have gotten a lot of book work done and studied the pretrip inspection and 4 point brake inspection. I was also glad that my mechanical skills have come into play with the pretrip, naming and identifing parts. Some others in the class are really struggling to get the name of the parts down and thier location. Today we started the backing practice. We were introduced to the staight line backing and the dock backing. I had a little trouble with the dock backing, but I seemed to get the hang of it right at the end of the day. Tomorrow will be the parallel park and the serpentine. Looking forward to getting lots of practice. I have also passed the three pre tests and have had my DOT physical. Now it is just a matter of getting my permit in hand. I will write more later and keep you all updated on my training.

Category: General

Well, I found out from the unemployment office today, that I cannot recieve benefits from the state because I am receiving a severence from my last employer. Damn! I was hoping to get some help. But I did checkout a couple different driving schools CDTC - Commercial Driver Training Consultants and C1. I found I liked CDTC in Indianapolis best. The tuition is about 3300.00 and a 13 day training course. The tuition includes physical, license both learners and CDL class A, in class, and in truck training costs. They have a list of companies that recruit from this school. Some of which are: Boyd Brothers, Falcon Transport, National Distributors, Ravens and Swift (won't be going there!)- Thanks VM! and Roehl to name a few. Any comments on these companies would be great. RoadHard2003

Category: General

I have been watching and reading blog posts here for the last couple of days in trying to get some info. I figure a better way to go about it is just join and ask. Little bit about me: I was just fired from a very Corporate job that I hated after the first six months of employment. I really thought of sticking it out, but the job just wore on me. I have about 14 years experience in the production world. I now want to change career choices and get my CDL to start driving. If you had asked me from the time I was 3 till about 16 what I was going to be when I grew up I answered with no hesitation. "I wanna drive a truck". Somewhere between there and here I lost that idea or dream. Anyway, I have seen the posts about the big truck companies and their hiring and exploiting new drivers. My question is: if you guys and gals were able to start over, how would you change your entry into the trucking field? Are there good experiences you've had that you wouldn't change? Would you put yourself through school first and then find a job, or would you go through the national carriers and have them pay for your school and in turn sign a contract with them? What "good" companies are out there that would hire someone straight out of school and put them behind the wheel after the initial company training? Seems that every company site I have visited promise the world but there is nothing in writing. Just a few questions. Thanks for your time. Road Hard2003

Category: General