C D L training,ins and outs ??s

[blk6spd]

I was permanently layed off last friday from a company I had over 11 years invested.the job market here in Columbus there is nothing.So I may have to go after my CDLs.
My questions are,should I pay for the driving school myself or let a sponsoring trucking co pay?why?differences?
which trucking companies should I look at or avoid?
which training companies should I look at or avoid?
what should I expect?
Are the trucking companies honest in thier pay rates?
what am I missing as far what I need to know?
any advice,exp would be helpful.
thanks.

 

[labontecsi]

I think we need Stinker to share some of his vast widom with us, as I'm in the same boat and also contemplating life on the open road.

 

[eddie102870]

pay for it yourself bro. if you let a sponsoring co foot the bill they will hold your diploma until the bill is settled. you have to have this to get a driving job with any company. check with the unemployment office or local technical college, there are all kind of grants and stuff to help you out. basically a truck driving school is a racket to get you your liscence. they teach you just enough to get you killed. find a reputable company that can hire you out of school. my suggestion would be to run teams for a while till you get comfortable behind the wheel. most big companies will have you running solo in a few short weeks. then send you to chicago(low underpasses) or new york. if you can study for the drivers test and either rent a truck to take the test. the safety courses can be had at jj keller for about 250.00 i can even mail you the dvd's and get you a certificate for the courses and all youll have to do is pass the driving test. i know here in alabama you can rent trucks and trailers to take driving test on. just some info

 

[labontecsi]

I have a friend close by who has offered to let me take the test in his truck, we'll just have to rent a trailer(a cub?). I'd be interested in the DVD's, but I'll leave blk with right to refusal since this is his thread. I've thought about Swift and Schneider, but I'm afraid of being on the hook to anyone. I've been told that there are very few companies that will hire drivers with no experience though.

 

[blk6spd]

thanks,I do not know much about this type of industry.

 

[eddie102870]

we are set up to run teams, i have to have at least one driver on the truck with 1 years experience, used to be 2 but we changed insurance companies and they are a little more lenient. we deal with the schools weekley and they are a racket. best way is to find the cheapest quickest school you can and get your cdl. thats all your paying for anyway. i learned how to drive when i was 13 yrs old. so ive been at this a while. i would steer away from jb hunt schnieder, places like that. they work on volume. once you leave out they normally keep you out till you quit. thats the norm anyway. just remember there's no such thing as guaranteed mileage or home time. lots of changes in the trucking business.

 

[blk6spd]

There is a roadmaster driving school in columbus I thought about going there.

 

[blk6spd]

With all the endorsements you can get should I get them all?

 

[Prof]

Eddie what do you think the demand will be for drivers in the next two or three years?

It seems to be if we don't solve the fuel cost issues, there are going to be less and less people shipping by truck...you are deeply involved in the industry...what is your outlook?

Roy

 

[snakebed]

I,m an owner/operator and all I can say is stay away from trucking right now, freight rates are terrible and companies, whether you are a company driver or o/o are doing all they can to lie, cheat or steal to keep their profit margins up. If you are bound and determained to get your cdl try to find a company that you can do local work with, as far as endorsments go get your hazmat and a end.

 

[eddie102870]

Eddie what do you think the demand will be for drivers in the next two or three years?

It seems to be if we don't solve the fuel cost issues, there are going to be less and less people shipping by truck...you are deeply involved in the industry...what is your outlook?

Roy

the demand for drivers will always be there. we haul produce which cant be shipped by rail cars except for onions and potatoes which have a long shelf life. most grocery store wharehouses only keep 24 hours worth of grocery's in the wharehouse. rails take too long to get it delivered. where we run into trouble is in the produce season our rates get so high you can almost fly the produce from the west coast back to here. good news is planes run off a type of diesel too so there rates go up to. jobs will get scarce for drivers with questionable work history and bad driving records. most fleets run slower speeds, owner operators run the fast trucks and get horrible fuel mileage. thats why they go out of business a lot quicker. we always tend to make more money when the economy is struggling like it is. people dont realize how bad it is. i know of 4 trucking companies in my little town that have called it quits and my uncle has one with about 100 trucks that if they last the year out they will be doing good. i imagine its this way all across the nation. the more that go out of business helps us because we plan for bad years. i know i do all the hiring here and i keep maybe 1 out of 10 applicants. we cant go out of business. got too many mouths to feed youll start seeing a lot of companies slacking off of taking care of their equipment when times get rough. just dont have the money to spend on nuthin but fuel.

 

[Prof]

the demand for drivers will always be there. we haul produce which cant be shipped by rail cars except for onions and potatoes which have a long shelf life. ... just dont have the money to spend on nuthin but fuel.

I have heard a lot of environmentalists screaming that the issue of not buying locally is a huge part of the problem with fuel and the environment.

Is it possible that we will see the time where moving things like produce long distances will be restricted for the purpose of limiting environmental polution, and the out of control cost of fuel?

One third of our cabon emissions come from transportation, another third come from power generation...I see the possibility that things like produce will have to be produced locally or will not be available...maybe a ways off, but certainly a threat to your business in the future.

 

[eddie102870]

I have heard a lot of environmentalists screaming that the issue of not buying locally is a huge part of the problem with fuel and the environment.

Is it possible that we will see the time where moving things like produce long distances will be restricted for the purpose of limiting environmental polution, and the out of control cost of fuel?

One third of our cabon emissions come from transportation, another third come from power generation...I see the possibility that things like produce will have to be produced locally or will not be available...maybe a ways off, but certainly a threat to your business in the future.

dont see that happening any time soon. folks will be starving if that happens. california and florida are the two biggest producing states. most of the labor is from illegal aliens, sad but true, americans think they are above that type of labor now. most of the emissions arent from commercial vehicles. we take bigger hits from the epa than passenger vehicles, resulting in worse fuel mileage. thats why you see semi trucks burning to the ground now, u used not to see them wreck and explode, now they pump so much hot fuel back into the tanks that when they wreck they catch fire. its like a catch 22. we are getting engines that burn fuel cleaner but it takes more fuel to run. i wouldnt doubt if the epa was tied in with the fuel companies, i imagine they are lobbied by them. only makes them more money when we get worse fuel mileage. but get this truck prices are up 20 percent, insurance, workmans comp, all up. fuel up drastically and the rates havent changed in forever. fuel surcharges dont keep up with the price of fuel. ours change every monday, fuel and drops daily but mostly rising in the last 4 or 5 years.

 

[GriffsSRT]

pay for it yourself bro. if you let a sponsoring co foot the bill they will hold your diploma until the bill is settled. you have to have this to get a driving job with any company. check with the unemployment office or local technical college, there are all kind of grants and stuff to help you out. basically a truck driving school is a racket to get you your liscence. they teach you just enough to get you killed. find a reputable company that can hire you out of school. my suggestion would be to run teams for a while till you get comfortable behind the wheel. most big companies will have you running solo in a few short weeks. then send you to chicago(low underpasses) or new york. if you can study for the drivers test and either rent a truck to take the test. the safety courses can be had at jj keller for about 250.00 i can even mail you the dvd's and get you a certificate for the courses and all youll have to do is pass the driving test. i know here in alabama you can rent trucks and trailers to take driving test on. just some info

Eddie how many of the DVDs you got??? I have to get my A's by August....
I agree with eddie you get stuck going through a driving school there is a catch

 

[eddie102870]

Eddie how many of the DVDs you got??? I have to get my A's by August....
I agree with eddie you get stuck going through a driving school there is a catch

i just have the hours of service and the cmv basics for entry level drivers. if you come down here before august you can come by or i can copy the dvd's for you. thats all thats required, that and a cdl to be legal.

 

[Ironhead]

thanks,I do not know much about this type of industry.

try looking at stevens tranport ,,,they do a lot of produce hauling whitch will always be in demand,,they will hire you out of school and team you up with a trainer ,,plus they have top notch equipment

i have my cdl but stopped driving a few years back after i remarried ,but i still keep it active and i keep all my endorsments ,i ran produce from california to houston and almost never had to sit around waiting for a load ,,,be cautious of the so called sign on bonus crap ,,,they will only give you a 100 bucks a month till you get there so called sign on bonus or they will make you drive for a year or two before you get it ,,and make sure you go with a no touch freight outfit or you will be loading and unloading for free ,,,cause you only get paid when wheels are rolling,,,
i would not try being an o/o right now because of fuel costs,,also get all your endorsments when at the school ,,it is easier to get them then ,,harder if you have to get them on your own ,,,get you passanger bus one too when you get old your can get a job with a metro bus outfit lol

the sort of other benifit is some policemen will give you a break on tickets if they see you have a cdl ,,because they know you need it to make a living ,,,i got out of TWO speeding tickets because i have a cdl ,,,now they will bitch you out,,but i just kept saying YES SIR YES SIR
And make sure you get a BIG radio lol

 

[Prof]

There is nothing like sage advice...lots of good practical guidance here, and lots of points that don't just apply to people driving eighteen wheelers!

 

[GriffsSRT]

:rock:

i just have the hours of service and the cmv basics for entry level drivers. if you come down here before august you can come by or i can copy the dvd's for you. thats all thats required, that and a cdl to be legal.

Will do !

 

[blk6spd]

thanks guys for the advice.