New guy (wrong forum?)

[cumminscrazed]

Hey guys, my name is Zach, 24 yrs old from North Iowa. This past spring i took an intense 3 week course to enable me to get licensed for a full Class A with doubles-triples as well as tanker endorsements.

After i got my CDL, i decided to apply locally driving a concrete mixer to gain more experience driving, especially on roads i know to fully gain knowledge on shifting, cornering, backing etc. Anyway, this past week they laid me off for the winter. I am now fully inclined to begin driving OTR which is why im here now.

The company i have been looking into is called TMC Transportation. They are located out of Des Moines, IA and from what ive read, they are a top notch company.

Anyway, sorry for the long welcome, just wanted to kinda introduce myself and give you guys a small background since obtaining my CDL.

Thanks guys!

[1catfish]

Hey guys, my name is Zach, 24 yrs old from North Iowa. This past spring i took an intense 3 week course to enable me to get licensed for a full Class A with doubles-triples as well as tanker endorsements.

After i got my CDL, i decided to apply locally driving a concrete mixer to gain more experience driving, especially on roads i know to fully gain knowledge on shifting, cornering, backing etc. Anyway, this past week they laid me off for the winter. I am now fully inclined to begin driving OTR which is why im here now.

The company i have been looking into is called TMC Transportation. They are located out of Des Moines, IA and from what ive read, they are a top notch company.

Anyway, sorry for the long welcome, just wanted to kinda introduce myself and give you guys a small background since obtaining my CDL.

Thanks guys!

welcome,good luck and be safe in what ever you do!

[cumminscrazed]

thanks man

[TimberWolf]

Welcome,
Be very very careful I hear this message board is crawling with liberals and once they (uhm we) get their hands on you it's over they (uhm we) will have you drinking the kool aid in no time.... scary stuff us liberals.
I am not really a liberal but the majority of the board thinks I am becouse I believe Islam is a religion so I drank the kool aid and low and behold poof Timberwolf is a psuedo liberal... kind of cool huh..

Come to my den my little protege. hee.hee.hee kackle kackle kackle....


Just joking... MODS don't be upset with me please...


Seriously, if you have been drving Class B since you started driving it may be a difficult to get a company to take a chance on you, not saying it can't happen you just really need to sell yourself and your abilties then the most important part of all, is to follow through when you do get your chance even when the BS is neck deep you still need to follow through and gain that experience... If I were you I would try my hardest to stay local...

Good Luck

Timberwolf

[Jackrabbit379]

Best wishes! Good luck on your career. TMC is a good company to work for, from what I've heard. Let us know how you are doing.

[jonp]

Welcome to the forum. I read a different thread that TMC is close to going out of business or at least reorginizing under chapter 7. dosn't mean you shouldnt take a job with them to get your feet wet, though. If you drive for a company and it goes out then that's not a negative on your record. Just keep on top of your record there and get printouts of your mileages, safety reviews etc.. in case it does happen so you have proof of what you did.

[Luzon]

Yes. Timberwolf is right. If you've been driving class B the whole time I would think that they wouldn't consider you experienced. Unfortunately. Give them a call though. The worst they can say is no. Please do let us know how it goes. I for one would be very interested in hearing how you make out. Best of luck.

[cumminscrazed]

well, i took an intense 3 wk course to get my Class A, so i have my A.

[Sealord]

Based on your having NO 18-wheeler experience, expect to be with an OTR trainer full term if you get in the door. Since TMC is flatbed and anal about tarping, pay attention during securement training and do it their way all the time. You could do worse things than being out with a company trainer during the winter. If you kept you mixer cab clean, you're halfway home with TMC. Have you considered Heartland? Among other things, they haul groceries and people always have to eat. BOL

[TimberWolf]

An Intense 3 week course,

Ha,, Now that's funny.

I went to an intense 8 week course,

"Week one" we did not even touch a truck all we did was sit in class rooms and study trucks.

"Weeks 2 & 3" we were able to get the basics of a truck, pre trips, gears, double shifting, styles, and basic track driving and very easy city driving skills. while driving the track on our lunch break the instructors would go out and slide the trailer tandums and it was funny to watch us look in amazement as to why we were knocking over barrels this time around but dint the firsttime around.

"week four" all we did for an enitre week was practice backing skills in 6 different dock situations, 10 of us guys for 8 hours straight all day rotated from station to station for an entire week, by weeks end I could line up any truck combo to any dock situation with out fear of hitting something.

"weeks 5 through 8" were spent doing nothing but driving on the highways of Florida for 9 to 11 hours all day long, and at different times of the day, our instructors had us get up at midnight on four days just so we would know what it was like to pull at night. We waited at the school one day for an hour before pulling out just so the rain clouds could come in and we would get a good feel for rain driving.


In three weeks times all you are going to get is the minimal basics of driving. There is no way the tought you how to properly secure loads, how to properly slide tandums, gave you any chance to get comfortable backing a truck combo up, or even just the feel of what you need to do if your steer tires glide off the pavement at 70 mph pulling a flatbed loaded with lumber.

Since your graduation you have gained no experience pulling trailers. it is going to be hard to get a company to take a chance on you, again I am not saying it cant be done becouse I am a firm believer in if you want it bad enough you will find a way to get it done. My insturctors told me it was hard to go from school right into a local driving job as most comapnies want local drivers who have otr road experience. I remeber telling my instructor that I guess I just wasted my $1800 of tuition money as there was no way I was going to pull otr and leave my family. we had a company come to recruit for otr jobs and I ask about their local work which they had and went after that job. the rest is history I got my experience and am now pulling fuel around the state.

I just telling you don't use the "intense" 3 week school as the foundation for your experience use you head and your marketing abilities first. with all the drivers looking for jobs and some of the recent negative press on these 3 week school you have to sell your skills before the school.

Good Luck..

Timberwolf

[cumminscrazed]

yeah, heres the course i took so you have an idea...

Northland CDL

[TimberWolf]

yeah, heres the course i took so you have an idea...

Northland CDL

To Funny.....

[Luzon]

Hey Timberwolf. If you don't mind me asking, who do you work for? Is it local? Are they looking for more drivers by chance? Feel free to PM me if you don't wanna broadcast all that. Thanks for the info in advance though.

[Sealord]

I think T-wolf pulls for Florida Rock and Tank, but I could be wrong. Sounds like he went through the FSCJ (FCCJ) driving course at Cecil Field or a similar program. BOL

[TimberWolf]

I pull for Florida Rock & Tank,
As far as if they are looking for drivers I could not tell you about the Tampa Terminal, I know in Orlando we are good to go for now. The best thing to do is go to the web site follow the instructions for applying and then continue to call them and let them know you want to drive for them.

I went to school at Mid Florida Tech in Orlando it was a great 8 week program that only cost me $1800 and some change.

Timberwolf

[Copperhead]

Hey Cumminscrazed, welcome to the industry. There is no substitute for hands on experience. Getting the CDL is like being born.... you still have to learn to walk then run. Unfortunately, trucking is one of those career/lifestyle that you have to "pay your dues" in. Forget the local cement job and just take the plunge and get on with a carrier. TMC is a decent choice if that is where you have your mind set. Your could do worse, that's for sure. The bigger opportunities, even local, will probably not come your way until you put in at least 1 year or more out on the road. You have to build up a track record for yourself and it gives you time to learn what part of the industry you want to be in. There is good and bad with any type of trucking (tank, flat, van, refer, etc). Find what works for you.

To get to the level of pulling trains for someone, you will have to really build up your experience. Most of the carriers that pull doubles/triples do not put anyone in front of that setup until they have a few years experience. Tank carriers (with the exception of some local fuel haulers) want several years experience as well.

Good luck in your future. Take your time and learn. The career is what you make it.

[Luzon]

I called Florida Rock last week. They were hiring in Tampa 3 weeks ago but not atm. I'll keep on them though. Thanks for the info. Now back to the original post topic:

[Mallaien]

I took a 8 week course 10 years ago to get my first CDL. I got out of the OTR business and let my CDL laps. I am planning to go back to driving for a few years and found a school that only does 3 week courses. 10 years is a long time between driving job's but because I already have OTR experience, the 3 week course won't be too much of a issues for me, I only wonder how it is for people that never drove before.

[GMAN]

I am sure that you will find a carrier who will take you on as long as you have a clean MVR and work history. Most do want previous otr experience, there are some carriers who will take a chance on a new driver. Some may require you to work with a trainer for a few weeks or months, but you need to start somewhere.