Welcome to the Colorado AR-15 Shooters Club Discussion Forums.
Class A Truck Driving Questions
Are the schools a rip off? And if not which ones would you suggest?
I'm looking to get a CDL and I was going to study for one while on unemployment. But my former employer is a cheap jerk and managed to screw me out of it. So now I can't wait for a 10 week schooling.
Any ideas of how I can get into Class A trucking easily?
Thanks for your time.
DOC.
Who are you to want to escape a thugs bullet? That is only a personal prejudice, ( Atlas Shrugged)
"Those that don't watch the old media are uninformed, those that do watch the old media are misinformed." - Mark Twain
Usually big companies offer training that will get your cdl. I got mine with a permit and than practiced driving at work. Got lucky with the fact that I work for a semi dealership so there was no shortage of driving chances
You sir, are a specialist in the art of discovering a welcoming outcome of a particular situation....not a mechanic.
My feedback add 11-12 ish before the great servpocaylpse of 2012
They are talking about OTR for the first year after 6 months training with no pay. My question is, if over the road as boring as it sounds?
Who are you to want to escape a thugs bullet? That is only a personal prejudice, ( Atlas Shrugged)
"Those that don't watch the old media are uninformed, those that do watch the old media are misinformed." - Mark Twain
Yes! Think about it 600 miles plus a day back and forth through the suck that's the bread basket of the us. Living in a tiny sleeper Home every month for a couple days if you are lucky. If the truck breaks down you could be stuck in bfe until it is fixed 2 weeks at least for something major. Not trying to discourage but trucking is not easy the saying in our shop is there is alot of sadness in trucking.Originally Posted by DOC
Look into doing around town stuff. Hauling fuel glass mixer driver stuff like that. It is hourly instead of by the mile
You sir, are a specialist in the art of discovering a welcoming outcome of a particular situation....not a mechanic.
My feedback add 11-12 ish before the great servpocaylpse of 2012
try united states truck driving school in wheat ridge (i have no idea how close that is to chuck norris training camp). you need 160 hours (IIRC) which is basically 3.5 weeks to get it (per law). I paid cash for mine so it wasn't as expensive, but plenty of other people had straight up gigs with truck companies to drive for that your training was paid for (if you stayed with them driving, only fair). http://www.ustruck.com/
Truck drivers work 60 hour weeks for 40 hours of pay, just realize that.
You need to not be a felon, have a clean MVR, pass a drug and alcohol test and a physical, but they'll tell you this BEFORE you start.
Brian H
Longmont CO
"I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do."
Is that new? Damn, I shoulda kept mine even though I wasn't using it.
I drove locally and it was okay. Traffic is a flat out bitch in a big rig and this was in Phoenix which IMHO is a helluva lot easier to get around in than Denver. I made a couple OTR trips to Texas a few to California, plus I delivered some fire trucks from South Dakota to Az.
OTR was not as cool as I thought it would be. Scale house operators are flat out asshole's, especially in Raton N.M., Cops can be a PIA, and I freaking HATE truck stops now. Just the smell of them makes me want to vomit and now, even when on vacation I try to avoid them.
Also, there's nothing worse than driving on I-10 east of El Paso with no rest stop in sight and having to piss so damn bad your eye's are going to explode out of your head! Breakdown's are a consideration too like others have mentioned. Our step deck trailers ate tires like no other. I blew one out in El Paso and was stuck at a truck stop for 4 hours waiting for a new one. That cuts into your day.
Anyway's, I started out with a small towing company and we worked our way up into buying flatbed rollbacks and step deck dove tail rigs. We hauled construction equipment for the local rental companies. It's up to you, but you may want to look at towing companies and construction rental companies. It's possible you could work your way up through them and get a CDL and the best part is you're local.
Good luck to you.
no, that's just for the school.
if you can pass the test and the drive test, you just pay for the drive test and get it.
but actual school has to be at least 160 hours (It's right there at 150/160 hours)
Brian H
Longmont CO
"I am free, no matter what rules surround me. If I find them tolerable, I tolerate them; if I find them too obnoxious, I break them. I am free because I know that I alone am morally responsible for everything I do."
Chuck Norris training camp is West Denverish. Its the only place I can shoot a gang member and pay a $18 fine and it can be mailed in.
I was checking out AIT school and its 10k and 18 weeks training. 10 in the classroom and 8 on the road. It seems like a long time. However, I think I would know trucking inside and out like an AR.
ETA: I wouldn't mind getting a job with the place I trained with. Werner is going to pre-hire me but pay .26 a mile for a year. However, only kick it up .01 after a year. It doesn't seem like its worth the trouble to them to keep me. IDK I just want to hear some feedback.
Last edited by DOC; 01-22-2013 at 17:11.
Who are you to want to escape a thugs bullet? That is only a personal prejudice, ( Atlas Shrugged)
"Those that don't watch the old media are uninformed, those that do watch the old media are misinformed." - Mark Twain
Take their shit for a year then bail. It will get you the CDL, experience and knowledge of the regions you do and dont like. My step dad lives in WY and doesnt like to go east of MO, my dad will not go west of UT after 30+ years of putting up with CA BS. Different regions generally pay different and have different ups and downs if your a company driver, and big differences in taxes etc as an owner.
I am the only male in my family that doesnt drive. My Dad has owned 2 trucking companies over the years, my brother, step dad, uncle, great uncle all drive, LB white out of Kansas is my cousins. I had my CDL but didnt care for it. Most of the over the rode drivers like it, its what you make of the job. Their are lots of options as a driver if its a career choice. You used to be able to go take the test and get hired somewhere but most companies wont hire you without experience any more. Most schools are a joke. I second going through an emloyers training program, do a couple years then get a good paying local job where your home everynight. Some employers have good paid training available, but you will be team driving with some stinky fat ass hole for a year or what ever.
Get in where you can, then after a couple years buy a truck and lease to the highest paying bidder hauling meat to TX and produce back every week, good money.
Posting Permissions
Reply With Quote