C1 Truck Driver Training Blog

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One thing you’ll hear repeatedly while you’re in CDL training is this:  “Know your pre-trip.” Let’s take a few moments to understand what that really means.

In order to get your CDL in Missouri, you must pass three practical exams:  your pre-trip inspection, your backing skills test, and your road driving test. All three hold equal value and importance, but today I just want to discuss the pre-trip inspection.

Aside from it being required to pass the CDL test, the pre-trip inspection is paramount in ensuring you are prepared before you ever even pull out of the parking lot. Let’s focus on that aspect…

Don’t think about it as, “I have to learn this so I can pass the test.” You must embrace this as an integral part of your job. Performing a proper pre-trip is just as important as being able to back or properly downshift on a hill.

Why is that? Because you cannot safely do your job if you haven’t conducted a proper pre-trip inspection. It is the only valid way to identify potential safety/mechanical problems and have them corrected before they have a chance to create a major issue if not found.

Don’t think of learning the pre-trip as just a “necessary evil” of taking the CDL test. Some students struggle with the pre-trip for this very reason. They feel that they just need to get through the pre-trip inspection in order to get to the important stuff. They feel that the backing and driving are more crucial and sometimes don’t put the required equal amount of effort and focus into the pre-trip, which is preparing you for a professional way of doing business that can save your career or even your life. You must embrace the pre-trip and truly learn and understand it.

Doing a thorough pre-trip can identify and therefore alleviate potential safety hazards. A good example is checking the proper tire inflation.

Let’s say you are in Arizona during the summer. It’s hot out and you just do a quick walk around without performing a proper pre-trip inspection. You get in the truck and take off down the road. You didn’t notice a tire on your trailer with very low air pressure. Now, remember — a tire that is not inflated properly will heat up very fast. And as I mentioned, it’s summer and you’re in Arizona.

About an hour down the road, you hear an explosion and see smoke and debris flying from under your trailer. You get off the roadway as quickly as you can, but the damage has already been done. You’re grossing 80,000 pounds and you just blew a tire that literally tore three cross members out from under your trailer.

This is not a scare tactic – it happened to me. The force of a tire blowing out on a tractor trailer is incredible. This is just one small example of how quickly things can go wrong if you don’t conduct a proper pre-trip inspection before every load. Set yourself up for success by always doing a proper pre-trip! It can save your career and your life.

* This is a guest post by Rick Curtis — C1 Truck Driver Training Operations Manager. *

Several weeks ago, I was asked to be a featured speaker at the Indiana Association for Adult Continuing Education (IAACE) Conference at the French Lick Resort and Spa in southern Indiana.

IAACE is an organization that encourages adult learning and education. They promote professional identity and growth, provide leadership in unifying adult practitioners, and advocate for legislative initiatives. They fight to give a second chance to adults who never completed public school.

WorkOne and the GED Plus Program

The organization recently launched a new initiative called the “GED Plus” program. This is a program designed to offer Indiana residents who did not graduate from high school an opportunity to earn their GED and secure employment through their local WorkOne office.

WorkOne is a service that aims to help Hoosiers seeking employment as well as Indiana businesses seeking employees. They will help applicants obtain any necessary training (including helping people prepare for and get their GED) and refer them to potential jobs that match their skill sets, interests, and experience level.

The GED Plus program gives people a chance to start anew. It’s difficult to secure steady income without a high school diploma, especially in this day and age. But with the new GED Plus program and WorkOne’s help, individuals can earn their GED which then opens doors to better employment opportunities and creates the potential for a successful career.

Trade School Education

The “Plus” portion of the GED Plus initiative involves job training solutions like those offered at C1 Truck Driver Training. Once an individual has successfully obtained his or her GED, they are then eligible to have the state fund further education at a trade school. Many look for free CDL training, and with the GED Plus program, individuals can receive government grants for CDL training in Indianapolis and other areas throughout the state. How to pay for CDL training is at the forefront of many people’s minds, but with the new GED Plus program, WorkOne and C1 Truck Driver Training can help people throughout Indiana secure steady employment in a growing industry without breaking the bank. For example, after earning their GED, an individual then has the opportunity to receive government funded CDL training in Indiana at one of our local state trucking schools, earn their Class A CDL license, and land a professional trucking job in an industry starved for drivers.

I spoke to the group in my workshop about how our CDL training works, what the cost is, and detailed the huge benefits that an individual enrolled in this program can receive. The event’s attendance was impressive and I’ve received a lot of support for the truck driver CDL training that C1 can provide to these qualified candidates. Various WorkOne offices around the state have reached out to me since the conference to inquire about candidates wishing to obtain a Class A CDL after completion of the GED program.

Beginning a Career

The state of Indiana is working hard to put Hoosier adults back to work from South Bend to Evansville and Terre Haute to Richmond. WorkOne’s GED Plus program allows hardworking Hoosiers to begin a new career with government funded CDL training and other career-focused schooling options. C1 Truck Driver Training is proud to be a part of helping residents of Indiana get on the road to success.

C1 Truck Driver Training serves the needs of truck drivers by providing CDL training services at campuses located in Ft Wayne and Indianapolis. With accommodations available for out-of-town students, our truck driving schools serve many communities throughout the state, including Muncie, Kokomo, Vincennes, Lafayette, Anderson, Marion, Bloomington and more. Learn how we can help you take the wheel!

Image credit: reinvented, Flickr

Goal 1. To be a safe driver. By my actions, I will show that I respect my job and that I am proud to be a truck driver.

Goal 2. To be a leader in the trucking industry by following my company policies, being on time for my loads, and being a good representative for my company when I arrive at the shipper.

Goal 3. To provide for my family and make a career out of the trucking industry by reminding myself daily that you get out what you put in. I will be the driver my dispatcher is proud to have.

In our trucking school, our very first focus is on truck driver safety and how to handle the truck. I feel that if a student wants to eventually become a good driver, they will listen, learn, and follow all instructions in order to be the best they can be when they arrive at their carrier.

We teach students the basic but necessary driving skills to not only pass their state test, but give them some knowledge in terms of what to expect when they get out with their company trainer. We continually encourage them to listen to their trainer and absorb as much knowledge as they can. The more notes they take and the more questions they ask, the better prepared they will be for their future as truck drivers. The worst thing they can do as a student driver (or even as an experienced driver) is to assume they know it all, because that will never happen. Every day you will learn a valuable lesson that hopefully you will pass on to other rookie drivers.

We also teach students to respect and know their truck, pay attention to their surroundings, and always be safe and prepared for any situation going on around them.

We strongly express to the students that if they want to make it in the trucking industry, they must first listen to their trainer, respect their dispatcher, take every load without arguing, whether the load is 2,500 miles or 150 miles with 4 drops. Every load is important to the company and dispatch, and the sooner that you as a driver embrace that concept, the easier it will be. Dispatch will take care of their valuable drivers by giving them as many miles as possible. The success of a driver is based on his actions alone. The school gives them the beginning tools to advance to the carrier. The carrier gives them the tools to advance to an experienced driver, but they still have to use those tools themselves to stay safe and dependable.

As a retired Navy person, and Director here at C1 Truck Driver Training, I get invited to participate in various activities designed to educate our Veterans on the programs and opportunities available for them out there.  Last Friday, I had the privilege to participate in a Veterans Resource Event at the University of Central Missouri.  I was given the chance to educate Veterans on the wide open opportunities in the trucking business right now, and the ways in which a Veteran can go about taking advantage of those opportunities.  There are a lot of Veteran benefits out there when it comes to CDL training, it’s just a matter of being educated on what’s available.

Here’s an interview I did about our Veteran CDL training programs at C1 Springfield:

If you are a retired/separated Military member, and think you might want to pursue this option, you need to contact us about our Veteran CDL training programs.  We have a wealth of knowledge and experience in this field, and there are a multitude of ways in which you can kick start a new career.  We are a Veteran heavy staff here in Springfield, so we know what it means to make that transition into a new career and lifestyle.  Now is the time to make that change, and get going!  Contact us here in Springfield as soon as possible, as the opportunities are endless!

Image credit: Carbon Arc, Flickr

Our very own Rich Campbell was featured in a recent local news story about a tragic semi truck accident in Republic, Missouri that resulted in a double fatality.

The Accident

The accident occurred when a semi truck traveling 19 miles over the speed limit crashed into the back of a car stopped at an intersection. Two cars were stopped behind a second semi. When the speeding truck crashed into the passenger vehicles, both cars were crushed between the two trucks. Police at the scene said the truck driver was over his HOS limit.

Truck Driver Safety

It’s unfortunate that it took a tragic accident like this to bring attention to truck driver safety. Here at C1, safety is the basis of our instruction. Being a responsible, professional truck driver is all about being safe out on the road — it’s what separates the true truck drivers from the steering wheel holders. Perhaps if the driver responsible for the catastrophe had been practicing a safe following distance, this accident could have been prevented.

You must keep an accurate log book as a professional truck driver. The driver responsible for the accident was over his Hours of Service. This just goes to show that violating these rules can have devastating consequences.

Many students come to CDL training to learn the skills needed to start a 2^nd or even a 3^rd career at a later stage in life.  You can make a truck driving career change well into your adult life and there are still plenty of opportunities available.

We see folks from all walks of life coming through school, and each one of them has a vision, an idea of what they’re hoping to gain from a new truck driving career.  Hands down what I see more than anything are the people that come into school looking to start a second career.

A Truck Driving Career Change

There’s many reasons for this, and unfortunately the biggest reason is the current state of our economy. Let’s face it, things aren’t real good out there right now, and who knows when it’ll get better.  Trucking, however, is one profession that is virtually recession-proof.  Are there certain sectors of trucking that can slow down when times get hard??  Sure, but all you have to do is identify which carriers are still moving which products.  Goods are always going to move; you just have to stay tuned in to what’s current.

Another common theme I see is the retired professional that is looking for something completely different.  They have worked their entire adult life in a cubicle or some other sort of office environment and after retiring from that, decided they wanted to travel and see the country.  This is a great opportunity to not only travel the country, but actually earn a pretty good living while you’re doing it.

Advantages of a Career Change

There are some big advantages to coming into trucking with some real work experience and age on your side.  Everyone has the potential to succeed in this business, but if you come into this field as a seasoned professional, whatever that profession may be, you WILL succeed in this business.

I recently had a student come through that was a retired university professor from Kenya.    He was a graduate of a university in London, England and taught in Kenya for 20 years.  In his homeland, you are only allowed to work 20 years as a professor, and must retire in order to allow the next generation to have a career.

He considered going back to London, but knew his opportunities would be very slim there as well.  He moved to the U.S. and worked odd jobs, and finally became a taxi driver.  He enjoyed driving and meeting people, wanted to see the country, so he applied for and got accepted by PAM Transport.  He came into school and excelled.  He excelled because his life’s experiences prepared him to do so.

His is just one of many stories that I could talk about, but one that will always stick with me.  I think of him often, and how he is an inspiration for anyone who has doubts as to whether they could retire from one career, and start something completely out of their comfort zone.  With the right drive and determination, you can learn anything you set out to do.

Image credit: MoDOT Photos, Flickr

The trucking industry is a huge sector of the American economy, but often doesn’t get the recognition or respect it deserves. The phrase, “If you bought it, a truck brought it” could not be more true, but many people don’t stop to think about where we’d be if trucks weren’t on the road!

So…trucks are a big deal. But how big is the trucking industry, exactly? Today, I’m going to briefly discuss some of the amazing facts on how crucial the industry really is. Keep reading to learn about total industry revenue, employment, and annual freight tonnage!

Trucking Industry Revenue

In 2011, the trucking industry raked in an astounding amount of revenue — $603.9 billion in freight. That’s more than 80 percent of all freight revenue (including air, rail, water, etc). The trucking industry is quite literally what keeps our economy running smoothly.

To give you an idea of how much of our nation’s product is actually shipped through truck…

• $118,832,000 (82.7%) of agricultural products
• Over 92% of prepared foods including dairy products and fruit, vegetables, and nut products
• $501,445,000 (65%) of pharmaceutical products
• $168,913,000 (91.9%) of lumber and wood products

Employment in the Trucking Industry

Nine million people are employed in the trucking industry — that’s one out of 13 people (who have jobs). Of those 9 million, about 3.5 million are professional truck drivers. Nine million people in the industry, 3.5 million drivers, and there’s still a shortage of truckers. Estimates show that the current shortage of 20,000 drivers could increase to 111,000 by 2014 if market conditions don’t improve. One thing is for sure — there’s never been a better time to become a professional truck driver!

Trucks on the Road

There are 2 million registered tractor trailers in the United States alone. On average, those trucks consume about 37.2 billion gallons of diesel a year. Those trucks on the road deliver 70 percent of all freight in the country. The American Trucking Association estimates that in about a decade, the demand for trucking services will rise by 30 percent. To accommodate for the rise in demand, the amount of heavy trucks on the road will rise by 20 percent, putting an additional 600,000 tractor trailers on the nation’s highways.

As you can see, we’d be in a pretty big bind of trucks stopped moving. In fact, here’s a great article on how our infrastructure would collapse in the absence of trucks.

There’s never been a better time to pursue a truck driving job, so if you’re interested in making a career change, be sure to check out our Admissions page here.

Source:

Trucking and the Economy, American Trucking Association

As with anything you do in this life, your attitude can and will determine your success. No matter what your job is, if you get up in the morning with a chip on your shoulder and/or a bad attitude, you will have a bad day. If you go into the day thinking “Man this day is going to suck,” then that’s what you are looking for and that’s what you’re going to get. Perception is reality.

Being a professional driver, you might think your attitude would affect only you since you are driving down the road alone every day. However, a positive attitude will benefit you so let’s look at that:

• Your positive attitude not only reflects you but also your carrier. A friendly smile and good nature will benefit you in all areas of your day.
• When it comes to shippers, a good-natured driver will get in and out of their loading docks quicker and easier. If you are nice to people, they will have more of an inclination to be nice to you. And the sooner you get in and out of your shipper, the sooner you get to making your money for the day driving. Remember, if the truck isn’t moving you’re not making any money.
• Receivers are very similar to the shippers. In and out — that is the goal, an upset dock worker is not going to be concerned about getting you back on the road. A friendly smile and understanding goes a long way on getting you out and back on the road.
• Scale houses – going into one of these upset or with a bad attitude will only make bad things happen. Remember that these individuals have a job to do as well. Simply provide them with what they require, be friendly and courteous, and get moving back down the road.
• Police officers and DOT inspectors – In all honesty only a fool would choose to be discourteous to these individuals. If you by chance get pulled over for a traffic offense or just a random inspection, it’s critical that you remain courteous and helpful. It is what it is and being bad tempered or disrespectful will only delay you more. Be the professional you are and get back to driving down the road.

Safe & Professional

As the professional driver, you must always be looking for the average, every day drivers that are out there on the road doing unsafe acts.  From the business person in a hurry going to work, to the distracted mother and housewife with children in the car, and of course the teenager out joy riding and having a good time. By being the professional you are and by utilizing training you have received regarding safe driving habits – you will be ready for any and all non-professional mishaps.

Presentation of a Professional Driver

Unfortunately the professional truck driver’s image in the past has been tarnished by too many people being unprofessional.  Here are some common misconceptions:

• Dirty – too many drivers in the past have gone days without showering, shaving or changing their clothes. Unfortunately, their appearance is often what the public perceives all drivers to be (and we all know that’s not true!).
• Ill-tempered and foul mouthed – drivers who yell out their windows and send messages to cars through obscene gestures also help build the public’s perception of the truck driving image.
• Drugs – back years ago it was unfortunately common practice for drivers to do drugs that would keep them awake to keep moving down the road. This is a practice that we have eliminated through changes in the law by DOT and through drug screening. Unfortunately today’s drivers are still looked upon for past transgressions. The only way to fix this is by being the professional that we need to be and changing the public’s opinions of professional driver.

It’s important to the entire industry that drivers today not present themselves in this way.  A “professional” driver is neat, maintains a level head and does not have to resort to drugs to properly perform the duties of their job.  In addition to that, a professional driver maintains a positive attitude while keeping the truck moving.

What do you think makes a professional truck driver? Let us know in the comments below!

As you’re contemplating making that jump into truck driver training and start asking all those good questions, you’re probably going to hear a lot about being out there alone on the road.   People are gonna talk about the isolation, and the freedom to “be your own boss.”  While statements such as these certainly bear some truth, you will never do this job fully on your own.  It takes a team of highly trained professionals to accomplish the job, and that starts in school.

Buddy Up at School

As school starts, you’ll be in a classroom environment studying to go take your permit test.  In order to ensure your success while in school, “buddy up” as soon as possible!  There are all sorts of people from all over the country that come to school, and one person’s weakness can be another person’s strength when it comes to studying for the test.  When you work together as a group, you definitely start stacking all odds of success in your favor as you prepare for that written test.

Practice with a Partner

Next step will be studying for the pre-trip inspection.  There are well over 100 items on the tractor-trailer that you will have to identify during the pre-trip inspection portion of your CDL test.  We have prepared a pre-trip study guide and check list that, when followed, will guide you through this portion of your test.  It’s crucial that you team up with someone in class to accomplish this step.

While you will have instructor guidance, this portion of your training relies VERY heavily on self-study.  You will have checklists and study guides that you and your teammate can use to study. When executed properly, this virtually guarantees success.  As you progress into the range backing skills and road driving portion of your training, this philosophy doesn’t change.  All of us here at C1 are part of a team, and we will succeed or fail as a team.  For the team to succeed, we all have to do our part.  If any one of us fails to do our singular duty, the entire program can falter as a result.

Teamwork On The Road

You will find this to be true after you complete school as well.  While a majority of your time will be spent alone on the road, you will NEVER pick up and deliver a load without any assistance.  There is an entire support team at your home terminal working hard behind the scenes to make sure your truck keeps moving.  There are load planners, permit personnel, safety folks, a road service department, and your fleet manager.  This is not an exclusive list by any means.  All of you work together as a team to ensure each and every load is picked up and delivered as promised.

Teaming

Now, when running team it goes without saying.  You have to work together and respect each other to ensure your success.  All good team operators have one trait in common; a constant willingness to work together.  While you’re driving, your teammate will be sleeping.  There will be many decisions that you’ll need to make during this window.  Use forethought to anticipate what’s coming up.  That happens through proper trip planning, together.

I could go on and on with many more examples of how team work is the key to your success in truck driving jobs, but the bottom line is never think for a second that your accomplishments are all yours.   I have never accomplished anything in my life worthwhile by myself, but I have accomplished many great things throughout my life as part of a team.

 ”Coming together is a beginning, staying together is progress, and working together is success.” - Henry Ford

The very first part of the Arkansas State Test that you must pass in order to even be eligible to take your skills and road test is the 108-point pre-trip inspection. This may seem overwhelming at first, but you will learn. First you will write it out completely word-for-word, then watch the video we have prepared for you. You’ll do a complete walk around pointing out each part and reciting the sheet we have given you.

Studying at Truck Driver Training

Every spare moment you have during and after truck driver training, get with a buddy and practice by you reciting and pointing out as much as you can each time, then have them do the same. If you do this before the end of the 2nd week, you will know the entire pre-trip. If at anytime you need or want help just let us know, I have extra videos that will be available for you to watch at night plus the trainers are available to help you. During your training, you will be tested on this to see what point you are at. We will push you to be over 100 before you will be allowed to test.

What Can Happen If You Don’t do a Pre-Trip…

Pre-trip inspections are important for your safety and the safety of others around you. You will be checking fluids, and if your truck is 2-3 gallons low on water then a mechanism kicks in causing your truck to shut off. If your oil, power steering fluid, or transmission fluid is too low, then it will cause serious expensive damage to your engine, gear box or transmission. If your hub oilers are low, they can blow a seal and cause the wheel bearings to seize up which could cause your wheel to lock up, catch on fire, or possibly come off. I have seen this happen. Thankfully it did not catch on fire or fall off, but it was smoking to the point of almost catching on fire and it ruined the wheel bearing and spindle. This is very costly and irresponsible, not to mention dangerous!

Lack of Pre-Trip Can Affect Your DAC

Some of the other important reasons to pre-trip – your tires; a blow out can cause you to be late, lose control or be stopped by DOT for unsafe equipment. This now goes on your DAC because you should have checked these items in the first place then notified your company if the truck was unsafe. Another important reason to pre-trip is to make sure everything is secure and in place so that you don’t lose your trailer pulling out. I have actually seen this happen. When I was at SRT, a driver came back from home time and just jumped in his truck and started pulling out. The trailer was not secure and he dropped it — not on the ground, but it was hanging on the end of his truck. Not good for him – this is considered an accident on your DAC and could possibly cause you to be terminated. Lucky for him there was no damage, but he did have to pay to have the trailer lifted up and they still put this as an incident on his DAC. All companies check out DAC and too many unsafe actions will keep you from being hired with another company.

Another important issue is when you come across the scales, they will inspect your truck. If it is deemed unsafe, you will be fined and shut down. Again, this is your responsibility. Your company is not driving that truck, you are, and if you don’t tell them, they can’t fix it. The longer you wait to have your truck fixed the more damage you can cause to your truck, thus shutting you down and costing you money.

Do Your Pre-Trip!

As you can see, pre-trip inspections are very important in this career. They protect not only you, but everyone else on the road. Always always always perform a pre-trip before taking off — it could literally mean the difference between life and death.