Month: October 2019

A career in trucking can have great rewards financially for and individual and their family. However, paying for your training upfront can be difficult for some. This is where company-sponsored training or tuition reimbursement might a great option for you! But what is tuition reimbursement and how can you make it happen?

Learn how Company Sponsored Traning Works:

1. Tuition Reimbursement is a program where carriers will offer to pre-hire a student before they start their training. However, it is important to note; not all carriers offer programs like this. You will need to do your research beforehand.
2. The carrier can offer to either sponsor all or part of your training while in school. Then you will be asked to reimburse the carrier after your have completed your training and begin working for them. To join their team, however, you have to continue to meet all the requirements and maintain positive grades and relationships while in school.
3. After making an agreement with a carrier, you will be off to start your training at a CDL school. The school you choose will teach important behind-the-wheel and classroom skills before you get on the road. They are here to help you find success in your trucking career.
4. Now that you have successfully completed your CDL training, it is time for you to get started with the company you originally signed a contract with. They are still expecting you to work for them and put to use all of the knowledge you learned in CDL training. Do not let them down!

Does this sound like a great option for your CDL training? Company Sponsored Training is an excellent platform to learn your truck driving skills because you can achieve your career goals no matter your financial situation. Please contact us for more information and services regarding driver training.

The Department of Transportation (DOT) recently launched new Hours of Service (HOS) rules and paired with new Electronic Logging Device (ELD) rules, truckers have spent the last year attempting to manage their new schedules. The HOS rules are put in place for the safety of truck drivers and the other drivers they share the road with.  Understanding these rules can be difficult if you have never had to comply with them before. We are going to help break it down for you.

Who is Affected?

Essentially any interstate big rig driver must follow the new HOS rules, though a few exceptions have been made. For example, livestock transportation truckers do not need to comply because livestock needs to drink water and rest, and UPS has received an extension. UPS drivers don’t need to comply until 2022. Even Canadian and Mexican drivers must comply while driving on US roads.

HOS Rules Schedule

• Your day of driving begins after having a minimum of 10 hours off. You cannot sleep in your berth for 8 or 9 hours and drive. You must rest for 10 full hours before you drive.
• You must take a 30-minute break sometime during your 8 hours of driving.
• Once you drive 11 hours you must stop for a 10-hour break.
• The Reset Rule: Once you drive either 60 hours in 7 days, or 70 hours in 8 days, you must take a 34-hour restart. Think of it as a weekend.

What’s The Big Deal?

If you’re new to driving and you are learning with these HOS rules, it’s really not a bad deal. However, if you’ve been driving for 20 years, you may have a schedule that is no longer legal. Let’s consider the 10-hour rest for instance. How many people actually sleep for 10 hours straight at home? Per the Center for Disease Control (CDC) we know that Americans aren’t getting enough sleep in general already.

10 hours of rest every night all week long for either 7 or 8 days… that’s a lot of rest. Previously, commercial drivers could rest 8 or 9 hours and hit the road. For drivers that get paid by the mile, the HOS rules can also affect their paychecks. That’s 12 hours in a week they’re not driving anymore.

At United Truck Driving School our job is creating qualified, professional drivers who understand the most current trucking laws. If you’d like to learn more about CDL licensing & commercial trucking as a career contact us.

It’s that time of year! College Football season shifts many American’s focus to the field during Fall. You may not have known, but College Football shifts some truckers’ focus from the road to the field as well. College football has become a big business in the world of sports. The game has become something of a show in addition to a contest, and when it’s time for that show to go on the road, just about every team has a semi-truck that goes with them. Let’s take a unique look at college football from a very different perspective.

The Dream Job

Johnny Harris was originally featured on overdriveonline.com and drives for the Arkansas State University football team. Harris has a normal trucking schedule throughout the week but has the opportunity to drive for the team whenever they take their games on the road. Harris, like other NCAA college team drivers, carries all the equipment the team uses; helmets, pads, exercise equipment, etc. These drivers definitely get to see a different side of college football than the rest of us. Their job is indeed a dream for any driver that also considers themselves a fan of college football!

Pride of the Trailer

One visit to the Twitter feed for NCAA FOOTBALL TRUCKS and you’ll see some of the coolest, most detailed trucks on the road! Driving for a college football team is unlike any other truck you might step into. These trucks are designed to be big, intimidating and a point of pride for fans and their teams. If you pass one on the road, they certainly won’t blend in with the others on the road. These team trucks are meant to stick out like a sore thumb!

The Road Trip

Tim Newcomb discusses the University of Washington’s process for getting everything the team needs for their away games on Popular Mechanics. Multiple trunks hold everything from cleats to pads that are organized and packed into the truck. Short trips can be made by a single driver, but for longer trips, two drivers go to divide the trip between them. While the team may fly to certain destinations, the truck always hits the road. It is all a seamless operation.

NCAA college football has more going on behind the scenes than most people could imagine. The staff and logistics that go into moving the team from one location to another are astonishing. Behind every team, there is a hardworking trucker that helps get the team from point A to point B. Contact us if you’re interested in learning more about a career in the truck driving industry.