“A CDL is a good thing to have. It would make it so I can go for other jobs. My friend Eddie went through truck driving school over in Hurley and he passed (his CDL exam) and he’s already working for the landfill driving a truck around town.”

The Silver City unemployment office is working with laid off miners and helping them find jobs by first getting them into a training program.  Among other educations, truck driver training schools have helped quite a few minors stay in the community by driving for local companies as well as government run organizations like the forest service.

Truck driving gives people the ability to drive local and also to drive all acroos the country. Over the road trucking jobs and local jobs all start with training. The better the training you get, the safer the driver you will be in your new career.

This article really brought home the fact that truck driving jobs are out there and getting a job as a cdl truck driver is a possibility in this economy.  If you are interested in a truck driving school, go to http://www.GoToTruckDrivingSchool.com and see what is there for you.  It might be a great new job for you that is hard work, but also a way to see the country and give you flexibility that most jobs do not give.

The original Silver City Sun News article can be found at: http://www.scsun-news.com/ci_14403293

Basically, these military heroes were looking for “normal work”. What was at the expo was mostly military like jobs with guns and the possibility of shooting and killing people. Many of the applicants were disappointed in the jobs available and one even stated that he would rather be a janitor than to go back to that kind of lifestyle.

One quote from the article was interesting:

“A lot of students from the military contact us because they finally have some money to go to school with,” said Billijo Brown, assistant director of admissions for The Art Institute of California in San Francisco. “They want to be able to use it to do something they love.”

For Veterans that are looking for a more flexible career, truck driving might be a good route to go. Truck Driving Schools are a great way to start a new life in a non-military job. One school that I know of that would be a great fit for military heroes is the CR England Truck Driving School. It is the top refrigerated trucking company in the country. And, once you graduate, you have a job. If there is no funding for schooling, CR England will give you a loan that you can have slowly taken out of your check once you have graduated from truck driving school and are working for CR England Trucking. They have a great school and curriculum that prepares you well for the road. Check it out and see if it works for you at http://www.GoToTruckDrivingSchool.com .

http://www.insidebayarea.com/sanmateocountytimes/localnews/ci_14429687

So, here a few questions I learned to ask that sent me that got me into a good school:

1. Ask around – Remember, don’t ask drivers with a bad attitude.  Ask drivers with a positive outlook instead.  Otherwise, you usually will only get negative feedback and won’t get a real reading of the truck driving school.
2. Create a list of questions – When you go online or call these schools to get information, ask or find the same questions for each school.  This way you will get a sense of the better schools when comparing notes.  Important questions to ask include:
   1. i.      Age of equipment, if the trucks are older, maybe the school isn’t up to date on the curriculum either.
   2. ii.      How many weeks training?
   3. iii.      Is the school licensed?
   4. iv.      Payment schedule on loan if received.
   5. v.      Cost of schooling.
   6. vi.      Is there a job for me when I graduate, and if not, do companies come in and recruit?
   7. vii.      Ask why this school is better than other schools.
3. Age of the School – Credibility comes from experience.  The older the school, chances are the curriculum is improved on experience.
4. What is your gut feeling of the school? – Follow your instincts.  When you have gathered all the information for all of these schools what does your gut tell you?

A lot of students choose C.R. England trucking school because the equipment is new, and because the compnay is stable. They’ve been around for years and best yet. If you or a friend is looking for a good truck driving school, add CR England to your list and check out our website.

The fine is steep at $2,750 under a civil and criminal penalty.  Large enough to grab drivers attention.  The fine will definitely distract commercial drivers from text messaging while driving.

Anne Ferro, the Administrator for the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA), made it clear that this new regulation will avert unsafe behavior inside the cab and that the text messaging ban is under the FMCSA regulations umbrella.

FMCSA’s past research proves that drivers take their eyes off the road 4.6 seconds for every 6 seconds of text messaging.  In mileage, that’s a football field!  And those who text more than 20 times a day while driving, are 20 times more likely to create an accident than those who do not.  The statistics explains why actions were taken for banning text messaging while driving.

For those who would like to read the new text-messaging ban, it will be in print 1/27/10 in the Federal Register.  To follow the U.S. Dept. of Transportation progression to fight against drivers distracted while on the road, go to www.distraction.gov.  They have an aggressive agenda that will be an exciting piece of history to follow.

For starters you should make a list of questions you have before you start your search. Next see if you can make a list of truck schools that have a good reputation.  Most likely a company with a long-standing reputation will offer the best training in the field. When contacting these schools, ask the questions from your list and make sure they give you the education you need.  Take a look at the following list and add these questions to your list before you start your search.

1. What is the classroom curriculum?  Be sure that driver safety, commercial transportation rules and regulations, and the driving basics are taught.
2. How many hours driving are required in the course?  Make sure this does not include sitting in the passenger seat!  You need plenty of experience driving and handling a big rig.
3. Find out the type of equipment used at the truck school.  They should be comparable to what you will be driving in a career.  Stay clear of automatic transmissions and older models that are no longer used by companies.
4. Does the school offer job placements?  Those schools owned by truck driving companies are more likely to guarantee you a job.  If the school is privately owned, see what their percentage of job placement is before committing to the school. Ask about their relationships with other trucking companies.
5. What are the costs?  Is there a financial aid program?  How about tuition reimbursement?  A truck driving school may have a completely different fee schedule than another one. Costs can range widely from $1,500 up to $7,000.

We hope this information is helpful to you. Our truck school program is currently enrolling students. If you’re interested in getting started please visit CREngland.com.

Authored by: Dave Ferrara a.k.a. BIGrigdave