Mark Freeman Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 I am trying to change careers... after coaching for 15 years I have decided that I would like to be a truck driver... this should not be a surprise since I am from Ganado TX and all of the men i grew up with were Truck Drivers or worked in the oil field. I am looking forward to my new career and companies are ready to hire me here in Victoria... I took the A CDL passed I took the T endorsement and passed... I can no take the HAZMAT which I am ready to pass until I pass the DPS driving test... How the hell do I do this without a truck... Victoria College has a trucking degree and certifications but it's 4,000 for 3 days if i read the site right... or $300 for a school in Houston... Can anyone give me any leads of how to get the drivers test done without asking a personal friend to borrow his truck HE CAN NOT TRAIN ME UNTIL I HAVE MY A CLASS... Unless I'm wrong and my former B class is a real A now even without the driving test... I am highly confused pissed and need to know how to do this so I can get my HAZMAT while I have great companies still hiring... Or if you know of someone that will take me now and train me at their yard that would be great too... can send them my resume and references...markfreeman93@yahoo.comAnd if you can call and help me speed up the process that would be even better.Mark Freeman 512-909-2529 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/ Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted April 10, 2012 Share Posted April 10, 2012 Looks like a job for our one and only randyp. He's a tall Texan with loads of experience and a truck load of friends. Might pm him, he'll be glad to help you in the field.mike Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-113595 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norway Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Call back the Driving Schools and ask if they do private lessons. I went from my B to A for about $1600, 4 mornings at $400 each. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114420 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post randyp Posted April 15, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted April 15, 2012 I am trying to change careers... after coaching for 15 years I have decided that I would like to be a truck driver... this should not be a surprise since I am from Ganado TX and all of the men i grew up with were Truck Drivers or worked in the oil field. I am looking forward to my new career and companies are ready to hire me here in Victoria... I took the A CDL passed I took the T endorsement and passed... I can no take the HAZMAT which I am ready to pass until I pass the DPS driving test... How the hell do I do this without a truck... Victoria College has a trucking degree and certifications but it's 4,000 for 3 days if i read the site right... or $300 for a school in Houston... Can anyone give me any leads of how to get the drivers test done without asking a personal friend to borrow his truck HE CAN NOT TRAIN ME UNTIL I HAVE MY A CLASS... Unless I'm wrong and my former B class is a real A now even without the driving test... I am highly confused pissed and need to know how to do this so I can get my HAZMAT while I have great companies still hiring... Or if you know of someone that will take me now and train me at their yard that would be great too... can send them my resume and references...markfreeman93@yahoo.comAnd if you can call and help me speed up the process that would be even better.Mark Freeman 512-909-2529First of all, I sense a hint of "spam" here. Thank you for the flowers though Mike. Mr. Freeman,,,transportation technicians are not "made" in 3 or 4 days. There is a plethoria of situations to encounter on the road in this industry that cannot be learned from a book or video. Yes, you do have to satisfy all the legalities, pass tests,,etc.,,,but doing all those things wont make you an instant driver. Its kinda like me going to a coaching academic site and telling coaches I am tired of driving, I want to be a coach, gottta do it in 3 or 4 days, forget all other B.S. and just hand me the degree. Lives are at stake when you are operating large trucks, not just yours, but others. Anyways, all said and done, if trucking companies are so eager down there to hire, they will train you and provide you a truck to test in and satisfy all legalities. Believe me, They are very eager for you to be responsible and safe in their vehicles. Now dont get your feelings hurt, just slow down and think all this through. randyp 4 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114430 Share on other sites More sharing options...
twostickmutt Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 First of all, I sense a hint of "spam" here. Thank you for the flowers though Mike. Mr. Freeman,,,transportation technicians are not "made" in 3 or 4 days. There is a plethoria of situations to encounter on the road in this industry that cannot be learned from a book or video. Yes, you do have to satisfy all the legalities, pass tests,,etc.,,,but doing all those things wont make you an instant driver. Its kinda like me going to a coaching academic site and telling coaches I am tired of driving, I want to be a coach, gottta do it in 3 or 4 days, forget all other B.S. and just hand me the degree. Lives are at stake when you are operating large trucks, not just yours, but others. Anyways, all said and done, if trucking companies are so eager down there to hire, they will train you and provide you a truck to test in and satisfy all legalities. Believe me, They are very eager for you to be responsible and safe in their vehicles. Now dont get your feelings hurt, just slow down and think all this through. randypyou are so right randy. i've been driving trucks for 42 years and there isn't a day that goes by without me learning something new. the day i stop learning is time to crawl down out of the cab. 1 Quote and remember "PREFORMANCE COUNTS" Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114442 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frmconcrete09 Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 I couldn't have worded that any better myself ,Randy . And it is nothing but the truth ,we've actually hired a few guys that were in the process of getting their cdl's .. Yes we are nice people ...., and a couple of our trucks are still mad at us for it ! Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114464 Share on other sites More sharing options...
randyp Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Yeah, its scary when you think bout all the situations you been in that books and videos cant cover. It definitely is a daily learning process. I hope he doesnt think I was trying to shun him away from this bidness, I wasnt, He just dont need to think its something you just learn in a few days and take off with it. randyp Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114469 Share on other sites More sharing options...
vision386 Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Yeah, its scary when you think bout all the situations you been in that books and videos cant cover. It definitely is a daily learning process. I hope he doesnt think I was trying to shun him away from this bidness, I wasnt, He just dont need to think its something you just learn in a few days and take off with it. randypYou bees brighter'an' i gives you credit fo'!........................................Mark Quote Mack Truck literate. Computer illiterate. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114504 Share on other sites More sharing options...
vision386 Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 Different time and place i know,but i never went to "driving school" learned the old school way,i know that is'nt always possible in todays world,but if i was to teach someone from scratch how to run a truck,i would'nt be comfortable turning them loose on the world with much less than a years experience,and even then it would be "my way or the highway"...i don't fault anyone for trying to better their situation,but you CAN'T learn to drive a truck in three weeks from a book or video,it's imposible!...........................Mark Quote Mack Truck literate. Computer illiterate. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114507 Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavyGunner Posted April 15, 2012 Share Posted April 15, 2012 you CAN'T learn to drive a truck in three weeks from a book or video,it's imposible!...........................MarkAgreed, just like these dorks that go to a 6 month "Equipment Operators" school. Might learn how to check the fluids and service a few machines in 6 months but thats about it. Quote The problems we face today exist because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by the people who vote for a living.The government can only "give" someone what they first take from another. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114510 Share on other sites More sharing options...
gra511 Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I live in Victoria, Tx. Why don't you apply at Key services and train for free and get your hazmat training from them.? There are other oil field outfits in this area that will train you to drive for free.But nothing free comes without a cost. The oil field will work you into the ground and will make sweaty lockrooms suddendly look good. Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114513 Share on other sites More sharing options...
randyp Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Sounds like sound advice from a fellow victorian. randyp Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114515 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frmconcrete09 Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 Not to steal the thread but one of the guys we hired in this manner , was working on overtime and trying to pass a lime truck on a two lane going into a slight curve.. He got about 3/4 the way around him and there was another lime truck, then seen a car coming and tried to slide over in between the two.... he shot between them clipping the rear of the two and off into the ditch and overturned with 62000 pound coming for him through the back of the cab. He lived somehow.. Just scary s*(* . I told my boss just the other day.. Never again ... never again .... Hire experience it will pay for itself tenfold in the long run .. 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114701 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post other dog Posted April 16, 2012 Popular Post Share Posted April 16, 2012 Different time and place i know,but i never went to "driving school" learned the old school way,i know that is'nt always possible in todays world,but if i was to teach someone from scratch how to run a truck,i would'nt be comfortable turning them loose on the world with much less than a years experience,and even then it would be "my way or the highway"...i don't fault anyone for trying to better their situation,but you CAN'T learn to drive a truck in three weeks from a book or video,it's imposible!...........................MarkVery true. I learned the same way. Actually a lot of "trial and error" when I started too. Nothing against Mark Freeman, I wish you well, but there's a lot more to driving a truck than most people realize, just my opinion.Not on this site of course, but the general public has no earthly idea what it's like...none.I've been doing it a pretty good while too, and the job related stress is enormous but you can't let it get to you. Did you know the average life expectancy of truck drivers is way lower than for everybody else? Yeah. In the 80's I read where like 90% of truck drivers smoked, might be less now.You don't eat healthy, much as you try, and you never really get proper rest, even if the FMCSA folks say you do- you just don't.And you've still got to be proffessional even when the teenage girl on the cellphone cuts you off then gives you the middle finger because you were there.And when you're already tired but you've got to go because the customer's out of material and they'll have to shut the plant down if you're not there at 7:00 am the next morning. Then when you get there they have pallets of "the material" they were about to run out of stacked up to the ceiling-i've heard that one many times.And Bob's got to be professional when he has to chain up 13 times on a run...then do the same thing the next night...and the next. And Mark, when he has 13 stops in New York and New Jersey in all that traffic, 4 wheelers cutting in front of him, trying to pass on the left, right, underneath, over top, anyway they can. Oh wait- that's a bad example, he loves that stuff.Traffic is getting worse all the time, everywhere. Middle of the day now is like what rush hour used to be. All kinds of weather, traffic, a-holes in 4 wheelers, heavy traffic, mountains, traffic, the DOT, traffic, weigh stations, heavy traffic, securing and tarping flatbed loads, worrying about reefer temps, delivering to a grocery warehouse and having to unload your own trailer or pay someone else to do it after sitting the all evening and half the night, picking up at a steel mill and sitting all evening and half the night then hearing you've got to be 600 miles away by 7 am with that load or "they'll have to shut the plant down", leaving on a beautiful Sunday afternoon when everybody else is grilling a nice sirloin in the backyard- it all contributes to the stress of driving. 3 Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114719 Share on other sites More sharing options...
fauthpk Posted April 16, 2012 Share Posted April 16, 2012 I am not a truck driver.... Just respect the equipment and the men operating them. Drivers need to respect truck drivers a bit more. I am on the highway 3 hours a day and nothing upsets me more than a tractor trailer waiting for a signal frm another driver that it's safe to change lanes. First thing I did when I met my wife is taught he to flash (sorry guys) her lights when it was safe to go back into her lane. God Bless you all! Pete 1 Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114723 Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatcity Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 http://www.xtranorma...68909/drvers-edWith all this talk about driving school, I had to bring this out.Although aimed at a certain person, it applies to everyone.That person is still some other dog as he drives a penisbilt now 2 Quote Success is only a stones throw away.................................................................for a Palestinian Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114883 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Green Dash Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 I think I woke everyone up when I fell out of my chair!Great work, abso-friggin-lutely hilarious! :clap: :clap: Quote Jim Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114930 Share on other sites More sharing options...
Olivetroad Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 "Will you teach me that breaker breaker CB stuff too?"" I like reefer" " I take the piss test for you"That is some funny stuff ! Quote Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114980 Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavyGunner Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 http://www.xtranorma...68909/drvers-edWith all this talk about driving school, I had to bring this out.Although aimed at a certain person, it applies to everyone.That person is still some other dog as he drives a penisbilt nowLOL where do you find this stuff?? Great video, I might join to so I can learn the "Breaker breaker cb stuff" and get my chain drive truckers wallet that will look bad ass when I hop out of my freightshaker. Quote The problems we face today exist because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by the people who vote for a living.The government can only "give" someone what they first take from another. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114984 Share on other sites More sharing options...
hatcity Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 Did y'all watch the others? Quote Success is only a stones throw away.................................................................for a Palestinian Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114986 Share on other sites More sharing options...
HeavyGunner Posted April 18, 2012 Share Posted April 18, 2012 "you heard all of the stories about that randy fella and you believe him? I would stay away from that varmit" Quote The problems we face today exist because the people who work for a living are outnumbered by the people who vote for a living.The government can only "give" someone what they first take from another. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-114992 Share on other sites More sharing options...
other dog Posted April 21, 2012 Share Posted April 21, 2012 http://www.xtranorma...68909/drvers-edWith all this talk about driving school, I had to bring this out.Although aimed at a certain person, it applies to everyone.That person is still some other dog as he drives a penisbilt nowHe's not talking about me- unfortunately, I no longer get to drive a Peterbilt. Quote Producer of poorly photo-chopped pictures since 1999. Link to comment https://www.bigmacktrucks.com/topic/24426-i-need-help-quick-mack-drivers/#findComment-115434 Share on other sites More sharing options...
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