As I stated earlier, in 1992 I became an over-the-road truck driver. In the fall of that year, my father passed away. When you're driving down the road in a big truck, you have the opportunity to do lots of thinking. One day, as I recall, my JD Truck Training Centre was out in the great northwest, Montana to be exact. Thinking of my past, my dad, and where I was, I started to create a poem. I call it This Great Land Of Ours.
Many of the better private schools will have a wide range of training including several weeks of practice at backing up the truck, classroom coverage of everything from log books to maps and routing to air brakes and vehicle inspection. They will also have several weeks of training out on the local roadways. Make sure they will give you the necessary training to get ALL of your endorsements including hazmat, tankers, doubles and triples, and people (buses). Make sure you get ALL of these. It only requires a very short written test and can also severely limit your job opportunities if you leave them out.
To begin, when choosing a Truck driving school which is right for you, try to get feedback from current or former students. Since they already have experience with the academic institution, they're your best eyes and ears, so to speak. If you're investigation brings about positive feedback, you're ready to move on in the process.
For example Chicago is a big city to get through. From 6:00 am in the morning to about 8:00 pm at night you will have a lot of traffic. 3:00 pm rush hour begins and doesn't settle down until 8:00 pm; most big cities are like this. If you are going to be going through at rush hour you're best bet is to wait at a truck stop for a few hours and take a nap.
First step is before changing lanes in a HR Truck Licence plan ahead. You do this by knowing whats around you. You are using your mirrors and checking blind spots. If there was a car right behind you and he is not there take a second look at your blind spot because he just might be sitting there next to you.
For me making money was the bottom line and truck driving school I was ready to sacrifice anything. Big money in big trucks sounded good and I wasn't gonna stop until I got on the road to change my life.
With this list you should be armed with great information. Many truck driving school students fall into the hands of low quality trucking schools. Almost every time the students' story matches up with one of the items above. If you are looking into the driving profession avoid the truck driving schools that match up the list above.