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October is the favorite month of the year for many people. The leaves begin to change color, the air becomes crisp, and warm drinks, pies, and soups fill kitchens across the U.S. However, for many people October comes with a very different meaning. October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In the U.S., 1 in 8 women will be de diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, and October can bring back unfortunate memories for many. Therefore, this October let's learn how we can support those around us.

1. Wear Pink - Pink ribbons, pink shirts or even pink hair can help show your support for those both currently battling breast cancer and those who have beat it. You never know who could see your that small ribbon and feel supported.
2. Donate - There are many different organizations that are dedicated to improving the statistics for breast cancer. Even donating $5 this October can truly help the advancement of treatments and supportive services for patients.
3. Exercise for a Cause - Local charities and organizations develop runs and walks to support breast cancer. Chances are your town or city has one already scheduled for October. This is a great way to get the whole family involved. Take a minute to check your city's local event calendar to see if you can participate.
4. Learn and Share - One of the most important ways we can show our support is by learning the statistics related to breast cancer and how it affects those around us. The next step is to share these facts with other friends and family. If we spread the facts, we spread awareness.

Are you ready to show your support? Advanced Career Institute is showing our support too. During the month of October, the Bither Family will donate $10 for every student who enrolls at Advanced Career Institute. Additionally, if you become a graduate of ACI this month you will receive this free breast cancer awareness hat to show your support on the road. Give us a call today if you are interested in joining our list of graduates and supporting breast cancer at the same time!

Career changes and job advances happen to everyone, no matter what industry you are in. Trucking is no different. Maybe the trucking industry is calling you back home. Even if you've been out of the trucking business for a while, we can help restart your career with a CDL Refresher Course. ACI can update your skills and make sure you are confident enough to get back behind the wheel.  Check out the reasons you should enroll in a CDL Refresher Course.

Tailored to You

Our CDL Refresher Course can be tailored to fit your individual needs. We understand that everyone may have different skill levels and therefore needs a specific course structure. Our refresher course is 3-weeks long and is behind-the-wheel-only. It is designed for students who already hold a California or Nevada CDL permit but have little to no experience behind the wheel of a commercial vehicle.

Short Time Commitment

We know that you have already been through extensive training when you first obtained your CDL. Here at ACI, the purpose of our CDL Refresher Course is to help update your knowledge and experience behind the wheel. That is why our course will be a maximum of 3 weeks to get you back on the road.

Location Options

The ACI CDL Refresher Course is available at all five of our locations: Visalia, Fresno, Merced, Bakersfield, and Las Vegas campuses. Therefore, you can find an option that works best for you and your schedule.

Feel Confident

All of our CDL refresher course is designed to help students feel prepared to take the behind-the-wheel CDL exam. There is no shame in asking for a little bit of help. ACI is here to fit your needs and help you fulfill or get back to your career goals. Contact us today to get back behind the wheel in a short amount of time.

It's back to school time for families across the country and it can be back to school for you too! There is no better time to hit the books again. While your kids are trying to move on to the next grade level, you will be moving on to your next career!  At Advanced Career Institute (ACI), you can take the first step to a new career in trucking or welding. Still not sure? Check out our list of great reasons to start your training today!

• Short Training Time - At ACI, our goal is to get you trained and out in the workforce in a time frame that gets you earning the money you deserve quickly. If you go back to school with ACI, you'll be off to the workforce in 4 weeks for trucking and 38 weeks for welding.
• Job Placement- Going back to school can be scary because of the uncertainty of career placement once you graduate. However, ACI takes care of this worry for you! ACI offers job placement assistance that includes helping your job search, practice for interviews, and spruce up your resume.
• Jobs In Demand - Currently, the trucking industry is one of the most in-demand career paths on the market today. This means jobs are just around the corner for you once your training is complete. Additionally, as a new school year starts, opportunities for school bus drivers will also emerge.
• Tuition Assitance Available - If you go back to school with ACI, you have the possibility to be eligible for financial aid assistance. This assistance can help pay for your training and possibly take away the stress of tuition for you and your family.
• Inspire Your Children- Children look up to and admire their parents. If they see mom and dad are working hard in school, it can encourage your children to do their best in school too!  This can turn into wonderful bonding time.

Back to school season is here! Enroll in a trucking or welding course and start on a path to a rewarding career. Giving yourself a great career can help to provide for your family so that they can succeed too. Contact us today to learn how to get started!

During truck driver training, one of the important topics that you’ll learn about is the HOS Rules, or Hours-of-Service regulations. These are rules that every driver must follow once they receive their CDL. These hours of service refer to the duration for which someone can safely drive, the frequency of required breaks, and the structure of those break periods. During your training, you’ll learn not only the details of these rules, but also why they’re so important.

What are the HOS Rules?

The Hour-of-Service rules were created almost 90 years ago by an organization called the Interstate Commerce Commission. Lawmakers developed these rules to create a better work environment for professional truck drivers and others on the road. The goal of the HOS rules was to manage concerns about public safety on the road. Over the years, they’ve evolved into a list of rules for professional truck drivers to work, take breaks, and create a safer behind-the-wheel experience. This includes short-haul exceptions, adverse driving condition exceptions, break requirements, and sleeper berth provisions. Let’s talk about what each of those means.

Short-Haul Exception

The short-haul exception is the radius of nautical miles in which a driver can travel without needing to keep a detailed log. This was put in place to make it easier for drivers who operate within a limited radius, as well as to relieve administrative burden. Scenario Marc works for a local grocery store to deliver goods from a warehouse to the stores nearby. Since the trips are within a 100-mile radius, the driver can return home each night, and they don’t need a detailed logbook for their trips. Due to the short distance, Marc complies with the short-haul exception.

Adverse Driving Conditions Exception

This particular exception refers to instances of unforeseen road hazards or weather conditions. The adverse driving conditions exception gives drivers an additional two hours when they face delays. Whether it’s a summer storm or accumulating snow, drivers have the flexibility to safely reach their destination or stopping point when they’re met with unexpected circumstances. Scenario Maria is hauling produce from Fresno to Nevada. While traveling to her destination, a snowstorm hits Donner Pass in the Sierra Nevada mountains, bringing traffic to a stop. Maria would normally run out of driving time; however, the Adverse Driving Conditions Exception gives her an extra two hours to safely reach a rest area during hazardous weather.

Break Requirements

Like with any other career, taking breaks is a requirement to prevent burnout. The break requirements for professional truck drivers state that they need to take at least 30 minutes of downtime after 8 hours of driving. This allows truck drivers a period of time where the driver is on-duty but not driving to qualify as the required break. The flexibility provided by these break requirements allows truck drivers, as well as others on the road, to travel the roads safely. Scenario Victor has been driving for 8 hours, delivering a cargo from Bakersfield to Phoenix, before he pulls into a truck stop. He decides to stretch his legs, grab a meal, and make calls to home during his 30-minute break. This helps Victor prevent fatigue and allows him time to rest before continuing his remaining drive. This break requirement also allows him to remain in compliance with his Hours of Service Rules.

Sleeper Berth Provisions

The sleeper berth, a dedicated sleeping space in the cab of a commercial truck, has been an important addition to the truck driver's amenities over the years. This rule allows drivers to split their off-duty time between the sleeper berth and outside the truck. This is generally split their time by spending 8 hours in the berth and 2 hours outside, or 7 hours in the berth and 3 hours outside. This gives the driver more freedom with their downtime. Scenario Ashley and Johnathon, a married couple who are also team drivers, are moving freight from Florida to Louisiana. During the delivery, Ashley takes the wheel while Johnathon rests in the sleeper berth. This allows them to split their off-duty time – Johnathon can log 7 hours in the sleeper, followed by 3 hours outside of the truck at a rest area. This allows them to flexibly split their time to keep freight moving while they both remain compliant and well-rested.

Why do the HOS Rules Matter to New Truck Drivers?

As mentioned previously in the blog, the HOS rules were built into the truck driving profession to ensure safety. Whether it’s the well-being of the driver or the others on the road, ensuring that there are regulations to make the roads safer is a high priority. Creating these regulations that have drivers taking frequent breaks is a big part of highway safety. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration, or FMCSA, strives to eliminate as many fatigue-related accidents as possible, which is why these rules are in place. They were also put in place due to the ever-evolving workplace expectations. The Department of Transportation has worked to ensure that professional truck drivers experience flexibility with their careers. Allowing drivers ample opportunity to take their once-a-week 34-hour break has allowed them to fully reset their schedule. Technological advancements have also impacted the truck driving industry’s regulations. With the adoption of electronic logging devices, or ELDs, drivers were able to automatically track their hours of service. This includes their time driving, ensuring they remain compliant with these regulations. To learn more about ELDs and the rules surrounding them, this FMCSA article can answer your questions. Regulators have expanded truck drivers' flexibility over almost 90 years of evolving rules. Creating regulations to allow for longer breaks, as well as the ability to divide breaks between in-cab and off-duty time, has given truck drivers more freedom. At Advanced Career Institute, we focus on training qualified CDL drivers who are employable and safe. The truck driving industry is a high-demand industry, and these Hours of Service rules have become part of the job over the years. If you think that the life of a truck driver is for you, let us help you take the first step!

A truck driver's job is to drive, right? Obviously, driving the truck is the biggest responsibility, but it is certainly not where the job ends. As a truck driver you need to take on several additional responsibilities in order to be successful. Here are five of the most important duties that a truck driver has on top of driving:

1. Know the rules:  As a truck driver you need to know and abide by the rules of being on the road. For example, your hours of service rules, traffic laws and how they may vary by state.
2. Know proper procedures: You need to know unloading and loading procedures, how much weight your rig can handle, etc. What are the procedures if you get involved in an accident? Take time to understand these before hopping on the road.
3. Know your equipment: You need to keep your equipment in good repair. While major repairs are handled by maintenance or a mechanic, truck drivers need to do basic, routine stuff like keeping the truck clean, inspection before and after any trip, checking your oil, etc. It's also your responsibility to note anything that needs to be repaired.
4. Become a planner: You need to be a good planner. Choosing the best route is up to you and can greatly impact your success as a truck driver. It helps to be familiar with GPS and other route planning technology. However, be careful to not become overly reliant on it. Even in this day and age map reading is a useful skill. You will need to plan alternative routes to get around traffic congestion, accidents, or weather-related problems in order to get your goods to the client on time.
5. Keep good records:  Although many modern trucks have black boxes that log certain things automatically, truck drivers need to be able to keep all of the required logs. You have to log break times, load and unload times, delivery instructions, etc. In many cases, it is the driver's responsibility to know what should be loaded onto the truck and make sure that the goods match what they are supposed to be.

Being a truck driver does involve long hours behind the wheel, but there are other skills you need to develop as well. Without these skills, you may not find the quick path to success that you were hoping. Take pride in being a truck driver and with that, take the time to perfect your skills. To find out more about getting the best training to prepare for this demanding job, contact Advanced Career Institute today.

Welding is an ancient trade. Our earliest known welded artifacts are gold boxes dating back to the Bronze Age, according to a publication by Miller Welds. Little changed for the trade for nearly two thousand years. From the skilled efforts of respected Viking blacksmiths who forged weapons and shod horses for their raiding trips, until the late eighteenth century, welding technology remained largely static. We didn't see significant changes in the trade until the early 1800s. Worldwide efforts and advancements during those few centuries changed the process swiftly.

The 1800s: Patents and Technology

Major developments in welding technology began in England. There, Edmund Davy discovered acetylene (C2H2) in 1836. Acetylene is a colorless gas used for both welding and metal cutting. The electric generator was an important part of machinery invented mid-century, and arc lighting became the popular method among welders. Gas welders and cutters were developed later in the century as well. Finally, arc welding with the carbon arc and metal arc was developed. Resistance welding (the joining of metals by applying pressure and passing electrical current) became the practical process. Carbon arc welding remained the popular welding method through the early 1900s. Meanwhile, in Detroit, C.L. Coffin was awarded the first U.S. patent for an arc welding process.

The Early 1900s: WWI & WW2

During the early 1900s, resistance welding processes were being developed such as seam welding, spot welding, and flash butt welding. Each process required tradesmen to garner new skills and technique. With these new skills came new opportunities, particularly for the military. The onset of World War I brought tremendous demand for weapons and armament. Welders were pressed into work as a commodity to take care of general machinery and ships. According to Welding History, the first all-welded hull vessel was the HMS Fulagar, of Great Britain. They go on to state, "because of a gas shortage in England during World War I, the use of electric arc welding to manufacture bombs, mines, and torpedoes became the primary fabrication method." Welders became highly prized tradesmen among the armed forces. In 1919, the American Welding Society was founded by 20 members of the Wartime Welding Committee of the Emergency Fleet Corporation, under the leadership of Comfort Avery Adams. That same year alternating current was invented. Stud welding was developed at the New York Navy Yard in 1930. This method quickly became popular among shipyards and construction sites. This method of welding still remains popular today. Around this time the submerged arc welding process took hold. It was developed by the National Tube Company and was designed to make the longitudinal seams in pipes, for a pipe yard in Pennsylvania. In the 1940s Gas Tungsten Arc Welding (GTAW) "was found to be useful for welding magnesium in fighter planes, and later found it could weld stainless steel and aluminum," buy Welding History. They go on to say, "the invention of GTAW was probably the most significant welding process developed specifically for the aircraft industry and remained so until recently, with the Friction Sir Weld process of the 1990s." Again, welders found themselves highly prized with the military. In 1948, The Ohio State University Board of Trustees established the Department of Welding Engineering as the first of its kind for a Welding Engineering curriculum at a University.

Today:

Laser welding would be welding's most recent advancement. Laser beam welding "is mainly used for joining components that need to be joined with high welding speeds, thin and small weld seams and low thermal distortion. The high welding speeds, an excellent automatic operation, and the possibility to control the quality online during the process, make laser welding a common joining method in the modern industrial production," according to Rofin. Laser welding is especially appropriate for modern delicate work, with applications in aerospace and IT. Welding has come a long way since the Bronze Ages. These highly skilled tradesmen and women are in great demand during both in the past and present. Exciting new advancements like laser welding keep the industry both exciting and relevant. To learn more about welding training, contact Advanced Career Institute.