CAREER TRAINING RESOURCES

Helpful Information About Potential Welding Careers & Trucking Jobs

Check out this selection of articles below to learn more about career choices and how to prepare for in-demand job opportunities.

  • image of smiling driver standing in front of white semi truck

    What Makes A Good Truck Driver?

    There are many truck drivers out there — more than 2 million at last count. So how do you tell the good ones from the not so good ones? It’s not too difficult, as it turns out. While all truck drivers have certain strengths and weaknesses, the best drivers all share certain traits. Once you learn these qualities, work on mastering them, and they will serve you as a trucker like nothing else. Here are the 4 traits we believe make a good truck driver:

    Patience

    Whether you’re sitting in traffic or waiting for your truck to be unloaded, staying cool under pressure is important. Losing your head in rush-hour traffic, or an otherwise inopportune time, can spell disaster for you - and possibly for others.

    Time-Management Skills

    Knowing how to spend your time out on the road is a necessity. Pre-planning your route and staying on schedule will get you to your destination and back on time. Be sure to plan out when you are going to make stops before beginning your trip. If you have good time management, employers will be stepping on themselves to hire you.

    Discipline

    Sticking to your schedule and being disciplined is key. Be professional about when you do (or don’t) make stops. Try to multitask on those stops. Additionally, being able to successfully maneuver around traffic accidents will keep you chugging toward your destination. This also works for staying in position when the truck is leaving.

    Concentration

    Being on the road means spending a lot of time driving. This isn’t always the most exciting activity in the world. If you want to thrive as a trucker, it’s important to maintain that control as you are driving, and keep your mind from wandering too much. Did we miss anything you think is an important trait to have a truck driver? What trait or quality sets you apart from others? Share your comments with us (and other drivers!) on our Facebook page! Ready to take the next step towards a career in the truck driving industry? The right training makes all the difference. Learn how our ACI training programs can help you reach your career goals!
  • Image of a truck driver wearing a black jacket and hat standing in front of a white and green truck.

    Choosing the School That's Right For You [Part 2 of 4]

    You've put a lot of thought into it, and you’ve made your decision - you’re ready to begin trucking school. That's great! Now, your first step is choosing a CDL school. The number of schools to pick from depends on where you live. When you're looking at your options, there are different criteria to consider. The bottom line is you want attend a quality school that helps produce safe and successful truck drivers. Become the best driver you can be by taking your time and choosing the school that is best for you.

    Setting Up an Appointment

    One good way is meeting with a few schools in your area to learn more about them. At ACI, you'll first set up an appointment with one of our school Admissions Representatives who will answer any questions you have about enrollment and tuition assistance. You'll also receive a tour of any of our three campuses. Another way is to join in on the conversations on Facebook, and talk with students and graduates to learn about their ACI experience. Once you’ve chosen a school, you can begin the real work. The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) requires drivers to meet certain health and wellness standards in order to drive a truck. Most importantly, before you can pursue a Commercial Driver’s License (CDL), you must pass a medical exam. The Admissions Representatives at ACI can help you find the appropriate medical facility so you can get the required Driver’s DOT Medical Examination Card. They'll also go over the entire enrollment process, including finding and applying for appropriate student loans, or help you identify appropriate grants you can use.

    Beginning the Enrollment Process

    Keep in mind there are certain factors* that play a huge role in qualifying for CDL training. Students are required to complete a drug test with a negative result upon enrollment. They are also subject to random drug and alcohol testing in accordance with DOT regulations. Additionally, students are asked the following specific questions prior to enrollment in any of our CDL training programs:
    • Do you have any moving violations or vehicular accident(s) in the last 3 years?
    • Do you have any tickets pending?
    • Have you ever had your drivers license suspended/revoked, or are there any restrictions on your license?
    • Have you ever been convicted of a DWI, DUI, or careless driving?
    • Do you have any Alcohol or Drug violations?
    Truck driving is a job that requires trust. Employers cannot fully trust drivers who have a record of traffic infractions. Your reputation will precede you, so make sure you have a good one. So, take your time and look at your options to determine the school that's right for you. Doing a bit of research will go a long way in your career training.

    Learn More About ACI

    If you're ready to take the next step towards a career in the truck driving industry, the right training makes all the difference. Learn how ACI can help you reach your career goals! Fill out the form you see on this page, or give us a call at 1-877-649-9614. If you'd like more information on the Truck Driver CDL Training Programs available at Advanced Career Institute, please contact us or visit www.advanced.edu/programs *Advanced Career Institute is an Equal Opportunity Educational institution and does not discriminate in the recruitment and admission of students with respect to race, color, creed, sex, age, handicap, disability, national origin, or any other legally protected characteristic. Applicants should be aware, however, that there are U.S. Department of Transportation physical requirements that must be met for admission into any of our Transportation programs. More information can be obtained from the Admission’s department or by reviewing our School Catalog and Handbook here. Other Articles in This Series: Your Guide to Becoming a Commercial Truck Driver Part 1: Is Truck Driving Right For Me? Part 3. CDL Training Part 4: CDL Endorsements
  • Image of two ACI Fresno welding students working together to weld two metal parts together in class.

    A Closer Look at Our Welding Classes

    Our Fresno welding students just completed a fabrication project for our campus in Fresno. A lot of hard work went into making these benches! We are always proud when our students accomplish great things. We are especially excited to be able to show these off to those that visit or attend our school! An image of a bench that ACI Fresno welding students welded together for a class project. An image of the bench welding project that ACI Fresno welding students recently completed.
  • Image of a woman truck driver sitting in her truck, looking out the driver's side window, smiling.

    Activities to Do in Your Free Time

    A main struggle for truck drivers is finding things to do during your down time while on the road. Everything is fine and dandy for most truck drivers when you're actually driving. However, it is when you aren't driving that things start to get a little boring. Limits to driving hours are necessary, but the extra time it gives you isn’t necessarily your friend. Boredom can set in really quickly, and you need to do more than simply sleep to pass the time. During your travels, you won't always be familiar with your surroundings. And even if you are, you can't exactly take off and drive to the movie theater in your truck. So, what’s a lonely driver to do? Hunker down in your sleeper? Luckily for you there are a lot of options.

    Sleep

    How about simple sleep? It’s important to have hobbies, but don’t let it dominate your rack time. Getting plenty of rest is vital.

    Entertainment

    Of course, you have the old standbys: reading and writing or some sort of hobby. These are all tremendous ways to pass the time, and can be educational for you as well. Many truck drivers bring DVD and blu ray discs or stream movies from services like Netflix or Amazon. The Internet gives you almost unlimited access to video and television on demand, depending on your programming provider.

    Exercise

    Have you considered getting out of the truck and getting a little exercise? While you should take caution where you run depending on the availability of safe areas, you can get some fresh air and exercise outside of the truck. You can invest in a mat to keep in the truck if you want to do calisthenics right outside of the truck, or you can go for a jog.

    Online Games

    Some drivers are gamers, and this can be a fun way to pass the time (and stay social via Internet connections), but you have to be careful to resist the urge to stay up all night playing. Also, you may run into bandwidth issues even if you can find a solid WiFi connection, as some free WiFi connections limit how much you can use (and gaming takes a ton, comparatively speaking).

    Become a Tourist

    If you want to plan your trip out a bit more, you can always try stopping around destinations and do a little exploring. This can certainly be more difficult to plot out, but can be fun and rewarding if you do it right. Whatever you do, keeping yourself entertained while on the road is vital to your success as a truck driver. The old expression goes “all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy,” and so too can it make truck driving a dull profession if you don’t take care. Keep things fun!
  • graphic of different health-related words

    Which Meals and Snacks Are Best for Your Health?

    A big part of staying healthy for truck drivers is establishing and maintaining good eating habits. But when you're in the trucking profession, where the more time you spend sitting most likely means more money in your wallet, it is easy to forget about this vital part of life. Unfortunately, too many people wait to make a healthy lifestyle a priority until it is too late. We understand that a lot of drivers are just unsure of how to properly eat healthy while living a lifestyle on the road. Relying on trips to diners, fast food, and convenience stores as the best options for food can be challenging. But a little good planning and knowledge can go a long way toward your health.

    Healthy Meals

    Being away from home and having a strict schedule can tempt you to eat fast foods. The life of a trucker is often filled with burgers and fries, steaks and butter, and sour cream and coffee and soda. This is far from the healthiest meals you could be eating. Fast food is high in fat and full of empty calories, which provides no health benefits to you. Many people find they lose 5-10 lbs. in a month or so just by eliminating soda from their diets. A better choice is to set aside time and money to eat in a healthy and responsible way. We know that while when you’re on the road in rural areas looking to eat, options can be somewhat limited, that doesn’t mean you can’t exercise good food judgment and find something healthy to dine on. When dining in restaurants, many people looking for healthy options immediately think “salad.” This can certainly be a misnomer and certainly not always true. For example, a fried chicken salad can have cheeses, fatty dressings, and other high-calorie foods included in them, leaving them not much healthier than a burger and fries. For example, let’s choose a popular restaurant chain—Chili’s. If you order a plate of their boneless buffalo wings, you’re consuming 1,090 calories. The boneless buffalo chicken salad? 1,040 calories. The Caribbean salad with grilled chicken? 720. The Quesadilla Explosion salad will set you back 1,430 calories. Even their grilled chicken sandwich has over 1,000 calories. It’s more important to be creative: look for grilled chicken and fish as a staple of your restaurant dining. Look for vegetables and fruits, and maybe rice instead of fries. Also, drink water instead of soda. Soda is empty calories, and just 3 or 4 per day can add hundreds of calories to your daily intake. For example, Chili's lighter choices feature steaks, salads, and chicken platters, with Ancho Salmon being the most calorie-rich with 600. Most of those dishes are about half the calories of the above dishes. Just being aware and making the right decision can make a big difference.

    Snacking right

    When you’re fueling your rig, you pick a few choice items from the station’s store, right? Beef jerky, potato chips, candy bars? It’s no secret these are mostly empty calories, and while they taste good, they also have almost no nutritional value whatsoever. What is a better option? A small cooler filled with fresh fruit and vegetables. Cut up apples or celery and a little peanut butter. Raisins or dried cranberries. Trail mix, peanuts, or almonds. Stash a few bottles of water in there as well. Of course there is limited space in your trunk, and things like ice need to be replenished on a regular basis. But a small cooler doesn’t take up that much space, and compared to paying convenience store prices, you may be saving yourself a lot money and calories along the way.  With these few changes in mind, what is the best way to get started?

    Find Time for Exercise

    Even if you can’t go 30 minutes a day on the treadmill, you can still squeeze in some stretches and a little cardio if you know what you’re doing. If you’re in a place where you can’t go for a jog, run in place for a few minutes, or jog laps around the truck stop. Do some jumping jacks or buy a jump rope. Find some time to do some stretches when you wake up and before you go to bed. Start slow, doing only what you can do, then work up. Set goals and push yourself a little more each day as you get stronger.

    Do your Homework

    First, do a little research. There are websites devoted to maintaining the health of truck drivers that can offer excellent tips on staying healthy on the road. These sites are often developed by truck drivers and can provide you guidance on all aspects of staying healthy on the road. Next, make a plan. It is much easier to make a change in your life if you have a plan to stick to. Spend some time to write down a schedule, shop for healthy snacks or plan out meals along your route.

    Why all this emphasis on health?

    You’re driving a truck, not becoming a professional athlete, right? That is true, but driving a truck is a physical job that requires people who need to be high functioning. When you are a truck driver, there are dangers to putting on weight beyond heart disease, diabetes, and hypertension. When you are carrying extra weight, you are prone to sleep apnea and fatigue. That can spell trouble when you are driving on long, dull stretches of highway, which can make you more likely to fall asleep behind the wheel. Also, over time that extra weight can lead to those other issues. Unhealthy truck drivers are prone to ailments that cause problems in their extremities, particularly the feet and legs, which can make driving uncomfortable, and later, can cause you severe pain. As you get older, it may become increasingly difficult to impossible to do your job. Your health is ultimately your own business, but if you want to remain healthy, follow some of these steps and take precautions. The key is to eat less high-fat, high-calorie fare, and more natural fresh fruits and vegetables. By simply making wise eating decisions, you can stay healthier and have a longer, more productive, more enjoyable career.
  • image of person in library working at a laptop

    Questions and Answers from the Trucking Community

    Welcome to the Message Board. This page is a collection of messages posted by drivers in the trucking community, who have shared Questions and Answers on trucking forums across the internet. Updated regularly, please check back often. “Moving from driver to O/O [Owner/Operator] is more business sense than it is driver skill. Go talk to S.C.O.R.E or the local office listed at the bottom of this page. Microloan Program | The U.S. Small Business Administration | SBA.gov The folks in the "Participating Intermediary Microlenders Report" link They will work with you to help figure out how to get into a truck etc, write a business plan (it can be as simple as a napkin or more complicated). Financial statements etc. In short, they will give you a quick lesson in business management.” --User “mndriver,” offering advice (and reference links) to a driver with five years of Class A experience who is asking for advice on starting his own trucking company, at Truckers Forum.net.
      “Read everything. Speed limits, restrictions, routing instructions, Bill of landings, owner’s manual to your truck, messages from dispatch, I mean everything…it’s usually al there somewhere.” --Oldman49, responding to a user requesting advice on making their trucking career as smooth as possible, on a thread at The Truckers Report.
    “1. Keep paper towels on the truck 2. Keep wet wipes on the truck 3. Keep some canned food on the truck 4. Keep some water / soft drinks on the truck 5. On hot days offer water/soft drinks to the guards or unloader/loader. You may get better treatment (especially if you have their favorite.) 6. Expect everyone in front of you to do something stupid and plan accordingly. 7. Don't be lax in your duty, but don't stress either 8. Promptly get your paperwork in 9. Present a professional image to the customer (you represent your company.) 10. Practice trip planning every day.” --Forum user “Salad,” in response to the thread “Any tips for a new driver?” on The Truckers Report,
    I want to be a trucker driver because..... It's time for me to do something I've always wanted to do. I've worked good jobs that I hated for all of my married life. It served me and my family well, and I was happy to do it, and have always been proud of the life my wife and kids enjoyed because I worked hard, even if I didn't like the work. But I've always wanted to drive long haul OTR, it's just that married life and two beautiful children sort of put that choice on hold. But those responsibilities have ended and now I can work at something that I think will suite [sic] me well. I enjoy the solitude of the road, while I wouldn't say I'm loner. I've always strived to have a minimal lifestyle. For me simple was always better. I'm going to enjoy not being in the same place every day, even if it looks the same (if you've seen 1 truck stop....) --User “BeanDip,” responding to a thread asking “Why do you want to be a truck driver?”
    “You are going to need a year of driving, to just adapt to the lifestyle. Also, to develop your driving skills, and work relationship with your dispatcher, and learning how your company does business. None of this comes quickly, and your attitude is being closely watched. Remember...you are responsible for much of the business success or failure. Tremendous amount of money goes into that rig, freight, and contract with the client....and you are the backbone of it all.” User “Roadhog,” in a thread titled “The Driver and The Employer, Basic Job Hunting Skills,” on the Class A Drivers Message Board.
    “Hello guys its been a week since I graduated cdl school, and I have already been offered a job…with a local milk delivery company driving Class B trucks (I have my Class A). I start tomorrow morning. For all the people asking if it’s possible to find a local job with no experience its possible you just have to put in some work. I…found out these companies’ contact information and office location and either called or just showed up with a simple resume and told them I’m looking for a Class A or B driving position and was straightforward about being straight outta CDL school (with) no experience I…went to a CDL staffing agency, where I was told that I would need at least a year experience and no one would hire me local I would need to go OTR. If you want a local job without experience, go out there and get it. Don’t just call or put an application in online, go down to the company and tell ‘em you want to work for them (they love this kind of initiative). Bring a resume with you, bring a copy of your driving abstract cdl & medical card.” --User “RedTheTrucker,” on the post “How to Find a Local Job with No Experience??” at The Truckers Report.
    “Holding a CDL has made me a substantially better driver. Its corrected a lot of bad habits I never realized I had. I've acquired a lot of patience and no longer feel the need to speed in my car... I no longer feel the need to tailgate... I've garnered a great deal of tolerance for traffic... I love having the ability to decipher when a car or truck is about to do something stupid. I also read every single sign on the road now out of habit. My CDL has turned me from a decent driver to a professional driver.” --User “KiLLaZiLLa93,” responding to the question “Has your CDL made you a better driver?” on The Truckers Report.
    “If it were me, would stay there another 6 months. Looks better on your home loan application also that you’re not a job hopper.” --User Chinatown, in response to a user who asked for advice on leaving his first trucking job six months after earning his CDL, at The Truckers Report.
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