CAREER TRAINING RESOURCES

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.

Career Training or Community College? Which is the right choice for you? These are big questions and can determine your career path. Let's go over the main points of each.

Career Training (such as Welding School)

• Goal: To earn a certificate, diploma, the opportunity to take a licensing exam or an apprenticeship/work as a journeyman
• Training is specific to the career path, no general education courses required
• Focused on hands-on learning
• Smaller class sizes
• Up to date with current field technology
• Most trade school certificates can be obtained in under 2 years
• Over 50% can be held in under 12 months
• Trade school costs about ¼ the average 4-year degree

Community College

• Goal: To earn an associate degree, possibly transfer to a 4-year university
• More educational preparation required
• General education coursework required (Math, English, History, Science, etc)
• Mostly classroom or lecture classes, possibly some hands-on depending on the field
• Usually compatible with a 4-year degree program
• Minimum time to complete: 2 years
• Community College costs less than half the average 4-year degree

Selecting Your Best Option

To summarize, a trade school, like welding, is for someone who is sure of their desired career path. They also learn best by doing and wanting to join the workforce quickly. On the other hand, a community college is ideal for someone who wants to try out several different fields before choosing one. This person also needs to be good at learning in a classroom setting and should be able to devote 2 years to education. You may wonder what kind of salary you can look forward to with each of these options. While it is true that someone with a bachelor's degree will generally, throughout their lifetime, out-earn someone with a trade certificate, it really matters more what career path you want to follow. Certain professions will be served better by earning a 2- or 4-year degree, while others are best suited to a trade school education. When you're ready to discuss your next career steps, contact Advanced Career Institute. We'd be happy to help you decide if our courses are your perfect fit. Contact us today to learn more about our Welding and CDL training!

Advanced Career Institute would like to congratulate Yurika Lambert on passing her DMV Exam with a perfect score! This is a huge accomplishment, and we could not be prouder. This is on the second occurrence that many ACI staff have ever seen. We sat down with Yurika to see how she liked her time training at Advanced Career Institute and what is next for her in the trucking industry.

JOINING THE TRUCKING INDUSTRY

Yurika Lambert comes from a trucking family. She grew up around trucks her whole life. Her father was a truck driver for 25-years before he passed, and her brother is currently a trucker as well. Yurika chose a different career to begin her life. She studied and became a Licensed Vocational Nurse. Although she found her career rewarding, she longed for the open road and independence of being a truck driver. Yurika came to Advanced Career Institute’s Fresno Campus with a goal in mind of becoming a truck driver and earning her Class A CDL! She most certainly obtained her goal!

TRAINING AT ACI

During her time at Advanced Career Institute, Yurika said she, “really liked being able to get things done and learning new things while still having fun. Both the instructors & other students were very helpful and friendly. The relationships that were built at ACI is what I miss the most.” Yurika was overjoyed when she had learned she got a perfect score at the DMV. She felt very blessed to have such a great support system. From both her family and the ACI staff and instructors, Yurika believes her success comes from them.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR YURIKA

What’s next for Yurika in the trucking industry? She is very excited to begin driving for TJT in Coalinga, where she resides. She looks forward to this new career path and all of the adventures she is about to embark upon. For her future, she is most excited about trying to start her own trucking company. This is something her father and she had discussed prior to his passing and would really like to do it in honor of him. We have all the belief in the world that Yurika will accomplish her goals and we are excited to see what’s in her future!

ADVANCED CAREER INSTITUTE

Again, we want to congratulate Yurika on her accomplishments. We love seeing our students are succeeding in their new career. Yurika earned her CDL by training at Advanced Career Institute. ACI provides both CDL training and Welding training throughout California’s Central Valley. If you’re interested in beginning a career as a professional truck driver, learn more about our CDL training programs.  

Every product you touch was made available to you thanks to a truck driver. If that seems like a bold statement, take a moment to look around you. Food, beverages, electronics, clothing, and furniture are all in full or in-part transported from somewhere else to be purchased or assembled by you or a service you use! If all the truck drivers suddenly stopped driving their trucks, not only would luxuries become unavailable, but necessities as well. Clothes and home goods wouldn't make it to our favorite department stores. Food would not be delivered to grocery stores or restaurants! Bottled water would run out quickly.

Life Without Truck Drivers

Consequences of a world without truck drivers extend beyond the products that are transported for us to buy directly. Restaurants wouldn't be able to remain open without supplies. The same applies to service providers ranging from salons to hospitals! Without truck drivers, medical supplies would never reach the people who desperately need them. It is not an overstatement to say that truck drivers are the heartbeat of the economy. In fact, it may be more accurate to compare them to the blood that flows through the country, bringing goods to the people who depend on them to survive.

Why the World Needs Truckers

The demand for truck drivers will only increase in the coming years. As every other market seems to change from year to year or even month to month, the only thing changing in the trucking industry is that more products need to be transported! Almost every other career, in a big or small way, relies on truck drivers. Become a part of the lifeblood of the economy. Check out Advanced Career Institute and get on the road to your truck driving career today.

Updated May 2021 If you're reading this blog, you're probably interested in driving a big rig or have some degree of training and want to know what to expect after the certification process. Simply put, once an individual completes their CDL training, they're ready to land a job and put their CDL to use. Passing the test and completing Commercial Truck Driver training is mandatory before you hit the road. This user-friendly guide will help users understand what they can expect after CDL training.

What To Expect After CDL Training

You know what it takes to get your CDL. Now, we'll take a deeper look into what to expect after the certification process.

1.  Find A Suitable Carrier.  

The first step after completing your CDL training is signing with a carrier. Find a carrier as soon as possible because there will still be a few steps involved before you hit the open road. Advanced Career Institute will help you with carrier options upon completing their course. In fact, there are several trucking companies who are eager to hire ACI students and graduates. What To Look For In A CDL Carrier: 

• Pay
• Benefits
• Opportunities/Flexibility

2. Advanced Carrier Training.   Once you've decided on a carrier, it's more than likely the carrier has its own unique training course. This is also considered to be your "next level" of training. A carrier will usually provide additional training until they're confident you can navigate the road on your own. Don't panic though, you're on the road to earning money by completing the CDL training. 3. You're Ready To Hit The Road!  Now it's time to take the wheel of your big rig. You've decided on a carrier, completed additional training, and you're ready to begin your career as a professional truck driver. You will have the opportunity to drive using your CDL with your new trucking company. After a few years of experience, you'll be able to continue your solo truck driving career or work as a team. In fact, CDL drivers with experience have an opportunity to expand their driving career to different areas (i. e. hazardous material, bus driver, etc.).

What to Expect in Trucking after COVID-19?

Just like several other industries, trucking may look a bit different going forward due to the impact of COVID-19. The demand for drivers, for one, has increased, and as a result, wages for these jobs have jumped as well. The industry has also made changes in the past year that may last long-term. Deliveries and payments are likely to continue being contactless and conducted electronically. Onboarding for new drivers might be done virtually, and procedures for cleaning and disinfecting have become more routine. Coming out of COVID, carriers need drivers now more than ever. If you are interested in a new career. The time is now!

Why Choose Advanced Career Institute

At Advanced Career Institute, students receive comprehensive training for Class A CDLs. Best of all, graduates with good standing with the school will receive Job Placement Assistance. We simplify the transition from training to actual driving. Our team of experts will provide you with the tools necessary to find a job in truck driving. You're encouraged to contact us at the Advanced Career Institute to accelerate your career in the trucking industry today.