Trucking

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 Assistance 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.

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.