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COLUMBUS, GA (WTVM) - A new federal law went into effect Tuesday banning commercial truck drivers from using their cell phones while on the road.
Texting while driving is already illegal in most states, but this law goes even further to any use of hand-held phones.
Jay Dent is learning a new trade -how to drive a semi-truck at Georgia Driving Academy in Columbus.
"You not only have a steering wheel you have to mess with, you also have a gear shift. You've got turn signals. You've got a clutch pedal. You've got a brake pedal, fuel, mirrors you've got to look in all the time," said Dent.
However, there is one thing he and about four million other commercial drivers in the country will not be doing: using their cell phones.
Tuesday was the first day for the federal law banning truck and bus drivers from using hand-held devices while behind the wheel.
"It pretty much means hands-free. So, you're going to have to have a Bluetooth or some other mechanism to communicate without actually having to make multiple key entries," said Brad Barber, Georgia Driving Academy's School Director.
Barber says curriculum now includes the new regulations. He also says the fines drivers could face if they violate the law can add up. Drivers could be fined up to $2,750 for each offense and could lose their license after multiple offenses. If a company allows drivers to violate the new law, it could cost up to $11,000 for each penalty.
"I think it's something that's going to strengthen the safety of the truck driver and the industry itself. Anything you can do to reduce accidents and potentially fatalities are a positive goal," said Barber... Continue reading...
Students Gain Experience While Helping Nonprofit Save Cash
By Aprille Hanson
LITTLE ROCK -- LITTLE ROCK; The students of Diesel Driving Academy in Little Rock are learning what it’s like to haul a load while helping feed the hungry in Arkansas.
This year, the driving school has partnered with the Arkansas Foodbank to transport food from the food bank’s Little Rock location, at 4301 W. 65th St. , to its branch in Warren , for free.
“It’s a win-win. It’s a natural partnership that’s providing them with something they really want — a live load and real-life training experience,” said Ray White, the food bank’s marketing and communications director. “And, of course, we’re getting free shipping. It just makes you feel good that things can come together in that way.”
Freddy Gregg, the academy’s director of training and placement, said the school’s other two locations in Louisiana often volunteer.
“I was aware of the service the food bank provided. I thought that would be a great opportunity for us to get some positive community involvement,” Gregg said.
The end result was a crew of about three student drivers and an instructor taking about 25,000 pounds of food three times a month to Warren . The drive is about 180 miles round trip.
The partnership, which began in the spring, has saved the food bank about $12,000 in transportation costs, White said.
“Obviously any savings we have gives us more money to go out and purchase food to have available to our agencies,” said T.J. Romine, the food bank’s chief operation officer.
The food bank still hires independent trucking agencies to pick up donations five days a week, which can average about $400 to $500 per load.
Other companies, including Stallion Transportation Group in Beebe, haul loads for the food bank, sometimes for free.
“[There are] associations that volunteer to take a load sometimes, but this is the first time we have a regular routine,” Romine said.
The Arkansas Foodbank is a nonprofit organization that serves 33 counties to help the half a million people in Arkansas suffering from hunger, White said. In 2010, the food bank distributed 13.2 million pounds of food to approximately 300 food agencies in the state.
White said with every dollar saved from partnering with the academy, “we have three meals available to people in Arkansas .”
Gregg said the academy has a little less than 70 students going for their commercial driver’s license through either the 20-week daytime course or the 25-week night course. The 460-hour courses are split between the classroom, studying the trucks and driving on interstates, two-lane roads and residential areas.
“We try to get them acclimated to as many different driving environments as we can,” Gregg said.
Gregg said the only real freight the students will haul is for the food bank.
“They kind of get a look that they might not ordinarily get through the training,” Gregg said.
By driving the route, students learn the importance of giving back to the community and the urgency of getting a product to its destination.
“I think it’s good to look out for the people who can’t feed themselves right now or just need assistance,” said student Hosea Harper, 42, of Little Rock .
“It’s part of the reality of the trucking industry because I got to drive over and back the truck into the dock and load the trailer. It was a good experience.”
The students drive the route near the end of their course, Gregg said.
White said the generosity of the academy has eased some of the burden.
“Our pantries are seeing longer lines and more need every weekend, we would love to have more support,” White said.
Read more articles at: ArkansasOnline.com
An Instructor from American Institute of Technology explains technique, challenges of driving tanker.
Thursday, November 03 2011
Source: arkansasmatters.com/news-fulltext?nxd_id=478407
"I'm feeling pretty confident when I graduate I'll be ready to hit the road," he said standing in front of a big rig.
When the economy tanked, it cost Scott Harper his way of life.
"The company I worked for, a tire business, it shut down," he said. "It basically took a toll on us."
Now, he's on the way to getting a steady paycheck in an industry with high demand for those willing and ready to work.
"I've been hired by seven different companies, so I can just take my pick on who I want to go with," Harper said. "When you enroll in the Diesel Driving Academy they do a pre-hire application. Based on that, I already have a job when I leave here."
Joel Easley is a senior instructor at the Academy, and he said his students are in demand.
"There is a shortage of drivers. Drivers are needed.," he said.
"That's one of the major reasons I am this way, cause I knew there was a demand for drivers," Harper said.
Take a look at these numbers. Nationwide, approximately 400,000 truck driving positions are currently open.
In the Natural State, anywhere from 2,500 to 10,000 drivers need to be hired.
And your starting salary will be at least $35,000 a year.
"It's a good stable job that you can put food on your family's table and put a roof over your head," Easley said. "Even when the economy is in a crunch, trucks are still running. You'll see gasoline tanker trucks on the roads because this country is going to drive, and you're going to see refrigerated trucks because this country is going to eat. There's job security in that."
In a strapped economy, with thousands looking for a place on the payroll, a steady paycheck offers almost as much freedom as the open road.
Getting the certification can take several months, but there are programs from both employers and the state where you don't owe a dime in the end... Continue reading...
DALLAS - Unemployment remains high across America. But the trucking industry is desperate to hire. It's offering good pay and benefits, even fronting the cost of education.
Featured School: International Schools in Dallas, Texas, a CVTA Member.
Source: myfoxdfw.com/dpp/news/103111-jobs-available-in-trucking-industry
Imagine training, passing a licensing test and having a new job in about a month. That’s entirely possible, says Ed Tanksley, general manager of Katlaw Truck Driving Schools.“There is zero unemployed in the truck industry,” Tanksley said. “This is something you can learn pretty quickly then go out and make a good income doing.”
The sluggish economy has made driving a tractor trailer an attractive job occupation — so much so that the typical profile of the 30- to 40-year-old white male driver is disappearing, Tanksley said.
“Everybody is doing this now,” he said. “In the past few months, I’ve had three guys here who were around 70, and we put them right to work. I’ve now got several females in class. There are a lot of career changers, people coming out of the construction industry and retirees who aren’t happy being retired. Our demographic is just about everybody, from every kind of background imaginable.”
Since 1996, the Austell-based school has been preparing drivers to hit the road. The intense program includes 160 hours of what students need to know to pass the state’s licensing exam and earn a commercial driver’s license. Classes start at the beginning of each week and include sessions on handling 10-speed transmissions and double clutches, six back-up maneuvers and the details of a 96-point inspection. All of Katlaw’s training is conducted in full-sized sleeper cabs, so students get a feel for the physical space... Continue reading...
For information, call 678-945-1900 or go to www.katlaw.com.
Source: ajc.com/jobs/truck-driving-course-gets-1193574.html
By Stephanie Siegel
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Source: douglas-neighbor.com/stories/Demand-for-drivers-brings-changes-in-trucking-profession,175925
Tractor-trailer drivers are in so much demand that shipping companies have made both the trucks and the lifestyles more comfortable, local truck driving instructors say.
The biggest trucking companies have tractor-trailers with automatic shifts, said Katlaw Driving Schools general manager Ed Tanksley.
“They’re big, comfortable trucks you can sit in and drive all day,” he said. “They’re new trucks, every two or three years, so it’s not going to be broke down on you all the time.”
And these are the companies that hire his graduates, because they carry enough insurance to hire entry-level drivers, he said.
“They’re knocking down the doors for our students,” Tanksley said. “There is zero unemployment in the truck driving industry for people willing to be gone a little bit. Most have six to 10 offers before they graduate. In the first year they typically make $40,000 with a full benefits package.”
While new drivers won’t be home every night, they usually will get home at least once a week — “more than they used to,” Tanksley said.
These are all reasons the career attracts more women than it traditionally did.
Katlaw, near Austell’s Intermodal Terminal and Thornton Road, teaches women and men in three weeks to pass their commercial driver’s license test.
“The females are a lot of times better than the males are,” said Dave Belmont of Douglasville, a career adviser at Katlaw.
Sometimes a husband and wife decide to drive as a team, some after retiring from other careers, he said. They plan stops... Continue reading...
Source: douglas-neighbor.com/stories/Demand-for-drivers-brings-changes-in-trucking-profession,175925
Area colleges issue calls for trucks, trailers
By Elaine Marsilio
Source: caller.com/news/2011/sep/03/del-mar-coastal-bend-colleges-see-increased-for/
CORPUS CHRISTI — If you want to get a commercial driver's license through Del Mar College, you are going to have to wait — until mid-October, at least.
"The demand in the industry is so huge right now," said John M. Rojas, director of Transportation Training Services at the college's West Campus.
Some trucking associations nationwide estimate the driver deficit will reach 300,000 full-time positions in a year.
In the Coastal Bend, the Eagle Ford Shale exploration has put increased demand on local truck driving schools at community colleges.
At Del Mar, Rojas' program is turning potential students away or putting them on waiting lists because he doesn't have enough trailer trucks to meet the demand. His courses are booked through Oct. 17.
Some potential students end up going to over-the-road, or cross-country driving, companies with schools, Rojas said.
But there could be some relief as Del Mar College officials have budgeted $54,000 this year for the purchase of a used trailer truck for the college's program. The college also is looking for local nonprofit agencies to donate trucks to the program.
At Coastal Bend College, officials expanded the truck driving program to include the Beeville, Kingsville and Pleasanton locations because of local demand, college spokeswoman Adrian Jackson said.
The college had a lone Alice site last year that trained more than 100 drivers... Continue Reading...
Source: caller.com/news/2011/sep/03/del-mar-coastal-bend-colleges-see-increased-for/
Source: chron.com/news/article/Schools-in-Ohio-try-to-fill-need-for-truck-drivers-2156053.php
In this July 21, 2011 photo, Dave Mayfield of Panther Expedited Service, left, talks with Hamrick Truck School owner Denver Hamrick during a career fair, in Medina, Ohio. MANDATORY CREDIT Photo: Akron Beacon Journal, Phil Masturzo / AP
AKRON, Ohio (AP) — A nationwide shortage of truck drivers has truck-driver schools in Ohio working to help trucking companies fill that need with newly-trained drivers.
Trucking organizations' estimates on the need for drivers over the next couple of years range from 100,000 to 500,000, the Akron Beacon Journal (http://bit.ly/px7cbA) reported. Industry officials say the aging of the current driver population and increased trucking regulations are some of the reasons contributing to the tight market.
The shortage is forcing companies to look more at hiring students from schools, even though carriers typically prefer drivers with one or more years of experience, said Kreigh Spahr, program manager at the Euclid-based truck-driver school at Cuyahoga Community college in northeast Ohio.
"Every major carrier is hiring," Spahr told the newspaper
The founder of the Hamrick Truck Driving School in Medina County says most trucking companies he deals with come to the school to recruit. First-year pay typically is in the low $30,000 range, Denver Hamrick said.
Many trucking companies also will reimburse new drivers for tuition, starting at about $100 to $140 a month, if they stay with the company for a set time, Hamrick said.
Schools say many students are turning to trucking as a second career.
Gladys Tejada, 37, of Cuyahoga Falls, previously worked in quality control at a Summit County business, but expects to graduate from Hamrick's school in September and start driving a truck for a living.
While it's been more difficult than she expected, Tejada said it's what she has always wanted to do.
"Every time I drive, I like it more," she said.
Scott Shy, driver recruiter for Maverick Transportation LLC in Little Rock, Ark., recently attended an open house at the Hamrick school aimed at matching students and drivers with employers.
"There's just not enough drivers to fill the needs of the public," said Shy.
Maverick provides extensive training for new drivers, but turnover among its drivers is 73 percent every three months, Shy said.
Rusty Napier, of Napier Truck Driver Training Inc. in Hamilton, told The Associated Press that the school in southwest Ohio gets calls from companies around the country, but doesn't always have students available.
"Most students — once they have their license — have companies waiting for them," he said
The school's five-week classes cost $4,195 and only have about 10 or 12 students, "but these companies pay people to come talk to them," Napier said... Continue Reading...
Source: chron.com/news/article/Schools-in-Ohio-try-to-fill-need-for-truck-drivers-2156053.php
Shreveport Times
Source: shreveporttimes.com/article/20110905/NEWS01/109050306/
Louisiana-s-unfilled-jobs-require-experience-education
Charles Dalton (left), checks his mirrors as his trainer, Jonas Anderson, watches on during truck driving training at Diesel Driving Academy. / Henrietta Wildsmith/ The Times
Louisiana continues to outperform the South as the country's economic recovery remains in doubt, but many jobs in the state requiring experience and higher education remain unfilled.
With the South's lowest unemployment rate — 7.6 percent at the end of July — and what many economic advisors see as a newly adopted pro-business attitude, Louisiana has weathered the nationwide fiscal meltdown better than many other states, but competition for jobs remains stiff.
Competition for the available jobs in Louisiana has allowed employers to be pickier, according to Jacques Lasseigne, director of field operations for the Louisiana Workforce Commission in Shreveport. Many of those jobs aren't what people are looking for and either pay too little or are in a foreign line of work, he said.
But some industries are hurting for labor, Lasseigne said, and trying to fill those vacancies might be an indicator of recovery. Truck drivers, industrial mechanics and almost anyone with medical training are now in demand, he said.
"Trucking reacts to the economy first. If no one is making orders, trucking is the first business to see that hit," said Bruce Busada, president of Louisiana's Diesel Driving Academy. "A truck touches everything."
Busada said companies are hiring truckers because the economy has picked up some. Much of the trucking labor pool is near retirement, he said, and there are fewer people trying to get into the industry. Wages are up and demand for drivers has rarely been higher, he said.
Within the first month at the Diesel Driving Academy, Busada said students usually see two or three companies talking to them about potential jobs.
Kristen Gary, spokeswoman for Christus Shumpert Health Systems, said it is trying to fill vacancies across the board from professional disciplines to support services. Gary said experience and education are essential, but to what point they are requirements depends on the specific job.
Statewide Report
Kurt Foreman, president of the North Louisiana Economic Partnership, attributed Louisiana's ability to hold against poor economic tides in part to a pro-business environment developed by local, state and business leadership as well as the elimination of noncompetitive taxes... Continue Reading...
