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3 Things You Should Know Before Becoming a Driver Trainer

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3 Things You Should Know Before Becoming a Driver Trainer

Looking back on how you got started in trucking, what’s the one thing every trucker had in common? Every driver needed someone to teach them how to drive their first truck. And for many professional drivers, the person who trained them is the voice they still hear in their head when out on the road. All that good early advice, best practices, and reassurances might still help you safely navigate over the road today. After a few years of driving, that voice might now be one telling you to make the move into the classroom and teach the next generation of drivers. So, if you’re hearing the call to be a truck driver trainer, here’s 3 things to know when getting started.

1. Basic Qualifications

The qualifications for becoming a driver trainer vary by state, however, there are some general qualifications that are necessary to become a driver trainer. First, you must be a CDL driver for at least 2+ years. Second, you also need to have a very clean driving record. Some states require a written test, and depending on the state, some require successfully passing a course for trainers.

If you’re looking into moving to the classroom, the best thing to do is check with your state for the exact requirements for becoming a driver trainer.

2. Ability to Deal with Students

For many people, patience is a virtue. And teaching takes a lot of patience. If you are someone who doesn’t have patience as a core competency, becoming a driver trainer might not be your best bet. Driver trainees will make mistakes and a trainer must be there to help work through the mistakes.

Paul Driver Trainer

Paul Adams
CDL Driver Trainer and Instructor

We spoke to Paul Adams, a CDL Trainer and Instructor, and he shared some great tips.

“One piece of advice I would give anyone in the trucking world is believe in yourself before you get started. Always be patient and attentive to the craft. What worked for you may not work for others. Help them find their grove, make them just as comfortable as you was learning for yourself,” shared Paul.

In addition, the trainer must also instill the skills and training to ensure the same mistakes aren’t made again. If you are looking to change your path to become a teacher, be sure that you’ve got an open mind and will work well with students.

3. Safety is a Priority for a Driver Trainer

Safety in trucking should be a priority for all professional truck drivers. But is it something that you’ve been extremely cognizant of during your driving career? A great safety record and a history of following all safety guidelines and rules are a must for anyone looking to become a driver trainer.

The best trainers are ones that model the behaviors that they’re teaching.

If you feel like you’re a good fit for the job, becoming a driver trainer is a great logical step in your career path as a trucker. It’s a great opportunity to stay in the industry, and get more home time. And it’s certainly a more predictable schedule week after week. Take the time to research your state’s requirements, and see if you’re a good fit. Becoming a trainer could be a very rewarding job for you.

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3 Things to Consider: Lease Purchase Trucking Companies

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3 Things to Consider: Lease Purchase Trucking Programs

For a driver looking to bridge the gap between being an employee and an owner operator, it’s worth a look into a lease purchase program with a trucking company. These types of programs can fast track the route from driver to owner. Here are 3 things to consider when thinking about working through a lease purchase trucking program.

What is a Lease Purchase Truck Driver Program?

But first, let’s take a look at how these programs work. A professional truck driver can make the move to be an owner operator by buying their own truck from a company via a series of lease payments. These drivers then drive for the company providing the lease, and make the lease payments for the truck back to the company. In addition the driver usually assumes all responsibility for maintenance and up-keep of the truck as needed. At the end of the lease, the driver completes the terms and will then own the truck.

1. Terms

When looking into a lease purchase trucking program, be sure the deal points are clear. For starters, there’s a monthly payment for the lease of the truck, but is it a fixed amount? Will it change over time? How many payments are there? And is the residual value of the truck at the end of the lease plan clearly detailed in the agreement if the final payment is different than the rest? Be sure you understand the monthly fixed costs and then how the final payments will work. And when exactly you will own the truck.

Be sure you understand all of the costs and details spelled out in the terms of the agreement when exploring this path to ownership.

2. Hidden Costs

These costs can be the deal breaker for some truckers looking to buy their own tractors. If you’re involved in a lease purchase program, are you responsible for ALL maintenance and repairs? Do you need to purchase an extended warranty? Are you eligible for any kind of discounts that your company may be eligible for? Go through the agreement with a fine-toothed comb before you sign anything.

If you’re pursuing this type of program, the hidden costs are usually the cause of the lease purchase plan to fail. As a new owner, being able to cover even one major repair could cause a significant financial impact.

3. The Carrier

Most companies that offer a lease purchase program, tie you to the company for the duration of the lease. In this case, you need to be sure that you’ve done your research and are comfortable with company culture, co-workers and the overall health of the company for the long-term. No matter what, if you enter into this type of program, you’re obligated to the payment and the terms. You want to be sure that the carrier will have work for you to do, and that you’ll be able to cover the payments. No matter what.

Lease purchase plans essentially make you an owner-operator of a small business. But you’re still an employee of your carrier. Drivers need to understand how this “business within a business” model actually works.

If you’re considering taking this route to owning your own truck, be sure you understand all the pros and cons of these programs. There’s obviously a tremendous upside to this. And the allure of “being your own boss” can be enormously powerful. But with this comes a lot of responsibility and assuming a lot of the risk of ownership. No matter what path you choose, we’re here to help you find a great-fit job at Drive My Way.

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Job of the Day: Santmyer Companies

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Today’s Job of the Day comes from Santmyer Companies

Santmyer Companies is a growing fuel transport company that has been family owned and operated since 1952. They transport commercial fuel products regionally throughout the Midwest.

They have openings for CDL A Local Fuel Drivers out of multiple locations in Ohio.

This is a tanker position with company-provided equipment, and runs within a 100 miles of pickup origin. In addition, the position offers great pay and benefits, and drivers are home daily!

Santmyer asks that applicants are at least 23 years of age, have a minimum of 2 years of Class A tractor/trailer experience, and have current Hazmat and Tanker Endorsements.

Interested in applying?

Learn more about the job requirements, benefits, pay and more.

Canton, OH Richfield, OH

Driver Highlight: Eddie Dalzell, Retired Dupre Truck Driver

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Edward “Eddie” Dalzell talked his way into his first truck driving job at age 19 in Massachusetts.

3 million accident-free miles and almost 50 years later, Eddie’s now retired from truck driving but still logging miles on foot as a hiker and lead CSR for Penske in San Antonio.

truck driver

As he tells the story, he got his first truck driving job through good old-fashioned persistence. And telling a little bit of a lie.

“The company I was working for went out of business. There were no other jobs around. The car I had ran out of gas, I had no money. So, I walked 3 miles down the road to a place that was supposedly hiring truck drivers. I had no clue how to drive a truck. I kept going back day after day until they finally hired me!”

From there, he had a friend teach him how to drive a truck.

Once he got his start with that first job in Massachusetts, Eddie moved south after a few years. There he got his first job as a tanker truck driver. He spent the next few decades with various jobs between Texas and Louisiana, driving tankers between refineries and operating other heavy equipment. He mentions that some of those were dangerous jobs, and that thankfully he got lucky a few times.

Living and working near the Gulf of Mexico, he saw his share of hurricanes and severe weather.

The memory of those storms still stand out to Eddie. “Dodging hurricanes, wasn’t fun. Everyone else was leaving, but we’d be heading into the storms with the plywood to help. Last hurricane I drove 27 hours straight because of all the road closures to get around it. Had to get right back up in 5 hours to go back into it.”

When asked about his time as a truck driver at Dupre Logistics, he said that they were big on safety, and provided great training.

dupre-logistics

He also fondly recalls having a great boss who became a life-long friend to this day.

“At Dupre, Leadership was very good. We had good drivers. We could laugh and have fun.  They are VERY fair. They also gave a nice safety bonus every 3 months which was nice”.

That bonus came with a safety meeting at a great local steakhouse. Eddie mentioned he never missed a bonus, or the steak dinners. Working for Dupre, he said that integrity was important.

“There’s lots of competition out there but the jobs kept coming back to us because they liked what we were doing.”

Over the years, he also spent time as a driving instructor and unofficial career and life coach.

“Taught people how to drive standard trucks. I enjoyed that. I also told students to follow your dreams. Listen to Mr. Eddie: Don’t do something you hate, you’ll be miserable your whole life.”

Now retired from driving, Eddie spends his days working as a hiker and lead Customer Service Representative for Penske.

truck driver

He says he logs over 52 miles a week on foot, 20,000 steps, walking around the facility. Quite a change from all of the hours and miles behind the wheel!

Eddie, 68, has a wife, 6 children and 10 grandkids. In his free time, he enjoys living close to 3 of those grandkids.

“I get to see them all the time. Grandma loves to keep them on the weekends – gives their moms a break”. He also enjoys fishing and keeping fit and active.

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DRIVER HIGHLIGHT: Tiffany Adams with West Coast Transport

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DRIVER-HIGHLIGHT-TIFFANY-ADAMS-WITH-WEST-COAST-TRANSPORT

For Tiffany Adams, being a truck driver runs in the family. “My dad was a truck driver, so it’s in the family blood”. Though she tried a few things prior to getting into the trucking business officially, since age 21, “trucking was the only way to go” for her.

Tiffany’s favorite route to drive is “I-24 going through Kentucky.

It’s the most beautiful run anyone could ever do.” The summertime bluegrass lined roads all around Paducah are her favorite.  She recommends a stop at Patti’s Settlement 1880’s restaurant if you’re in the neighborhood. A stop at Patti’s “definitely should be on your to-do list if you’re in the area”.

After a normal day of 10-11 hours, she mentions a struggle that she’s advocating for: MORE PARKING.


“The daily struggles today we have is parking. Parking is so limited to the truck stops that we have across the nation, it’s becoming more and more difficult to find parking after 5 pm. And it’s just getting worse. It’s getting to the point you can’t find parking, and you need to drive 20+ miles out of your route just to find a place park”.

She hopes that in the future there’s expanded parking available at truck stops and rest stops around the country.

Tiffany drives with her husband Weston.

You can find them passing the time “listening to a lot of country music while we’re riding down the highway”.

When they’re not out on the road or getting ready for their next long-haul, they enjoy spending time playing with their horses, their family and hanging out with friends. “We love what we do we provide for our states, building supplies, rail road supplies, your every day needs”.

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UPS To Hire 100,000 Drivers For Holidays

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Hire 100,000 Drivers

The United Parcel Service (UPS) is set to hire 100,000 drivers for the upcoming holiday season.

In a press release issued this past month, UPS stated they seek temporary employees and will hire 100,000 drivers for the vital holiday season. In past years, the company shipped over 750 million packages between the months of November and December. According to CNBC, UPS seeks 5.3% more drivers this year to keep up with increased shipping demands.

Hire 100,000 Drivers

Image via Fox 6 Now

“Over the last three years, 35 percent of the people UPS hired for seasonal package handler jobs transitioned into a permanent position,” UPS stated.

“The full- and part-time seasonal positions, primarily package handlers, drivers and driver-helpers, serve as an entry point for permanent employment. Furthermore, many senior UPS executives, including Chief Executive Officer David Abney and others on the senior leadership team, started their UPS careers as part-time employees.”

Above all, as UPS prepares to hire 100,000 drivers, they boast fair pay and excellent healthcare benefits. In addition, UPS offers retirement plans, as well as tuition towards their Earn and Learn college program.

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Job of the Day: Uncommon Carrier Inc.

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Today’s Job of the Day comes from Uncommon Carrier Inc.

Uncommon is a local drayage carrier that hauls non-perishable goods and materials. Centrally located close to all NY / NJ Metro ports, the team of transportation, warehousing and distribution professionals is ready to move your products safely and expediently.

Currently, Uncommon hires CDL A Local Drivers in the South Kearny, New Jersey area. This is a drop and hook drayage position that runs from the Port of NY/NJ to local warehouses that are within a 200 miles.

In addition, the position requires Hazmat, TWIC, and Tanker endorsements. Also, the position offers great pay and benefits, and you’ll be home daily!

Interested in applying?

Learn more about the job requirements, benefits, pay and more.

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Veterans Finally Getting a ‘Brake’ in the Industry

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Photo courtesy of KRIS TV

A university in Corpus Christi, Texas, developed a free training program for vets exiting the service.

The Skills for Transition Program, a part of the Texas Operation Welcome Home Program, focuses on reintegrating military members into their communities post-deployment. For example, one of its most recent projects is a training program through Del Mar College to help recent veterans become CDL truck drivers.

According to recent findings, the trucking industry has become a good fit for many military personnel after their discharge.

Also, according to Department of Motor Vehicles, their dependability, sense of teamwork, and situational awareness make veterans ideal driving employees. In addition, driving jobs offer some much needed financial and lifestyle consistency that many vets crave after being overseas.

Also, the course consists of four weeks of daytime classes or 10 weeks of night classes. Overall, the goal is to create the marketable students who can be hired upon completion of the course. For example, U.S. Express Inc. offers jobs to veterans who complete this training through their apprenticeship program. In addition, with this training and apprentice opportunity, veterans earn both their CDL A license and make money within weeks of returning home.

Interested in applying?

Learn more about the job requirements, benefits, pay and more.

Learn More

Trucker and Dog Barely Survive Car Crash

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A CDL truck driver and his dog are alive and well after narrowly escaping from a crash.

Tractor trailer crash.

Photo via WWNY TV

As reported by WWNY, the unnamed driver was traveling down New York Route 37 outside Theresa, when a deer ran into the road. The driver swerved, overturning his cab and trailer. And then, both the driver and his dog were trapped for nearly 45 minutes before rescue teams could get to the crash.

Theresa Fire Chief Mark Savage told WWNYC he was surprised that both the driver and the dog sustained minor injuries. Also, he said the driver seemed to be in good spirits as he walked away from the truck. “Lots of cuts and bruises, a little sore,” Savage told the station, “…but other than that, [the driver] is alive and doing well.”

Both the driver and his dog were taken to a local hospital and animal clinic respectively.

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Lifetime Trucker Paving the Way for Self-Driving Trucks

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Photo via NPR.org

Step aside, Uber and Google, a career trucker is making history for self-driving tractor trailers.

Jeff Runions, autonomous-truck test driver, prepares the future of the trucking industry. As he told NPR, Runions works for Starsky Robotics. They are a small company developing fully autonomous trucks for the highway. The trucks are driven by professionals once the trucks got off at the exit.

As truck drivers continue to decrease in numbers, Runions hopes autonomous trucks will be a huge opportunity for the industry to keep up with demand. In his interview with NPR, he says automated vehicles would allow drivers to spend less time on the road and more time at home with their families.

This would be a drastic change from the three weeks of on-road time he remembers from working on his own and with a commercial trucking company. In fact, Runions would like to see drivers having a “regular life” with a 40-hour work week. By making drivers’ lives more enjoyable, he hopes to spike interest in the industry from potential drivers.

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