One of the big changes that has taken place over the last twenty years has been in the number of women that have taken on truck driving as a career. When you think about a truck driver, most people imagine beer swilling, foul mouthed men in singlets and shorts – nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, many businesses now provide their truck drivers with a uniform of sorts, even if it’s just a monogrammed shirt.

Women entering the truck driving ranks has become easier over the years and most employers now don’t balk at hiring a woman driver. The reality is that today’s trucks don’t require brute strength; they have power steering and gear boxes that almost change up or down on their own. Truck drivers are rarely required to load or unload their cargo – that is left to specialized equipment like forklifts or overhead cranes.

Like all careers, the learning curve for women is no different to that of men. Truck driver training schools like ATS Truck Driving School can have a student ready to sit for their commercial drivers license in as little as three weeks. That is three weeks of solid behind the wheel training together with in class theoretical knowledge building.

If you are woman looking for a different type of career – why not consider taking on truck driving. The work is interesting, the pay good and the opportunities there. Women and truck driving have been a successful mix for many years now and you can be a part of it too.

Acquiring a commercial drivers license and gaining a little experience driving trucks can add a number of benefits to your employment opportunities into the future. If you’re a heavy equipment operator, then being able to also transport your equipment to a job has obvious benefits. However, heavy equipment is not the only occupation that can benefit from a commercial drivers license.

Logging, mining and agriculture are areas where the possession of commercial drivers license can be of benefit. If an employer knows that you are licensed, and that you have some experience, you become an asset to the business; someone they can call on to drive a truck should they be short of drivers. This is known as multi-skilling and many employers are now recognizing the benefits of having multi-skilled workers in their work force.

Other areas where a commercial drivers license could be an asset include warehousing, bulk terminals, ports and certain manufacturing industries. Acquiring a commercial drivers license also adds another dimension to your current career. If employment options become limited in your field of employment, you can always fall back to truck driving until employment situation improves.

If you are interested in adding a commercial drivers license to your skills base you can do so in as little as three weeks. ATS Truck Driver Schools can provide you with all the driving skills required to first, pass the commercial truck drivers licensing test, and secondly, to work in the industry. Truck driving is a career with many options in itself and can be well paid when compared to many other career options. In fact, if you compare training time to income, a commercial truck driver training course comes out well in front. Interested? Contact us today for more information.

A commercial drivers license (CDL) enables the holder to operate vehicles of a commercial nature. This includes trucks, tankers and buses. It is the class of license together with any endorsements that determines what size vehicle and what sort of goods the holder can transport. Generally speaking, the classes and endorsements are common across the nation even though each state manages their own licensing. This often means that, although you hold a particular license in one state, if you move to another state you will need to transfer your license to that new state.

Using Florida’s licensing system as an example, the classes of commercial drivers license fall into the following three categories:

• Class A: Trucks or a truck combination that has gross vehicle weight rating of 26,001 lbs. or more, provided towed vehicle is more than 10,000 lbs.
• Class B: Straight trucks weighing 26,001 lbs. gross vehicle weight rating or more
• Class C: Vehicles transporting placardable amounts of hazardous materials, or vehicles designed to transport more than 15 persons including the driver with a gross vehicle weight rating of less than 26,001 lbs.

Endorsements are additions, or special components to a license, that allow the operator to move certain goods. The Endorsement comes in the form of a letter; for example, an A class CDL with H endorsement. The endorsements are (for Florida):

• H. Any vehicle used to transport hazardous materials in placardable amounts.
• N. A tank vehicle designed to transport any liquid or gaseous material with designed capacity of 1,000 gallons or more.
• P. Any vehicle, public or private, designed to transport 16 or more passengers, including the driver
• S. A commercial motor vehicle (requires CDL) used to transport pre-primary, primary or secondary school students from home to school, from school to home or to and from school-sponsored events. Does not include a bus used as a common carrier.
• T. Combination vehicles with double/triple trailers
• X. Any tank vehicle used to transport placardable amounts of hazardous material

To obtain a commercial drivers license, you will need to meet certain requirements such as age (18), pass an eye test and undertake (and pass) written and practical tests. There are also Federal requirements that need to be meet (for example, if you are wanting a H – hazardous materials – endorsement then you will need TSA finger print clearance) and a DOT physical examination.

ATS Truck Driver Schools can help prepare you for the tests that are required to obtain your commercial drivers license. This includes both in-class and behind-the-wheel training. Truck drivers are in high demand and although the process to obtain a CDL may seem protracted, it can be achieved quite quickly. A Class A commercial drivers license can certainly open the door to a whole new career.

Dump trucks are often forgotten about when people talk about truck driving careers. For many people they are just another truck on the road; for others, a vehicle to be avoided. If you have ever driven behind one that doesn’t have a covered load, you will know why. Dump truck driving isn’t your standard truck driving career. While most trucks drive point to point and rely on others to load and unload the vehicle, dump trucks are very different and so too the skills required to operate them.

When it comes to operating a dump truck, the emphasis, and one of the major skills, is on the ‘dump’ part of the name. Sure, loaders, excavators and backhoes often fill a dump a truck, but it is the dump truck driver that has to empty the load. While you may think this is an easy task – press a button and the tray lifts to empty the contents – the reality is often very different.

Dump truck drivers are often required to reverse to the edge of steep slopes, a foot or two too far and it’s not the load that gets dumped, it’s the whole dump truck. In other situations, the driver may need to spread the load rather than dump it all into one area. This involves the coordination of several factors – the width the tailgate is open, the rate the tray is rising and the speed of the vehicle. This requires real skill and real timing to have everything come together to lay an even spread of material. You can often see this in action as new roads are being built – a dump truck slowly moving down the new road leaving a trail of gravel spread evenly.

One of the areas that ATS Truck Driving Schools specialize in is the training of dump truck drivers. If you are considering a career as a dump truck driver then why not start by undertaking your training through one of the nation’s oldest and most reliable truck driver training establishments?

Is truck driver training difficult? It can be but it shouldn’t be. If you can drive a car then taking the next step to driving a truck is really no big deal. There are certainly a few more road rules you need to learn and some driving techniques do require a little practice. However, truck driver training should be and is easy when you have experts training you.

I once overheard a truck driver telling a student that the hardest part of driving a truck was getting into the rig. Once in, the rest became easy. For some people it’s true too. If you enjoy driving and enjoy being on the road then you’re halfway there. If you can maintain a high level of concentration then you’re almost there. All you need are the skills themselves and they come with practice. Apart from getting into the truck, the hardest part of driving a truck it realizing its size. You can’t perform the same zippy movements that you can in a car, and the bigger the truck the more important size becomes.

If you take a big rig traveling at sixty miles per hour down the highway, how quickly could it stop in an emergency? You would be surprised but, invariably, it’s never enough and you always run the risk of jack-knifing if you’re driving a tractor-trailer setup. Yet these are all basic skills that can be taught, and learned, in only three weeks. Truck driver training that puts you behind the wheel for as many hours as possible is the key to becoming a good truck driver. Practicing reversing, practicing turning tight corners, and practicing driving in traffic are the only way to develop skills – so long as there is a skilled trainer alongside you correcting mistakes and offering tips and sound advice.

If you are looking to become a truck driver, undertake your training with skilled professionals through a business that has over 40 years experience in truck driver training. Let’s face it, to survive that long means they must be doing something right – and they are, they are producing skilled drivers ready to walk into a career as a professional truck driver. Are you ready for truck driver training that’s been made easy?

A CDL is simply an acronym for a commercial drivers license yet we come across many job advertisements for heavy equipment operators that use terms like “possessing a CDL would be beneficial”. What the employer is looking for is a heavy equipment operator who has commercial drivers license so they can transport the equipment to the job. It’s a pity sometime that they didn’t just ask for a truck drivers license since the term CDL can be confusing.

Your commercial drivers license may well be labeled as a Class A CDL, or Class A commercial drivers license. They mean the same thing. State transport departments issue truck driving licenses so you will need to check on requirements in your state. Generally speaking, a Class A CDL entitles you to drive any vehicle apart from those that require special endorsements. Dangerous goods is one example of special endorsement. To gain a CDL, most states require the following:

• Possess or qualify for a non-commercial Class C driver license;
• Complete a Commercial Driver License Application;
• Provide proof of your full legal name, each time you apply;
• Provide proof of your legal presence in the U.S., identity and date of birth, each time you apply;
• Provide proof of your Social Security Number, each time you apply;
• Provide proof of your residence address in that state, each time you apply;
• Pass a CDL General Knowledge Test;
• Pass a CDL Combination Knowledge Test;
• Pass a behind-the-wheel Drive Test in a Class A commercial vehicle;
• Pass a Pre-Trip Inspection Test
• Present a valid DOT Medical Certificate with waivers or exemptions as required; and
• Pay the appropriate fees

Some states will differ slightly from this list so, again, check with the requirements in your state. How do you put yourself in a position to be able to successfully complete that list? Easy. Call us at ATS Truck Driving Schools. We are the leader in the nation in truck driver training, with 40 years experience in the business. We prepare you well for your tests with a thorough behind-the-wheel training schedule that includes tricky components like reversing maneuvers and negotiating highway traffic. You can complete the training and obtain your commercial drivers license (Class A CDL) in as little as three weeks.

A commercial drivers license is like having a license for a lifetime career – so long as you keep renewing it. The next time you are out on the road, check out the truck drivers around you. If you are observant you will notice a couple of things. The drivers range in age from early twenties right through the late fifties and early sixties (at least, they look it). They also come from a variety of backgrounds and, if you’re lucky, you may even catch sight of the rare (but growing in numbers) female truck driver.

Trucks of today are a little like our modern cars. They come with power steering, power brakes, air conditioning, cd/radios, you name it. They have the latest in modern conveniences. Check inside a big rig and you will see a mini-apartment complete with bed, television, refrigeration and microwave oven.

Of course, those are the modern trucks. There are still plenty of the older style trucks around but very few of the old dinosaurs that require muscles the size of Hulk Hogan’s to steer – thankfully. You can gain your commercial truck drivers license at virtually any age (so long as you meet the various state driving requirements) and gain employment in trucks ranging from the smaller local delivery trucks up to the large interstate transporters.

Believe it or not, it all starts with a basic three week training program that prepares you for your commercial drivers license (CDL) testing. ATS has a truck driving school that has over 40 years experience in the field of truck driver training. Our course prepares students for the CDL test using both in class and behind the wheel training. Important maneuvers like reversing and driving in traffic are also well practiced. Looking for a lifelong career opportunity? Consider obtaining your commercial drivers license – it only takes three weeks yet it opens up a lifetime of opportunities.

If you are looking for a career that is non stop then consider a career as a dump truck driver. One thing I can guarantee is that you will be kept busy. These days, heavy equipment like excavators and loaders can fill a dump truck very quickly and have it on its way again in no time. As a dump truck operator, you could be spending your day carting excess dirt away from a construction area, carting truck loads of building material to a site, or a lot of both.

Dump trucks take a little more skill than standard trucks. Sure, the driving is pretty much the same, however, when it comes to emptying a load, dump trucks don’t need to rely on other machinery. As the name implies, they simply dump their load and leave. It’s the dumping that requires the extra skills of course and in years past, has been the cause of most accidents involving dump truck drivers.

Simple safety aspects like looking up before operating the dumper is essential these days – the last thing you want is make contact with any overhead cabling. Dumping safely is important and so to is learning to dump while on the move. This can be a fairly technical task with the rear hopper only opened an inch or two. With the hopper slightly opened, the dumper is slowly raised and as the material is emptied, the truck moves forward. Good operators can spread an inch or so of gravel evenly over a stretch of new road – a job most people would find difficult doing by hand.

Becoming a dump truck driver is as 1-2-3. 1 – call us to find out when and where our next truck driver training program is. 2 – enroll in a truck driver training program that suits and 3 – give us three weeks to train you (that’s all it takes) ready for work. Driving a dump truck brings to life the dreams over many childhoods.

There has been a lot of talk recently about how the construction industry has held together despite the recession. In fact, the recession has probably helped it out considering all the money that has been thrown into thousands of programs around the country. The silent winners have been the truck drivers.

Truck driving is one of those skills and qualifications that a lot of people take for granted. Yet, without truck drivers, the heavy equipment required for these projects would still be sitting idle in the contractor’s yards. It’s not just the heavy equipment either. These projects require building materials and often need to have rock and debris removed before work can start.

Work as a truck driver covers a broad spectrum of jobs. You could be a heavy equipment hauler; perhaps a dump truck driver; or a truck delivering building materials. These are all jobs that are essential to any construction project thus making truck drivers valuable members of any construction team.

Learning to become a truck driver is not difficult. It only takes a few weeks and you have the skills required. The hardest component is passing the test to qualify for a commercial drivers license. Pass this test and you’re officially a truck driver. It is then up to you to decide in which area you want to specialize.

ATS has been teaching people to drive trucks for over 25 years. We have a great track record for delivering truck driver training that enables most students to qualify for their CDL at their first attempt. Are you a truck driver in the making? The nation’s heavy equipment needs people with good truck driving skills to move that equipment from job to job.

It’s a play on words I know, but a commercial drivers license does offer a degree of employment security no matter what the climate; political, economic, or atmospheric. Even in tough times, such as the one we have just been through, truck drivers were still in demand. It’s a basic need – we have to eat and our food arrives in the supermarkets on trucks. In fact, from farm gate to supermarkets, trucks are the one common factor.

Truck drivers can work in a variety of occupations. There are the long distance interstate drivers. They almost live in their cabs being away from home for days at a time. If long distance is not for you, there are the short haul drivers who drive, generally speaking, intrastate. They generally spend no more than one night away from home depending on which states they operate in and what types of loads they carry.

The most popular form of truck driver is the local driver. They work within a town or city and spend almost every night in their own beds. These are the truck drivers you see on our local roads every day. They deliver food items, building supplies and short haul products if the town is a major sea or rail hub.

Training for a commercial drivers license is not as arduous as many think. A truck driver training program takes around three weeks. This should include as much time as possible behind the wheel gaining driving skills. Once you have gained the skills required, it is simply a matter of undertaking a testing session through your state licensing authority. If you pass these tests, your commercial drivers license is issued and you are ready to seek work as a truck driver. No matter what the climate is – you’ll almost always find employment opportunities.