Over the past ten years there has been a mini-boom in the number of women taking on truck driving careers. It’s understandable. In the past, truck drivers needed to be strong and well bulked up in the upper part of the body. There were two reason; the first, was simply steering those old tractor-trailers. I mean, we are talking about a period, not all that long ago either, when power steering was virtually unknown – you needed brute strength to handle that steering wheel. These days, power steering makes the process a breeze.

Truck drivers also needed a certain level of strength to tie down their loads. These days, there are untold strap tightening devices to help out – a seven year old could learn to tie down a load. Strength is no longer the issue so that has opened the door to women to train as truck drivers.

ATS Truck Driver Training Schools can now prepare students for a truck driving career in as little as three weeks. Add another week or so to obtain your Class A Commercial Drivers License and you’re ready for the road. Are women being employed as truck drivers? They most certainly are. They are proving to be skilled, reliable and much tougher mentally sometimes than the men.

If a career driving trucks sounds appealing to you, contact us at ATS Truck Driver Training Schools – we will have you in the driver’s seat in no time – man or woman. When it comes to driving trucks, there is little in the way of discrimination to consider.

If you have ever thought about a truck driving career then now is certainly a good time to give it some more thought. Our economy is still shaky yet the demand for truck drivers is going up. Once our economy returns to some normality it is predicted we will be short of competent and experienced truck drivers. Gaining your commercial driver license now, and then getting what ever experience you can on a variety of different trucks will see you well set up for the boom.

Taking on a truck driving career is not that difficult. Three weeks of training through the ATS Truck Driving School will see you well prepared to take on the commercial drivers license test. Pass the test and you will receive your license. That’s it. Of course, the three weeks of truck driver training are fairly intense and cover behind the wheel areas such as:

• tractor-trailer reversing
• driving in traffic
• safe braking and braking distances

This is hands on training, not sitting in a class room being told how to do it, or sitting in the passenger seat watching someone else doing it. This is you do the driving; you learning the skills; and you gaining the experience. In fact, when it comes to training, it’s all about you succeeding. You see, we don’t consider ourselves successful until we see you being successful.

Our approach of the last 45 years of successful training is to focus on the needs of industry and to then provide industry with drivers that are ready to meet those needs. In short, we train you to be successful at truck driving because you gain the skills that employers are looking for. Are you ready to take part in the next boom in truck driving careers?

It seems that in some parts of the country there are plenty of trucks but few truck drivers to drive them. Truck driving as a career choice has been waning in recent years and this is leading to shortages of skilled drivers. There are many reasons for the loss in popularity – one reason being touted is our education system.

For once, the education system is being blamed for doing too good a job. Our youth are staying at school longer with more and more attending college each year. With college degrees behind them, truck driving is the last thing on their minds. While our youth may not find driving a truck interesting, there are many in the 25-45 year age groups that are considering career changes. While our education system is pumping well educated individuals, it hasn’t made life any better. There are many now who are turning their backs on their degrees and looking for jobs that offer more in the way of interest.

Truck driving certainly has a lot to offer. It pays reasonably well, offers plenty of variety, and is a skill that can be picked up quite quickly. At ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools, we offer a combined hands on and in class truck driver training program that can have you driving a truck in as little as three weeks. Once you complete your training, it’s simply a matter of obtaining your commercial drivers license and you’re ready for the road. Don’t worry, we train you in everything necessary to obtain that license. If you’re considering a career change – consider truck driving – it’s a choice you won’t regret.

There is one thing you can almost guarantee around the nation – there is a truck delivering its load somewhere. If there is a truck then there is also a driver and the only only way to get into the driver’s seat is by obtaining a commercial drivers license. No license – no work – it is as simple as that.

Our nation relies on the transportation of goods and much of that is done using trucks. There are the huge interstate truck trailer combos plying the highways right down to the small trucks making home deliveries around town. Almost all of them require a driver with a commercial drivers license. The easiest way to obtain a commercial drivers license is by undertaking a truck driver training course through a reputable truck driver training school.

ATS Heavy Equipment Operator Schools has been around for a quarter of a century. We started by training people to become truck drivers and we are now one of the most reputable truck driver training schools in the nation. We don’t just teach people how to drive a truck. We teach people the skills required to gain their commercial drivers license. That license is then your license to gaining sustainable employment.

Truck drivers are always in demand. Even during the recession, people still required goods and those goods had to be delivered to the stores somehow. Truck driving is not only a job that is always in demand, it is the kind of job that pays reasonably well and has a high job satisfaction level.

No pun intended – but truck driving really is a career that drives the economy. We have already seen a surge in demand for truck drivers as the economy turned the corner. Most retailers will report much higher spending this Christmas compared to last Christmas and this only augers well for the new year. Recent reports suggest that 2010 may be a bumper year. Many people held off buying big ticket items due to the recession – whilst prices are down due to competition, buyers will take advantage.

We rely on our trucking industry to help us move stock. Whether it is from wharf to retailer, or factory dock to retailer, they all rely on trucks. In fact, factories rely on trucks to deliver the raw materials as well – and we rely trucks to deliver our food from the farm to the retailer. Almost every aspect of our economy has a truck component. This makes truck driving one of the most valuable skills in the country.

Generally speaking, everyday Americans take all this for granted. They don’t realize the significant role that truck drivers play in their daily lives. At least, until the roads are closed, or something else prevents deliveries getting through. Then, everyone is ready to complain. I know many truck drivers that do everything possible to get their loads delivered. If roads are closed, they will seek an alternative route.

Truck driving is a career that doesn’t get the respect it deserves. But then, it is only one of many in that situation. There is a lot of personal satisfaction involved and it does pay a good wage compared to many other professions. If you are interested in a career in truck driving, we can help. Our truck driver training program can have you on the road within a month of commencing your training. What are you waiting for? The economy needs you!

There is a lot of hidden talent in the US today with many former truck drivers either not working or working at non-driving jobs. Many of those drivers have let their commercial drivers license lapse as well so they have written off ever returning to the industry. Perhaps it’s time for a rethink. Times have changed, we have more trucks on the road now and there are some road rules and regulations that have also been updated or introduced.

If you’re a former truck driver then the bottom line is – your skills and knowledge are in demand. The way to resolve the issue is to undertake a short three week truck driver training program, resit your commercial drivers license tests and you’re ready to take to the highways again. You may think it’s a bore redoing the training, perhaps even unnecessary. You could be right but we can all use refresher courses occasionally and if you have been out of the cab for five years or more, then you really do need it.

The nation is now going through a period of rebuilding and this is putting a strain on the resources we currently have – including commercial drivers. Working conditions for truck drivers are much better these days and so too is the remuneration packages on offer. What can you offer the industry? A lot! You know the score. You know the highways and you know the routine when it comes to loading and unloading. It may be several years old, but that knowledge still places you ahead of green drivers coming through with no experience.

If you have a yearning to return to the truck driving profession then give us a call. We can discuss your truck driver training options and the quickest path back to a commercial drivers license and employment.

Driving a dump truck can be a hot and dusty job – although at this time of the year it could also be a cold, damp and muddy job. It’s not all hard work, however. There are times when the dump trucks and their drivers relax a little and have some fun. Christmas is one such occasion, especially when they help out Santa.

I am sure you have seen Christmas parades, or perhaps had Santa visit a workplace Christmas party that has been put together for the families. We don’t see them quite as often as we used to. Thirty or forty years ago every workplace had a family Christmas function of some description. The star of the function was always the arrival of Santa.

For many workplaces, Santa arrived in a dressed up dump truck. He still does today. The dump truck is cleaned out, lined with all the Christmas trappings that befits a Santa. A large chair is placed on a few pallets to give him some height, and the dump truck is ready for Santa.

It’s not just Christmas. There are many street parades each year that feature characters dressed up to please the children. They drive down the street on the back of a dump truck. For other characters, the back of a flat bed truck is used.

What shouldn’t surprise you is that despite all the fun and pageantry that accompanies these events, the dump truck driver’s responsibility still revolves around safety – probably more so given the number of children pressing in trying to get a closer look. It takes a lot of skill and concentration to drive a truck at such slow speeds, skills that have been picked up through dump truck driver training and through practical hands on experience. Of course, our kids don’t care – they just want to see Santa.

I bet you didn’t know that dump trucks built roads. In a way, they do. Sure, they don’t smooth out the road base and they don’t lay the seal, but they do play a big role in building our roads. In fact, if you care to stop and watch a team as they build a new road, you will be amazed at how involved a dump truck is.

Without getting too technical in how a new road is built, there are steps which are pretty obvious. The stretch of land where a new road is to be built has to be cleared of vegetation. A road crew will often remove the top foot or so of soil – sometimes much more. This is generally the role of a bulldozer and a front end loader. The loader of course dumps the cleared waste into – a dump truck.

From there, graders get to work leveling the new road. Once they have a smooth platform to build a road on, the assembly of a new road begins. And that is what it is – an assembly project. Dump trucks bring in road base, a material used to make the foundations of the road. This could be a gravel and cement mixture, for example. The dump trucks don’t just dump and run. If you watch them you will see they start the tipper action and as the base starts to flow out, they drive slowly down the new road evenly spreading the road base. This makes life easier for the grader who follows and smooths out the material.

There are several other processes such as driving rollers over this area, which compact and level out the road base. It is then ready for the final seal. This could be cement or a hot mix. Either way, a special machine is used to lay the seal. Once again, dump trucks are used to carry the mix – they dump it in to the machine laying the new road. Wave after wave of trucks come in and they are able to empty their contents without the machine stopping. This enable a completely smooth road to be laid without any seams.

Dump trucks are involved in some way in every step of road making. You can work as a dump truck driver once you complete a truck driver training program. The pay is good, the hours are great, and the job never boring. At the end of the day, you can look back on a piece of road that you have helped build – a permanent record of your hard work.

Are you a heavy equipment operator that needs to move their own equipment? If so, then a commercial drivers license (CDL) is the only way to go. A class-A commercial drivers license allows you to drive trucks on the public highways and is the trucking equivalent to a standard drivers license.

Truck driver courses go for three weeks and include both in classroom and hands on training. The object of the training is to give you the knowledge and skills that will enable you to pass your class-A commercial drivers license test. This knowledge includes road rules and safety along with skills required to safely and efficiently drive a truck.

On the road training includes highway driving, reversing and parking, along with the many other skills required to drive any vehicle, trucks in particular. ATS has over 45 years experience in truck driver training – in fact, truck driver training was the starting point for the business.

Over the past 45 years ATS has established an enviable reputation for providing skilled operators who generally have little trouble gaining their Class-A CDL. There are many heavy equipment operators trained by ATS in the workplace who have turned to us for help in achieving their Class-A CDL. The only reason they return is because the quality of the training has helped them succeed in their chosen career.

If you’re a heavy equipment operator looking to open up your career options, consider adding a class-A commercial drivers license to your set of skills. It will open more doors than you can imagine.

As follow up to yesterday’s post detailing the skills of a crane operator, today’s post details the skills required to apply for most truck driving jobs. The most important component to any truck driving job is the commercial drivers license that all truck drivers need to obtain.

Your commercial drivers license really only says that you are competent at driving a truck and that you know the road rules. The license says nothing about the other skills that truck drivers generally require. Here is a list of some of the skills that employers may be looking for when recruiting new drivers.

• Running, maneuvering, navigating, or driving vehicles of the size required for the job. This could range from a dump truck to tractor-trailer combination.
• Inspecting equipment, structures, or materials to identify the cause of errors or other problems or defects.
• Performing physical activities that require considerable use of your arms and legs and moving your whole body, such as climbing, lifting, balancing, walking, stopping, and handling of materials.
• Identifying information by categorizing, estimating, recognizing differences or similarities, and detecting changes in circumstances or events.
• Being able to maintain records such as drivers logs, mileage and fuel details, deliveries and any other associated documentation.

Does it sound daunting? It isn’t. With experience these tasks are done almost without thinking. Most of them are also covered to some extent in any training you undertake. Operating the truck is only one part of your job. At your destination you may be expected to unload, or at least help, to unload your vehicle. You will also have to supervise the loading to ensure there is a reasonable distribution of weight.

Truck driver training covers a lot of the skills mentioned in this post. Obviously, truck driver training focuses first on learning to drive a truck and knowledge of the road rules required to gain your CDL. Experience over time helps to fill in any of gaps. If you have a flair for any of those skills then why not consider a career as a truck driver?