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Free Trucking School in California
Here’s a video of a YouTuber providing a step by step process on how to get trucking school paid for by the state of California. 🚛
Trucking school cost me $3,000 in Los Angeles, so I know this information could be very helpful with someone wanting to start a career in the trucking industry. ✅
If you can’t afford to pay for trucking school and don’t want to sign an employment contract with a carrier, this is another avenue you may want to take advantage of. I’m pretty sure most states have this resource, so I highly recommend calling your local unemployment office to find out if paid trucking school is available in your region. ☎️
Questions, comments, or concerns; feel free to drop a comment. ⤵️
Order Filling Process
Here’s a quick video on what it’s like to be an order filler in the warehouse. I used to do this when I first started working in the warehouse industry. This position is the next level up from unloading containers by hand.
Order filling can be done on a pallet jack, forklift, stand-up forklift, or a cherry picker. Depending on what you’re picking, this position can be really easy or very grueling. There are some companies that require full pallets to be picked or individual items from the pallet itself. But here’s an employee demonstrating a day in the life of an order filler.
Hazmat Loads
If you never delivered a Hazmat load, here’s a video of what the process is like. 🚛
Verify your BOL and Dangerous Goods form match the trailer and seal number. ✅
Verify you have the appropriate placards and place them on all four sides of the trailer. ✅
Verify you have the emergency contact information just in case there’s an accident. ✅
Place your Dangerous Goods form in the Hazmat booklet in the appropriate page where first responders can locate the type of Hazmat you are hauling. ✅
Place the Hazmat booklet on your driver’s side door panel. ✅
Be sure your Hazmat endorsement is valid. Hauling Hazardous material without the endorsement is a crime and you will lose your CDL and possibly face jail time or fines. ✅
Getting your Hazmat endorsement will get you a higher pay rate so I always recommend getting this endorsement. You can get your Hazmat endorsement if you have a felony conviction, it just has to be over 7 years old. I have a felony conviction for attempted murder and was able to get my Hazmat endorsement and TSA clearance. ☣️
Any questions feel free to drop a comment. 🤔
Tuition Reimbursement
Here’s a video of 5 companies that offer tuition reimbursement to their employees. Walmart, Target, Starbucks, Boeing, and T-Mobile are the 5 companies talked about in this video. Some of these companies do have requirements that are explained in the video.
I highly recommend that if your company offers tuition reimbursement, take advantage of it. I was fortunate enough to work for a company that offered tuition reimbursement. I was able to obtain a B.A. in Organizational Management, A.A. in Business Management, Six Sigma certification, and PMP certification all for free. What’s really nice is that I don’t have to worry about paying back my student loans that has many Americans struggling financially.
Commercial Driver’s License
If you’re interested in a career as a “Commercial Driver”, here are the steps that I took to get my Class A license. 🪪 Each step must be followed or you will have to reschedule your DMV appointments. ✅
The first thing you need to do is study for the CDL. Download the DMV study guide from their website. I also recommend downloading the CDL prep app. It’s free and has the same questions as the DMV test. When you are ready to take the air brake and knowledge test, make a DMV appointment. Before your appointment you’ll need a DOT physical from an urgent care. Not all urgent cares offer DOT physicals, so call and find out which one does. They are generally $100 for a medical certificate. When your DMV appointment arrives, take your birth certificate, ID, medical certificate, and two utility bills that prove you live at your residence. 🚛
After passing your test you’ll receive a Class A permit and you can either pay $3,000 to enroll in trucking school which is 27 courses 1 hour each course, or you can apply for a trucking company that will provide paid training. Takes around 2-4 months to get your CDL from start to finish. Any questions feel free to ask. 🤔
*** Lunch Breaks***
This video is addressing lunch breaks in Washington because they tried to enforce a law that forces truck drivers to take their lunch before their 5th hour of their start time. FMCSA enforces and regulates federal laws which trump any state laws. Apparently the FMCSA stepped in and quashed the lunch break law Washington was trying to impose on the trucking industry. 🥗
Now this is interesting because here in California us truck drivers actually do have to take our lunch before the 5th hour. My former employer that I just resigned from actually just got hit with a class action wage claim because of this. For some reason California was able to trump federal law and enact this 5th hour meal break period in the trucking industry. I can tell you from my own personal experience, I get stuck in the ports from time to time for 6-8 hours and it’s impossible for me to take a lunch break before the 5th hour. It can be an inconvenience at times as a truck driver myself. 🚛
What are your thoughts on this meal break period for truck drivers? 🥪 🤔
Union VS. Non-Union
Union vs Non-Union in the trucking industry is the question? For the past two years I’ve been a non-union commercial driver and starting tomorrow I’ll be a Union truck driver being represented by the (Local 1964 International Longshoremen Association). This is a new experience for me, but I can tell you some benefits that are already in effect; are the sign on bonus, compensation, pension, medical and dental insurance, and fixed start times. I also know that if work gets slow I will still get my 40 hours no matter what. My employment is protected. 🚛
This reminds me of the book “Rich Dad Poor Dad” by Robert Kiyosaki when he states that if you’re going to work a regular job make sure it’s Union because it’s protected. New technology can get introduced into an industry and decimate thousands of jobs that are not protected by the Union. Although my plans are to transition into Real Estate in 2024, it’s a good feeling to know my employment is protected for the rest of my life. ✅
What are your thoughts on this video and Union vs. Non-Union commercial drivers? 🤔
https://youtu.be/ibwNgGfgtUM?si=BAkJ7tb7YJwX1oD3
#jobcase #advice #motivation #union #truckdriver #hiringnews
ISO 9000
If you’re looking to make a career in the warehouse industry I recommend landing a position in a warehouse that implements an ISO 9000 quality management system. These companies pay their employees very well because they want the best employees to ensure 100% accuracy and quality to their customers. ✅
I worked for an organization called Southwire Company in California that manufactured and distributed copper and aluminum cable wire. It’s a privately owned company that generates 5.6 billion in revenue annually. Southwire implements ISO 9000 standards that requires a series of quality checks before it goes out to the customer. For example, the material handler must check the cable wire, the cutter must check the wire, and the runner must also check the wire before it goes into the staging area. All these phases require the employee’s initial to ensure the wire passes the quality check through each phase. Each employee also gets cross-trained in each position so the job rotation goes smoothly. ✅
Here’s a short video on ISO 9000 standards. ✅
Warehouse Unloading
Here’s a short 3 minute demonstration of the warehouse unloading process. In this video you will notice the forklift operator is driving backwards because he is carrying a stack of pallets. But it doesn’t matter if the operator is transporting freight or not, the mast still obstructs the view of the operator creating blind spots. Forklift operators must drive backwards at all times constantly honking the horn.
Also in this video you will also notice the forklift operator is unloading the container by himself. In a normal situation, there would be at least two lumpers unloading and a forklift operator to move the completed pallets to its designated location. The unloading by hand process takes around 6-8 hours to complete. If you’re new to the warehouse industry, this is just one of the many duties a warehouse associate can do. The objective is to learn these duties and work your way up to a leadership position or another position with more responsibilities and higher pay such as a Quality Assurance.