Question:
wish me luck i start my school in about an hour and a half its 6:00 am now so im off to the shower im going through covenant transports training school first day of four weeks of school
(((( before i get a lot of negitive posts ive already been forwarened and if you feel you need to tell me again then please read the thread good or bad decision first.
i intend on keeping at least weekley updates as to how every thing is going and how well they are teaching me))))
Kevin

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Good Luck Kevin.
Ike
"The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it."
Albert Einstein

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Good luck to you! I hope you have a great experience.
BT

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well first day over but i got some hoops to jump through
covenants doc didnt approve my physical because of wheezing in my chest and i tried explaining to her that i had sinus problems and this time of year my allergies are working over time but she wants me to get a regular doc to sign off saying i have no restrictions so off to the local doc to get yet another physical and get that release form signed other than that im good to go
ill take my learners portion of the test wendsday and my drivers test in a couple of weeks but ill keep posting as new developments arise
if you go here the food stinks even if its free they give you an hour for lunch so if you want real food go to the waffle house down the street
Kevin

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Ok I jumped the hoop and crossed the hurdle I got my dot physical approved now I gotta take my written portion of the test tommorow around 8:00AM.
then when we get back to the school we start learning pretrip
I was a little discouraged about the lack of instruction for the studying for the written portion but they gave us study sheets and it was pretty self explanitory so we really didnt need a "teacher" I feel real confident that I and the other students will do fine and the instructors when they were coming in and out they would help us with any questions.
The facilities are really nice and clean the people are really nice and helpful when ever you have a question they answer it or find someone who can so far its been a pretty positive experience .
I am also in a class with only three others this time the class before us had over twenty so hopefully we will get a little more quality time than average in the truck
untill tommorow
Kevin

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Took the test today got my learners permit i did really well only missed 6 questions total out of all four parts 5 on general(i should have studied a little better)missed 0 on both air brakes and combination vehicles and one on hazmat .
started learning pretrip after lunch and getting familiar with the truck and tommorrow we start learning shifting the super ten
untill tommorow
Kevin

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Hang in there! Have some fun while you can, be a sponge absorb everything around you! Watch the others do as the good ones do, correct what the bad ones do! Learn the the Smith System, use your "Keys!"
Drive on! bandit58

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smith system?
Kevin

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Hi Bigk300. Thanks for the updates. Let us know how you're doing.

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Originally posted by bigk300:
smith system?
Kevin
It's all about managing the space around your truck!
Smith System Here
Drive on! bandit58....

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Bandit,
Thanks for the info
They didnt call it the smith system in school but that is what they are teaching us .
Day four Pretrip and Shifting
We started the day watching a video on shifting then up to the hill(the training course).
Then we worked on pretrip, then he loaded us all up in the truck and showed us the break check and in cab portions of pretrip and then out we went and he showed us the steps to shifting and we took turns (3 of us) on driving the course .
Pretrip is coming along good shifting made me a nervous wreck my first time(super 10) but when we got back from lunch the instructor took me out by myself and walked me through it again without the other students in the truck and then turned me loose for 2.5hours im getting better at it .
I did a pull through and parked it and dropped my trailer smooth as silk he said i did great my first day in the truck.
One of the girls is about forty years old and used to be a bank teller and shes already shifting like a pro lol ,never driven the big truck either .
I get more time tommorow all day as a matter of fact to practice and im gonna nail it I have faith the only thing im having major problems with is getting into second downshifting from fourth ,to third, to second on a downgrade im not letting the rpms drop enough and I somtimes forget to select forward on the selector on the shift knob when down shifting and I found out that 9 outta ten trys you cant drop from third to first at 10 miles an hour at 1300 rpms lol I know my mistakes now just to learn from them .
till tommorrow
Kevin

Answer:
Day five
more pretrip still learning that and more shifting and driving around the course nothing much to add but ill tell a little about the routine and facilites.
school starts at 7:00am goes to 4:00pm with an hour break for lunch .
when you either get up or get to the school breakfast is served from 6-7am then you got the school right next door at 7.
they have roll call and then your class goes to its respective classroom .
they usually start the day with some type of instruction weither it be a lecture or video then we discuss the video then its off to the training course for more hands on driving instruction of some sort for the rest of the day .
im getting about 7 hours a day in my own truck every day.
this however may or may not be the case all the time,we have just 3 in my particular class with a new class graduating every week so i guess if they get alot more students that come after us then that might change .
they have 10 training trucks they are 1998-1999 model frieghtliners with trailers that are in decent shape the ac works,the radio works,and some have a qualcom unit in them so we can learn to use it.they are pretty rough on the inside though.
most have over a million miles on them ,they dont have any oil leaks or anything mechanicly broken and they are still properly maintained just showing the signs of wear and tear and they get more than their share .
the course its self is pretty good its graded gravel with color coded barrells to mark the course this course is temporary from what i hear they are currently prepairing the grounds for a new paved course with lines to be painted and the sort .
most of the students stay in the hotel that is owned by covenant .
the school is right next door all new hires,students go through the training center your tuition covers all your meals and your room at the hotel they have a cafeteria inside the hotel for you too eat at monday through friday morning then they give you meal vouchers for the waffle house across the street
for lunch and dinner friday,all three meals saturday,sunday they start serving meals at the cafeteria again
i live local so i dont stay at the hotel but i could have if i wanted too there are no employment contracts to sign if you go through the school but your tution must be paid upfront however if you stay with covenant for two years you get a $3000 retention bounus which pays you back for the school.
they also have a refresher course for people that have a cdl but havent driven in a while and its like 350 bucks for a week i know all this might sound like a sales pitch but its not
so far none of the nightmares are evident that i have heard so much about a good number of drivers that are coming through there have worked for covenant before and wished they had never left several are coming from usxpress and quite a few o/o's
covenant may have had problems in the past but not much of that is evident now from what i can see they run a pretty tight ship and expect you to run long.if your wanting home time every weekend or every other weekend covenant is not the company to drive for they prefer that you stay out for at least four weeks at a time they are a team oriented company but have plenty of miles for solo drivers most that i talk to are getting around 3000-3500 miles a week and they maintain there equipment pretty well and they only keep the trucks for three years the drivers that always want to get home every week or two are the ones getting crummy loads and not the best miles.
there are a lot of loyal drivers to the company that have been there for years and im sure that some people might have had a bad experience with them at some point but there are well over 6000 drivers there and is one of the top ten driving companies out there and to me that is saying something since they started in 1985 with 25 tractors and 50 trailers.you dont get that big and get that succesfull screwing employees and not taking care of your equipment. if your drivers arent happy and your equipment is tearing up then you dont make any money then you dont stay in business thats why im laid off right now because the plant i worked for didnt take care of their equipment and didnt keep their people happy. thats just my 2cents
Kevin

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do covenant pay for training or you have to pay yourself?

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richlover covenant does not pay for your training as far as i know but you might try their recruting office to find out if they have a payroll deducted tuition like some of the other companies.
i know that they used to and it costs $2500 .
i had checked into covenant a few years ago and you had to sign a contract for like 36 months and the cost of the school was either payroll deducted or reimbursed im not sure.
i went through my states WIA program and the state paid for it all ,the only expense i got is gas to and from.
if i stayed at the hotel i would not have any expenses .
if you live out of town the tuition even covers your bus ticket there ,as far as i know ,but a lot of the students seem to have driven in if possible ,so they will have the freedom to come and go as they please.
where are you from ?
check with your unemployment office and see if you can qualify for re-training through your states WIA program .
they had several diffrent driving schools to choose from in my state and im sure they do in yours too and it worked best for me because of they way im having to juggle my schedule it was better for me to go to a local school and covenant was on the list .
i only live like 9-10 miles away from their headquarters so it was more convienent for me.
i hope i was of help.
Kevin

Answer:
thanks for the info and good luck to you