The Department of Transportation (DOT) requires every trucking company to send new drivers through orientation. The DOT also requires carriers to cover specific information during orientation, including safety information and hours of service (HOS).
However, every orientation is a little bit different. Some companies have virtual orientations, some have them in-person. Some have them for a day or two, and some companies have a more thorough, in-person orientation that lasts a full week.
There are countless details you need to have in place for orientation — from turning in your notice at your current company to arranging travel and accommodations if your orientation is in-person. It’s important to know what to expect before you get to ATS orientation; that way, you won’t forget important paperwork, or worse, get sent home for not meeting our criteria.
Here at Anderson Trucking Service (ATS), we run an in-person orientation every single week, where drivers like you get the chance to meet the people you’ll be working with, from the owners of ATS to your dispatcher and the safety department.
Keep reading to learn everything you’ll need to know about orientation at ATS and all the steps you’ll need to take before you get here.
ATS conducts orientation at two locations. If you are a lease driver, you will attend orientation at our headquarters in St. Cloud, Minnesota. If you are a company driver, you will attend orientation in Porter, Indiana.
Once you have determined which day you’ll be coming to orientation, we start making travel arrangements. At ATS, we will take care of all the travel details and accommodations for you.
Because our orientation begins on Monday, and the first day is the most intense day of orientation, we want you to arrive at your orientation destination by Sunday afternoon. That gives you plenty of time to rest before orientation begins.
Depending on where you’re coming from — whether you’re coming straight from dropping off your truck with your previous carrier or you’re coming from the house — we’ll arrange either a flight or a rental car. We will try to accommodate your preference for flying versus a rental car.
All arrangements are taken care of, including your transportation from the airport to your hotel. Your driver consultant will confirm all of your reservation details with you, including what time you need to pick up your rental car, where it needs to be dropped off and when you need to check in and out of your hotel room.
We will book you a room in a nearby hotel with a shuttle service to orientation. You will not have to share your room with another driver. If you are bringing your pet with you, we will book you in a hotel that allows pets. Keep in mind that you will be subject to paying pet deposits, however.
ATS is a family-owned company, so we understand the importance of family. You can bring your spouse or partner with you to orientation and we will cover the costs. They can stay in the hotel room or they may join your orientation class. Meals will be delivered to them if they are unable to attend the orientation class. We simply ask that we have a list of their food allergies (if any).
If you have any questions while you’re traveling to orientation, there is an on-call driver consultant that you may reach out to. You will be given the number to reach them ahead of time. They can issue electronic funds for fuel and tolls, as well as provide phone numbers to reach out to your paid taxi service.
You may also need to reach out to them to adjust reservations if you will be late arriving.
When you commit to an orientation date, you will receive a welcome packet and a checklist of what you can expect from orientation This will include a list of what you should bring with you to orientation.
You will need to consent to a full query from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse before orientation. Your driver consultant will send you a link for this before you get to orientation.
Once you commit to attending ATS orientation, you should put in your two weeks’ notice with your current carrier.
Give yourself plenty of time to serve out an adequate notice — two weeks usually suffices. Make sure you give yourself enough time to turn your truck into an authorized location and get to your new orientation with plenty of time to spare.
A truck abandonment will immediately get you sent home from orientation (and that’s not just at ATS, this is at most carriers).
If you are planning to go straight from dropping your truck off to orientation, be sure that you go through the house sometime before you drop your truck off. This will give you a chance to clean out your truck and pack whatever you’d need for orientation.
Check out our list of six things you should do when you quit your trucking carrier.
Your paperwork requirements will vary depending upon what type of driver you are — lease or company. However, all drivers will be required to fill out a welcome packet once they get to the hotel.
Before attending orientation, you will need to confirm that you dropped your truck off at an authorized location. If you haven’t, you will be asked to drop your truck off and reschedule your orientation date.
Your driver consultant will also confirm if you were referred by another driver.
Lease drivers will be required to bring slightly different paperwork to orientation than company drivers. Lease drivers need to bring:
As employees of the company, company drivers will need to be prepared to complete benefit paperwork at orientation. You should bring the following:
Drivers may decide to have their physical and drug test performed in their hometown. Otherwise, there is a doctor on site that can perform your pre-employment drug and alcohol test.
Please note that you only need to provide your three-year work history to attend orientation, but you will need to provide your ten-year work history when you get to orientation.
Each driver that attends orientation will be required to go through a COVID screening questionnaire before they attend orientation.
The questionnaire will cover potential symptoms, any contact with a COVID-positive individual, recent testing history and recent domestic and international travel.
The screening should be completed before you leave for orientation. If you are experiencing any symptoms at all, you should not come to orientation. Even if your symptoms seem minor now, they may become worse as you travel to orientation.
We recommend only bringing the essentials to orientation. If you’re coming straight to orientation from dropping your truck off, we recommend you clear out your truck beforehand so that you don’t have to bring all your stuff to orientation.
Ideally, you should pack enough clothes to last you two weeks and no more than two bags total. Before you arrive at orientation, check the weather. Pack weather-appropriate clothing.
You may be approved to go to orientation, but that does not mean you are hired. You still need to go through orientation and pass tests to become certified as a driver for ATS.
In addition to filling out paperwork, ATS teams will give presentations. Our entire staff is committed to providing you with the resources you need to succeed as a driver. We won’t push you through orientation but will give you adequate time to learn the material so that you feel confident out on the road.
On the first day of orientation, you go through a rotation where you will cycle between doing a road test in a truck simulator, watching videos and taking different assessments.
The videos and assessments will cover claims, injury prevention, safety and the ATS driver app.
If you are leasing your truck, the leasing department helps you choose your truck. You will have a chance to inspect the trucks in our fleet and make your selection based on your personal preference and availability.
You also meet with the leasing department and contractor services to sign your lease and contract.
The safety department meets with you several times during orientation to discuss ATS safety expectations.
Vans drivers and flatbed drivers separate for securement training. Our safety team provides extensive training on properly securing your loads — whether you are vans or flats. They will cover DOT regulations for chains and straps, as well as best practices for securing your loads.
As a flatbed driver, you will be tested on securing different types of loads set up around our securement bay.
As a vans driver, you will take a written test.
Our team presents on Hours of Service and your expectations for logging your hours.
The permit department meets with you to discuss the different permits you will need for the areas you’re driving in.
A member of our finances team meets with you to advise you on finances if you are a lease driver. You will have the opportunity to ask questions and sign up for financial services to assist you with managing your finances as an independent contractor.
The ten-year work verification you provide will be reviewed along with your application. You may not be hired if you don’t have enough verifiable work experience.
If you don’t bring a med card and your full physical paperwork, you must pass a DOT physical onsite. This is to ensure that you are healthy enough to drive.
You must also pass a drug test.
ATS has strict hiring guidelines and we complete criminal background checks. We cannot legally ask you about your criminal history during the recruiting process, but we can read you our guidelines. From there, you must decide if you do or do not meet our qualifications.
If you decide to attend orientation knowing that you don’t fit within our hiring guidelines due to your criminal background, you will be sent home when your background check comes back.
Once you go through all the presentations and you pass the tests and criminal background check, you will be certified to drive for ATS.
Now that you know what you can expect from orientation, it’s time to pack your (two) bags!
We will make the travel arrangements for you, but it is your responsibility to show up for your reservations on time.
Be sure you closely review the welcome packet your driver consultant provides to you and bring the required paperwork.
As long as you closely follow the checklist, you’ll be ready for truck driver orientation at ATS! Once you’re here, we’ll give you all the resources you need to succeed as an ATS truck driver.
All that’s left to do is call your driver consultant to secure your orientation spot!
In the meantime, be sure to review the five background checks we complete before hiring drivers.