Beep beep!
Is that the sound of you on your way to ATS driver orientation?
Welcome aboard!
If you’ve been invited to ATS orientation and you’ve set a date but you’re wondering what’s next, you’ve come to the right place. Or, maybe ATS is one of the carriers you’re considering as your next career home and you want to fully understand the orientation process before you come here.
Either way, we’re here to help make the process easy to navigate. From how you’ll get here, who’s paying for travel, where you’re staying, what to do if something goes wrong and everything in between, this article will give you all the answers you’re seeking.
A Quick View of ATS Orientation
ATS orientation is held in two locations. Orientation is hosted for company drivers in Porter, Indiana. Orientation is hosted for independent contractors in St. Cloud, Minnesota (where ATS is headquartered).
Dry van and flatbed drivers will be in the same room for most of orientation but will break off for separate securement training sessions.
Orientation begins on Monday and drivers certify on Wednesday or Thursday depending on what division they’re in (flatbed or dry van) and if they’ve requested anything extra with their truck (like fridge installations, etc.). We expect drivers to arrive Sunday afternoon (or earlier).
You’ll go through several presentations, a road test and securement training. You’ll have the chance to meet with both your recruiter and your driver manager.
Related: For more information on the ATS orientation process, learn more here.
Traveling to ATS Orientation
Your recruiter will make all travel arrangements for you and secure accommodations. No matter if you schedule orientation a month out or the week before attending, the process for scheduling travel and accommodations is the same.
The week before orientation, you’ll be in regular contact with your recruiter. On Monday, they’ll reach out to you to schedule a drug test for the week you’re in orientation. They’ll schedule a Department of Transportation (DOT) physical if you need an updated medical card. The physical can be performed before you get to orientation or it can be done at our facilities.
You’ll also receive a link to consent to a full query from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) Drug and Alcohol Clearinghouse in the week prior to orientation.
Related: How to register for the Clearinghouse.
We’ll either send you to orientation via a rental car or flight; we’ll do our best to accommodate you. Don’t worry — you won’t be traveling here on a bus.
You’re welcome to bring your spouse or partner to orientation with you. If you plan to bring a pet, we’ll need to know ahead of time to plan travel and accommodations accordingly.
You and your spouse (or guest) will receive three meals per day at no cost to you.
Driving a Rental Car to Orientation
We book travel via a rental car on Wednesday before your orientation class starts. We primarily use Enterprise and will choose the closest, most convenient location for you to pick up the vehicle. Maybe that means you’re picking up the rental close to home. Perhaps that means you’re picking it up near your previous trucking company’s truck yard where you just dropped off your truck.
Your recruiter will book you a full-size sedan, which is typically a Chevy Impala or equivalent. However, you’ll often get what’s available at Enterprise that day. You may end up with a truck or SUV, but it’ll never be a vehicle smaller than a full-size sedan. Once your car is booked, we’ll send you confirmation details.
We’ll reimburse you for fuel and tolls once you arrive at orientation.
Depending on how far you’re traveling, you may need to stay at a hotel partway through your journey. We’ll reimburse up to $75 for a hotel if you’re traveling 1,200 or more miles.
Use your trip planning skills here. Plan accordingly to arrive in a timely fashion. That means you may need to leave on Friday to arrive during the hotel check-in time (more on the hotel and check-in below).
Dropping Off the Rental Car
Once you drop off the rental car at the nearest location to your hotel, we’ll get you a taxi to the hotel. In St. Cloud, we use Elite Taxi service.
Drivers in Porter are brought back to the hotel via a hotel-coordinated shuttle.
Flying to Orientation
We book flights to orientation on Thursday prior to your orientation class. ATS doesn’t utilize budget airlines to fly drivers to orientation, so you won’t be flying with an airline like Spirit or Frontier. We’ll book a flight with an airline like Southwest, Delta or American Airlines. Seats are scheduled in economy class.
Typically, you’ll be flying out on Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning. We’ll do our best to accommodate a flight time that works best for you, but we’re also working with a budget. For instance, if the flight is much cheaper on Saturday afternoon than it is on Sunday afternoon, we’ll book you on the cheaper flight on Saturday. You may or may not have a layover.
We’ll send confirmation details once the flight is booked.
We’ll reimburse you for up to two checked bags. Though, keep in mind that we advise you to bring only what you’ll need for about two weeks on the road.
Independent contractors will fly to Minneapolis, Minnesota. Company drivers will fly to either airport in Chicago.
From the Airport to the Hotel
No need to worry about how you’re getting from the airport to the hotel. We’ll have a taxi or shuttle waiting for you, depending on which city your orientation is in.
If you’re traveling to orientation in Porter, you’ll use the taxi service Classic Taxi. The driver will have your phone number and you’ll receive theirs. You should call them when you land.
If you’re heading to orientation in St. Cloud, a shuttle service, Groome Transportation, will get you from Minneapolis to St. Cloud. You’ll have ample time to get to the departure area after landing. There are arrows every 30 feet in the airport directing you toward the pickup area.
Accommodations at Truck Driver Orientation
Your recruiter will book your accommodations for orientation. You’ll be in your own room in a hotel located close to the orientation facility. A shuttle will bring you to and from orientation each day.
If you bring a guest, they’re welcome to come with you to orientation and sit in class with you.
Again, if you’re bringing a pet, you need to let us know in advance so we can book you at a hotel that allows pets.
We’ll cover the cost of your hotel room from the time you get to orientation (within reason) to the time you leave orientation. For instance, if you get to the hotel on Friday or Saturday, we’ll cover those extra nights spent at the hotel.
If, however, you have to be at the hotel five days before orientation begins (maybe because you dropped your truck off with your last company near our orientation location), you may need to cover the cost of those extra nights. We’ll cover these costs within reason. If you do need to cover the costs yourself, you can pay this upfront or we can cover the cost and subtract it from your sign-on bonus.
We ask that you check in between 3 and 6 p.m. on Sunday. Orientation week can be long and tiring, so it’s a good idea to be settled in and rested the night prior — especially after traveling all the way to orientation class.
If you can’t accommodate this timeframe, we ask you to arrange it with your recruiter ahead of time. Arriving to orientation late can mess up your schedule for the week; in turn, you may need to reschedule orientation entirely.
You may need to arrive earlier than Sunday, and that’s fine. Perhaps you’ve dropped off your truck and it’s near an orientation facility. Just make sure you talk to your recruiter about what day you plan to arrive so we can reserve a room for you.
ATS Driver Orientation Travel Email
After your travel and accommodations are booked, we’ll send a travel email to you. This includes your flight information or rental car information. It’ll provide address details for the hotel and rental car return, check-in time and numbers for the taxi and shuttle services.
You’ll also receive a checklist of items you should bring to orientation. It’s very important you closely review this email before you leave for orientation.
The travel email also includes information for the on-call recruiter. This may or may not be the original recruiter you worked with. Not only will the on-call recruiter be available to help troubleshoot potential problems should they arise over the weekend, but they’ll also be the one you update throughout the weekend as you travel.
If you’re driving, you need to text the on-call recruiter to notify them you’ve picked up the vehicle. You should text again when you turn in the vehicle, and then again when you check in to the hotel.
If you’re flying, text the on-call recruiter when you land and when you make it to the hotel.
If you do encounter trouble while you’re traveling, the on-call recruiter is available to assist. For instance, if there’s a road closure due to weather or a traffic accident and it delays your arrival time significantly, let them know. The same goes for if you run into vehicle trouble or your plane is delayed. You might not be able to find the shuttle or maybe you can’t get in touch with the taxi driver. We can help with that.
Don’t Ghost Your Recruiter
When it comes to getting to ATS orientation, you don’t have to worry about anything much other than arriving safely and on time (and bringing the proper paperwork). We’ll take care of all your travel details so you can focus on preparing for your new job with a new company.
The week before orientation is an important one. It’s crucial that you stay in touch with your recruiter throughout the week. Not only will they be calling you and emailing you with travel details, but they’ll be available to answer any last-minute questions you have about the company overall and the program you’re signing up for.
Remember: If you suddenly don’t feel comfortable with something ATS does or doesn’t have to offer, please communicate with us about it to see if we can resolve the issue. If we can’t resolve the issue for you, we’ll understand if you decide not to come to orientation.
However, it’s of the utmost importance that you let us know if you’ve decided to back out of orientation. We’ll respect your decision and take it for what it is. You don’t even have to provide a reason — but do let us know you won’t be there so we can either cancel travel plans or give your orientation spot to another driver.
What we won’t respect — nor will any other recruiter in the industry — is if you ghost us. It doesn’t work well for anyone. In fact, it can harm your career in the long run by harming your future chances with carriers.
Learn more about the importance of staying in contact with your recruiter.
Now, don’t be a ghost! See you at orientation!