CUMTD.COM
May 23, 2013
Tag Archives: CDL
Green Light: The Stinger System
In this month’s “Green Lights,” we’re going to explore a sustainable practice at MTD that is decades old. The Stinger System was implemented at our Maintenance Facilities in the mid-1980s. This fleet-wide system has been in place for over 20 … Continue reading
State Comes to MTD for CDL Re-Examinations
The inspiration for creating this blog was my enrollment in the MTD Training Program to earn a Class B Commercial Driver’s License (CDL). I published my first post in March of this year, after I had completed the program and … Continue reading
Goodbye CDL Training, Hello Desk
My class of six, two training to be bus operators, two training to work in our Maintenance Department, and two staff members, passed our tests and graduated. The bus operators went on to Line Instruction and the technicians returned to … Continue reading
Posted in Training
Tagged bus, busses, CDL, Champaign, Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, CUMTD, Illinois, MTD, public transit, public transportation, Savoy, University of Illinois, Urbana
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The Final Countdown: CDL Driving Test
The day came to take my four-part CDL driving exam [See State of Illinois CDL Study Guide - PDF]. In accordance with state regulations, Jim Dhom, Safety and Training Director, requires 84-96 hours of driving experience before a student takes … Continue reading
Posted in Training
Tagged bus, bus operator, buses, busses, CDL, Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, commercial driver's license, CUMTD, Illinois, MTD, public transit, public transportation
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Sharing the Road
One of the values of having gone through bus operator training, besides gaining the ability to brag about driving over twenty tons of vehicle, is learning what road choices make the job harder and easier. So in the spirit of … Continue reading
Hats Off to the MTD Trainers
For the last couple of weeks before my final CDL exam, Dhom and the Trainers focused on MTD routes. Dhom made certain each trainee had driven every size (30’, 40’, and 60’) and series (’93, ’94, ’96, ’97, ’01, ’03, … Continue reading
Switching From Park to Drive
I expected my first, real bus drive to be terrifying and overwhelming. Driving circles around the Maintenance Facility is one thing, but pulling this 42,000 pound bad boy onto public streets was different. Namely, there were more consequences. Dhom and … Continue reading
Before the Drive
Slowly, our class began to spend less of our day in the classroom. The trainers began introducing us to all things bus. There was an endless stream of pointers and reminders. We made multiple circles around each vehicle and noted … Continue reading
What’s Class Got to Do With It?
“Why don’t we start by going around the room and introducing ourselves?” MTD’s Safety and Training Director, Jim Dhom, asked. My training class was a group of six. We could be neatly categorized into three groups of two. The first … Continue reading
Let’s Start at the Beginning
What are your experiences with on-the-job training? Were you swept away in a whirl of excitement? Did it feel like you landed in a crater of confusion? Or were your eyes made heavy by a light breeze of boredom? All … Continue reading
Posted in Training
Tagged bus, buses, CDL, Champaign-Urbana Mass Transit District, commercial driver's license, CUMTD, MTD, public transit, public transportation
5 Comments