Just wondering how often job openings for this come about, im considering next fall after we are done touring for the year to go work for a company that leases out entertainer coaches. I know a CDL will be required so i will have to get one before that, but besides that....is it a hard field to get into?
The only thing that i can see being my downfall is i am 21 right now, 22 by then. However chances are i know more about busses than most current drivers. At least from my observation every time i try to initiate a conversation at a truck stop or rest area with a bus driver, they know nothing....not even what kind of bus theyre driving!! (Obviously i know, but nothing is a better conversation starter than 'Is that a MC (insert model here)' unless of course the answer is 'i dont know, i just am paid to drive these things!'
So anyways, i know some of you on here used to be or still are in the industry.....i am just looking to fulfill my love of driving busses when im not on tour haha. 21 years old and single and not married....might as well take advantage of it! I am however specifically interested in entertainer coaches.
Thanks guys!
Worst case scenario, with the bus market the way it is right now, ill just buy a personal bus for myself and just work on that! haha, i do love driving them though :-)))))
If you can get your head around how the systems on an entertainer coach work, you will be hired, never mind your age. As you have discovered, it is VERY hard to get motivated and knowledgeable coach drivers for these extended gigs.
Google for your local and not so local VIP/Entertainer coach companies and give them a call. Even ones many states away will hire you, it doesn't matter where you are from, they need guys who can withstand the lifestyle.
Go get your CDL, see if you can hire on with a local charter company for a little while to get your feet wet. Don't be telling them your plans, just hire on and get some mileage and training under your belt.
You have to be able to thread a needle with the coach, BY YOURSELF. If you need help to move that bus within inches of stuff, you're no good to the entertainer bunch.
Especially reversing. If you can't go backwards better than you go forwards, forget it.
Everything the coach does has to be effortless and stress free. The group doesn't know what's going on, cuz YOU are so smooth and stress free. You don't get recommendations by freaking out the group, you get asked back year after year because the bus is a "no problem" environment. They don't want to hear about the toilet, the generator, the problems, the limitations, you shut up, make it work and make it smooth.
Like a good butler, or other old style servant, the boss doesn't need to be bothered with the details of your menial functioning.
Long high mile drives, reposition the coach across the continent by tomorrow, really bad behavior in the back, depending on your value system...either way, you can't be safely driving and being involved in whatever... drive overnight, sleep sometime, do it again tomorrow night.
That being said, if the group won't let you get the right sleep or leave you alone to drive the coach, park that baby and take the next flight home.
Help any?
happy coaching!
buswarrior
Iminaccess,
Hemphill Brothers, Senators coaches. Google them and see if they are hiring.
Call Wade Staley of Staley Coaches in Nashville. He is a great resource.
I think having younger,fit drivers is what alot of touring folks are looking for. The obese and older folks bring possible heart attack into the scenario. We had a driver for us a few years ago that we all swore was gonna cack in the mountains doing 80 with the cruise on some night!! Of course he got his stomach stapled right after we finished the tour and weighs like 190 now... go figure.There is alot of loyalty and many long term relationships between drivers and celebrities so getting the "A" gig (driving a headliner like Reba or Garth) will be a long wait. When they find a person they trust, that will put up with their idiosyncrasies and insecurities, they stick with them.
You would probably start driving a crew bus. 45 foot Prevost Mirage or H model with a series 60.It will have 10-12 bunks in it and the biggest rule of all with tour buses is you NEVER,EVER,EVER let anyone go #2 in the toilet. You better be able to sleep during the day and be prepared for alot of pizza, drinking, fighting and cussing. I have seen some of the best friends in the world when they are out on the road, away from their families for months on end, and super pampered by everyone around them, become vicious enemies. The ego required to stand in front of 15-20k people can make people difficult to say the least.
Oh and the biggest drag of all is if you think you're gonna "see" America like you've probably been seeing it with your band. You won't. You will drive all night and sleep all day and days off when the band is hitting the clubs or going to dinner, you will be at the Prevost shop fixing the 14 never ending things that break all the time.
I know it was a sobering post but you really better know you want this, or you will have a monumental amount of time wrapped up in a job you don't love.
Good luck and God Bless you in your search if you decide to move forward.
Send us pictures of your gleaming new series 60 so we can all drool on our two strokes.
Rick
Helps alot buswarrior! Yeah, obviously i need more practice but i have put my 9 and trailer into places i wouldnt take a van and trailer into.....and backed out. having a veggie system really helps because you have to get into small alleys behind restaurants. anyways, not to toot my own horn, i obviously could use another 150 dates this coming year to train myself even more, as well as local charter companies.
i think what i might do though is i am friends with some people pretty high up in the industry, and they all deal with bands that have morals. so with that being said i might just talk to them and find out what leasing companies they use and try to arrange something because yeah the one thing that i could not deal with is the immoral stuff.
Rick, thank you for your input and information as well. Really good to know what I would really be getting into
any additional information/input from others would be great!
Wow, greats posts and insights everyone. Thank you. Yeah, consider the job kinda like a corporate biz jet pilot or owner operator yacht charter outfit...the people and things one has to deal with.
Crazy as it sounds, even if the national (world?) economy does take a nose dive into the deep end, there will always be a nich for entertainers doing their thing and they will always need transport.
Maybe you can hire on somewhere, learn all the ropes, get experience, then buy your OWN entertainer Bus Conversion and be your own boss. The better you get, the more money you can charge. HB of CJ :) :) :)
good thinking :-)
I actually got the idea when hearing about a band purchasing a bunch of mc9's and converting them and leasing them out and told myself it would make good use of my coach when we are not on the road. Obviously were not talking about any huge bands that would be renting mc9s haha but still a couple extra bucks and you get to do what you love.....driving buses! However i am way too in love with my coach to even think about having some rockstars on board trash it every night!!
With that being said, ultimately i would love to do that....for the amount of money those things are leased for, no need to even do any math to figure out how quickly you get your money back!
So yeah, i think i will try it, see if i like it, if i do, ill keep doing it, get a reputation, then buy some of my own buses and do it by myself.
Keep the posts coming though guys, im loving all this information!
These guys all hit the nail on the head. Luckily I was always one of the guys sleeping in the bunk while the poor drivers had to drive all night but I have seen enough of it to know that I wouldn't want to do it! More power to you! We need good steady guys up there! The best gig, in my opinion, would be when you get with someone who owns their own instead of leasing. When the artists gets big enough, that's usually what they do. They you get put on salary and you get paid whether they are on the road or not in some cases.
I've seen these guys back these buses into places that I wouldn't want to try to back a pickup into. And I have seen then run down the interstate at 75mph just inches from a concrete construction wall. Scared the crap outta me! I agree that you need to get some good logable professional hours under your belt. Work on not only being able to get into small places, but also work on being smooth. No one wants to live with stuff flying all over the bus. But I disagree with not mattering where you live. Just like I used to tell people who would ask me about trying to break into the music business... You gotta be there. Nashville (or L.A. or N.Y.) don't send out talent scouts anymore. You gotta come to them. I think that applies to any job. I wouldn't think I could be a lumberjack if I lived in Southern Arizona. If you want to drive an entertainer coach, I think you have to live close to where entertainers base from.
When starting out driving truck, I found out the hard way that insurance companies don't want you if you're under 25, and most companies wants drivers with at least 2 years of provable driving experience. How can you get driving experience if nobody will hire you? That's the 6 million dollar question. Good luck if you find out. I personally, started with a local moving company to get up to the 2 years of experience before I bought my first truck. Good Luck, TomC
Might be worth simply visiting lots of Entertainer company websites and seeing if they are advertising for drivers.
This comment is from Jumbocruiser (http://jumbocruiser.com/) which is a British entertainer coach operator:
Looking for a driving job ?
Unless we already know you then the only way to get on our books is to do double drives. In effect that means you will need to be a casual driver for a while until a position becomes available. Unfortunately positions are rare and timing is crucial. In the first instance please click here to let us know your details. Priority is given to drivers with trailer licenses who live near Bristol. We are also interested in drivers who live abroad for double drives if they have right hand drive experience. Meanwhile please click here to make sure you really want the job !
Jeremy
Would what i am doing now (owning my own coach and driving it daily for more than 6 months out of the year) be considered professional experience?
Again, thank you for the insight guys!
If you can get around the 25 year age rule.
And you can get your CDL with all the endorsements.
Try doing a few miles driving for a partial living in school buses or finding
runs delivering buses and or RV's for one of the conversion dealers or others.
The bottom line is you need seat time. Much like logging hours during pilot training.
the expertise of driving a bus takes time and experience and the only way is
to go looking. You might have to fly to a pickup or get in with a driveaway services.
Or maybe see about driving a city or metro bus for a while as a reserve driver.
When I wanted to learn to drive a bus, I went to Disney and learned and drove.
While not being paid very well, The experience was worth all of it. 9 weeks of training
and 2 months of random check rides and all that fun. You haven't lived until you have maxxed out an RTS so far that the air suspension was on the lower stops....FUN!!
Dave...
This brings up too many memories from days gone bye.
Unruly kids on school buses (alter ed kids future criminals), light that don't work at midnight with a bus full of school kids, kids throwing stuff out the windows at cop car, etc.
Drunks that just got off the air plane going to the rental cars at the air port. Driving in cricles around the Dulles Air port for 8 + hours at a time.
One of the best was the girls basket ball team that put a sign in the back window of the bus say they were being raped. (2 am on the way from a late night game 90 miles from the school) When The state trooper plued me over and found I was the only male on the bus he got a good laugh but the kids got a letchure too.
First driving a truck, I would not want to have to start over again but I have been playing in the freeway scince 1975, don't know any thing else better to do for a living. From trucks to emergency vehicles, school buses and back to trucks again, the bigger, longer, wider, the heaver the better.
go to Las Vegas if you have a clean record & over 25 they will get you cdl licensss .lts of companies there have 3rd party testing priveledges
you must be talking about las vegas,New Mexico ,thats not how it's done here in sin city.Only one location here for CDL ,testing ,licensing,renewals,and the econo ain't that great tourisim down,nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the country with another estimated 10,000 to be laid off before it's all over.have a nice nite.Van
Quote from: THE BIKE WHISPERER on December 19, 2008, 09:46:30 PM
you must be talking about las vegas,New Mexico ,that's not how it's done here in sin city.Only one location here for CDL ,testing ,licensing,renewals,and the economy ain't that great tourism down,Nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the country with another estimated 10,000 to be laid off before it's all over.have a nice nite.Van
relying on info from the 2years I lived there. (drove limousine) most transportation companies do have 3rd party testing as per job search research & actuality from work in them. 8.3 is pretty high but this also means 91.7 still have jobs.friends I still know in industry's there r not crying yet though.butthen again I only hang with the best.;-)
go to Bell Trans or one of the big companies(no matter whatshow up well dresses & groomed) other than that safe driving record& over 25. they pretty much hireoff the street. Alan waxman is a good second step. or go directly 2 majors if you have p endorsement claws B or better. howeverthe moving industry some places still have 3rd party testing. go 4 bekins they have install contracts for 50,000 hotel rooms being renovated or newly installed in next 2years. you justneed2 hustle in Vegas there s allways money to be made there no matter what 8)
OK also forgot city transit system & a company that operates the deuce both have 3rd party testing. the airport shuttle is operated by bell trans they are on industrial . keep your head up & please don't fedthe fear mongers just like saving our economy after 9/11 , best thing 2do now is live life & buy American whenever possible , the worker is not an unacceptable expense but a neighbor that has bills just like you.
LOL I tryed ,I'm done.Good luck IMINACCESS in finding a good gig ;)and don't take no for an answer,keep on keepin on :)
i appreciate your effort bike whisperer! i trust your judgement over circusboys :-)
Quote from: iminaccess on December 20, 2008, 10:48:46 PM
i appreciate your effort bike whisperer! i trust your judgement over circusboys :-)
you can believe who you whant 2 but I had job offers 2 drive entertainer coachs & stil ave connections n the industry I already went there & lived the dream driving 24pax hummers, escalade, 14 pax superstretch etc. (2 years. I also drove 18 wheelers for many moving companies. lived there 2 years.)I know what I'm talking aboot here. I all ready hold class A wtrailer air brakes p endorsements . I got them out in Vegas doing exactly what I'm telling you aboot.
??? :D :-X I guess thats understandable having so many jobs in as little as 2 years ,in an area where the industry has such a high turn over rate ::)of inexperienced employees ,and ones that are just passing through ;).
FWIW the state of NEVADA currently has no provisions for an air brake endorsement on a CDL(class A),check the back of your CDL CLASS A NEVADA License certificate ,but you already must have forgotten that ,having had taken the CDL class and all ,I can hardly see how ??? ;) ;D,any way here's a copy of said endorsements for the folks that would really like to know and just incase you(clo/by) misplaced yours living your dream , as most of us seasoned drivers do LOL.Have a nice day.
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi457.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fqq292%2Fcwvanhagen%2Fnevlicenseendorsments001.jpg&hash=1daf0143260f2a94f4ec35e8ae91e994559a689c)
P.S. As you clearly should remember also :o the only trailer endorsements are for doubles and triples (class A CDL),but you alredy knew that! out here
:-* .
Quote from: THE BIKE WHISPERER on December 21, 2008, 01:11:35 PM
FWIW the state of NEVADA currently has no provisions for an air brake endorsement on a CDL(class A),check the back of your CDL CLASS A NEVADA License certificate ,but you already must have forgotten that ,having had taken the CDL class and all ,I can hardly see how ??? ;) ;D,any way here's a copy of said endorsements for the folks that would really like to know and just in case you(clo/by) misplaced yours living your dream , as most of us seasoned drivers do LOL.Have a nice day.
(https://busconversionmagazine.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi457.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fqq292%2Fcwvanhagen%2Fnevlicenseendorsments001.jpg&hash=1daf0143260f2a94f4ec35e8ae91e994559a689c)
P.S. As you clearly should remember also :o the only trailer endorsements are for doubles and triples (class A CDL),but you already knew that! out here
wow how old is that licence ?mine had a bar code on the back 2005-2007. also my exp driving big rigs was on a CD learners permit. however I worked 2 jobs out there. but knew folks in many companies & worked under a lot of tables as good help is hard 2find. but this does not detract from my experience. I operated on cdl class B pax for bus 24 pax hummers,escalades & superstreches.however through my various industry contacts Icould have done entertainer coaches.(still can)
I operated on cdl class B pax for bus 24 pax hummers,escalades & superstreches.however through my various industry contacts Icould have done entertainer coaches.(still can)
[/quote] I all ready hold class A wtrailer air brakes p endorsements . I got them out in Vegas doing exactly what I'm telling you aboot.
[/quote] Huh? (sorry, couldn't get the quotes to quote lol)
[/quote] Huh? :D :)
:D
yeah, yeah, just becuase i'm buttugly, doesn't mean I'm smart lol. I was trying to quote both of CB's statements but to edit them. lol
I have been avoiding this one like the plague, since the last time Clownboy and I disagreed on something it turned uncivil.
But I have had a Class A CDL with ALL endorsements since before they became mandatory in 1991! I got mine in 1990 7 or 8 months before the law made them mandatory for all commercial drivers.
And to be honest Clownboy for what it is worth I was not aware of the severe lack of, and desperate need for quality drivers out in the Vegas area!
The CDL's were supposed to improve the quality of professional drivers on the road, but in reality it did the exact opposite! It took many, many an old time hand who could very skillfully handle any rig anywhere off the road and forced them into early retirement or some other field of work where an uneducated man could make a living. Many of those old timers had trouble passing the written exams simply because they could not comprehend the tricky twisted questions on paper. Had they been asked the questions in a simple manner, they could have passed no problem. Had they been allowed to "Grandfather Clause" the written exam and taken a skills exam (instead of "Grandfathering" on the skills test) they would have again passed! If you ask me it was truly unfair that the "Grandfather Clause" did not go both ways!
Now having made that clear yes I passed each and every written test in flying colors all in on test session at the same time! I only went once while some of my coworkers at the time went 5 or 6 times just for the basic exam. They were not dumb, or inexperienced, but rather mostly older men who had been making a living driving for 20 or 30 yrs and had not had much formal education. But I can assure you that they could have passed the skills test fast enough to spin the examiner's heads had they been given a chance! Now I on the other hand "Grandfathered" on the skills test because I did infact pass the written exams and had been employed in the transportation business for 5 or more yrs at the time and had #1) the "chauffeurs" license of the day to prove it, #2) I had not 1 but 3 employers who I currently worked for, and had previously had worked for that signed the papers stating that I was more than qualified for the license I was applying for.
Now Dallas, Van, Clifford, BW, Jack Hart, Bob Gil and many others (I'm sorry I don't know of everybody) who have earned their living as professional driver! (and to those of you that have I mean no disrespect to any of you!) Can tell you that back in the day we were "just driver's" none of us had to proclaim ourselves as "Professional Drivers" ! But the minute they made CDL's mandatory truck driving schools popped up everywhere and started spitting out "Professional CDL Drivers" by the dozens! They would take these guy & gals and put them thru a 45 day course (at first now they are down to 2 weeks) and give them a license and tell them they were as good as an experienced hand with 2yrs experience under his belt in the 45 days they had been trained! Truck drivers today are not the quality of truck driver we had before the CDL! Also before the CDL we did not have the # of crashes we have today!
So just because you have a class A CDL with or with out ANY endorsements does not make you a "Professional Driver" it merely says you passed a test and got a license! Most of us who are experienced drivers cringe when we hear folks say "Professional driver" because today it means a 14 day wonder and not a true professional !! FWIW ;D BK ;D
Yup, Yup, Yup, Yup... I agree totally BK. You hit the nail on the head. Some of the "professional" school bus drivers are a joke. I agree. It takes practice. You guys with the years of driving experience, are many times more equipped than the "professional" drivers that are coming out of "school" nowadays. Ever wonder why some of the wrecks happen???....
I won't ramble any more...
Iminacess, just look for the right job, keep driving, and you will land in a good job eventually.... And don't go to Vegas. They don't need drivers that badly...
God bless,
John
Schools can't teach common sence either, to be able to spot a trailer comes from practice and actually doing it over and over, it takes time to become a driver, it's just not something that can happen over night, I marvel at the skill some rvers show as they back into a site then I wonder just how much of it was luck and how much was skill. I've been running around since 1976 with every thing from travel trailers to class a's and for the last 6 years a bus, I tucked it into some tight places but I wouldn't call myself a driver yet. I almost did when I run the bus thru the older part of Union City, only afterwards did it I was told that the turns are too tight and the streets to narrow to take a bus thru, much less with a jeep on behind it. Wish I had known that before hand lol.
BK,good point there bud,I first went to a school back in 1976 Driver training institute (Green point,Brooklyn,NY City(yeah I know git-a-rope :D)the thing is it was for 3 months and was taught by some of the oldest ,punchiest and experienced drivers available.I'll never forget learning to operate a clutch in an old B-type mack using the infamous chop sticks,garante ed to take an arm off coming out of a turn while shifting gears and ranges simultaneously and no power steering,the elder hands know what I mean.Any way The guy carried a cane and if he caught your foot any where in close proximity to the clutch WACK!,he would strike the steering wheel withit and scream about how much a replacement clutch would cost,most of the time he would miss and crack you in the leg(very effective learning).
The point of all of this ,is that learning back then you got the whole garbestanzo of experience pasted on to you in a manner you would never expect nor forget(ever).When the tests eventually evolved into the standards that exist today just my luck some states were not honoring cdl's from the eastern states ,and would have to take the battery of written tests that they conjured up,plus the usual state laws test plus the motorcycle written tests etc,and all of them were now on computer.
the only thing I can figure is more control for the government,and more experienced drivers put to the side lines(very sad).I too started very young into this was only 18 at the time and had waited 2 and a half years to go to this school.finding work was frustrating but eventually got work and experience by hopping around the us driving for OO's ,they were glad to have you aboard so long as you were not boring and could work the tranny with out detonating it.eventually work came more readily as I became 21 but was still a little hard due to the restrictions placed by insurance Co's.My first steady job was yard driver for Key Foods in Bklyn ,I would watch the long haul guys come in off the road tired ,and to frustrated to alley dock these big wheel base conventionals .I would eventually approach them offering to assist them ,they would jump out and tell me if I could get the rig in that Little hole they'd toss me a twenty .Well as luck would have it that's all I did all day long so helping these fellas was kinda fun ,and profitable too!
In closing the experience of it all made me real good at what I do .first place at every rodeo I threw my hat into,never a redo.So BK I'm gonna agree that the learning process shure has changed though.I think what they teach now a days must be multi tasking ,cause alot of younger truckers are on the cell phone reading the want ads ,jaw jacking on the CB etc ,and are good at it j,just the driving is a little shaky(not every one ).so buck up young bucaroo's there's plenty of good work with plenty of good company's for plenty of good drivers in the plentiful of plenty's the good ol USofA ;D Oh and Cb sportin my bar code here is like posting my C-card w/pin #(show me yours and I'll show ya mine ;),endorsements have not changed along with this new fangled license one posted is for reference,Have a great bus nut day &happy holidays .Van ;D
One more thing,Parallel parking was a must back then in N.Y.C for the NY class 1 Lic,you rural guys try that one on for size.touch the curb with one trailer tire and your outa there >:(
I wanted to drive buses for a living too... I got stuck driving this little pickup truck all over the country instead ;D. Maybe if I go get me one of them there C.D.L. thingys I can practice for a week or so...give or take a few days...I just might end up driving for "Momma Knows...Momma Knows ::)!!!
--
BILL
exactly bk that's what my dad& lots of cats around the cab stand were saying back in the day. Alot of them were ex truck drivers who were dissatisfied with life on the road. I did not get my full cdl class a till spring 07 @ schneider national. (worst mistake in my whole life but it got me my full cdl. ) However the big companies are truly allways hiring out there. the turnover is incredible because of the seniority system which keeps the noobs perpetually broke till they put some time in (generally 3 weeks /2 months)unless you know how to hustle your own rides. Charllies lmousine service is one of the biggest & keeps the best cars. They also have many superstrech. Presidential & bell trans are sister company's if you have the opportunity get in there first they have better clientel plus opportunity's to get in with alan waxman group more directly. Bell trans does farm out work for them but not as often. abassador has all good vehicles & better door @ the airport now. Plus they have less but better doors @ th3e hotels. Once you get in with these you will start meeting people with connections to the entertainer industry. ;-)
If you really want big bucks you have to know the doormen intimatly & play the game then get in the big "trucks" & the small private companies.
CB,
If I know Ilya (which I don't very well) he doesn't want to get into the "entertainment" ring. He just wants a job to keep him going, when not doing his own gigs. I also don't think that he would go to Vegas to drive luxury limos (I think that he is from New Jersey). He just wants some off season work...Not to get into the "money" circles that you run in.
JMHO
Merry Christmas,
God bless,
John
You hit the nail on the head John :-)
Vegas is not my destination of choice
try Atlantic city then ;-)
I am looking for more of a nationwide gig than one within my state. Also, I am more interested not in the nightlife/limo/party bus scene rather than driving an entertainer coach for musicians....and not even necessarily huge names that you see on the grammys or anything, just any musicians in general
Quote from: John316 on December 22, 2008, 08:35:08 AM
Some of the "professional" school bus drivers are a joke.
John -Obviously, you've never been thru CA's school bus driver training program, which, btw, is the envy of nearly every other state in the nation.
Minimum of 20 hrs of classroom training, including first aid.
Minimum of 20 hrs of behind-the-wheel. (Most newbies need 30 - 40 in a stick-shift, especially a RoadRanger.)
Before starting the above training, you must take and pass the written exams for a Class B/P CDL. You must also take and pass the DL-51 DOT physical.
After completing the classroom training, you must take another 1 hr written exam at the CHP office that administers the School Bus program locally.
Only after passing all of the above are you allowed to take your behind-the-wheel exam.
Lots of folk can get all of the above done, but then totally blow it on the BTW.
Why?
Because it's 2 - 2.5 hrs long with a CHP officer who specializes in school bus operations riding shotgun - and these guys DON'T mess around!If you don't pass the pre-trip inspection (which is even more rigorous than the pre-trip that's posted over on BNO) with the officer glaring over your shoulder, you get to pay another 58 bucks to try again, without even turning a wheel.
If you pass the pre-trip, then it's time for the road trip, which includes all of the federal CDL requirements, plus parallel parking, RR crossing etiquette, student crossing etiquette, etc. Slip up here (like forgetting to take the keys out of the ignition when leaving the driver's seat for ANY reason, or allowing the coach to roll back, even slightly, on an incline when starting from rest), and the officer drives the bus back to the office, and you get to pay another 58 bucks to try again.
You'd also better learn to do it with a stick-shift coach, too, otherwise you'll be restricted to automatics only. If you're doing it in a stick-shift, you'd better know how to dead-throttle start smoothly (he'll actually ask you to do so!), double clutch w/o giving him whiplash both upshifting and downshifting, plus, if it's a RoadRanger or similar, you'd better know how to skip-shift and straight shift - smoothly. (One officer always put a styrofoam cup of water on the dash - if you spilled while shifting, you failed.)
If you take the exam in an automatic, he'll want you to demonstrate manually shifting the coach properly, too.
Oh, one other thing - if you live anywhere near the foothills, it's guaranteed that your driving test will include mountain driving. Plus you'll have to demonstrate that you know how to hang chains on the bus!
I'm proud to say that I trained a lot of school bus, as well as transit bus drivers here in CA, and very few of them were "jokes", as you called it. Primarily because the training program weeds them out - at least it does for the big transit-style skoolies most commonly found here (think Crowns & Gilligs).
And just FYI - most of CA's transit agencies require 8 - 10 weeks of 8 hrs/day training before letting a driver loose on the streets. Do the math - that's 64 - 80 hours of training, 90% of which is BTW. Virtually the same requirements as the skoolies, just w/o first aid in the classroom. Charter bus drivers, too, must pass similar requirements if they're going to be hauling school kids on charters.
CA's strict on bus drivers - and operator's too. That's probably why, overall, the state has a pretty good safety record, compared to elsewhere.
Now back to our regularly scheduled bus chatter. . .
FWIW & HTH. . .
;)
RJ,
Sorry, I should have said in our area (and I also said "some" ;D ;D ;D). You should come out here and train...We need guys like you to train our school bus drivers. Thanks for the correction.
Merry Christmas,
God bless,
John
Ilya, here is your thread back ;D :D ;D.
;D ;D ;D thank you John!
I should probably say 'well this about wraps it up folks!'
hahaha
Ilya,
Hope the info here helped...I'm not exactly sure that it did though. I hope you find your job.
Merry Christmas,
God bless,
John
It definately did help alot, thank you all for all the information!
blessings,
ilya
You've gotten a lot of good advice ie: CDL, must be able to drive with one hand on the wheel and one in the bay rummaging through the tool box...you have to be able to fix everything. I'll tell you how I got a job driving entertainer coaches, exactly what you're looking for, nationwide tours. I called every single tour bus company in the United States. I started with the biggest firms, I drove school buses at the time and every afternoon between routes I'd start calling. "Do you have experience" "I've driven trucks and buses..." CLICK. I got hung up on repeatedly. They really didn't care that I had lots of OTR experience, they weren't going to hire a tour bus driver who had no experience working for or around celebrities, that was key.
But I kept at it every day and the companies I called got smaller and smaller. One day instead of being hung up on, the voice on the other end of the phone said "Darling where have you been, I knew you'd call." It seems they had been looking for a female driver for a cosmetics tour and I was on a plane the next day.
Just keep at it, befriend other drivers, be available for opportunities that arise, often they will need a 2nd driver for part of a tour. If you live near a major airport then it doesn't matter where the bus lot is...the Nashville area is where you should focus your attention. Also, start inquiring in the spring and keep calling back all summer long. Summer is the high season for tours and that's when you'll find the 2nd seat opportunities. You are a driver, butler, mechanic and maid, and you have to know when to be invisible...especially when fights break out. The rock n rollers fight a lot.
Having driven trucks, school buses, passenger buses and entertainer coaches, if I had to drive for a living ever again I wouldn't do anything but entertainer coaches. First of all, it's a nice ride...trucks will beat you to death. You eat like a king (oh did I mention you have to stock the bus as well?), on the bus and at venues, you'll never have to pay for a meal, stay in a 5 star hotel every night...and if you're not too exhausted you get backstage passes to the shows...mostly I was sleeping at venues, though.
Yea, it was pretty cool. I'd do it again if the opportunity arose.
Quote from: circusboy90210 on December 22, 2008, 05:45:43 PM
exactly bk that's what my dad& lots of cats around the cab stand were saying back in the day. a lot of them were ex truck drivers who were dissatisfied with life on the road. I did not get my full cdl class a till spring 07 @ Schneider national. (worst mistake in my whole life but it got me my full cdl. ) However the big companies are truly allways hiring out there. the turnover is incredible because of the seniority system which keeps the noobs perpetually broke till they put some time in (generally 3 weeks /2 months)unless you know how to hustle your own rides. Charlies limousine service is one of the biggest & keeps the best cars. They also have many superstrech. Presidential & bell trans are sister company's if you have the opportunity get in there first they have better clientele plus opportunity's to get in with Alan waxman group more directly. Bell trans does farm out work for them but not as often. ambassador has all good vehicles & better door @ the airport now. Plus they have less but better doors @ the3e hotels. Once you get in with these you will start meeting people with connections to the entertainer industry. ;-)
If you really want big bucks you have to know the doormen intimately & play the game then get in the big "trucks" & the small private companies.
Quote from: van on December 19, 2008, 09:46:30 PM
you must be talking about las vegas,New Mexico ,thats not how it's done here in sin city.Only one location here for CDL ,testing ,licensing,renewals,and the econo ain't that great tourisim down,nevada has the highest unemployment rate in the country with another estimated 10,000 to be laid off before it's all over.have a nice nite.Van
no that is how it works in sin city.. I worked for bell trans on industrial call them and ask for your self.many other companys have third party testing like allied moving & storage out by the race track 3 building down from carol shelby's shop... believe you me I actually know what I"M talking about I have to many road hours zipping around las vegas & nv to not know the truth.
CB, one point you talk about having a class a CDL, another point you talk about having a different class CDL, you asked me if I knew of any states you could apply in to get a new drivers license cause yours was revolked for drunk driving, I cornfused, I'm not sure what the question is much less the answer anymore lol.
well since you don't trust my opinion & I actually know where to go for a job.... & can make a few phone calls to get back on as a driver .. I guess you don't need my help. Don't confuse clown with incompetent. I've allready been where you want to be.
I've always trusted people with red rubber noses and big floppy feet, doesn't everyone? Honk Honk lol, omg, I'm sorry but i needed that lmao
....maybe the nose isn't rubber....... :D
Cody,that's Ok pal,we've spared no expense for your entertainment tonight LOL .Just tip the waiter ;)
nevermind. M
??? ??? ??? ? ? ? ??? ??? ???
Dunno Bryce,you're guess is as good as mine,Happy birthday Mak Board! ;D
Quote from: iminaccess on December 18, 2008, 06:38:30 PM
Just wondering how often job openings for this come about, im considering next fall after we are done touring for the year to go work for a company that leases out entertainer coaches. I know a CDL will be required so i will have to get one before that, but besides that....is it a hard field to get into?
The only thing that i can see being my downfall is i am 21 right now, 22 by then. However chances are i know more about busses than most current drivers. At least from my observation every time i try to initiate a conversation at a truck stop or rest area with a bus driver, they know nothing....not even what kind of bus theyre driving!! (Obviously i know, but nothing is a better conversation starter than 'Is that a MC (insert model here)' unless of course the answer is 'i dont know, i just am paid to drive these things!'
So anyways, i know some of you on here used to be or still are in the industry.....i am just looking to fulfill my love of driving busses when im not on tour haha. 21 years old and single and not married....might as well take advantage of it! I am however specifically interested in entertainer coaches.
Thanks guys!
Worst case scenario, with the bus market the way it is right now, ill just buy a personal bus for myself and just work on that! haha, i do love driving them though :-)))))
Drive a school bus for a year and you will be more desirable to them for you will have 40' experience with a CDL and passenger endorsement and the school district will pay for it. They have high turn over so it should be easy to land a job there. Pay not so great but if you can tolerate the kids the drunks will be no problem. Only trouble is you will get attached to the kids making quiting difficult. Good luck no matter what you do.
Quote from: TomC on December 18, 2008, 11:53:00 PM
When starting out driving truck, I found out the hard way that insurance companies don't want you if you're under 25, and most companies wants drivers with at least 2 years of provable driving experience. How can you get driving experience if nobody will hire you? That's the 6 million dollar question. Good luck if you find out. I personally, started with a local moving company to get up to the 2 years of experience before I bought my first truck. Good Luck, TomC
that's what places like schneider, pam, &j.b. hunt are for. they hire just about anybody. They all have third party testing sites & their own schools to boot.
.