• In Classroom Training • Hands On Training • Overnight Driver Accommodations
Carbon Express has had a laser focus on driver safety and training since its inception. Recently opening a state-of-the-art training facility dedicated to new employee driver training and re-training for team members as needed. “I am proud of this facility and our professional drivers, hauling hazardous and non-hazardous materials in tank trailers nationwide and into Canada” said Steve Rush, Chairman. The Carbon Express Fleet has in it some very advanced features for our drivers. With that said, it is important to note that it doesn’t matter how well equipped our trucks are if our drivers are unable to take advantage of those features. Our team of trainers are dedicated to making sure each new Carbon Express driver has the skills and knowledge they need to drive safely when on the open road. Whenever a prospective employee arrives at Carbon Express, they are greeted by the Director of Safety, Rob Marcalus. Rob is their first contact during the application process and is with each prospect as they progress from an applicant into our employee driver training program.
Recently, 3 new drivers having just graduated from driving school with Class A license, Tanker, and Hazardous Materials Endorsements arrived at Carbon Express. Upon clearing all the necessary medical & drug tests they officially became Carbon Express trainees. New trainees come to us with various degrees of knowledge relating to tank work, however, ALL new Carbon Express employees must participate in the Carbon Express training program from beginning to end before being considered road ready. Training includes learning the components of a tank trailer, proper load distribution, safe driving principles, chemical reaction training, deciphering calibration charts, Carbon Express Policies and Procedures and a myriad of other principles. These principles are further bolstered using videos and virtual training that is delivered using a digital platform that is insurance certified. Once orientation is complete, the trainees move onto a road test and more hands- on function specific training.
Each road test is performed by the Safety Director or another qualified driver trainer. This road test includes thorough pre & post-trip inspections and rates each trainee in multiple areas, including their ability to drive and handle their assigned tractor and trailer. Trainees will not pass this stage of the process until they can perform at a level commensurate with the high standard set by Carbon Express. Following a successful road test, the trainees move into hands on training, for example: pumping thousands of gallons of liquid product with a shaft driven tractor mounted pump system, designed to move up to 140 gallons of product per minute. Trainees do not experience this training in a virtual environment, they are hands-on throughout the process. Exactly how it is handled in real life. This hands on process involves more than just connecting a hose and turning on a pump, the trainees needed to select the correct fittings, make sure all gaskets and screens were in place and in proper working order, make appropriate connections, organize their workspace in a manner that avoids the potential for falls, properly vent their tank, setup primary (buckets) and secondary (spill pads) spill containment, maintain constant observation of their work environment so that they could react in the event of a catastrophic failure of any piece of equipment. Trainees are required to have a plan for what they would do if a spill occurred and if that plan didn’t work, they needed to have a backup plan. Perhaps one of the most important lessons drilled into the minds of the Carbon Express trainees is the requirement that they adhere to the rules surrounding their hours of service. The owner of Carbon Express, Steve Rush, learned this lesson the hard way, as a young trucker who thought that he knew better. His over confidence nearly cost him his life on more than one occasion. At Carbon Express, we run only day cabs so that drivers are forced to sleep in a hotel, instead of in their truck like a caged animal. They have access to all the amenities at the hotel and a $50.00 per diem each day so that they can have a few hot meals during their overnight stay. There are multiple layers of supervision to protect the sleep cycles of our drivers and management demands compliance in this area. The Planners, Safety Department, Customer Service and Drivers all play a part in insuring that a Drivers sleep cycle is kept consistent.
Although training is the most important focus at Carbon Express, we fit time for fun in the training agenda. All trainees experience a family-oriented culture, including a company barbeque, trips to Yankees stadium, West Point and other points of interest. Overnight accommodations are located within the Carbon Express Training Center that includes a kitchen, pool table, large screen TV and other amenities. All designed to maintain a comprehensive learning and stress-free week for each trainee. At the close of training, each trainee is provided with all the necessary equipment to perform their job and are assigned to one of our driver trainers – Steve Pavlosky, Brent Thompson and Hunter Moore. Our training team is required to accompany our new drivers on their final laps of training. It is what they learn “in the real world” that will determine whether they graduate or need to repeat our course.
