As the title says, i started training last weekend at "NATS" in Baltimore MD. Ive only had the one weekend but so far everyone is extremely nice and the instructor has tired to make it fun. They are going over permit test stuff for the people in the class that dont have their permit yet wich is most of them.But its good to go thr this stuff again though.
I choose NATS because..
1. Its weekends only
2. Its a decent amount of training 320 hours.
3. They have atleast 10 differnt trucks, differnt trailor lengths and even a tanker.
4. The do there own testing for the license
The only thing is that while you are enrolled in class you are repsonible for paying the 1600 dolla that the govt wont cover with grants and loans. It averages about 260 dolla a month for the 5 monhs. Then after shcool you have 6 months break, then 50 a month to the govt for up to 10 years.

The gig -I talked to my old neigbors sometime ago about driving for them, they said go get your license and we can see what they can do for me. I called them again the day I started. She said keep them posted on my progress, when I finish she would send me out with her husband for two weeks and if...IF! I do good they will hook me up with a truck. This seems it might work out for me. ill finish school in janurary about the same time my contract at my current job is probally gonna end. Im gonna keep you all posted on the school and the job as things happen.

Well GOOD LUCK, We're all gonna need it if you only get training from a school then 2 weeks on the road. Not that you cant do it....just, Good luck man.

Isnt that more training than most of these company sponsored training give you? How much training did you get before they put you out to be a danger on the roads?

Yes it is but the real training will start after you finish school. 2 weeks seems a little short in that regard before turning you loose with a truck. At least your training is with the owner of the trucks so he has a vested interest in your knowing what you are doing. Me personally I was with a trainer for about 10 weeks. Then they ran me local for my first month solo. I started on tankers though. School was about 200 hours. 45 hours of that one on one seat time with an instructor.

Good luck with yer school. When you first said "NATS" I thought the truck show. I was trying to figure out how the heck you could get your CDL at one of those. Heh.

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Thanks mang...we start on the range the following weekend...its a small class, i think its 7 of us. and a couple instructors on the lot so it should be pretty good.

Ok... I got a call today from "NATS" saying that I need to speak to the admissions dude because I missed a class in the first 5 days... and I wasnt suppose to do that. The class started on a sat... by the time i got to class I felt my back getting stiff, so by sunday i was in extreme pain. (I never had a back pain like that mang!!! it hurt) I talk to the head honcho and he tells me that he has to take me out of the class because they treat the first five days as a boot camp to see if your going to take it serious. I even had a doctors note from monday, and that wasnt good enough for them. They said i would have to start back sometime in oct. I am so F**** heated. If i wasnt taking it seriously I wouldnt already have my permit and paying their #########. Im going to try and find some other shcool to give my money too if at all possible. its like they dont want my money so they dont have to take it. Note.....I never heard tis rule until they called me, the only attendance rule I heard was if you miss more than 8 days you are automaticly out...If i had known this i would have doubled up on some pain pills and toughed it out. But i didnt feel like it was needed because i wasnt going to miss anymore. Sorry for the long ### rant.

Does anyone know of a school in the baltimore area????

Ok.....So I had to talk to the head of the school and he let me back in the class due to my good excuse. I really dont remember hearing or seeing that 5 day rule. I even looked thr the handbook again and it wasnt in there. Im not sure what was up...but its ok now.

My class seems to be getting smaller.... I think we started at 8... last class only four of us showed up. Looks like im gonna get plenty of drive time when we start next weekend.