Where do I even start! I have been in construction for the past 13 years, have been a trim carpenter for the past 7 years although construction has been good to me most of those years, the past year has put me in financial runes, residential construction isn’t what it used to be here. Anyways, I decided that I would become a trucker, has been something that I have always thought about and something I felt I would be good at. About 3 months I got online and filled out online applications for different paid training trucking jobs and sure enough had each one call. I decided to go with DRIVER SOULTIONS so I would be able to work at P.A.M Transport which is close to where I live and have not heard too many things bad said about P.A.M. I was given an info packet from DRIVER SOLUTIONS and was told to study the booklet that they had sent and within a few weeks I would be on my way to Arkansas university driver school in Arkansas and would have my CDL in 3 weeks & boy was I excited and boy was I in for one hell of a shock. Here the day was that I was going to make my 500 mile drive there to become a trucker. Have my entire check list, information and all the supplies suggested for the 3 week adventure. After all was told that this was a state of the art facility and expert trainers on sight. First day I got there was on a Sunday, stopped by a office and got a key to the condo that I would be staying at with 2 other fellows witch both turned out to be real good people got lucky on that part and that was the only luck I had. When I first seen the place I was staying thought to myself doesn’t seem to bad of a place but once I opened the door was a over whelming power of rotting food in the air, and the 2nd thing I noticed was about 20 #### roaches racing on the floor enough about that. Ok here it is the big day the first day of my training, Monday! There was 17 students buy the way when I first started. Most of Monday consisted of paper work & forums and how the instructor whooped countless of other truckers ##### threw out his career. So at the end of the day there was nothing learned about trucking other than what a bad total bad ### the instructor was. Ok was my first day thought that this was normal, went to the condo and studied with the other to men that was staying there? Tuesday came and once again the instructor talked about what a bad ### he was in his younger days and told us the pros and cons of lot lizards and rambled on about his life as a trucker, not that some of it wasn’t useful because it was. And we spent maybe 15 minutes out of 9 hours or so on what we was actually there to learn. Also took a drug test that day and that was Tuesday. Went home studied my book the driver solutions told me and so did the other 2 men and waited for the next day. Wednesday came and here we went off to school and once again all the instructor talked about was how many people he fought, at accasiuons taking on 2 truckers at a time at a truck stop and beating the hell out of them, talked about giving people the finger on the road and about lot lizards and all the pretty woman he had sex with as a trucker. At this point I and many other students were starting to wonder wtf was wrong with this guy. He spent at least 20 minutes if not less about what we were there for. At the end of the day he tells us we have a written test on Thursday and hands us a booklet to study. My jaw drops at this point. He waits to wendays evening to give us the test booklet then tells us we will go over it tomorrow a few hours before the test. At this point I am freaking out but I studied the packet that the Driver solution gave me and new every single question and answer that was on it. I studied the booklet the instructor gave us. Thursday comes and we spent a few hours on range and a few hours studying on the Arkansas CDL booklet. Went to the CDL place to take written test and guess what, I failed the test. First of all there was not one single question on the test that was in the driver’s solution CDL book that was sent to me, although I knew every question in the book. Beings we didn’t have a lot of time of studied the Arkansan CDL I was still able to manage to remember at least 96% of it and guess what! There were questions on the test that wasn’t even in the Arkansas manual. Once I failed I was told that I would have to pay an extra $50.00 to retake the test that the instructor never went over because he was too busy talking about how he could whoop chuck Norris and hustle any woman to sleep with him. Out of 17 people who took the test only 2 passed and both said they got lucky and a lot of the questions they didn’t know. I and other people were so enraged and pissed that every one that day packed and went home except the 2 that passed. Was also told by driver solutions and the instructor that if we didn’t stay the full week of the first week that we would not owe anything, well found out that was a crock of #### to. Driver solution is trying to make me pay for the full tuition witch is 5 grand although I only spent 4 days there and in the entire trip plus other expense cost me well over $800.00. PLEASE DO NOT GO THREW DRIVERS SOLUTIONS! And do not go through Arkansa CDL training program. Don’t rush into this like I did and really try to take the time to find out about some of the places that offer free training and so on. I still want to become a trucker but this was a lesson well learned about and a lesson learned the hard way!

When I would have seen the roaches, I would have split. That is sick.

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Truth will always be "hate" to those that hate the truth.

Lonewolf, not for nothing, but what were you studying that you were unable to pass the written test? Even if you weren't given the specific Q & A, it is a multiple choice and the studying you did on your own should have given you enough insight to pass.

Also, you might want to look into breaking your posts into paragraphs...it makes it easier to read.

My hubby said he went to Arkansas, ASU in Newport 2 Yrs ago . and he said the teacher and people that work there where great he got a lot out of it . is that where your talking about ?

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777Lonewolf,

I understand completely. I believe it varies from state to state, the amount or degree of teaching that a person recieves from driver solutions. Driver Solutions is just the business that helps set up the training, they do not train themselves.

There has been considerable complaints about this organization; some good, some bad, and in some cases, DS has had to stop using a certain school because the quality of the training was so poor as in your case.

There are good training companies out there; I know that Schnieder is one of them and they do treat u pretty descent! Don't give up on driving if thats what u want to do. After u do your 1 to 1 1/2 years at any company; you can move on t a much better paying one. The thing of it is that u have to pay ur dues and this happens ur fiirst year. I would take a close look at schneider.

He probably was the one who got his aers kicked, and only was successful in sleeping with the butt ugly lot lizards.. Hope you find a better school to train in and finally get your CDL...

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There are only three women in this world that mean anything to me and they are Karen, Krystal, Amanda..

The tests are about the same from state to state all you needed to do before you left your town is pick up a cdl manual.
You could of even go online and search for the states cdl manual were you are going to school.

If I was you I would explain to them that you did not get full benifit of the cdl training school it was a joke of a school you want to attend another one and see what they want you to do so you can get into another school.
The same thing that happened to you and the others will continue to happen if you do not stand up and tell someone about the poor training of this place.
Your first call should be to the drivers soultions see what they are willing to do, call the school explain the problems with the instructor, next to the department of higher education in Arkansas, and if the school or driver soultions refuse to release you from the training charges or go to a different school then see an attorney and sue driver solutions and the school untill they can not see straight.

Lonewolf, thanks for the heads up. I had looked into DS a few weeks ago as well, but I just didn't get a good vibe from the recruiter I spoke to. I was asking questions about the training and he was avoiding my questions by giving me answers about working for one of the companies in their oh so great network of trucking companies.... just bizarre.

I went to the one in indy and i it was good they put as at motel that sucked but besides that was overall good school. I'm sorry you had bad experience with them i got cdl less then 3 weeks and they told us day one in indy what to expect and let everyone go early tuesday after taking permit test in class to take permit test at license branch. I hope you do find school that works for ya and i wouldn't pay them the money if u didn't stay past first week.

Thanks for the insight and comments every one