Roadmaster Driving School, Tulsa, OK

There is a post here about Roadmaster Driving School; however, I want to add one more. This will be quite long as I have a ton of information to type out here.

I started school on May 18, 2015. I was actually scheduled to start on the 4th of May but pushed it back due to a doctor appointment I had in June. I didn't want to go from school to new job then need to come back home 2 weeks later for my doctor appointment. Having lived on my husband's truck for 3 years I know how difficult it is to actually get the day requested for home time.

Had I known how hard of a time I would have at learning I would have kept my original start date for school. Hindsight is 20/20.

Trucking isn't for everyone and don't think just because you know how to drive a standard car is a basis for learning how to drive a semi truck. It is in no way similar especially when it comes to double clutching. From what I've heard, once you get out there with a trainer you will learn how to float gears. I've heard both positive and negative reviews on this and don't have a comment at this time either way.

Stating the former I completed my schooling in double the time needed. Roadmaster is a 160 hour course including classroom time. I graduated with over 300 hours. Trust me, I'm not telling you this to make myself look bad. I needed the extra time for the maneuvers I needed to learn to pass the Oklahoma CDL testing. Backing a truck isn't easy for some and takes precision and knowledge of what that truck can do and won't do.

I live here in Tulsa where the school is located and I'm totally grateful they moved not long ago from North Pine to Sheridan. Had they not, I would have gone to the one in Drumright or worse, another state. My day started at 3:30 a.m., so I could catch the first bus in my area at 5:30 in the morning. I would get downtown at 6:15 to transfer to another bus that would drop me off in front of the school at about 6:50. Buses do not go to where the school use to be located. I would have enough time to put my lunch in the fridge, go to the bathroom and get into the classroom.

The first 3 days is in the classroom. My recruiter Michelle had given me a link to the schools website and using a student log-on and password was able to print up the study guide needed for these first 3 days. I also printed up the entire CDL manual to go along with the study material. My instinct to change my start date was a good one because I needed the extra study time. In taking the practice tests I would get the lowest grade right at 70 which is passing. Changing careers like this and going into an industry where knowledge is key, I wanted to do better than 70. Not everyday, but near everyday I would read and study the 3 sections needed to pass the tests. I did try my hand at HAZMAT but boy howdy is that stuff hard! Come to find out Roadmaster doesn't require anyone to take that test for the endorsement because any of the starter companies hiring you will help you pass this. My husband didn't transfer his endorsement for it so decided not to worry about it till it is needed.

On the fourth day is when the school sends you down to DPS to take the tests for General Knowledge, Air Brakes and Combination Vehicles. Out of a total of 9 people that tested that day, not only was I the only one that passed all 3, I was the ONLY female that took the tests and passed! A red letter day for women if you ask me LOL. Sorry guys, just had to toot this ole horn a bit.

Roadmaster has computer videos they call Etreads that have to be completed prior to the final testing. When not covering material for the permit or taking practice tests time is spent viewing these videos. I had a slight advantage to some of the others that came from other parts of the state and in the hotel as I could come home and jump on my computer/internet and continue the study at home. I was able to complete these within the first week.

Once the permit is obtained you can go downstairs to the pad and start learning the maneuvers and the PTI (Pre-trip Inspection for those not in the know). The first hour of every morning is spent learning the PTI before you can hook up a truck to a trailer and learn/work the maneuvers.

I am not mechanically inclined so here was another hurdle for me. To me, men are naturals at this especially those that like to tinker with their own vehicles. Knowing what something looks like; like the water pump or the air compressor or even a dang air bag I had not a clue. Yes, yes I said I spent 3 years on the truck with my husband but I never said he taught me anything other than his paperwork. I walked into this clueless where mechanics are concerned.

The Director of Training John had a wonderful idea and was taught this when he, himself went to school. Write it out. They give you a packet of papers with all the parts and what it is you are checking for. Every evening he wants the students to sit for hours writing out all this information. After completing my Etreads I was going to do this but realized I type faster then I write. Typing it out took me all of a Sunday afternoon. During the week I would come home and change things up and reprint it just to go back to school making sure I had the verbiage and the order in which I would recite my PTI to the DPS examiner.

Maybe “recite” isn't the correct term. The examiners know if someone is simply just remembering what it is you are suppose to know. You MUST know where these parts ARE and point to them. With that said, I would grab one of the guys and pull them over to one of the trucks to help me find these parts. I now know what they all are, what they are suppose to do, whether or not they should not leak fluid or air. There for awhile I would wake in the middle of night for the bathroom with, “Securely mounted, not cracked or broken” in my head.

Over the years my hubby and I would talk about my going to truck driving school, one of my main concerns was backing. He of course told me how easy it was and if I could just pass the test then he would make sure he did all the backing for me once I get on the road with him. Well, let me tell you, I was right about myself. Backing isn't easy. When anytime I would rent a trailer for moving, if I couldn't pull straight into a parking spot, my car and trailer would not get parked. I have tried for years knowing that if you want the trailer to go to the right you turn the wheel to the left. Totally back ##*wards to me. Since going through this school I have learned back in those days I was over correcting the problem. And the reason why I couldn't back up a rented trailer with a ####.

All the maneuvers have check points with the exception of the straight back. On the straight back if your trailer drifts to the left, use a small correction to the right to push it back. Easy peasy. The first time learning it though was not easy for me.

It was the offset that had me so upset because the instructor seemed like she was yelling at me so I jumped out of the truck crying ready to give up. I went into the bathroom to call my husband to tell him I was giving up, this isn't for me, I can't do it! He didn't answer. So, I washed my face, looked at myself in the mirror and told myself I wasn't giving up. I marched myself right back out there, got into the truck and put that truck into the box of cones. The instructor watched and got on the radio to tell me I did good. I found my determination. When I got out of the truck I walked over to the instructor to let her know how I learn. She provided me with the information needed to do the offset but I need to learn by doing not by someone providing anger towards me. I told her that I need to see what the mistakes are when I make them because I'd rather do them in school then out in the real world. I think this is when she realized I wasn't the average student. From then on when working with her she provided me the information needed then allowed me to do it.

I couldn't do it every time. I'd forget a check point or not pull up far enough and not give myself enough room to perform the offset maneuver or some other mistake. In the breaks that followed I would get to talking to her or one of the other pad instructors and learned one of my other flaws. I couldn't steer or counter steer fast enough. This actually took weeks for me to learn how to do quickly and wasn't obtainable for me until I learned the alley dock. Because I was slow I would stop and go making sure my angle(s) were okay before backing up any further. This was lengthy and made the maneuver harder for me to grasp. I was told if I could keep the truck and trailer moving toward the cones I could walk the trailer and truck in every time. Steer the back trailer tires I heard more then once. The parallels were the other maneuvers taught and after killing a few cones and learning those check points I got them down.

In total there are 6 backing maneuvers taught at Roadmaster. The straight back, the offsets (blind side and sight side), the parallels (blind side and sight side) and the alley dock. The parallels have the exact same check points as do the offsets. The only difference is once you get the trailer into the front part of cones you do a straight back on the offset. When testing at DPS their computer picks the maneuvers when you go down to test for your CDL. Knowing how Karma works I knew if I didn't perfect the alley dock that I would get that maneuver. I was right!

Since it took me so long to get a test date I had plenty of time to work on the bad set up. This worked in my favor as well because if you don't have the truck positioned right to start, it can mess things up and you need to know how to fix it. The instructors at school were awesome in showing the fixes and it is very helpful. If you are one of those peoples that has great coordination and picks up on stuff like this fast, ask the instructor to help you mess things up. If when in the real world your set up to back your truck in will not always be perfect and if you never learn from go how to fix it, you won't. Since I was never good at getting myself set up right, I learned how to fix it first, then learned how to set it up. I know, I know. I'm just a backwards kind of person.

Moving on to driving.

You have to have your permit to be able to learn to drive. Typically once you are out of the classroom you spend the morning on the pad learning your PTI and maneuvers then after lunch you go out in the truck for drive time.

In each truck the bunk has been pulled out and three chairs put in. Each truck holds 4 students and one instructor. The instructor shows you how to do the “In cab inspection” which includes the static air brake test. If one thing is missed on the brake test you fail on the PTI. The most common mistake students miss on the in cab is remembering to turn the key back on after you turn it off to start the static. I don't know about any other state but here in Oklahoma if you remember you forgot to turn the key on you can ask the examiner to restart the brake test. Providing you have enough time, he or she will let you do it. I'm the perfect example because I forgot and was able to ask and allowed to restart it.

My first time behind the wheel I was really scared. It's not like the school is big enough to do some test drives right there on property. The instructor does drive off the property and takes you to an area where traffic is not a problem so he/she can teach you how to shift a 10 speed. Going up seemed easy enough. Downshifting has an extra step which seriously confused my feet. That poor truck. After a few rounds in an industrial area I was allowed out on the street my first day. In order to switch to another student driver there is a Kum & Go convenience store not far from the school. When pulling into this store parking lot there is an “S” type curve, curving to the left with a slight incline. I had gotten into the bottom part of the “S” curve when the engine stalled. The instructor had us using 3rd gear so every time I let off the clutch I would do it too quickly and the engine stalled again. I did this 3 times and was panicking because someone thought the end of the trailer was in the street when it wasn't. I said, “I can't do this!” Nancy said to me, “You WILL do this, now put it in 1st gear and lets move this truck!”

I did as was told and got the truck going and around the next curve and parked on the back side of the store. The other students in the truck 2 of which were men were giving me a hard time about it all. As soon as I signed off of my turn in the truck I quickly exited and ran for the bathroom. A tear or two might have fallen but I kept it together and was glad my turn was over. This incident and the other one mentioned were my only 2 meltdowns and happened in the same week.

I have wanted to be a truck driver for many years. I actually went to truck driving school down in Texas when I first met my current husband 15 years ago. I only went one day because my credit was so bad back then they required a co-signer or a $1500 down payment. I had neither so left. I did take a test that day and passed with a 98.

Believing in a power greater than myself, I prayed. I prayed if it is the Supreme Beings will for this to be a new life for me to help me. Help me to slow down and take a breath, to not be afraid of a new career and to open my eyes to see and my ears to hear.

This prayer worked as I was no longer afraid of this big machinery. I was able to see what needed to be done and to hear the instructor's lesson and learn. Being already over my 160 hours I now needed a test date. I had to wait until the Director of Training was out on the pad to watch me go through all the maneuvers one by one to make sure he knew I was ready to go. This is the most important thing I can say about Roadmaster Driving School, Tulsa location. The instructor's and DOT want to make sure you are ready prior to testing. Having your own confidence is major but for me, also knowing they believed I could do it to was extremely helpful.

I will say this though. If I had been staying in the hotel because I came here from another part of the state or out of state, they would have pushed me a bit faster to “get it”. For the ones that live locally the advantage is theirs for the instructor's patience.

With each passing day I got better and better at the maneuvers and driving. The one thing that could and would hold me up was that #### range selector also known as the “flipper”. It would be my undoing come my first test date of June 24th.

Waking up that morning I was sick to my stomach with worry and nerves. I worked hard to lighten up while waiting my turn at DPS; however, each time the examiner came around the corner to call a name I could feel my heart racing. I had wanted to go first to get it over and done with and to minimize my being out in the Oklahoma heat. Knowing they take 1st timers first and re-takers last my hope was dashed. I passed my PTI and all the maneuvers now it's time for the road.

Coming out of DPS it's a 50 mph 4 lane road. They don't want you crossing the double yellow line when you make your right turn and since we are pulling a 45' trailer there is no reason why anyone should cross it. However, this has been one of the first things a student will do and if someone is coming from the opposite direction they will get nailed for impeding and fail. I managed to get passed this point and at least get 2 miles away before I made my mistake.

The day before my first test I was evaluated by the top driving instructor. He decided to tell me when approaching a stop light to stop in 6th gear instead of trying for 5th to help me with that flipper and keeping from grinding as well. I took his advice and on the 2nd stop light I came to, stopped in 6th gear. Thinking I had flipped the flipper down I put it in 3rd gear. It was actually 8th gear so when the light turned green and I slowly released the clutch it stalled. Because this happened in traffic and I prevented anyone from making the light I impeded and is an automatic failure.

Passing the PTI it is now banked and I do not have to redo it. Because the maneuvers are apart of driving I do have to redo them next time I test. Getting back to the school and talking with the DOT he said he could get me in the following Thursday which was July 2nd.

The only thing I was concerned about was that #### flipper. Just before I tested I got a call from my Brother-in-law who has been a trucker for 30 years and a former instructor. He told me to find something to wrap around my finger on my right hand. He said to not cut of circulation but tight enough to think about my hand. This will help me to remember the flipper. I had cut my hair short just prior to starting school in May so I did not have a hair tie. There is a Surplus store right next door to DPS and this is where we wait our turn to test. I went inside to see if they had hair ties and they didn't. I found the next best thing, yarn.

We are not allowed to really sit there and watch our fellow classmates while they are being tested. If we begin talking about the mistakes they are making on their maneuvers and point then the examiner will think we are telling them what to do. This will fail the student taking the test and everyone else watching.

One student started watching the person testing in front of me and then another. Soon we were all watching. From my vantage point I really couldn't see so was bent at the waist in front of someone else with my hands behind my back. The student was preforming the alley dock and after getting out and seeing he wasn't back far enough, had gotten back in the truck to back up more. He had backed to far and when he did so a loud “HOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO had been issued from the group. The examiner heard this from the other side of the truck and immediately ran over saying, “Who said that! Who said that!”

The instructor that took us to DPS that day took the wrap for us all. Had he not all of us would have failed that day even if we hadn't tested. There were two of us left to test, one of which was me and unknown to me at the time I would go next. I was seriously concerned due to the examiner's anger at the instructor that his ability to be fair with us would be clouded. After the instructor had been removed from the property and another came to replace him the examiner informed he would be fair. It's one thing to say it, another to actually do.

I can honestly say the examiner had been fair and I failed for my own mistake. He had me making a left turn onto an interstate on ramp and I didn't take the turn wide enough and I curbed the trailer tires. If I had just skimmed them I might have passed that day but no, they went up and over so didn't pass.

My 3rd test date was July 10th. If I didn't pass that day it would be 30 days before I could test again and only get one chance at it. Gratefully, my nerves were a lot better. Not gone but better. I didn't miss a beat with the flipper, not forgetting it one time. That string idea really works! I didn't curb the tires not one time. I was able to give accurate bridge heights and knew the speed limits of the roads I was on. I did grind a few gears though. In my defense it was because of the truck used that day. The normal truck used for testing the seats were wet because a student that had unhooked from the day before left the windows down and we had severe storms come through the day before and night before testing. The instructor that got banned from DPS was the one getting trucks ready that morning of testing for me and said he wanted a truck that didn't have wet seats not for us the students but for the examiner sitting there. That takes great heart on his part. Even though he was banned from DPS permanently and could hold a grudge for that, he was thinking of their comfort and provided us with a truck that would prevent them from having a soaking wet backside.

I did pass that day and feel really weird sitting in my air conditioned home typing this up. I feel that I should still be at school sweating with the rest of my classmates.

I'll be trained by my husband and will be on the truck with him in less then 2 weeks. I'm really looking forward to my new life out on the road. I by no means feel like I'm experienced at this at all. I passed the test and have a pretty gold colored CDL license. I still have a lot to learn like handling the truck over mountains and using the jake brake and stuff like that.

Roadmaster Driving school makes no bones about what they teach. They teach you how to pass the test. How to handle a loaded trailer and dealing with shippers/receivers and the like is on the trainer of whatever company you choose to go with. I'm still slow in certain areas but in my defense, that is what will make me a safe driver.

This post didn't turn out how I wanted it. I was planning a daily break down of how the school is and ended up talking about how I handled the school and not the other way around. In my opinion for those looking into truck driving schools Roadmaster is a good school. They have their faults like any other school. If I had to list one it would be taking a student that has been to other schools that didn't or couldn't pass for whatever reason. It would seem to me in this industry if a school can tell if someone isn't getting it or that they could be a danger out on the road, that they would not only NOT waste their time trying to teach them but the student as well. I was afraid they would have done this with me. I was having trouble getting it. I know I didn't want to get as far as I did into the schooling to be told I couldn't do this and still owe the bill. I know in the end it's about the money. It shouldn't be but it is.

If you've made it this far with my sharing my experience I want to also say how thankful I am for allowing me to share my story with you.

 

They are pricey for sure. I agree that they are thorough in what they teach. I wonder who your fellow classmate submitted apps with b/c my DUI is only 5 years old and I got 2 pre-hires. I'm not going with the school sponsored companies like I said in my long story as I'll be training with my husband. I'll find out today if I'm approved with John Christner but have been told there shouldn't be a problem.