CIT school in Bellflower, Ca. (About 15 miles from downtown L.A.)

If you can still get out of it there are better schools. As for studying for the CDL on your own that is better than wasting 8 hours being read to like you are a kindergartner. Read this post as they talked about the school you are going to attend. http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr.../219838-need-help-picking-out-school-los.html

 

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Check out my page about Alliance.
Alliance School of Trucking, Chatsworth, California

Honestly, I love that most of the training is one on one. I have heard horror stories about group training so one on one was what I wanted. Less Students = More Wheel Time. If you look at my post you will see that they get you ready to take the DMV test then you comeback and learn to drive in every type of situation. Their course breakdown is in my post. If your school does not have something similar to view, I would reconsider the school. BTW, if you are going through Unemployment or WIA programs Alliance is approved for those as well. Good Luck!

 

Does this school take you out on the road to actually deliver a real load at a real customer? Make you stop and fuel the truck at a fuel stop and let you take a shower there/spend the night in an idling truck? Back-in at a truckstop? Show and teach you how to get a tire repaired. Will they show you how to use a fuel card at a TA or Petro? Do they allow you to visit a food warehouse dock? If not, then you are not getting enough real-world training.

 

Worldtrvlr,

Here are answers to your questions in the above comment your left. No, they don't deliver to customers because THEY ARE A SCHOOL. I'm sure we will fuel up if needed while on the road.

No, we will not be spending the night at a truck stop or taking a shower there, because it's a SCHOOL (although I have showered numerous times and stayed overnight at a Truck Stop while I was on the road with my boyfriend who is a truck driver). I don't know what school actually does that.

While being out on a truck run with my boyfriend, we were not lucky enough to idle the truck he was in (his company policy), so I've slept the night in hot weather (which I don't like) and in freezing weather.
I hope to get hired with a company that allows idling or has APU's. And as for idling....It helps me sleep.

As for your comment "Show and teach you how to get a tire repaired", No. I've never heard of a Truck Driving school that does that. I was out on a run with my boyfriend and a tire blew out, he called dispatch and they sent a tow truck and towed us to a TA. Another time, dispatch sent a Tire repair truck to change the tire for him. My cousin was a Trainer for a big truck company he never mentioned teaching students how to change or repair tires. My Uncle was a truck driver for over 40 years and he never mentioned that either.

At School, we are taught the basics in driving and to get a Class A license. The intense training takes place once your hired. We will be hired as a school graduate and like all school graduates of any trade, they need to be trained.

I think I answered your questions. Thank you for your comment.

 

Your situation is not the same for most students, as they probably do not have the opportunity to have a friend who will take them OTR in a truck. I don't know how many new drivers I have met on the road how had no clue as what life was really like out here. More practiacal skills are needed to be taught at the schools from what I see. I visited schools before and many students came up and asked how taking a shower on the road works, how do I pay for fuel etc. It would be nice to have these questions alleviated by practical experience.

As for changing a tire, hardly any driver does that today and I think you misunderstood, or I should have clarified my statement more. By this I mean, again, that not all drivers will be with mega carriers who babysit them. Thus, they may have to choose tires to be mounted, have an idea of tire prices etc. There may be a situation where they are out in nowhere at a small tire shop and have to make the decisions themselves. So, it might be good to have some insight on how to choose tires and pay for them on the road.

Then, if you go with a smaller company and have to deliver a first load at a food warehouse in NJ or somewhere like that, can you imagine how daunting a task that migh be if you have never done it before? I know of one school that does this, they actually pick-up and deliver a live load with a school trainer. This is great experience.

Just because they are a school, what keeps them back from doing these things. Most schools are privately owned and get all kinds of grants from the federal and state governments, and also money for training umemployed and military students. Point is, do they all follow the same standard curriculum? Yard practice and classroom are the basics, but students need to experience all the other things encountered out there, and as mentioned previously, not all students will have the benefit of going with a company trainer.

You are in a good position as you have experienced some of these on the road with your friend, but most likely others will not.
All best to you.