My Quality Drivers/Celadon experience April 2014

Discussion in 'Trucking Schools and CDL Training Forum' started by dumbolnd, Apr 21, 2014.

  1. dumbolnd

    dumbolnd Light Load Member

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    Dec 13, 2013
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    I thought I would start a new thread for Celadon's school because everything that I have read recently indicates that everything has changed with them.

    A little back story...
    I am in NE Indiana and will eventually be teaming with my husband OTR. I am going through the classes first while he wraps up some things at home since his job pays better. I chose Quality Drivers (Celadon) because they have a terminal close to my house, they pay for all the schooling and I had heard lots of good things about them.

    The application process was very easy, the recruiter was very friendly and answered all my questions. The classes are supposed to take about 4 weeks but they will keep working with you if it takes longer than that.

    I arrived at the school last night (Sunday) and learned that I would be staying in one of the local motels rather than at the dorms because they were full. When you stay in the motel you are assigned a roommate. Mine seems nice so far.

    Day One was mostly shuffling paperwork. Some of the people in the class got their DOT physicals and the rest (like me) are supposed to go tomorrow. The instructor is very big on alphabetical order and my name is at the end of the alphabet. We spent the largest part of the day going through the CDL manual. The instructor indicated that we might be heading to the BMV to get permits tomorrow but that might have just been to scare some people into studying tonight. :)

    The school facilities are nice and new. I am not assigned to the dorms so I cannot give any information on them. The cafeteria has a limited selection for your free meal and the free meals are only served at certain times during the day. There are plenty of other options that you can purchase and the prices are not too bad.

    The motel has nice rooms and very comfortable beds. The room has a small refrigerator and there are stores and restaurants nearby to keep food costs down if you do not want to eat what the school provides.

    I will try to post an update each night but at the very least once per week. I know that it helps to get a feel for how the school is going to go when you are trying to make a decision.

    ***Oh, BTW There are about 5 men that started school this week that came from CREngland and C1. I don't know their stories but I thought it was an indication that this school might be at least a little better. I will try to ask some of them about it tomorrow.
     
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  3. teqntexas

    teqntexas Medium Load Member

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    Jan 25, 2012
    Ft. Worth Tx.
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    i remember reading a while back that they were sinking a ton of money into new facilities there for the school. guess it was true.

    best of luck to ya Driver. be safe.
     
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  4. Spm

    Spm Bobtail Member

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    Apr 14, 2014
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    Thanks dum. I am looking forward to your posts and hearing about your experiences. I hope you do continue to post.
     
  5. dumbolnd

    dumbolnd Light Load Member

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    Day Two:
    We finished up paperwork and physicals today. We also signed our contracts. The contract is an agreement to drive 120,000 miles as a team driver (which means 240,000 on the truck to reimburse $7200 for the school. This is supposed to take approximately 6 months but by my pessimistic math it seems more like 9 months. There was some fine print in the contract that left me feeling very uncomfortable about what I was potentially agreeing to but I am relatively sure that it was fairly standard for the style of school. The bottom line was if you complete your 120,000 miles you owe nothing.

    We continued to study for the General Knowledge part of the CDL. I spent months studying for these tests before I even got to the school so the last two days have not been very interesting for me. There are many, many students that are busy trying to cram as much information in as possible right now, though. If you do decide to go here study ahead of time because there is only the two day review before you start trying to pass the test and that is IF YOU already have an Indiana license. If you don't you will have another test to cram for and pass before you can move on.

    The instructor encourages you to take as many tests as you can while you are at the BMV. We will be going tomorrow and I hope to pass all three tests for the permit and all of the endorsements so that I can get to driving the truck just as soon as possible.

    I ate two meals at the cafeteria today, the food tastes decent and was very filling (Beef enchiladas for lunch and a personal pizza for dinner). These meals come with a small drink and a side but I haven't grabbed all of the food that I am allowed to have without being charged yet. You would have to have a fairly healthy appetite to be able to eat it all.

    I talked to a classmate that is staying in the dorms and learned that they have common bathrooms separated by gender so I am very thankful to be in the motel. This way I only have to share with one person not everyone.

    I did not get a chance to talk to the drivers that came in from other schools because the instructor tried to ensure that we all had something that we could be studying for so even though they have their permits already, they were loaded up with study guides for their endorsements.

    It was another good day filled with friendly people. So far no big complaints.
     
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  6. Stinky Dairy Air

    Stinky Dairy Air Light Load Member

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    Apr 18, 2014
    Midwest
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    Study hard and pay attention. Learn from other students mistakes.. (forgetting to blow the air horn on the pre trip) for an example. That's a biggy and an automatic failure.
     
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  7. Spm

    Spm Bobtail Member

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    Apr 14, 2014
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    Dum, did you drive to the school or did they provide transportation?
     
  8. dumbolnd

    dumbolnd Light Load Member

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    The school provides bus/plane tickets for new students but I don't live very far so I drove.
     
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  9. dumbolnd

    dumbolnd Light Load Member

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    Dec 13, 2013
    Indiana
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    Day 3:
    I am officially permitted to learn to drive a truck and I have my tanker endorsement too! I failed the doubles and ran out of time to try the hazmat. I will get those tomorrow. Studying ahead of time is very important if you want to get the tests out of the way the first week and don't want to spend every second of the first few days cramming for them. Today's focus was the testing and not much else was accomplished. The instructor is more than happy to give you any information you would like in order to study ahead or otherwise learn the material. You do have to be proactive, though. They won't breathe down your neck to make sure you are studying and will give you a bunch of chances to blow it off.

    In-the-truck training doesn't start until Monday so I will be spending the next two days helping other people study for the tests.

    I did get to talk to some of the guys that came from C1 in Fort Wayne. They said they left because they were there for three weeks and only got their permits, no other training the whole time. In case anyone was still wondering about that.
     
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  10. Paluche

    Paluche Light Load Member

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    May 15, 2009
    Rancho Cucamonga, CA
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    I must say, 3 days and you have your permit? Can we say CDL Mill...
     
  11. dumbolnd

    dumbolnd Light Load Member

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    Dec 13, 2013
    Indiana
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    Day 4:
    I am a little disappointed that I only got one more endorsement today, the doubles/triples. I didn't pass the Hazmat on my first try, but I got close and I will definitely have it tomorrow. A lot of people passed their tests today. Almost everyone that is in their second week has the minimum tests (general, air brakes and combination vehicles) done and most of us in our first week are done with the minimums as well. I am looking forward to spending the weekend at home and coming back to begin working on learning the range stuff.

    I would love to have something to complain about but there really isn't anything really wrong. It took me an extra two days to get my travel reimbursement because my recruiter was out sick. That is about the worst thing that I can think of and is truly nothing. I really hope that this school continues to be as focused, fun and all around good as it has been so far.
     
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