Making the best of a bad cdl school

Apply with a trucking company school such as CFI. www.cfidrive.com
Where is your location; state & nearest city/town?
Sometimes it's best to cut our losses and move on.
Wilson Logistics has one week in classroom and the rest is OJT on the road with a trainer. Free if you stay 12 months.

 

I paid for the school in order to avoid having a trucking/freight/logistics company to provide the training.

I have already done the one week classroom, as much of the backing as I am going to get (simulator and non-commercial vehicle cart and trailer), my pre-trip is getting there but I don't understand the airbreak test and the instructor doesn't allow me to finish my sentences when I do the most of the pre-trip.

I just need the behind the wheel with a driver and a class A truck, then ask for an evaluation. if I do well they might let me test in a couple more months.

I am trying to figure out a strategy of getting the behind the wheel time without sharing the cab with one of the school owner's friends.

 

You need to practice on what you're driving. Renting a non commercial vehicle and trailer isn't going to help much.

I can back my camper and 24 ft enclosed trailer up like a pro but the first time I had a 48 ft 5th wheel trailer behind me I had no clue what I was doing.

When you say you don't understand the air brake test are you talking about the Lab portion that is part of your pre-tripoor the written portion that's required for your license?

 

I have my CDL class A permit with hazmat and tanker endorsement.

I have backed quite a few 28 to 34 foot RVs with a huge F450 truck. And I do expect it to be extremely different in a semi tractor truck, but getting the feel for a 28 foot trailer behind a tractor is the sweet spot.

What do you mean "lab portion"?

We have simulators, air brake test tractor trailers with no drive train and a backing range they refuse to schedule me for.

After 4 days on a backing simulator they gave me a evalution in a real semi tractor with a 28 foot trailer and no instructor training time in the real deal before hand. The school expected me to test out on backing that day or what ended up happening is they decided I didn't have enough potential so I have to sit and wait until all the other students who skipped their scheduled instructor led training time this winter progresses through their program.

Its been 2 months now since I started and I am waiting on everyone else from 4-6 months ago who didn't like training in a real semi in the cold.

 

Two months? You should have already been on the road making money.

 

LAB = Leaks Alarms Buttons

 

@humpingvan - don't know if they hire where you are, but R.E. West Transportation has cdl school and it's free with no contract to sign.
R. E. West, Inc - Official Site
https://www.rewest.com
.

 

You mean the in cab air brake test.

I have to do that self study on a tractor truck with no drive train.

 

I hope this works out.... I’m sure it will in the long run.
I am so grateful that I went to a great truck driver training school.

 

I would just add that first.... ALL of these issues should have been known before signing on the dotted line for ANY training school. The costs of these schools is getting higher all the time without the benefit of better training. The fact that laymen get suckered into signing on to bad schools is exactly the same way the laymen end up in an industry that they will never survive in. You need to check the state this school is in as there are some states that do not have the manual / automatic transmission restriction.