Special Alert!!! Truck Driving Schools

Hard to do, but here goes. As I understand it Central used to be Dick Simon. Ol' Tricky Dicky got into allot of trouble (especially in CA). Had allot of trouble with the Federal Government as well.

Swift either bought them out or merged with them to form Central. The ownership is Swift I just don't know how that came about well enough to tell you accurately.



OK Google is an amazing tool:



Wednesday, June 23, 2004

Central Refrigerated Transportation under investigation

Federal trucking regulators are investigating the safety record of Central Refrigerated Transportation whose owner is Jerry Moyes, who is currently in a dispute with the Department of Transportation over a proposed fine of Swift Transportation Co. Inc., which he heads.

The rest of the story: TODAYS TRUCKING NEWS ARCHIVES

 

Hi All! I've been reading y'all's posts this evening. I am an Admissions Rep for National Training Truck Driver School. We are Nationally Accredited. We have a unique traing program, w/ a 350 acre training facility with an infield traing track. We offer in-house financing, and any of y'all that are Really serious, I will work with you and get you financed. We also work with a number of companies that offer tuition reimbursement to our qualified graduates. Theres is currently a severe driver shortage! Entry level drivers are earning 25-35K their first year! Check out our site, compare, email or call me for info and help. Choose your training wisely, you are investing in yourself, and your future!
Safe Travels!

Coleen

Same deal as the other thread Colleen

 

I went through CR England and Son's School in SC. I was then bused to Salt Lake City where I took the Driving Test for my Permit. When I tested, I had only 1.5 Hours Road Driving. And then only because I failed my 1 Driving test and 3 others and my self had a special training course to attempt to pass the test. On the Special Training We had 2 per truck and the trainer. In the School the Class was divided between 2 trucks. and we went back and forth on I 26 for Mountain training 1 day, and went around a few black for City street training another day. So all in all School was only about 45 minutes it self behind the wheel on the road. We did drive around the parking lot in 3 dear shifting and backing training.

 

Let me add my 2 cents here. I attended Nebraska Custom Diesel now known as Custom Diesel Driving School (Omaha, NE) back in 1990. It was a 4-week program 8 hrs a day. The 1st 2 weeks it was driving in the morning 3 people in the truck everyone got at least an hr. 2nd half of the day was book work (logs, DOT rules, ect). You had to have a clean MVR, get a DOT Physical, and pass a background check before you were attired to the class. They brought in recruiters from different companies, and most of us got hired before we finished class. I paid for the training out of my own pocket so I wasn't beholding to any one company. I chose PST Vans (thank GOD they are out of business). I worked for them for about 4 months, and then went to work for Transport America.

In 1994 I got off the road and took a teaching position with Trumbull co. Head Start, and worked for them for 6 yrs. When the Federal funds for Head Start started drying up I saw the handwriting on the wall, and decided to go back in to trucking. Well I had been out of it so long everyone told me I needed a refresher. So I let CRST talk me in to going thru there school at the community collage. This is were the trouble starts.

I got to Ceader Rapids on a Sunday about 3:00 - 4:00. I checked in at the main building and headed to there housing. An old FLEEBAG motel that they bought, and used to house students. The next morning we went to there school orientation. I was told I needed to cough up $50.00 for 1 week housing. I could live with that I guess I mean its only a week right. Then they hand us a contract for $3000 for their 2-week course. Well mine was knocked down to $1500 because I only needed a refresher. Below is how my week was spent.

Day 1 Get to class watched a movie, listen to some instruction. This all took about an hour. The other students were told to go to the DMV and get their Learners permits. I was told to go back to the fleabag motel.

Day2 Sit in class for 10 min. go out to the pad (a big parking lot) they put 7 of us in a truck and had us drives around for about 10min each. Go back to classroom was told everyone who didn't get his or her permit yesterday go try it again today. The rest are to go back to the fleabag hotel. (Any one seeing a pattern here?)

Day3 Finally got some road time 7 in a truck 30min each. Rest of the day same as above.

Day4 A little more rode time 7 in 30 each. Back in to class for Log Book work. I am excused one of the instructors take me out in a truck for about an hr says i'm good to go. Rest the day you guessed it back at the fleabag.

Day 5 Another 30min of road time the rest of the day helping the other students with there pre-trip.

Day 6 1/2 day helping the class that was graduating that week figure out how to back. The last day of the class is the ONLY time they got any backing training.

I lasted 3 months at CRST, and wound up landing a job with FEDEX Ground thru a contractor. I had to pay the $1500 at 18% interest, but at least I'm still alive to tell about it. (That's a whole other story).

 

I'm in my second week of training at a local community college here in eastern Virginia. Its a private company working in conjunction with the job training sector of the college. The company is called TRUCK DRIVER TRAINING (aint that original!!) I paid 3400.00 dollars for this program,and it is a lot of money,but at least at the end I wont be in a contract to anyone. So far my training has been on the road driving in the morning with back up practice in the afternoon. The first week I was loaded down with homework in the evenings,and through the weekend. Tomorrow I'll be standing by, watching two people in the school take their cdl tests (state tests) After that I have a test on pre trip inspection,followed by more back up practice. Overall,so far I feel like I've learned a heck of a lot in a short time,and am building more confidence behind the wheel every day.
One of the good things about this program,is that they will let you stay as long as you like,or until your completely confident behind the wheel,and ready to test for your licence. If at any time you need to take a refresher course its no charge, and they will help you with job placement until you find a job.........For the most part I'm pretty satisfied ................. One more thing. That must be one heck of a transmission in that Volvo that can take all the abuse I and the others haven given it!

 

It's reassuring to see someone who has been with Schneider for any length of time. I am new to the profession and am seriously considering Schneider as my future employer.

Do you have any information you would like to disclose about Schneider to a "newbie" and for that matter the trucking/shipping industry as a whole?

 

I have found a trucking school nearby that is accredited and on the web but is 4500. I have asked all the companies I have talked to about them and so far they have ok'd the school, it is on their list, but the school is only 3 wks long so I am a little concerned. They tell me that there will be 2 in the truck for backing and 3 in the truck for driving, per state mandate, I am in Ohio. Over 100 hrs total drive time, i cant remember the total. does this sound right to anyone? The school is TriState Truck Driver Training Institute and they only do driver training and there is a limit of 9 students per class, and send out prehire applications for the students.

 

Turbo I would like to ask your permission to use some of this on another board before I plagiarize your work.
Thanks for all the info you put here it is a pretty good read.:smt023

 

Does anyone happen to know one of those in the Pensacola Bay area? The only community college I could find on the Web was Pensacola Junior College, and they don't offer any commercial driving classes.

There is a TDI outlet here in town, but after reading the opening post of this thread, I'm reluctant to contact them.

 

I was like TT and did not attend any school. When I started driving back in 1978 there weren't many schools around and they had a bad reputation. My father worked for ARCO in Los Angeles CA and for awhile they would not hire anyone that went to truck driving scool. They would rather take the driver and train them on their own. Now times have changed and you can't hardly find a job without a school. But look at all the problems and how the industry has changed. My feelings on the subject is I believe that the government should step in and mandate who and what is taught at these schools. I call them CDL schools because they teach nothing about driving a truck in my opinion. Then I believe the training should not stop there. I think there should be another endosrement on the CDL that allows that driver to train another driver.

No offense to the poster that wants to start his own truck driving school but come on he just got his cdl himself. Which proves to me that anyone can start a school but what kind of real training is a person going to get? I believe that the instructors should have the cdl training endorsement and have at least 10 years behind the wheel with a clean record. It really a joke on how the system works now. Swift using drivers with 6 months experience training another driver???

I think if this industry is going to go anywhere that's decent we as drivers need to start policing ourselves back to the way of the old drivers and put the professionalism back into truck driving. Just my 2¢