Pam Transport / C1 Ft Wayne

Couple questions about Pam and DS,

-At what point of starting your training at DS are you committed for the full cost of the program?

-Exactly how much is deducted from your pay weekly to pay off DS?

-What are these $8 paychecks everyone keeps talking about? Do they really take that much out of your pay versus miles driven that you are lucky to break even?

-Saw a previous post where somebody was held up because of a birth certificate? I live in Michigan but was born in Atlanta, Georgia so I really don't have access to my original but is it really required to start the school?

Supposed to start DS March 22 (happy freakin birthday) in Ft. Wayne. Planning on Driving down myself and hopefully not be sent home within a few days of starting like some people have said on here. I have a CDL Permit from the State of Michigan. They say they transfer licenses but do permits transfer also? Or are they just gonna say screw you you're taking the test like everybody else?

And another question many have asked but I was unable to find a straight answer to- Which company would you recommend? Pam or USA Truck? I like the idea of the Auto-shift because they say it's good in traffic and I'm really not a fan of NYC. However I've heard some bad horror stories from both sides. I guess Which company am I least likely to get screwed by so I can just get a year or two under my belt to transfer elsewhere?

 

Wonderful. But thanks for the response.

 

Update: Trucking school- day one: Locked keys in truck 5 hours before school starts.

This may be a long 3 weeks.

 

Ow. That's gonna be a chunk.

Just finished with the C1 school in Fort Wayne last week. For as much as people talk crap about that school, I had few issues with the school. My main complaint is the lack of material that they teach you versus what you need to know to be able to function as a driver out on the road. Their main goal is to get you your CDL. Period. They teach you 3 maneuvers on their range. Straight back, offset, and parallel parking. Nothing more, nothing less. One I would have liked to practice personally would be a 90 degree back (helps if I can park my truck at the truck stop after driving all day), but since it is not required in the state of Indiana to obtain a CDL, they don't teach it. Other than that, I would have appreciated more behind-the-wheel time on the range and road before taking my test. It kinda sucks to be standing around doing nothing but getting another sunburn for 6 hours a day with only about 10 minutes of range driving and 30 minutes of road driving.

On a positive side, I think that C1's instructors are some of the best in the business. They help to improve your driving skill as an individual, not as a group. As long as you do not take any kind of profane language and screaming personally, you will do well. The classroom instructor that I had was really cool. He did a great job of bringing real world experiences into the classroom.

Anyways I get to start orientation next Monday for USA Truck. Wish me luck.

 

Not a problem. Was originally going to go with Pam but due to circumstances beyond my control (*cough* lack of Pam trainers *cough*) they switched me over to USA.