Are there standards when it comes to CDL schools?

You should be able to go directly to work after a 160 hour course…its a pretty simple job..go from point a to point b..if you cant do that on your own you should reconsider your career choice.
I never took a course,,they were in their infancy when i started trucking. Only people i know of who get sucked into going out with a trainer are desperate immigrants who sign on to work at significantly reduced pay running team

 

Yeah . . . . no.

There are plenty of "160 hour" schools where the students never couple or uncouple. Only a few teach rudimentary trip planning and I can't think of any that teach scaling/tandem adjustments. Then there are all the company specific policies. Those can get covered in orientation, but how much does anybody retain from a lecture or CBT?

And it's not all "desperate immigrants" who struggle. I was flabbergasted by the number of guys who got on my truck and had never crossed a time zone, not to mention guys who had never been more than 50 miles from their house. I had one guy who 'retired' from UPS line haul that was unable to back - he'd pull into the hub, pop the brakes and go into dispatch. Yard guy would post trip, break the set, build his return, fuel the truck and park it on the ready line. Heck, I had a 'farm boy' who was the inspiration for the Willis Brothers.


I'm no fan of forced teaming, because that's not training. I don't think any new CDL holder should be allowed on their own until they've done the job for at least a week with a trainer riding in the right hand seat.

 

No job worth having is going to toss you the keys and say 'good luck'. You're going to have to go with a trainer no matter what. Just look for companies like Schneider that have short training programs.

If you want to be successful, you're best bet would be the trade school. You'll get a solid foundation which will make the company training both easier and more useful.

The next best option is going to a company school. It's a much more annoying option than going to a CDL mill, but you're more likely to be taught well and there are fewer up front costs.

Worst option is going to a CDL mill - these run the gambit from legitimate schools to scams and it's hard to know which is which until you've paid your money.