Rikers Island Driving Academy

I usually agree with absolutely nothing coming out of New York, but as long as they are training these guys and gals, and training them good this sounds like an outstanding program to pick people up and put them back on their feet and set them on a good path. Driving ain't for everyone but I think there is alot of people that would benefit from proper training and getting them out in a real workforce. The BS about 100 grand a year after your final training needs to stop though, nobody makes 100 grand there first year, it is completely possible with time in the seat and experience, but very few drivers make that kind of coin.

 

I thought most of the people at Rikers were waiting on sentencing, court dates, kind of "on hold". Wouldn't do much good to train someone who might not be available in a few months, or years.

 

It’s probably not much more than a catchy name. I’m sure the program covers more than just Rikers Island complex since it was mandated to close forever.

Anyway, it’s just tablet based training. Probably just the pre-CLP stuff.

 

If you read the article it starts on the book and tablet stuff, then when they get out of prison it goes to actual driving training and they get their cdl, IMHO a good use of tax money, better than people getting put back into prison and it costing tax payers 50,000 a year. It is a program that they have run for awhile in other systems and have had no recidivism, after people have obtained there license.

 

Given how their tarps are patterned western express seems to be in on the joke anyway

 

I'm sure the school forgets to tell the graduates "good luck getting hired by trucking companies". I support ex convicts getting good jobs after they serves their sentence. It's good for everyone. But that doesn't mean most trucking companies will hire you with a felony conviction. The people that run the school get paid for each student, whether those students ever get hired doesn't change whether the people running this CDL school, or any other CDL school, make money. The govt is just as likely to take advantage of desperate people as any capitalist business owner.

 

I kinda thought the same thing, but there are companies that will hire them, Western Express being one of them like the example in the article, but even at wx an ex con will make more than he would running the streets getting back into trouble. If and it is a pretty big if , they keep there nose clean get a couple good years of experience doors will open for them.