"CDL MILLS"

I came from the days when a senior driver would take you under his wing and teach you all he knew. There were no schools that ran you through just to get your license. His reputation was on the line if you didn't prove yourself to be a good driver. Being a good driver meant a whole lot more than just driving down the road or backing into a dock.

I believe there is a major problem in the way the system is set up with truck driving schools. The object that most of this substandard schools take is to get as many sudents through with a CDL. Any driver that thinks he can drive a truck in three weeks is simply fooled by these schools. If that driver thinks that shifting and not hitting any curbs is all there is, needs to find another line of work. All the old professional skills seems to be going away due to these money hungery idiots.

I ended up retiring from hauling gasoline for a major oil company. I can tell you there was a period of time that my company would NOT hire any school taught drivers. Sure that was back in the 70's but the point was they would rather take a person and teach them themselves. They found it easier to start from stratch that to break the bad habits taught by the schools. I'm not so sure things have changed that much. But instead of teaching bad habits these schools just skip all the defensive driving habits or teaching the students how to take care of the equipment and go right to teaching to pass the CDL.

I know these schools are here to stay. But I'd like to see the government step in and mandate a proper course of training. Then take it to the companies, I'd like to see another endorsement on the CDL and that would be for driver trainer. Make it so that endorsement could only be given to drivers with so many years and to a driver with a clean record. Then take it to the last step and have the government conduct spot checks on the companies to check their driver trainer program to ensure what they've mandated is working. Then maybe we'd start to see drivers get back to the drivers of long ago when the public consider those guys Knights of the Road. At least we'd see more professionalism back into the truck.

 

I'd much rather learn from an old hand! But where to find him/her...

 

The problem as I see it is, the CDL mills are there, just like drivers ed in high school, to help you obtain your license and give you the very bare minimum knowledge and skills. That's all. It's up to the company "trainers" to actually (oh my God have to do their job) and train the newbies. I blame the so-called "trainers" more than anything for most of the issues with new drivers. My first trainer sat beside me for 2 days then we were running as a team. Made him alot of money. It was my fault for not saying anything about it, but being new, I didn't want to make waves. As long as you can do the minimum requirements, any trained monkey can get a CDL. It's up to the "trainers" to make them into truck drivers not the mills. That's supposed to be what they're there for unfortunatly it usually doesn't work out that way.

 

As a driver just for the first time getting a CDL, (have driven tow trucks, st8 trucks, ambulances, mobility vehicles, 15 passenger school buses and armored) I fell in the loop hole In Florida and that most states have As long as the equipment is no combo or more then 26000 lbs no CDL needed.
I am beginning A "cdl -mill" in the start of the new year. The reason is simply if u are in a traditional school setting you are not getting paid. I am willing to for go so that i do have to pay any up front cost for the chance that after a year i can leave and go to a company that is paying better.
It makes me glad to know now that I have more experience already then i will be getting at "school".
Also thanks for letting us newbies what to expect.