Can anyone get a CDL in 3 eight hour lessons.

I have seen a LOT of technical schools offering truck driver training in only two weeks and I thought THAT was bad, wow. When I first started, I did 5 MONTHS of training in Pittsburgh, PA (hell of a city to drive around in a car, let alone a semi). I did night courses as I worked in downtown Pittsburgh building a prison at the time. Of course, I had to do it during the winter and, seemingly, snowed every day...let's just say it was tough, BUT over 12 years accident-free so I'm glad I had it hard in training. I actually started truck driving school at 20 years old (6 mos before turning 21)...then I started my first trucking job with Southwest Motor Freight from Chattanooga, TN at the ripe old age of 21. The very first trip (with my trainer from Southwest) I had to chain up and go down Donner's Pass in California, what an adventure. I tell ya, it SCARES me to think someone would have only 2 weeks training seeing some of the stuff I did right off the bat, WOW.

Do it right, do it hard, take your time...in the end you will be much safer and will survive...as well will others. Just MHO

 

Hi,
This has been discussed before here at Truckersreport and you may follow this link to read the topic post's. http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...ools/19898-cdl-school-pushing-companys-2.html

Anyone person's seeking to change career's and go into Truck Driving need's to be advised and guided closely. Im saying this because the trucks maybe pretty and shiny, but when driven by a new ( un-experienced ) person can be a deadly weapon.

80,000 Pounds = 40 TON @ 2000LBS Per ton. Would you want a ROOKIE Gunner in the hammer lane doing 80MPH on ICE heading in your direction with that? I sure as hell wouldnt... But It does happen all the TIME!

That bring's me to say this (again). The proper school's keep their student's with HANDS on Exp 4-6 week's @ 6-8 hours a DAY.
That's not just showing you which button's to push and pedal to stand on...
That's taking TIME, which it a MUST!!!!

My 2 Cents...
All the best,
Mathew

 

Note: It is not my intention to bash a school, I guess it really all depends what you want to get out of it. They will get you a CDL. I expected more thats for sure. After all is said and done, the way things turned out for me are positive. Perhaps I am fortunate. I often wonder how some of the guys I went to school with have faired?

 

The industry is built on devaluing a newbie and riding them to earn money. The turnover rate is admittedly crazy at major companies. Do you suppose they do this at a loss? They would be out of business. If I am a dinosaur, employ all techniques to get newbies quitting and always push experience is better than school in one breath, then education and training in the next. Wait how they feel once you become required to retrain for a weeklong refresher on your own dime!!! They will change their chime. Other professions call the CEUs. Where experience can be erased in a heartbeat.

 

well this thread is over 7 years old, so the OP is either no longer a newbie or no longer in the industry

 

Attack of the zombie thread.