The right curriculum for truck driving schools...

Respect for your vehicle and its contents, respect for other drivers(not all people understand a thing about semi's, stopping distance, blind spots, etc) And most IMPORTANT of all......ATTITUDE in and out or the truck! Driving a commercial vehicle is not a challenging thing to learn.... a fairly healthy , and intelligent person can be taught the basics and experience does the rest. But a persons attitude can make a "great" professional driver look like a blithering idiot....respect yourself....don't go into this with the "Smokey and the Bandit"/"BJ & the Bear"/"Moving On" attitude there is no place for it...and for pete's sake Please don't try and dress the part...with cowboy-boots , a western shirt unbuttoned half-way, tight jeans, a Cadillac hub-cap belt buckle, and a cowboy hat with an ace of spades or a goose feather stuck in the band......this garbage is for costume parties and Hollywood. Carry your self with respect and learn what the instructors are trying to teach you....Ask Questions constantly...Good Luck!

 

big belt buckles...I was told by another driver,tombstones for dead meat.Just about fell out of my chair on that one

 

Driving time is a big one. The more time behind the wheel the better. And I agree with T-Street, attitude is the most important thing - trainers can't teach a good attitude.

Things will happen on the road, even in school, and how you react will make all the difference on your success. Be positive, bounce back and keep on trucking on and you'll do well.

Drive safe,
Tanya

 

I think tight jeans IS mandatory!!!! The rest of that outfit can stay at home!

Drive safe,
Tanya

 

and the 2nd rule besides attitude is an open mind, and then shut off the CB radio and dont listen to all the BS on it. Remember 90% of what comes out of their mouth is BS and not true.

 

CDL school is just to get your license. Typically, they don't do anything more than the minimum to get the license. That's what their there for. They don't teach anything more than state requirements. So concentrate rules of the road, a proper pretrip. Go for every endorsement. You never know when you'll want that tanker, doubles, etc endorsement.
Learning to drive comes with your trainer. Depending on which company you start with, and the luck of the draw, your trainer will teach you things like fuel island ettequite, curtosy to other drivers, how to navigage close quarters. With your trainer, ask them to allow you to back at every opportunity. You never get enough backing experience.
You'll learn more in the first 3 months of driving (with a trainer)AFTER CDL school, than you'll learn in any school.

 

Since you've been researching companies for months ask the company recruiter which school they would suggest. Most of the recruiters know when a school teaches well and when a school slides by. In our area, recruiters don't visit all the schools. We get to hear the stories and believe me, recruiters know - they can lead you in the right direction.

Drive safe,
Tanya

 

Demand? Truck schools are CDL factories (even the good ones). They have the formula. Just go do the program, don't try to change the world, and get your CDL like the 1000's before and after you? If you are struggling, they will notice and get you through your issues to create another CDL.

Avoid schools that use day cabs and/or trailers shorter than 53 feet. You could get the CDL and not be hireable. Like soeone else said, see what schools the recruiters recommend.

Good luck.