Baker College grads or students ?

I actually am enrolled in Baker Clinton Township right now and thought about pursuing the truck driving program at Flint until i spoke with someone up there in Flint and she told me how much classroom time and credits you needed. Its almost like they want you pay more money, and be there to long just to get your cdl so I went elsewhere....thx for explaining the program!

 

Honestly I cant say anything for all programs but im sure most will teach you more than you need to know. I know in my course we asked questions and they gladly shared they're tips and tricks and everything else from DOT regs and etc....either way and maybe you dont care but it shouldnt take like 3 quarters to get your cdl...i feel thats nuts but as long as your getting it that is what matters......true about rather knowing too much...

 

Grad here. Good luck finding a job from around Cadillac area. I live up there also and took me 5 months to land a job after finishing course. That was 4 years ago.

 

Over the road or did you.find something in. Cadillac? Know someone near that area looking for work. Thx

 

Just finished week two at Roehl in Wisconsin and have obtained my CDL, I had no prior combination/tractor experience. It's about a 7-8 hour drive from Grand Rapids. They put you up in a nice, private, hotel room about ten miles from their HQ with fridge, micro, pool, laundry. Total cost for school $2800, hotel $400. You bring your own car and pay for your own food, i.e. eat in room or go out. I have one more week here and then should be going out with a trainer for two weeks after going back home to switch my Wisconsin CDL back to Michigan.

The reason for my post is that being from Michigan, Baker was towards the top of my list when I finally made my decision. After experiencing Roehl in person, I am confident that I made the right choice for my circumstances. From my two weeks here at Roehl I am learning that the key to getting the CDL is being on the road and having a good trainer. We have had minimal classroom here but were required to read our JJ Kellers manual the first week. In addition, to get that MI CDL Permit requires a long hard read of the Michigan Book.

My trainer here at Roehl has 34 years as a company driver and I could care less what his "college education" is, He is a Professional Driver and Trainer and taught me how to drive the tractor/trailer combination. I have a lot to learn now still and will be getting more of that with one one one trainee with trainer/driver going out and doing OTR for one to two weeks. Although this is not a CDL test per se, I will still need to be cleared by my trainer before I can even think about getting my own truck.

As for Roehl, it's fairly clear here that job opportunities are best obtained in the industry with experience. After this next week I should, if all goes well, be offered a company driver position with Roehl and with that the opportunity to get that experience and have the choice to stay with Roehl or look for something local and non-OTR that might keep me at home more. that is down the road a ways.

In summation, I'm glad I did not choose Baker as it is more costly and I'm not certain that putting in the extra time is really getting one further ahead in the long run. I'm impressed with Roehls program and encourage those considering obtaining their CDL's in preparation to become company drivers consider Roehl or some of the other company schools. The trick here is to do your research and look what works best for you. There is no way around experience and being on the road with that tractor and learning how to do the job.

If you have the CDL and the OTR Experience I don't think that the "sheet of paper" or "accredidated school certificate" makes a whole lot of difference. A company can tell if you know what your doing by taking you out on the road and asking some questions.

I will still say that Baker is an excellent choice for education, however, not entirely necessary to become the best driver you can be or needed to get the best job thats out there. If you have the time to spare and the money to spend, Baker may still be your best option.

Seriously, if there was one flaw that I could find with Roehls program, it is that I really wish we could have an option to get some extra driving in on the weekend or even after school.

I will also say that my classmates, there are five of them, were absolutely top notch, and that is another factor that made Roehl such a good experience.

 

Baker Flintstone Grad here from the class the OP was referring to, ya the class room time runs a little long and the OTR time is way to short. The Davis trucks they are using should be kept on the range, the whole 6 months I was there, a flat bed sat OOS, it would have been a perfect platform to use for securement training. The instructors are knowledgeable, but they all have there talents and weaknesses. Get with the bald prick and tell him hey from the other prick in the last class. For what its worth, I went to the Pumpkin Patch.

 

Thanks to all. I wish that I had chatted with y'all before last August. I considered Roehl's school and chose Baker. I'm not going so far as to say that I made a mistake. I'm pretty certain that it wasn't the better choice.

We're up to two OOS flats and a 53' reefer. Because of the OOS equipment, the bare minimum driving time is all a student is going to get. There are no extra opportunities for OTR or Range. If someone misses, they lose their time. Due to one day's illness, some will not get the minimum hours for the PTDI certificate. Also, the school cannot [ will not ] schedule night sessions for that same certificate. It's up to students to exchange. When that happens, they can be questioned for not showing up as assigned.

The program has lost more than one instructor to retirement and has closed the Saginaw campus due to declining enrollment.

Another issue is that, after having receiving a printed statement of total costs before I started, I have now been informed that, if I want the PTDI certificate, I owe additional $$ for unanticipated costs. Guess I'll live without it.

From my perspective, the old saying really holds true: Let the buyer beware. That's why, when a family member seriously thinking about getting a CDL A asked me about Baker, I advised that they look elsewhere. Strongly advised . . . at the top of my voice . . . while shaking them by the shoulders . . . with a Gibbs slap thrown in at the end.

Safe roads, y'all!

 

That was OTR with Trans AM Trucking in Kansas. Had to change my address to downstate in order to get a job.