Smith and Solomon?

I attended smith and soloman in Lakewood nj
that location had small student teacher ratio
recruited at the Bellmawr location
was impressed with the staff
and learning to drive in greater philly will be a blessing later

prehires mean nothing really they don't process your app until you have a license
personally they push werner which I would stay away from
transam is just ok to get some experience and move on
many companies want you to lease right away DONT do it
go as a company driver learn the ropes

 

I just experienced a short time with Smith and Solomon (2 days) in Linden, however I had a lot of issues with the quality of the instruction. I contacted the admissions coordinator and talked to her about it and I dropped out. I only paid $150.00 (the deposit) for the 2 days of instruction. I also got the $1500 off tuition which brought the total to $2700 which seemed like a good deal. However, I quickly learned after the 2 nights that the school was definitely NOT worth anywhere near the $2700, maybe $800 tops. The classroom training consisted of simple Powerpoint presentations for 4 hours straight (YES 4 hours) and VHS videos from the mid, late 1980s. Very weak in the quality. ALL of the classroom content is easily accessible online for free (and better quality), as well as all the practice tests and answers. So the classroom end just to get your permit is a huge waste. If you get the free CDL manual from DMV or online and read that, you'll pass and get your permit easily, which is about $120 bucks by the way in NJ. There's simply no need for S&S in my opinion. Your basically paying a "school" (a small building with a small classroom for 12 students with one bathroom and a vending machine) to teach you to back, alley dock, shift, and using their truck for an hour to do a road test. You'll save yourself a ton of money if you could study the manual and go take the test at DMV yourself. Then once you have a permit, I would just go into a company sponsored CDL program that pays you while you train to get your CDL, like Prime. You'll have an employment commitment, but as long as you know that's what you want to do, I would go that route and not waste 3 grand or more on a CDL program that is low quality and dragged out. The quality of the instruction just isn't there for that kind of money. The Linden yard is also very small and you'll have little time during the day as most people are there then. You have a better shot at night, but still depends on how many people are there, you can do a lot of waiting around. Personally, I'm sticking it out at my current job for awhile. After alot of thought, the OTR lifestyle wouldn't be for me. I wouldn't mind doing local tanker work, but that takes years to get. Also if you have a bad driving record or criminal record, I wouldn't recommend trucking. All the good companies will turn you down for sure. Good Luck to ya.

 

what you don't know whether it is a scam or not
is most companies require 160 hours of training
which part of that is the classroom prep for the permit
insurance companies are the driving force for this

Company sponsored CDL schools hold you hostage for a year contract
and pay very poorly compared to poorly to recoup the training money

 

I went to their location in North Bergen (I think that was it) a while ago. It was a good school at least when I was there. I had the advantage of driving large straight jobs (24ft flats with piggybacks) for several yrs beforehand so I only had to get used to the articulation.

 

What part of NJ are you from? Remember, the recruiters for the schools are salespeople. They will tell you what you want to hear. Look for a school that has a small student to teacher ratio or else you will be standing around most of the day waiting your turn to drive.

 

I'm also in South Jersey. I attended a school right over in New Castle, DE.

Each company should be able to tell you if you would take their truck home with you or if you have to leave it at a terminal.