New school requirements

I attend an accredited school. My classroom instructor had no less than 10 years o/r and also was a trainer for five years. I learned much more than cdl requirements. how to use a qualcom, how to actually make money in the industry, advice on mountain driving and a wealth of other information you can only get from a seasoned professional. On the driving range our instructors average thirty years o/r exp. again, the information I have recieved from them has been taken with humility,gratitude and respect. I agree that the so called cdl mills are lacking to say the least. I also agree that you get what you pay for. I still have some hard dues to pay, but thanks to the wisdom of an elite group of highly skilled professionals, I believe I have a better chance than many who get caught in the company school/contract bit. I hear they want them to pay them back for training, while the same companies offer to pay for my schooling through tuition re imbursement programs, up to $150.00 per month.
I spent 200 hours in class, and will spend 160 hours on driving range and city driving. Thats before I spend 240 hours of driving over the road which I must complete before I recieve my diploma.Sure it cost a few nickles but you must concede that this type of training is both necessary and worth it.(80,000lb. killing machine). BTW my school is not affiliated with any particular trucking company, though all the big name companys send recruiters by frequently.
I totally agree about the idea of having a training endorsement available only to those with a clean million miles or ten years. I dont think its fair to group all schools together and say whats being taught and what isnt.
as far as the brake adjustment thing, most companies dont even want a driver make any mechanical adjustments unless he is certified or authorized by the company to do so. I will admit though for ones own personnal safety , it is a good thing to know.Good schools are rare, but dont think they are all BS. Hey, I dont think all truckers or trucking companies are bad, despite what I have heard.

 

I have to agree with what you are saying. My only question here is to wonder if they will ever find enough qualified driver trainers under your proposal.

Of course this is in my mind because I just can't imagine trying to be a driver trainer. I don't have the personality or the patience to do it, not to mention the desire to have to team with just whoever the company would assign.

 

Cruise Cookie: What is the name of your school and the approximate length of the course? It sounds like a good one.

(PS-I hate not being able to send private messages).

 

I had a total of about 10 hours on the road at my school. most of the time at the wheel was backing practice. the majority of the time was spent in the classroom.

every company I worked for forbid adjusting the brakes. if a brake adjustment was needed, it was to be taken to the shop. I never checked the adjustment (aside from a trailer wheel locking up before the others if the trailer was empty.) I would check the brake pads at least.

 

Yes I agree how important it is to have a working knoledge of the brake system and the value of being able to recognize potential hazardous conditions.

That being said, the question is, should some real mechanical training with certified instructors be mandated by the fed. If so, it opens up another big can of worms. Can you imagine what the liability involved in training a newbie fresh off the street? the insurance alone is insane, then add on mechanical training. How much cash can one be expected to shell out to get a class A ?

I see a lot of people like me who can barely afford the training as it is. If they make it too expensive well...

I am sure there are some up town lawyers and doctors who drive just because they love it, but I am willing to bet that for the most part the industry is full of hard core knuckle heads like me who come from average blue collar families and are just trying to survive.

There are some other areas that can be addressed as well. I think all schools should be required to have a skid range with a specified minimum number of hours to better train for extreme conditions. The cost I suppose would be less tham mech. training. And the benefits could be greater.

 

Im currently attending a school in Southern Missouri that is also accredited. Here is how it breaks down...

Classroom & Lab 70 Hours
Range & Street 88 Hours
Independent Study 34 Hours

1st Part- Classroom- Students will begin with an orientation followed by the different phases of truck driving such as:
1. Basic Operation
2. Safe operating practices
3. Advanced operating practices
4. Vehicle maintenance
5. Non-vehicle activities

2nd Part- Lab and Range- This is hands-on training where students learn inspection, coupling and uncoupling, backing and shifting.

3rd Part- Street and over the road- This consist of driving in towns, on Interstates, over hills and in cities. Students can expect during range, street and over the road training at least 44 hours behind the wheel driving time.

All instructors are all former truck drivers with 10-20+ years of experience.

I have heard nothing but GOOD things about this school so I guess I will soon find out.
In the 4th week when driving, we will get to do some night driving as well which I believe will be good experience.