The New FFE Driver Academey

yes still there working out good so far

 

UPDATE: THis is the latest and greatest from the school. This is also my very first posting so I will stick to the facts as I know them or have personally experienced them.

Week 1: I started a class like most, the first 2 days will suck for some of you as this is a fast paced learning program. Do your homework that was emailed to you! and take it to class on Day 1. Monday or Tuesday is Medical so make sure your blood pressure is in check and BRING YOUR MEDS if you take them!! Read your homework like the Instructors tell you to! the first Tuesday will suck as you have little sleep the night before and then you will have an all day CRAM Session + a ton of reading to do that night. GET IT DONE!!! Stay up till 2am if need be but GET IT DONE!!!! Wednesday morning WILL SUCK FOR YOU IF YOU DONT GET IT DONE!!! I wont ket the cat out of the bag but trust me you dont wanna be apart of it. Wednesday is more lecture, do your homework!! Thurday is DPS for those that dont have their permit or CDL(A) already, Thursday is also your last chance at Medical if your Blood pressure was over 140/90. If you bp is too high on thursday... YOU GO HOME!!! The rest go to DPS...Study your stuff and get a FIRST TIME GO to get your permit... you get more FREE time if you do!!! Friday you get in the trucks and are on the backing range...Listen to Miss Connie!!! She is an awesome instructor!! do what you have to do Friday and Saturday...LEARN HOW TO PARELLEL Park that tractor/trailer becasue if you dont... Miss Connie WILL SEND YOU HOME!!!, if you excell at paralell parking, you get a star by your name and are selected to "Go up on the hill"... TRUST ME, YOU WANT TO GO UP ON THE HILL!!!!!

Week 2: Monday morning, the weekend is over and now you are out with a trainer and 3 other trainees learning the basics.....pre trip, post trip, turning, up shifting, down shifting, mirrors, signs and lines...ect, you get on the highway and drive...all the next few days lead to the FFE/KLLM driving test that you must PASS , the next few days is full of alley docking, backing between 2 trailers, backing between cones and an obstacle course that was totally awesome!!!

Week 3: Monday is graduation first thing at 7a.m. then group 1 is off to DPS to road test, group 2 got the day off as they tested on Tuesday..to be taken to DPS to get your CDL(A) they take you to Red Bird in Dallas and you have an appt....Get in there, do your static air brake test, then parallel the rig, then road test...do yourself a favor... GET A FIRST TIME GO at DPS.....this means MORE FREE TIME!!!!so if you get your CDL(A) on Monday or Tuesday, expect that WED and Thurs are your Orientation days then Friday is off to Lancaster to link up with Training Dept and get your Trainer assigned....Hope this help.

Side note: The above took place on Mony St. in Ft worth texas. FEE/KLLM provided breakfast and a catered dinner everyday that I was there. there is free laundry onsite, free wifi, Walmart runs take place Monday/Thursdays. The guys stay at the dorm..not really that bad. women stayed at the best western I think and was told it was a rat hole... just an fyi... and married coupled also stay at the same hotel.

 

Wow, a resurrected thread on Easter. Oh, the irony.

Sounds like things haven't changed much there except breakfast and dinner; we had to fend for ourselves the entire time until orientation.

 

I know --- wtf ----- thought maybe kllm bought out the site and closed it down

 

so far things still going ok .... not much has changed on the ltl side of things since the kllm deal ..... think I am going to switch lease over to kllm next week ... still have 7 months left on my ffe lease but I want the prepass and reefer fuel gets expensive in the summertime .. I get po d at bridgeview at least once a week lol but still making good money so I can deal with it ... they seem to be giving the company drivers the better trips this last week ... could be just me lol ... they do load the company drivers first because they can punch in and be on clock ... that's ok because I am not going to bridgeview on Friday s unless my trailer going back out is loaded ... if they don't like that its ok I will just take Friday off

 

FYI: I now have a female friend in this class and she has advised me that there is a very unprofessional trainer in the mix, his name is Joe B and he has been making unwanted and unappreciated advances to my female friend for the entire past week. These advances culminated last night when she was the last to get her eval, he leaned in to hug her and then tried to kiss her. She was in shock and turned and walked away. This type of behavior is totally unacceptable!! I thought the instructors were supposed to be professional? I am friends with her husband and he is livid but currently on a truck with a trainer. He indicated that he has tried to contact the director, Greg P, but was unsuccessful so far. I am not surprised as the way he carried himself while I attended the course. Greg P to a total Douche and needs to be replaced!!! So heads up ladies... if you attend this course, you are now subject to the predatory tactics by this instructor.- RM

P.S. I would be interested in hearing from other female graduates of this course that had similar inappropriate experiences with this or other instructors at this school. I will keep this post updated. Thank you RM

 

was just wondering how many students were going through the school now and how many are ltl----- seems like this post has died

 

At the end of March I picked up my first student in Lancaster. His class had 3 graduates. The other two students I had said there were about 6 or 7 who graduated. I don't know how many started though. I don't know how many students go through the school in MS. I heard that Kevin was asked to move to MS, so he did. I think Dave B, the head trainer also moved.

 

Hey everyone, it seems that this thread has died down tremendously. But I hope what I learned today from my conversation with the recruiter will help someone else down the road. I have read all of 334 pages on this thread and thanks to the OP (not w/ company anymore) and many others contributions and insights. I have made my decision to applied at FFE. I just finished talking to the recruiter and have emailed him a copy of my 4 year degree and my school transcript, along with the declaration for employment status (basically a form to let FFE know what I did during the last year since I graduated and haven't been working). He said he will do background check and employment verification once we got off the phone. But he already set my bus schedule from CA to TX and my school starts on 07/14/14. I really hope to pass my background and employment verification before I get on that bus to TX.
What I know from the recruiter is that since I already have my CDL, the refresher course is now only 7 days long, instead of the 14 days program they have been running. And that I will required to have a HAZMAT endorsement down the road if I am hired by FFE (I don't know how that gonna work when I am OTR, plus in California, I will have to retake Air Brakes, Doubles/Triples test again if I want to take my Hazmat test since it's been over a year when I first got got my other endorsements). $200 for the 3 days orientation if I'm lucky to enough to pass the school. And $400/wk for the 6 weeks OTR with a trainer before getting my own truck. And when you go solo, you will get paid .32 per mile. If anyone in school or at orientation right now can confirm all the info above is correct, much appreciated.
Ok that's all I have for now, I hope we can get this thread going again.

 

It's OK for you to bring a gun to TX with you. You'll need it at the rat hole motel they use. Deliver gas to QT across the street and it's always hopping w/cops and medical examiner folks cleaning up the mess.