Roadmaster

Don't go I went there . The equipment is sub standard so is the training . Allot of company's frown when you tell them that you went to roadmasters for training . Even some of the the instructors say you can do better . Yes it was the Tampa school I went too . But I imagine they all are bad . There is a school in Clearwater forgot the name and don't know how good it is but you should check them out .

 

I'm going with a company that is local . I have Friends that work for them so they pulled a few strings to get me on . This co. doesn't normally hire students . You will see a lot of recruiters from the likes of swift,Werner,Covent and the likes . They all sound good but do your research and you'll find they are not very good company's . Unfortunately we have to start somewhere . So you have to pick the lesser of the evils and stick it out for a year so you can move on to a better company .

 

i have just finished my first week at the west memphis ar school. I think they are a pretty good school. The equipment may be sub-standard compared to what you may get to drive once you hire on but you're a student...if you stall out and throw a drive rod on a brand new truck...do you want to pay for that to be fixed? I know the on the road trucks are in good working conditions...ie if we get stopped by DOT for a full inspection, it would pass. We had a DOT officer out there yesterday...he knows the trucks will be good. All the instructors have years of experience...most are accident free. We have one gentleman who has 23 years experience with NO accidents. I don't know about the tampa school but ours is good.

it's pricey...about $6500...but the school is affiliated with the local community college so you can get financial aide...most of the companies that hire students offer some form of tuition reimbursement. they also try their best to get you pre-hired by the time you leave.

if you want to know more...i'll try to get on again soon...we are off only on sundays...class is 7 to 6 with an hour lunch...now that i have my permit i won't have quite as much work to do that i know off...

 

I am currently at Roadmasters in Salt Lake City and so far it seems ok. The trainer has 25 years experience and he teaches us the book way and then explains the real world way. I haven't been in the truck to drive yet, that will be in a couple of days, but they seem to be in good shape. They drive so what more can you ask for when learning to drive one. Good luck.

 

......can anyone tell me about this school! I am a newbe, wanting to get a class A CDL, as I mentioned in the welcome forum, I need all the help I can get. And that even goes for (who should I drive for in the south region)

 

Well allow me to say something positive about Roadmaster, Tampa. I graduated from there 2 weeks ago. I did not notice anything "sub standard" about the equipment, other than the fact that it is used by a company like Werner or Covenant first, then by students (who cannot shift)... so yeah, maybe the gearboxes are a little tired... but gee, are we complaining about the AC not blowing cold enough?!! I paid $5,000 for the three-week course. They are very good at teaching you the basics, and you will be taught by different instructors, many times two within the same day. Some of the guys complained, but the smart and open-minded students (the ones who will be successful) used ALL of the information they could gather, including different viewpoints and instructional procedures from the different instructors. I graduated with a 93.3 GPA... I was disappointed that I did not do better. Tomorrow I will start orientation/work with Swift - and I am certain I will soon forget about any of the pissin' & moanin' that went on at training camp. The real world is about to hit me head on, and I am as ready as I think I can be. I have Roadmasters to thank for helping me get this far.... and, by the way, helping me get 7 pre-hire agreements from Swift, Werner, Covenant, US Xpress, Stevens, Southern Refrigerated Transport and Cypress... all respectable companies. Noting Kilroy mentioning that they are "not very good companies" - they must be doing something right - they are the biggest companies. I don't think any of them are going to be assigning me a brand new tractor and a 70K-a-year local job with 4-weeks paid vacation right off the bat, so I wouldn't be expecting anything like that. Expect you will have to pay your dues. I start paying mine tomorrow in orientation, and then OTR for 6 weeks with a trainer. That's where your real training starts. Then you'll be learning the rest of your career.

Good luck to all, and have an open mind and a flexible attitude, and I am sure you will go far.

 

I just graduated from Roadmaster in Jacksonville, Instructors were great, I learned alot. Equipment wasnt that bad, but bear in mind would you want somebody to learn how to shift with your brand new rig? The trucks are used up but still safe to operate.

 

I was going to go with Roadmaster in TX. but I didn't, they were wanting to rush me into school and than last minute they said that on top of tuition ($6495) I had to pay for CDL manual $10., CDL $60., Out of state fee $40., MVR/CDLIS, credit bureau, 20/20 criminal report $30., drug screen $40., DOT physical $40., haz-mat $10., haz-mat background check $95. approx. I feel this should be part of tuition.
So I went to a different driving school for $4995. and that included all the above.