Special Alert!!! Truck Driving Schools

Forgive me for asking this but I keep hearing the steady drum beat of going the community college route for your CDL training compared to the trucking driving schools (mills) that are pushing people through their classes as fast as possible and offering tuition assistance as long as you give the company 1-2 years worth of your life. Now with the community college route, you go and you take the class and everything..now does these places actually give you the state certified test on the spot?

Perhaps I'm misunderstanding everything but don't you still have to go and pass the actual state test for your CDL? IF so, where on earth do you get the truck to do the driving portion of the exam? At least at the driving schools, you have access to a truck to pass the state CDL test.

If I'm missing something here, please clarify it for me someone.

 

hey guys,
I will find out Friday which school I am going to be attending. I have chosen to go the Community College route, which will be about 8 weeks long. The cost is only about $560.00 for a books and fees and the good thing is I have more options of who I can go to work for. I am exstrememly interested in CFI. I work security at a Distribution Center and have had the opportunity to talk to several drivers from several carriers and have learned alot.
I have learned that if drivers are happy they will tell you, and if they are not happy they will tell you that as well. So far the CFI drivers that I have talked to are extremely pleased to be there. They say the company is very driver friendly and they have the miles to run.
Anyway, hope to be in school the end of July, will keep you posted.



David

 

Here in Michigan, most of the colleges with CDL programs also are licensed third party testers. So you use the schools trucks for your road test, and that is covered as part of the programs cost. You still have to take the written test through the state DMV, but the actual road testing is handled by third party testers. When I took my CDL, I used the truck that we had on the farm where I worked, but the tester was actually one of the testers and instructors from the Kalamazoo community college system.

 

So, the 3rd party tester you mentioned in your last comment at the community colleges would be like you having your own truck, taking it down to the DMV and getting tested in the same way you'd go and take your regular car down if you were getting a DL right?

 

Pretty much. You will already have passed the written tests and gotten the permit that allows you to be on the road in the company of an instructor. Once you are ready for the actual road test, then the third party tester comes into play.

The third party tester is an employee of the school (almost always an instructor as well) who is concurrently licensed by the state to perform the third party testing. The school you attended, as part of your tuition, arranges for a truck for you to use for your road test. You actually perform the initial parts of the test right there at the school training ground, doing the pre trip, and the various parking maneuvers. Then, assuming you pass that portion, you proceed out on public roads and perform the maneuvers he requests. Usually this includes a stint of highway driving, some in town driving, some stops in traffic, cornering, and a roadside pullover, demonstrating your use of finding a safe spot, pulling off, flashers, etc. After that you go back to the starting location, and assuming that you did all the required steps properly, he will sign off on the completion of your road test.

You then take his certification down to the local DMV, and they issue your actual CDL.

Many CDL schools also have instructors that are third party testers, and though there is usually an extra fee, they also can supply a truck for your road test, though that may be included as part of the tuition costs. And some CDL schools will also supply a truck to someone walking in off the street who already has their permit, but they usually charge and arm and a leg for that service, since they didn;'t make their share on the full tuition package.

 

Hi, I am reading this thread with great interest as I am contemplating a career working for a driving school. I have not seen anything bad in particular about this establishment, which is ******name removed,no advertising, by luvmyhubby**** (link removed by luvmyhubby, they are not allowed)I would be most greatful for any information folks are willing to share.

Thank you.

 

Yeah I know this school well. They are completely rippin off people. 5900 for a 3 week CDL training course. They pre hire you in and promise you full reimbursement. They only spend 1 week learning about a truck, one week backing a truck, and only one week driving a truck. That is when there ON SITE state examiner gives you a passing grade on your road test, no one can fail it, and you go and get your license.

 

I want to make sure I understand what you are saying.... You mention prehire. So do the people who are "pre hired" not have a job upon completion? Does the tuition reimbursement not happen? In your opinion, are they actually lying or just massively overpriced?

 

I am new to this website but would like to tell you my experience with a truck driving school.

The school is located in Columbus, Ohio but home office in Tampa, Florida. I was contacted by a recruiter from them and literally lied to from the time he opened his mouth. He told me, I would have one on one training for the two weeks of driving time. This is totally untrue, you will be in a truck with 3 other students, and get approximately, 10 hours of actual drive time. Depending on how you do, you will then test that Friday, with about 30 other people, with 2-3 examiners.

With this out of the way, here is what happened. My classroom score 92.7%, my Pretrip scored 87 out of 90, my skills test -1 point. Now to the good part, the state examiners showed up to the testing site out of no where. This totally freaked out the examiners, and things started going very wrong. My examiner when I got into the truck and trailer to start taking my last final test, the road test, told me, hurry up and get out of here before the state examiners get into the truck, needless to say , I was extremely nervous. When I tried pulling out of the lot, my examiner's head was in my mirror and I could not see, and hit a curb, boom, I failed. I through an absolute fit, I told him you never said the test is starting here, I also complained to the head of the school, and these guys stick up for each other. I then wanted to call the state examiner to get him back out there to explain my side of the story, and this examiner told me, I need to learn how to "f-----cking drive.

They want me to come back next week and test friday, waiting in line for approximately 8 hours. I don't know what to do, except they took $6,000.00 for training, and the only thing they taught me, was how to cheat and lie, which I refuse to do. I also was to start with a trucking company on this upcoming Tuesday, which they pay $500.00 per student to get. I don't know if I want to go back.

I am calling the state examiner on Monday, I am also calling D.O.T. for they have us logging 40 hours of drive time in our logs, and there is no way, 4 students can drive 10 hours a day in one truck? Unless we have 40 hours in a day?

I am looking for any kind of help I can receive on this.

 

Unless you just have all that money laying around and can afford to throw it away I would go back.
If you have never been around trucking before how do you know they taught you to cheat and lie?

You only got to go out driving 1 day?

I don't know what kind of help anyone could give to you about this...But I will offer this advice.

Truck driving schools are only there for 2 reason and that is to get you your license and take your money.
They will not teach you to drive a truck, they will teach enough to pass your test.
Driving a truck cannot be taught in 2 or 3 weeks, it takes expierience and alot of it.
I have seen vetran driver's make rookie mistakes before, and I have seen rookie driver's that you could not tell they were not a seasoned driver unless they told it.
I would say go back retake your test and get to work.

Oh one other thing about the trucking school recruiter lied to you?

Welcome to truck driving, get used to being lied to....

Good Luck with whatever you choose to do and Be Safe!