Do they even teach you how to drive the truck in school?

Nothing can teach you about driving Americas roads except driving them! Nothing can teach you about bad shippers and receivers except experiencing them for yourself.

New CDL should be apprenticeship only IMO.

 

This is correct. They are there to help you get your cdl and teach you enough just to obtain it.

Then the company you hire on with trains you on everything else.

 

My school did 1 week class room to get permit, then 3 weeks of pretrip, backing, and road driving.

 

You'll learn how to pass the test and get your CDL. And just that. You don't learn how to drive and shouldn't expect.

Just pay attention at all time, dedicate yourself for the 3 weeks and get your cdl. Then you'll learn how to drive with your first company.

If you pay attention, you can learn a lot ABOUT driving.

 

The school will teach you just enough not to screw up the DMV Road test, kill or hurt anyone attempting it.

My road test consisted of walls a foot on either side of me for 5 to 10 miles roundabout on purpose. A living hell this was back in the 80's I heard certain classmates were taking road trips in wide routes far from that construction. Oh well... lucky them.

Those walls then were nothing compared to squeezing I have had to do since then. There have been trailers where the ICC Bumper has been scraped a time or two almost being pulled clean off by construction. (Whew....)

You will learn as you go starting with your first load with a trainer. With all his faults and a few positives. It's either going to be a wonderful journey or a living hell. This Nation has both in plenty. Don't you worry.

 

As someone who just got his CDL I can say you learn the basics in school and that's about it. You have just enough time to learn to be competent enough to pass the test and get your license. How competent you are at the end of those few weeks depends on the individual.

 

It's not a Finishing School. It's a Starting School. It makes almost no difference which school you go to, except to some trucking companies who primarily hire from certain schools. In the short time CDL school lasts you barely have time to learn more than how to pass one test. If you paid for private one-on-one instruction you could probably learn twice as much in the same time so you would only show up at your first job needing to learn the other 90% of this job.

 

No,it takes luck,common sense,experience and attention to detail to drive a rig safely.Just saying this isnt your "Buick Lesabre",driving to Walmarr.These "CDL Mills",if you will,...Just get you started. I attended CRST training,so Im "Self Taught".

 

I actually happen to like certain buicks. We relied on a handful in the last 20 years and the performance and consistency was very good. HOWEVER. They are not the best engines or transmissions requiring certain very expensive work after either 10 years or 120,000 miles. So they are disposed of.

School sometimes have instructors older than God. By the story telling, stunts and other pearls of wisdom in the words spoken from some of the older ones, you will do well to listen carefully. You might not think that little story applies to you right that moment with a eyeroll, but you need to capture that memory and listen.

There will be a time in the future during your trucking, something will happen or develop where you might not have anything in the way of a answer taught to you what to do. SOmetimes that is when the ghost of that instructor sits in the right seat and yells into your ear, this is what you do and now. Youre late already, gonna wreck this if you don't Maybe cringe a little bit from the fist coming to hit you.

I don't expect today's instructors to resort to moderate stressors or physical abuse towards a student driver but sometimes when a hardhead like me or a dummy like so and so needs a little beating to learn the specific lesson by pain.

My IDF instructors have a baton, they use that to make your world of pain while you are trying to put rounds on target or do something. It's a mess. Ow. stop that *&^% it, whack! lol. I'll stick with the trucking instructors.

And you can have all the knowledge in the world stored and stone cold professional but once in a while something will happen around other people and their vehicles in bad weather or terrain like mountain work.. you literally have nothing except a blank page (And blank mind) a few moments before the smash. You will have to find a rabbit, pull it out of your chain drive pocket quick and fix it you don't hit anyone. Or resurrect your tractor from the dead 200 miles from a Tow man or something else.