C1 Indianapolis,IA

Just finished up my CDL through C1 on Wed and expect to head out with PAM Transport on the 20th.

Just thought I'd give perspective students a heads up on what to expect...
Ok Before you go, please pay that $10 and buy the E-Gears package, it's so worth it...
Expect $70 to $80 dollars a week for food... Now C1 has gone through the expense and put mini-fridges and microwaves in each room. Go to Walmart or Safeway and buy some food. Eating out will kill your wallet!
But, Eat cheap during the week, save a few bucks and walk next door to Damons and eat a good meal on the weekend. Oh! and the mexican restaurant down 21st street is top notch. But no Beer with your meals! There is NO drinking at all while in the program... Is one beer worth getting kicked out of the program? I think not...

Week one 7/26/09
--- Rathole of a motel...lol, don't worry, C1 has changed where students are housed due to the complaints of my group.

7/27/09
--- 31 folks started out, we lost a couple due to bad screenings and poor physical shape. ( I think we actually finished out with about 16 or 18 at the end)

--- We also met our classroom instructor Kevin, this guy was awsome... Not only does he teach... he keeps your attention with great story's from over the road. I really hope you get him, he's top notch. He goes by the Handle FIDO ( Forget It Drive On).

----------- Rest of the week, lots of Classroom work.... But!!! All this time in class is SOoooo important!
Pre-Trip!
Pre-Trip!
Pre-Trip!
Folks, I can't say enough how important this is.... Use all the extra time you have down there to get this right! If you can get your pre-Trip learned on your first week there. Well, your life at C1 will be so much easier... Take it serious!
This is also the week you'll get your CDL permit, 4 tests, so study hard.

Week 2
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8/3/09

If you've passed your CDL permit tests, this is the week for backing, AND more Pre-Trip ( It's never ending, and there's a reason).
Now I've read from a few other posts about c1 that every instructor has his way of doing things.... Well, this is correct... But! The Basics remain constant... 1 Left, Hard right, 2 Left, 2 right.... Yadda yadda yadda.
What it boils down to is YOU. Pay attention, and read your diagrams and learn procedure. And remember one thing... These folks are PROS, with Years of experience in the field.
If you lucky you'll get my instructor, REAL Hardass, his nickname was "Little Hitler" and that just what the other instructors called him. We called him DC. He's an Ex-Drill Instructor turned Trucker, and he never dropped the Drill Instructor mentality...lol. Bottom line is this though, He's top notch, he knows his stuff, and will NOT send you out for final CDL testing unless HE knows your ready. AND he will make sure your ready.

Now if DC thinks your ready for some road time, you'll also get some Drive time out on the roads at the end of this week.

Week 3
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8/10/09

This week should be all about the road, if you've paid attention and studied your pre-trip, and did your backing maneuvers the way they TOLD you to do them instead of doing it YOUR way. You'll learn to apply the SMITH system. And learn to shift by using the Tach instead of sound.
And yes.... I know, some of the experienced drivers will say using sound is much easier... But we aren't experienced, now are we?
This is one more instance this if you'll DO EXACTLY what the instructor tells you. Learning to drive the beast, will be much easier...

Now depending on how well you've listened to your instructor ( I was in complete submission) and your study habits, you may actually test for your CDL this week. And if you pass well, you'll be heading home.

Now I mentioned earlier on how important Pre-Trip was, Here's why....

On Tuesday (8/11/09) DC said "Ron, Do you think your ready for your road test?" (I had passed my School Pre-Trip, Range backing test and Road test) I said to DC,"No... I don't think I am" and DC said, "Well I sure as hell think you are, and I don't send someone out who isn't!"

Well, DC got me all pumped up to go, my confidence was through the roof! I headed down to the testing office, grabbed my tester by the collar and dragged them out to the truck! Ok, maybe a timidly walk through the door and handed them my papers, but Hey! this is my story ######!
Anyways, your Pre-Trip is first.... Well I killed it! missed Zip! None even! Well almost.... you see.. at the Very end of your pre-Trip is this thing called ( Yea, experienced drivers know) the 4 Point brake test (some states it's called 7 point, or nine point, it all amounts to the same).
Anyways...... I got all the wording correct, EXCEPT that I didn't actually hold the service brake down during one of the test parts. I just said I was doing it... And if you fail any of your brake test, you fail it all....
Needless to say, DC was not Happy...lol... Neither was I....
So he told me to take the rest of the day off, and I headed back to the motel and surrounded myself with the comforts of Chinese takeout...lol.

The next day, though......
Perfect scores on all my tests... Including the Road test, Got my CDL, Got my official C1 hat signed by my instructors and classmates. Drove 8 hours home to my wife and kids, and slept like a baby....Well, after a couple of hours of... well, you know.

Bottom line is this, C1 can't MAKE you a driver, you get what you put into it... Just like life.

See ya on the road....

-Brimstone

 

Well, I honestly doubt that happened, The "I had a friend" ploy doesn't bust it for me there chuckles. C1 is very adamant about it's drug and alcohol policies. And of course their job and business is to get bodies out on the road. They are not in business to help you out of the goodness of their heart, they are there to make money. I can also tell you this, C1 does not administer their own cdl tests (At least not in INDY). And as I can't vouch for any other C1 school, I can vouch for this one. Also seeing how much money they have invested in their company, I highly doubt they would risk their certification for one "Drunk" driver. Simply put, your friend sir, is a liar. Let common sense take precedence.

As far as the training goes, as with any school you are there to learn the basics. Time on the road is the best teacher, 3 to 6 weeks in ANY school in not enough to make me or anyone an experienced driver. I, like my other classmates who finished C1 are rookies. C1 weeded out our class members by about 50 or more percent, of those who could not meet certain standards. I'm guessing that your "friend" was one of those weeded out... Perhaps not. But either way, my experience there was overall positive (Except for the motel).

 

I need to correct myself....
I stated your "friend" was a liar....
It was actually your trainee, so I guess he didn't get weeded out... But he's still a liar. Maybe he was trying to impress his trainer...

 

Cherokeechief, why or how would a "former student" pull the wool over my eyes?...lol. I just finished C1, so I'm well aware on how they train and who gives the CDL testing. Now, I can't contest how things were done in 96 (as I wasn't attending at that time) but rest ashured, that isn't how things are done now.
Federal guidlines are also much stricter than they were back then and though many companies have gone the opposite direction (Hireing as many bodies as they can push through) instead of tightening the reigns. Lets look at it this way...
Can C1 or any other driving school produce a proffesional driver in 3 to 6 weeks? Of course not..., kkburr73 said it best " C1 is there to teach you how to " DRIVE " a truck. Not to be a trucker. The company that you go to work for is the one to teach you to be a trucker." And... Even after several years of driving, I expect i'll still have more to learn. My post above was not an ad for C1, simply my experiance of going there.