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6 hrs $750 and a CDL in hand... NOW WHAT?

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by darkpony02, Mar 22, 2010.

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  1. Mar 22, 2010 #1
    darkpony02

    darkpony02 Light Load Member

    53
    8
    Dec 1, 2009
    Detroit, Mi
    0
    Boy I wish I had found this site before I went to CDL school. Isnt it great when people blow smoke up your a@#! I had been thinking about driving OTR, id driven all sorts of straight trucks and pulled trailers. I enjoy driving... so I decide to take a couple weeks vacation and get my CDL permit. Then I head off to drive a Volvo with a 53' dry van with a buddy of mine. The whole time Im driving # 2500 miles he tells me he's thinking about running team (he's an O/O). Tells me I should get my CDL and go work with him. Sounds great right? So I run back to Florida and find a school that tells me I can get my CDL in 8hrs. $750 later and a road test in a 28' Ford cab over pulling a Sysco trailer I pass! Yay!!! Then I call my buddy up and ask him when are we going to start driving... change of plan. He's decided to keep running solo. So I try looking on my own. Seems I'm missing this experience thing they want on every application. Its as if I never went to school, and the stuff I did doesnt count for anything. Now Im lost, seems that I either go to a driver mill or shell out more money for a proper education. The worst part is I know better than to try to B.S. my way in to a job because I'll fail the driving test. I can manuever just fine, but the truck will have some seroius metal shavings in the trans pan when im done. The school didnt teach shifting and it was all yard instruction. The driving I did was mostly highway and very little stop and start, and the city driving was bobtail meaning I left in 4th most of the time. Just looking for any opinions on what I should do next, or if anybody wants to take on a new driver with a CDL in hand and no real experience :biggrin_25525:
     
    darkpony02, Mar 22, 2010
    darkpony02, Mar 22, 2010
    #1
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  3. Mar 23, 2010 #2
    lovintruckin

    lovintruckin Light Load Member

    104
    24
    May 15, 2009
    Tampa, FL
    0
    No offense man, but it's really scary that any school would allow someone to get a CDL in 8 hours???? Those people from that "class" could really kill people out there.

    YIKES :biggrin_25513:
     
    lovintruckin, Mar 23, 2010
    lovintruckin, Mar 23, 2010
    #2
  4. Mar 23, 2010 #3
    sazook

    sazook Road Train Member

    1,471
    548
    Jun 1, 2009
    Springfield, MO
    0

    6 hours and $750... I'd say you didn't.
     
    sazook, Mar 23, 2010
    sazook, Mar 23, 2010
    #3
  5. Mar 23, 2010 #4
    tkirk

    tkirk Bobtail Member

    9
    3
    Mar 2, 2010
    Kingman,Az.
    0
    I did my research and I am attending Sage Truck Driving School in Kingman Arizona going on my second week great school if that helps.
     
    tkirk, Mar 23, 2010
    tkirk, Mar 23, 2010
    #4
  7. Mar 23, 2010 #5
    phroziac

    phroziac Road Train Member

    3,138
    502
    Jun 16, 2009
    Gary, IN
    0
    Call up werner. Just tell em what school you went to. They're one of very few companies that dont require school. You can even say you got it through self study. Werner has one of the better training programs out there anyway, if you get a good trainer atleast.
     
    phroziac, Mar 23, 2010
    phroziac, Mar 23, 2010
    #5
  8. Mar 23, 2010 #6
    JPenn

    JPenn Road Train Member

    1,829
    1,874
    Mar 5, 2008
    Northern Tier PA
    0
    In order to pass a CDL exam in NY, you need to shift...correctly. Floating gears will fail you, grinding too much will as well. You also have to parallel park the rig within 12" of the curb, between cars usually.

    Suck it up, get on with a training company, put in some time, then go from there. Were I in the same boat I'd go with Roehl.
     
    JPenn, Mar 23, 2010
    JPenn, Mar 23, 2010
    #6
  9. Mar 23, 2010 #7
    misterG

    misterG Road Train Member

    2,884
    8,981
    Jan 21, 2009
    ask my dispatcher
    0
    Werner require 180 hours of class time for a qualifying school.
     
    misterG, Mar 23, 2010
    misterG, Mar 23, 2010
    #7
  10. Mar 23, 2010 #8
    BIG RIGGER

    BIG RIGGER Road Train Member

    1,071
    414
    Feb 25, 2010
    Fargo,ND.
    0
    I never went to any school.They were even few and far between in the 70's.I was dispatching for a oilfield company that needed a driver so I had a liscense this was long before the CDL.

    Don't give up keep looking for a O.O. or get a local job driving a class B job until something opens up.No way would I pay or go in debt to a school.
     
    BIG RIGGER, Mar 23, 2010
    BIG RIGGER, Mar 23, 2010
    #8
  11. Mar 23, 2010 #9
    outerspacehillbilly

    outerspacehillbilly "Instigator of the Legend"

    4,349
    2,430
    May 28, 2009
    The Who's Your State
    0
    :biggrin_2559: That's funny! You do realize that until not that many years ago "truck driver school" was basically non-existent don't you? These unqualified school "graduates" come out after 3 weeks and think they know everything there is to truck driving. :biggrin_25513: These schools put out some of the worst drivers on the road. :biggrin_25510:

    Not all fall into this category but many do.
     
    outerspacehillbilly, Mar 23, 2010
    outerspacehillbilly, Mar 23, 2010
    #9
    112racing Thanks this.
  12. Mar 23, 2010 #10
    maxwelltie

    maxwelltie Medium Load Member

    416
    339
    Mar 13, 2010
    Brookings, OR
    0
    I was in printing in 1972. My union went out on strike, so I went down to ONC and asked for a job. They asked me if I could drive a truck, I said 'sure!', figuring they meant a van or straight truck.
    Long story short...I went down to DMV, took the (one) written test, they put me in a truck with a driver for the next few hours and I took the driving test the next day.
    That afternoon I was on the road from Portland to Salt Lake pulling doubles!
    Yea...things have changed a bit since then.
    As for what to do?
    Look for a local company that runs Class A's...bottom dumps, maybe a small LTL or delivery service and work for them for a while. Get some experience.
    Do that for a year and virtually any training company will take you on.
     
    maxwelltie, Mar 23, 2010
    maxwelltie, Mar 23, 2010
    #10
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