ATDS School TX

Ha ha Gary is a truckers god. He keeps retiring but they keep bringing him back because he is so good. Which truck are you driving??

"Dust Bowl 500" is def a good name for it lol. Im sure the cleaning people at the motel hates it because I remember tracking white shoe prints all over the room before i rememeber to take off my shoes lol.

 

Thanks for this thread. I'm looking forward to what you have to say about this school. I live in Allen, TX (north of Dallas) and was considering this school.

 

As an ATDS graduate August 2011, I can say I had a blast. I went in with a "little" knowledge & came out with a CDL & a great experience. Not only were the instructors fantastic, my classmates were awesome too (there were about 12 of us).

I will say that Bill was my instructor on the road. At first, I would have sworn he had no soul. But it didn't take long before I was dreading that day I would drive without him. He's got a lot of miles behind him & he will tell you how it is. Hmmmm...was it coincidence that we got along better once I started driving better?

Mike is the backing instructor. (Mater thinks he's "the world's best backward driver," but I'm here to tell you Mike will give Mater a run for his money!!!) Mikes the docking genius. And he's cool - a million stories...and he's totally Larry the Cable Guy!!! His method of backing a trailer is one you will never forget. Even if you need a refresher, you might call up ATDS & let Mike instruct you on how to back. Like I said, genius!

OH, and the hotel we stayed at was really pretty nice (obviously they're putting ATDS students in a better hotel than before) with a free cold breakfast or $5 hot breakfast every morning. The staff at the hotel is friggin wonderful!! Nice, helpful, friendly...and my room was clean!! OH!! The best part is that Bill picks you up every morning in the ATDS van & gives you your MORNING RIDE! ...and the morning tune is "WHEN THE SAINTS GO MARCHING IN!" (That's his phone's ringtone!)

Good advice from the above posts to try to knock out all your tests before you go to school or at least within the first few days. You'll miss out if you're always up at DMV trying to get stuff done while there's important classroom stuff going on. You don't get a chance to "make up" missed work.

That's it in a nutshell. If you're thinking of ATDS, give them a shout. Talk to Sue or Susan. They'll get you fixed up & tell you what your options are. Good luck!

 

88m on 287.... If I may ask, what have you done since finishing the school back in August?

I talked with Dianna there several days ago about their program. Don't know anything about the hotel yet but price doesn't sound bad.

 

I went back in 2002....don't know what has changed, but was awesome back then...

 

Funny you should ask what I have done, Patt 52, because I've filled out applications for a month!! HOWEVER, Susan at ATDS is helping me find permanent employment.

Local folks don't seem to want to hire you if you've not been on the road & gained experience. So, away we go!!!

I will say that if you're willing to work for Central Refrigerated in Texas, they will pay for you to go to ATDS. And Werner (which is who I am seriously considering) has a tuition re-payment program. There are a couple of financing options and if you're a veteran, then you're good to go. So yeah, it costs, but there are options, and those guys are serious about TEACHING you not just getting you licensed.

 

Hey thanks for the advice!!! Yeah, I've found out that you don't get a local run without experience. I've done some research but it's friggin confusing because every company has good & bad said about it...so??? Ya know?

So Crete, TMC, KLLM & Maverick will hire & train me?? I just want like a year OTR, then maybe I'll get hired to work a local oil field (which is ultimately what I want).

TMC is flatbed, correct? Is that something a new-new should go for?