ATDS: Student Experience

Day 19: Today was pretty low key. Started out with each of us doing a full Pre trip inspection, then took a road trip over to Bryan/College Station with Stephen. Open highway is a cakewalk compared to navigating through the city! Got back to Waco around 2 and drove around the city for awhile before heading back to the yard. We put most of the trucks away for the weekend and watched some of the new class practicing parallel parking until they let us go home for the weekend.

 

Day 20: Today was test day! Went through entire Pre trip inspection and brake test. Tester says let's do the applied pressure test again. This time at 60 psi. I had done it at 30 bc that's what school told us. Did it again at 60psi and it lost 6lbs out of secondary tank. Tester said I did everything great but he couldn't let me test in a truck with an air leak so we'd have to reschedule. Ugh.. then he tells me that the next appointment time is Oct 26th! I look at my instructor and tell him if I have to wait a month to test that I'm gonna have to find a job in the meantime. Stephen says let's get back to the school and talk to the office staff. Jessica in office says they can test me Wednesday over in Killeen if I want to go over there. Heck yeah I do! Will be on a different truck than I'm used to(been driving International for last 3 weeks and will be on a freighliner over there) but I'm pretty sure it beets waiting almost a month to test!

 

Day 21: Left house at 445am to make it to Killeen by 7. Waited around until about 8 for tester to show up and be ready. Went through Pre trip inspection, did backing manuevers, and then road test. Truck was different than what I'm used to, gearbox way smaller and clutch tighter but managed to do pretty decent. I passed! Have to go to DPS tomorrow to pickup license. Something about waiting 48 hours after scheduling the testing period and they didn't get me in system until yesterday.

Went back to Waco yard and got diploma, transcript, misc certificates, copy of all paperwork, and full copy of DOT medical exam. Jessica asked me to send her copy of actual CDL tomorrow and inform them of what company I end up signing on with for their records. This concludes my journey with ATDS. If I had to do it again, I would. I had a great experience with them overall, with a few minor exceptions documented within these posts, half of which weren't even their fault. Instructors are great, very informative and (mostly)patient. They only thing I wish that I had done differently would be to have gotten my CLP and endorsements before class began. This would have saved me going to DPS 3 times and missing out on driving time. Also would have had Haz Mat background check going already and probably would have cleared by now. By the time I got permit and went back for endorsements, they told me I would have to reschedule testing date if I added them on, so I politely declined.

Hopefully this thread will prove useful to someone down the road. I'm on to the next chapter!

 

Thanks! Went to pick up my temporary CDL today and took/passed the tests for doubles/triples, tankers, and haz mat. Setup appointment with Identogo for fingerprinting and bg check tomorrow, then going to start visiting terminals on Monday to interview some companies!

 

Thanks I will! I have 2 offers on the table so far that are decent backup plans, but I'm holding out for something better(more of what I'm looking for long term). Will be visiting some terminals later this week and next, then will hopefully make a decision.