Beginning the Long Awaited CDL Process

Spacecoast, Thanks for your support! I'm glad you posed your questions because I'm sure there are others wondering the same thing.

I give the school high marks for their program and what they can accomplish in 3 weeks. If I had to do it over again, Katlaw would still be my first pick, and here's why.

All the instructors and managers are drivers, with one member of the teaching staff having driven 4 million miles with no accidents or violations. So not only do you learn the basics, you get the benefit of their experience. I'm sure other schools can say something similar. I judge the school by the results. We had 8 students up for testing at the DDS. 7 out of 8 came home with their CDL's. And the guy the didn't make it was very good. He just panicked when he got on the range. He'll be back up there to test out in the next week or two.

The second reason I like them is if you're struggling, they will work with you until you get it. One of our team members needed a lot extra help. So much so, that the three of us were dismissed early one day just so that the instructor could spend the extra time helping him out. It may sound like we were getting short changed for seat time, but if it was me that was struggling, I'd want the extra attention. We were sure that he wasn't going to make it.....but he did. Our instructor made sure that we got our fair share of driving even if we had to stay later some days.

Additional reasons:

They are affordable. The school price is just around $3000 and they can provide financing if needed.

Equipment: Tractors w/sleeper units and 48' vans. What you practice in is what you test out in. You won't switch tractors during training.

Preferred School: They are on many companies' "preferred training school" list.

WIA sponsorship: They accept state grants and funding.

You must remember that 3 weeks is not a long time as far as training is concerned. If you come in to the program with some type of experience driving big trucks (box vans, rental trucks, etc.) you'll pick it up in a hurry. If you have little our no exposure to trucks, and don't know how to drive vehicles with a standard transmission, you may struggle a little at first. But if you tell your instructor you need to work on a certain area of your skills, they will help you.

I'm not sure how they would handle out-of-state students. Your testing is going to be in Dalton, GA and you'll need a permit to begin with. Best thing would be to call them and ask.

I didn't mean to get long winded, but I figure that more information is better.

Good Luck! I hope this helps.

 

I nailed it, Chris!

Thanks for being there!

 

Thanks Starmushrooms! Pleased to meet you, and I appreciate your support.

 

You're a better man than me, brother. I was nervous. I'm glad it's past.

And yep! Time to step up and do my share.