Brand new newbie

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by zany_steverino, Feb 14, 2017.

  1. I have wanted to get my CDL A for quite some time now. I live in the north suburbs of the Atlanta area, and several weeks ago I decided to apply for Millis Transfer's CDL school/training program. I was accepted, got my learner's permit, DOT card etc. and scrounged up some of what I had saved to put the down payment on their training program.

    I had never been inside of a tractor trailer in my life. The school, looking back on it now, was really designed for people who had done this before and were just trying to re-new an expired CDL license. It moved much too quickly for me and we were learning how to double clutch the third day of class. As soon as I figured out how to do this, our instructor wanted to take us out in traffic and bobtail. I was terrified. I was not ready, did not feel ready, as I had spent maybe an hour total learning how to double clutch. It wasn't the size of the tractor trailer that made me nervous, it was the very little amount of time I was allowed to learn to double clutch then immediately taken out in traffic. I did not drive in traffic.

    The backing maneuvers, again, very little time given to practice maneuvers. I was able to do all of the backing maneuvers on the practice day. On the test day, I choked on 2 maneuvers.

    At the conclusion of test day, the instructor and his supervisor recommended that I attend a certified truck driving school at a local tech campus. They also told me that upon completion, to call them back and I would have a job and paired with a trainer for 15k miles. I am currently enrolled and was accepted for the program at the local tech campus. I have to take an additional test to see if I qualify for financial aid, and I will know either today or tmw if I qualify for that program or not. If I do not qualify, I will be dropped from the course and will have to take it at a later date.

    Here's the deal. After I washed out of the crash course there were a few things I would like to "highlight". First, and foremost, several drivers that had taken the Millis Transfer course under the same instructor would stop by and talk to us. I also talked to an experienced CDL A driver that was semi - retired that was not affiliated with Millis.

    I told him a story that was conveyed to me by one of the driver's at Millis during my training. That story was actually in the form of a "tip". We were told that when going around a curve, that the posted speed limit was for cars, not tractor trailers. That driver had been hauling beer, and went the posted speed limit around a bend in the road, and it caused his load to shift and topple. He said he had to spend 2 days cleaning out his trailer.

    The experienced CDL semi-retired driver I was talking to said "That's why you don't ever take those 3 week company courses, they don't teach you to brace your load. They just want you to back a trailer up, that's it. It takes a good 5-6 months of constant training to make you a safe driver ... at the least. I mean, I sit here and read stories of all these preventable accidents on the road now and I just know that the driver only had a 3 week course at some company."

    So, what say you gentlemen and gentlewomen? What is the consensus on these 3 week company courses? Now, I do understand that the one I attended does pair you with a trainer for 15k miles, but for a babe in the woods, never been inside a tractor trailer before - how high is the wash out rate on these 3 week courses?
     
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  3. tinytim

    tinytim Road Train Member

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    The 3 week courses are enough to prep most people to pass the test and get their CDL. Then 15 000 miles with a trainer. Not seeing a problem.

    Not sure how it takes a good 5-6 months to make you a safe driver. I don't think you can put a number on that.

    How much time you need with a trainer depends on the person.

    The important thing IMO is properly evaluating the new driver and I think most companies fail in that regard.
     
  4. dptrucker

    dptrucker Road Train Member

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    Schools only train you to pass the dmv test period. You will get more training once you grt hired and gp out with a trainer fot their required time. You might go trhu 2 to 3 trainers depending how good they train you or if you both get along. Good luck
     
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  5. Highway_Executive

    Highway_Executive Light Load Member

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    Good Morning!

    In my opinion the 3-4 week classes at these mega carriers or the sponsored schools are a joke!
    When I was 21 i left Walmart to get my CDL and finish college. I applied at my local school bus company which told me I needed a class B. In Illinois you have to learn about all the truck stuff even know your going for a class b....

    Before the school bus company even sends you to the DMV for your permit they require 40 hour classroom which is spent reading over the book, looking at a school bus (under the hood) ect, learning the different terminology ect. The entire program is about 8 weeks to get your CDL plus another 8 under the microscope. What I mean by that is having a trainer ride with you for a few weeks then spot checks. You pull up to a bus stop and your supervisor is sitting there watching how you pulled up to the stop, load and unload the children, stop at railroad tracks...You get the idea.


    Fast forward a few years, I apply at US Xpress. They say were going to send you to this truck driving school near St Louis called "premier". I show up and there is about 15 of us there. From 7am-noon is read the book to get your permit, around noon or so they send you to the DMV to get your permit! Honestly before that morning, I hadn't read the book since I got my CDL so i'm nervous as hell. I get to the DMV and they say o you already took these classes back in 2010 when you got your class B and it carries over...here's your permit. lucky me right?

    Well the next day more then half the class failed to get their permit on day 1 so Premier (truck driving school) has them keep reading while the rest of us go straight into the pre trip. In Illinois, you only get 3 chances to get your permit, if you fail 3x they make you wait 30 days before you can try for it again. We lost about 5 people from that alone plus another 3 who just quit in the middle of the class then maybe 3-4 didn't get their CDL on the first try 3 weeks later and had to stay longer (pay extra $) to get their CDL.

    I personally think what makes the class hard is the fact that's its being shoved down your throat in such a short period of time. 6:30am-4:30ish plus a Saturday or two is a lot of information to take in. Another problem was, there were only 3 instructors. 1 was teaching the old class before us, 1 was teaching my class and the 3rd guy had just got his instructor's permit from the state and was shadowing my teacher. At school I only learned "how to pass the test" and to find out they charge 5-8k per student is a rip off. Another thing we (students) noticed was if you looked at the paperwork it would say you got more road time then you actually had. Example....Student A went OTR for 5 hours but really their was 4 other students in the truck and they really only got a hour each. But when your not paying for it people tend to look over those things and keep quiet.

    I totally agree with you.....I had never been in a semi nor drove a stick. By the 3rd day i'm in traffic with honestly no clue on what the hell i'm doing. I'm scared for my safety and the general public. The instructor is yelling at me saying i'm doing it all wrong, I can't remember the 10 speed pattern and I keep killing the truck at the red light. Whewwwwww! Makes me laugh looking back on it.

    Once I got to USX after the first week, It was like we were running teams vs training me but that's another story. You will get your CDL, Don't Give up!
     
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  6. keen98

    keen98 Road Train Member

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    The 3 weeks of schooling is plenty. It gives you the basics and allows you to be able pass the test and proceed onto a trainers truck where the real training should happen.
     
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  7. Highway_Executive

    Highway_Executive Light Load Member

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    The teacher to student ratio should be about where when looking at a 3 week school?

    I did have a friend who went to a CDL school in Chicago and it's also a 4-5 week program BUT it's a 1 on 1 ratio and he passed on first try.
     
  8. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
    This is correct!

    Also, why don't more people go with Roehl Transport? You don't pay them for their school; they pay you $500.00 weekly to attend plus meals and lodging.
     
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  9. tinytim

    tinytim Road Train Member

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    So you can go to Roehl for a few weeks, get paid and move on to greener pastures immediately after getting your CDL?
     
  10. TequilaSunrise

    TequilaSunrise Medium Load Member

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    We took a 160 hour course. It took 4 weeks to get through. One week to study for the permit portion with daily tests, videos, and lectures. Three weeks of driving and Saturdays had free extra backing practice we could sign up for.

    The school we went to was great... But we just learned enough to pass the test.

    Our first company paired us with trainers that we drive 525 miles for 20 days. Then we were good to go.

    A year later, we are feeling like we are pretty well trained even though every day comes with its own challenges. The difference is now, we have a bank of information to make informed decisions.
     
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  11. Highway_Executive

    Highway_Executive Light Load Member

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    I applied there and at several other carriers, USX was just the fastest at the time for my situation. If I remember correctly, Illinois is a retest state and does not accept out of state CDL so Rohel who has a training site in Indiana wanted to me to train over there in Gary, Indiana then they would schedule a appointment at the DMV in Illinois to take my road test. With USX sponsor school, it's located in Illinois and the DMV tester comes out to you and tested you right there on their property. You have advantage.
     
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