Drivers who didn't go to school

I'll revive this thread to say that I passed my road test, and turned in my CDL-B for a CDL-A. No school, just a truck, a trailer, and an excellent "co-driver" showing me how it's done. I started out last spring, driven loaded and empty, on and off road, done some maintenance and repairs, and learned from guys who have been driving over twice as long as I've been breathing. Overall, I would say I learned way more than any school offers.

If all goes according to plan, I'll be trucking after the new year and the adventure (and learning) will continue.

 

I learned the hard way before most schools were even around or company sponsored training. 2 years diesel mechanics classes, working on trucks and then learning on my own. One thing I did do was listen to the veteran truckers and asked a lot of questions before I did anything too stupid.
Of course this was way before the CDL thing was ever dreamed of.
You can learn by your mistakes only if you don't die tryin'.