Half way through transport school and it sucks! The reality of my trucking school experience.

Discussion in 'Trucking Schools and CDL Training Forum' started by JJRigger, May 31, 2017.

  1. Mike2633

    Mike2633 Road Train Member

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    The hardest part of the battle is the first 2-3 years. The first year though is rough. Going through training at a company and learning how they do things as well as driving the truck, it's a hard one.
     
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  3. TheWalrus89

    TheWalrus89 Bobtail Member

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    I have an update for this also. I today have actually quit my current school partly because I have less than zero funds to keep re-taking the mto test. The other part being that I will be going to a college this year that offers signing authority.
    Let’s get this show on the road.
    I applied for this school in May of 2017, I believe the course was $9000 + my expenses so all in all I took out a loan of around $20k. As of July 1st of 2017 the new MELT program came out which completely changed the MTO test. So I started my course mid June - 2017 with a test date of August 2nd.
    This is where things get hairy so to speak. The school at this point knew the changes were going to happen but neglected to change the curriculum. We were taught old material from the get go for the first four weeks, then once yard training was finished we discovered that since the first of July, not a single person passed the mto test. Red flag.
    They then frantically tried to shove the “new” schedule one stuff down our throats and then expect us within a couple days to retain all of that knowledge. Second red flag.
    My initial instructor although friendly and helpful was a bit of a joke. This gent was suffering some ailments as well as carrying on an affair of sorts with another driver at the school. He could barely get up into the freight shaker and then when “teaching” me the new backing procedures would just sit in his car and point at me.
    Mid July, still no one has passed. Our “cheat sheets” or study papers are changing now on a daily basis, new information other information being taken out, correct wording, etc. So much so that I’m so darned confused that my outlook for my road test in a couple weeks is pretty grim. More red flags.
    Day before my road test, I still had a few hours of training left. It should be made known here that this is the first day my trainer ever attempted to have me do backing training. The day BEFORE MY TEST. I spent a few hours backing..it is made apparent that I need work on this. I am told to “do my test anyways, I will fail but everyone has”. I am seeing red at this point.
    Day of my test. On the way into the city to take my test some poor old couple gets t-boned right in front of me. I have to stay to call the authorities and help fish this poor old gal out of the car. I miss my test. My school informs me that due to “backups” I have to wait another two MONTHS before I can test again. I buy about ten more hours of training to learn more backing ($1000) and get a new trainer.
    Due to a series of unfortunate events and simply because I cannot afford to buy more time, I fail the next test, wait another couple months, and fail the next one as well. I’m not sure about anyone else, maybe it’s just me, but in two months of not driving every day you sure as hell forget lots of things.
    The school is “fighting with the mto” in the city of the school, so they keep sending us places with little to know knowledge of the route for training, little to no knowledge of the city of training. For instance my school is in London On, and they have sent me to Kitchener, Brantford, and Sarnia. Two of those we received no prior training of the routes or had any idea how the mto conducted the tests there.
    Today I decided enough is enough I am supposed to be testing Friday in Brantford, a two and half hour drive from my home at my expense. Snow squalls have reduced visibility in my area to bill. To add on to this I am crippled with debt, I am in the middle of selling my house, and I am moving a further hour and a half south. Trucking school is taking a back burner for now, it left a bitter taste in my mouth and I have a feeling I’m not the only one.
     
  4. Chinatown

    Chinatown Road Train Member

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    Can the students band together and file a class action lawsuit against the school? Should be able to get your money returned.
     
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  5. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    Mack Walking Beam, it had three knobs. White, blue and black. 5 speed transmission. Goes to milk hauling. This is prior to the modern yellow and red knob parking system.
     
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  6. x1Heavy

    x1Heavy Road Train Member

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    The trailer was old enough not to worry about springs, it was a interesting situation in that mack. Frankly I could care less. At that time all three were set to park, and then crawl under the tractor to open the valves on the single 3 gallon tank and let it spit grease all night long. It's dry come morning ready to go. No dryer on that thing. As long you religously opened that one tank and drained it overnight, you will never have problems with braking.

    If you did not, then the grease will eat into the rubber divider between the spring and air application chamber in the brake piston area. Eventually when it's eaten through, the next time you apply service braking, your primary and secondary air pressure drains out quickly. You have to get the braking done so you could rebuild your air in time for the light to turn back green again. But the shop took care of that.

    I have the picture of that thing somewhere, I'll hunt for it. It's buried in my archives and frankly I have had trouble trying to post here linking to a third party hosting, it's almost the site does not want me to post pictures or something.

    My first truck was a 59 white with a 17 foot trailer built about that same time period. Braking on that one is pretty interesting then. It's been many years now I don't recall too much the fine details. It was a awesome truck and trailer for learning to dock and a little bit of shifting on haven street which is about a mile and change of nothing back then. We used to race up and down it secure in the fact there is no law anywhere there.

    Anyway, there are many ways to stop a truck. Or at least try to.
     
  7. JJRigger

    JJRigger Light Load Member

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    Just updating this so everyone knows how bad Transport training Centers of Canada is.....This is ended with me losing $8,400.00 and I dont have my tractor trailer license (In canada its called an AZ license) I ended up downgrading and training myself on a dump truck. Now in a fight with the school to get my money back. Transport Training Centers Of Canada is the worst.
     
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  8. Jazz1

    Jazz1 Road Train Member

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    Must be the location. I know someone who attended the TTCC in Thunder Bay and had no issues.
    How could you possibly not get your AZ? 20 years ago I used to give guys 6 hours training to pass the AZ driving test and never had any issues and it was the same road test as they are using now 20 years later,,,same route, backup locations...nothing has changed
     
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  9. special-k

    special-k Road Train Member

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    I thought the government revamped the school system a few years ago? Were they an accredited school? Just curious
     
  10. JJRigger

    JJRigger Light Load Member

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    They only had me back up about 6 or 7 times trainers were drunk etc
     
  11. Jazz1

    Jazz1 Road Train Member

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    Thunder Bay On
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    I did not train any of the drivers to back up. There's the dock, they would spend half hour going to dock and back out
    Problem I see is so many of you people trying to get into trucking have ZERO self confidence. Never participated in organized sports or any other organization to build character and confidence. Its a truck and trailer...its a big zero as far at skill level. You say you are in London,,,my 17 year old aunts drove me from our farm in Lambeth to London in a IHC dump with a 15 speed triplex back in the 60's and they did not spend 6 weeks getting their hand held to drive these trucks. They got 20 minutes instruction, mostly "don't hit nothing and stay right ascending hills" FFS!!!
     
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