I'm struggling with shifting, currently with a trainer.

I would think there would be a lot of classroom first.

At the mega where I started, first week was filled with paperwork, drug test, lots & lots of instructional videos that had tests that had to be passed to move to next video lesson. (driving, traffic laws, rules, haz mat, tankers, safety, safety, safety etc. Lot's of stuff).

Couple of days of simulator time with many separate modules to complete. (Newly arrived before I started). Many different scenarios presented in these different segments, just to throw at us. Main thing was to show rudimentary elements of double clutching & try to instill seriousness of road situations. But, also ease us nervous nellies into a real truck.

The simulator shifting really didn't translate to reality in truck, but it did help to some degree.

THEN, only then, did we actually get out to the practice areas for pretrip instruction & truck on practice pads. After a bit of shifting instruction on pads, then to nearby low traffic industrial park for same. First bobtail, then with trailer. Then, only after this..... out to local streets & short hops on highway.

Mind you, this was only 1 1/2wks class & practice pad/local, then out OTR via super solo for 70hrs before back for CDL test.

This just sounds like a bad scene all the way around. Both school & instructor.

Never heard of a Community College story like this ever before.

 

I'm saddened you got booted out, and I suppose the "you get what you pay for" applies here. I still say, if you went to a company that has a job waiting, even work off the schooling, is a much better deal. The company has a vested interest in you, and will spend the time to make sure you get it right. Right now, without a refund of some sort, it's going to cost you double, and that might not be so cool. If there is some sort of database saying you failed a truck driving school, and I'm sure there is, you may have to look elsewhere for a job.