is it dumb

Do they still have their own school? I know they have CDL school tuition reimbursement progam.

 

I got mine on my own. The driving school approach was not prevalent at the time. I wanted to drive , but had A physical issue to contend with that made me " personna non grata " in the trucking vocation. So, I purchased an old tractor and drove it around as if it were my car. Even drove it to work on my regular job. Registered for 18,000 or less , it required no NY Classified Driver's License , their forerunner to the CDL. I borrowed A trailer and took the test, downtown Syracuse in rush hour. Passed , then I got the FHWSA " Waiver of certain physical defects , now referred to as an SPE . Started hauling hay , farm machinery , got A semi-dump trailer and in my spare time drove to trucking company facilities with my " rig " looking for work. When you arrive driving A truck , you are viewed much more favorably , despite the physical issue , than if you came in your POV ....You are in effect " A truck " , power unit , not A person ! When I took my road test it was performed using my old Mack that did not have power steering . Power steering was A restriction on my regular license , and I pulled off the test telling the grumpy old examiner ; yep' , she's got power steering; and I guess I made it look that way ! There was sweat streaming down my face and into my eyes from the exertion . The glove I wore was soaked. I did have A Cat loader spin knob on the wheel, but now more than 20 years later, I know I could not pull that off again ! 50 years of using the right arm exclusively has taken it's toll. Lessons learned: Set your limitations , and they will be yours. If you think you can;or if you think you can't , you are right ! No one is ever bested until they quit , there is no disgrace in being knocked down. Disgrace , dishonor come to roost when you don't get back up. Fear/doubt are fleeting , temporary emotions. Regret or A lie last forever. The first " school of hard knocks " learning opportunity was always check heighth prior to backing under A trailer. Once the king pin slides over the top of the 5th. wheel , with 45,000 lbs. of flour in the trailer , you are in for A free health spa exercise session. # 2 , check jaw lock-up after hooking to A trailer. Once I had 12 empty overseas containers to shuttle to the rail . Saturday , AM , and they were @ $40.00 A piece. Only 5 miles one way ; such A deal ! Like in no other job , " haste makes waste in truck driving ! Hooked up to one , made A left out of our yard and dropped the 45 footer in the road . BOOM ! Just like A 3 Stooges act! My light cord , airlines all fubar .....got it cranked up , cursing at the rubberneckers as if they did it ; backed off the brakes and put it back in the yard until I did some repair work. Trucking is sometimes great excersize. LOL ! Abe Lincoln said " experience keeps A dear school ; but A fool will learn at no other " . And by God , you do learn !

 

. True an good feed back,

 

Nothing wrong with it but many of the starter companies if not all require schooling.

 

I see 1 or 2 guys every month get their license this way.

Almost all of them do just fine.

Perhaps because they get jobs away from all the companies discussed on the forum.

Or perhaps because they are all military veterans.

Either way, it can still be accomplished !!

Good Luck.

 

No, WS doesn't have its own school anymore. It was closed a few years ago. And Yes they give you $100/month as tuition reimbursement, up to $4k in total.

 

Compared to what? The fact is that if people want to get to work with a company that has training, benefits, a freight base and a support base. and they want to do it without searching around for years OR already being targeted by a company with a less that stellar record, who almost universally pay less, with no benefits and some usually failed O/O who donesnt want to be in his own truck anymore, or expect more or run 110% out of whack (dodging scales for the good of the company etc etc)

Some people go through 9 - 12 week courses to do the same.. the training phase is what it is an trucking in general has become something less for those who have (and alwasy have) thought they were in for some big adventure based on running with big dogs, hanging in the back row, and dressing like Roy Rodgers while they saved the world like Mother Theresa. Trucking is a job, and its not a very good job anymore.

Yep Western Truck Driving School in West Sacramento in October of 1983. Been involved in this transportation circus ever since. I have seen them come and I have seen them go. The chances of someone going their own on getting a CDL is about the same chance on average of some kid in the local park dribbling his way into the NBA..

Just to pass the skills test you have to have an idea of what the examiners AT THAT LOCATION are looking for or are their pet peeves of that day or week or which examiner has these and can be trained for by the local instructors. The schools know the CDL routes and while they cannot tell the students that they are training on them at the time, they can drive them on and off of and throgh the courses the entire time they have with the students. The Pre-trip and in cab inspections can be gone over correctly.. MOST drivers who have been out there 5 years let alone TEN could pass the in cab or pre-trip examinations let alone the driving portion of these tests
.
The main problem with training truck drivers is breaking the stupid habits that they have picked up while driving cars since their last driving test which was when they were 16 year old or so. You have to re-teach them how to legally drive again AND you have to do it in a 70 foot long, 13 foot plus high, articulating airbrake equipped vehicle with a non synchronized transmission. And you have to teach them in a way that they can pass these skills that a person who normally doesnt even have to have a CDL to conduct the examination watches them.

If you want to go out and beat your head on a rock, be my guest, but the days of when grandpa got tossed the keys and was told to drive that truck to Jersy" are over. People say that the insurance companies run the industry.. this is because the insurance companies have to pay for all the crap poor drivers tear up and the people they maim and kill. While training is no guarantee.. training is proof that the driver was taught SOMETHING. Limitation of liability is what the carriers and anyone with a brain is after.

 

What if you I get my CDL thru a College Tech? Can that be used to apply to companies or would I still have to go thru their school?
I start CDL class in Feb at Florida Coast Career Tech which is 8 weeks long and is being paid by VA.

Pros?
Cons?