National Training Inc

123456 · Dec 13, 2013

Thank You ....

Vinster said: ↑

I just graduated from National Training Inc. in Oct. / 2013. I would say the level of training there was exceptional.
1) Training Instructors, are great at what they do. They have a great demeanor and good at what they do. All are experienced OTR drivers, they not only teach you what you need to do to pass the "test", but they also give practical advice for real world situations.
2.Driving Track, the school has a private 1.5 mile driving track. Many turns and a practice RR crossing. This area is priceless. Learning the fundamentals of shifting and down shifting without the worry of pedestrians or other vehicles is great. Tack is large enough to go from 1-8 and back down again in 1 lap. As you get better you can do it 2 or 3 times per lap. After instructor is confident in your ability, they let you and another student do the track on your own, letting you develop your own feel for the truck and shifting process. The instructs are near by should have question or wish for them to observe you. By the end of training, you may even start to get bored with the driving, due to the large amount of wheel time. Fight this urge.....lol, you'll wish you did on test day.
3. Road Driving, there are 6 scheduled road drives, each teaching different skills and each incorporates the skills you previous learned into it. The have country/rural driving, narrow roads with tight turns, few obstruction. Highway driving with a run to a Pilot truck stop off I95. City driving, Town driving all with tight turns, heavy traffic, kids at school crossing and active railway crossings. Each student gets about 6-7 hrs road time behind the wheel, trips last about 4 hrs of driving with students switching out.
4. Backing pad, the Backing Pad has 3 trucks assigned , there are separate stations for Straight Backing, Alley Docking, Off-Set Backing (left and right), and Parallel Parking (drivers side and conventional). On the first couple of backing days the instructors give you set formulas for getting the truck where you want it. Instructors watch and instruct you the first couple of times. Then they watch you. They are letting you work things out in your head. If you use their steps you will pass the test. They also want you to work things out for yourself for the real world, not everything will have a perfect set up, you will have to improvise. They are always right there watching at a distance and they will help if you ask. You will get so much time backing you will have to fight the urge to stop driving and hang out, force yourself to keep driving and experiment. Remember every thing is built off of straight backing.
5. Coupling and Uncoupling, you'll do it so much you'll be able to do it in your sleep.
6. Pre-Trip - while all of the Pre-trip is important, Air Brakes is the most important. On Florida CDL test you lose points for missing things on the pre-trip, you have plenty of room for error, but the Air Brakes are a different story. There are no points to give on Air Brake pre-trip, one mistake and you FAIL......no road test, no backing test, see you on retest day.

the instructor are also certified state DMV road testers, state test is give at the school and local road by your instructors. The practice test you are given during training are harder and above DMV requirements. So, you should be in good shape for test day. The school also offers extra training and retesting for those that do not pass, at no extra cost.
class room topics cover many areas, log books, trip planning, weights and scaling, DOT regs, map reading, mountain driving and in climate weather driving to name a few.
career councilor is very helpful and most students have pre hires before the end of school. Many recruiters visit during your time there.
where as the equipment is on the older side, you will get hands time on many types of trucks, Pete's,KW, International,etc.
Facility is in good shape, plenty of hand outs, and ok computers and projectors. Lunch time is short, so bring your own lunch, store is to far to get there and back in time. This is a great time of the year in north florida, something to consider for folks from up north. They use a near by hotel for students but I didn't stay there and don't know enough about it to comment. You need your own transportation.
I would highly recommend this school to others. Some minor flaws, but over all a great experience. If you need more details let me know.
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Sand-Pile-Confederate · Jan 9, 2016

I am two weeks into training at National Training. I think the school and instructors are awesome.
Yep, 95 still shakes like crazy about 45mph...lol
The 1 1/4 mile shifting track has really helped a lot of us in my class. Everyday they challenge us with something new to learn.
Before choosing National Training I researched the major trucker schools around Jacksonville, FL.
Out of the three I was interested in:

RoadMaster

National Training

J-Tech

RoadMaster was the most expensive at almost 9,000 dollars.
J-Tech was the cheapest at around 3,400.
But National Training was in between at around 5,000 and I found them to be the most helpful as far as getting financed. They have good relationships with banks and carriers. I am real happy with my choice.

I graduate on Jan 22 and have been pre-hired (background and MVR ran) by Windy Hill out of Eustis, FL. I am ready to get on the road with my trainer and get this adventure started.

I attached a picture of my great-grandpa's truck. He drove for the Army during WWII and continued to drive until he passed away from a heart attack while at home. He received the 1,000,000 mile safety award twice during his career at Burlington Industries.

AnotherChapter · Jan 10, 2016

Gulf Coast Trucker said: ↑

I also had good experience at National Training graduated 7/13/12 Good instructors, plenty of time behind the wheel and the grounds / Classrooms were nice. It was Great having a 1.5 mile shifting track on site. Some of the equipment could use some upgrading but the road trucks were decent. That coupling truck is ready for the graveyard LOL.

P.S. They are located in Green Cove Springs FL about 20 miles from Jacksonville
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My 2 cents about 3 tips to starting out in this trucking business.
Hope it helps answer some questions

http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...ips-by-a-newbie-who-is-playing-to-win.304410/

Chinatown · Jan 10, 2016

Sand-Pile-Confederate said: ↑

Before choosing National Training I researched the major trucker schools around Jacksonville, FL.
Click to expand...

Cypress Truck Lines has free cdl school if you live within 50 miles of Jacksonville.

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