Newbie (about to be) Student

This is news to me. I have personally spoke with many trucking companies and visited seven local offices, the majority are seeking or prefer students from a PTDI Certified school.

 

Those companies choosing not to recognize Sage graduates have the right to do so, but for me the choice was easy.

In this area students can enroll with the CC, experience one week of additional class time as compared with Sage, and nearly equal overall driving time. But, the driving time is shared with an instructor and two or three additional students in the cab.

Or, students can enroll with Sage, at nearly the same cost, (+$100) and have all of their driving time one-on-one with an instructor. This, in my opinion, is very beneficial. I did not want the added stress, nor the distractions, while attempting to learn many new skills and shouldering huge responsibilities.

That being said, schools and businesses are only as good as their employees. It is ALL about the people. I am thankful Sage - Caldwell has highly qualified, experienced instructors. I have received excellent training and it reflects in my skills, (still green but well trained) regardless if other companies choose to recognize it.

How many "students" routinely perform sight-side and blind-side offsets, 90* alley dock and 45* alley dock backing, sight-side and blind-side parallel parking, and serpentine backing three days prior to their Final CDL Driving Exam? If you know others, you may count me as one of the group. (requiring zero or one pull-up and one look)

I will complete twelve more hours of one-on-one driver training before my Exam this Saturday afternoon.

Am I justifying my choice to attend Sage? You betcha. And, may the facts speak for themselves.

 

I have pre-hire offers from May Trucking and Central Refrigerated. Having visited the May Operations Center in Payette, and meeting many employees with 10+ years of service, I am leaning their way.

There are many good companies currently offering a training program for hiring inexperienced drivers. Do your homework, (you are getting a good start) weigh all of the "facts" and decide which company best suits you. Yes, I said "facts." This often being very different information from what you will hear from a recruiter. >>> Just my $.02

Good luck and keep us posted.