PDTI - Just another 4-letter word?

How important is it that the school you graduate from is PDTI certified? Does it make that much difference in the hiring arena?

 

I might get busted for this cos I started a similar thread at "Trucking Schools". There were a few looks but no replies. My question is: How much does it matter, if at all, that a school is certified by PDTI?

 

I'm counting it being worth something as our school is PTDI certified.

 

Okay, so where are you going to school?

 

I go to All State in Baltimore. There are 3 of these schools. The curriculum is 480 hours (about 5 1/2 months) Its broken down into 2 sections, first is 200 hours of indoor class (a few trips out to the trucks for simple backing, pre-trip and coupling) The second part is 280 hrs of range work. Pre-trip, straight line backing, sight side and blind side parallel docking with vans as well as tanker. We also do 24 road trips.

Our instructors are also certified for the MD MVA CMV testing, which they take very seriously.

If you can do a PTDI school, the I would recommend that you go for it. They are not cheap, but because of their ratings you can (the school should help you) get Pell grant money as well as low interest loans.

You're paying for a career.

 

Good morning Jmurman,
Thanks for the info. I'm having to rethink my decision to go one of the jr colleges near my home for training. I've been accepted at one and have applied at the other.
I made a critical mistake. After all I'd read in the forum, I assumed (the critical mistake) that the cost would be less than going through one of the company training programs. I have since learned that the tuition for the course at one of the jr colleges jumped from $1500 to $3500 since the advent of the WIA program. (I think I smell a rat!) Their website still purports to charge $1500 but when I called and actually talked to a counselor, I was told that the info just had not been up dated. Bait and switch?
Now I'm in a quandry as to what to do. I will go to my "go to list of friends" on this forum, but I'd like to know more about your school. Based on what you've read in the forum, do you feel like you will be that much more prepared to market yourself to a company once you've graduated? What have you heard from other grads? Does your school cater to only certain companies? Or, are graduates so in demand that they can pick and choose which companies they would like to go with?
I'm asking a lot but if, and only if, you have time to respond I would appreciate it. I have no qualms about redirecting myself to a bonifed, certified school even if the cost exceeds that of the jr colleges I applied to.
Oldnewbiegonnabe

 

I've answered in your comments, ok?

 

Don't you people read threads like this ? http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...ews/94584-trucking-loses-7-500-more-jobs.html . These are jobs that were eliminated . They don't count the jobs drivers quit . With tens of thousands of jobs lost in the industry what kind of opportunity do you think there is ? Companies keep hiring because drivers keep abandoning trucks due to low pay and poor working conditions . Ask a school recruiter how many trucks carriers hiring students have added to their fleet in the last year . Isn't Werner hiring students ? This is what you find in their third quarter report

http://www.istockanalyst.com/article/viewiStockNews/articleid/3562484
Covenant 3rd quarter report stated

http://www.reuters.com/article/pressRelease/idUS222613+26-Oct-2009+PRN20091026
Check other companies financial reports and you'll read more of the same .
Less and less trucks , more and more wannabes . What's wrong with this picture ?

 

Werner is still hiring students, still training students. Millis is training and hiring. Stevens starts classes every Monday.

Several companies are dumping their older trucks, getting new.

I talked with one of the former students from my school. He made $42K in the last 12 months at Crete. They are getting new trucks. Even some of the newbies are getting them.

 

My school is PTDI certified. We only do 216 hours.

Not sure what the qualifications are.

1. Pulling a loaded trailer.

2. Driving at night.

We have to log our training in log books.

My school was at Tennessee Tech. $1400 I paid for my license, physical and drug screen.

36 days of classes.