Report: Truck Driver Training - by Ted Cohen

The PTDI is better than a 3 week class. More hours than you can get in 3 weeks.

It means something to Crete. Their training pay is $500 a week. I had to be at Swift 4 weeks at $450 to get to the $500.

Crete pays more for rookies too. They seem to have the miles like Swift does, yet more $ per mile. They have good equipment with most having apu's and Webasto heaters. If my work record was better I would have been with Crete. They told me work for 18 months elsewhee and re- apply.

PTDI may not make a difference with some carriers.

MAKE PHONE CALLS! ASK QUESTIONS!

Freight has been good this month where I am. Things are looking up!

 

I am about to head to Roadmaster in Indianapolis any thoughts anyone

 

First step is to do some research and figure out who you'd like to work for (hiring area, reputation, pay rates, openings, etc) - then call and ask them if they'll accept training from that school. Make sure to ask the company recruiters, not the school itself (it may change). Get your pre-hires in order before you commit to the school.

I took training as a refresher, and to guarantee that I'd be hired if I needed a company driver slot. Once I figured out that my company choices (per my area) were Roehl and KLLM, I got pre-hires and went to school. Even though I wound up as an O/O, it's a good feeling to know I have something to fall back on - should things go badly. It's also a good idea to call back the companies that you don't go to work for and fill them in - it looks better on you later if you need them after all.

 

I am in the middle of some nasty lawyer stuff I applied for a position that required in writing a class 2 CT license which I had in my wallet and lost my job because the HR director said the position required a CDL/B (I have a learners permit for CDL) What was the old license system and when did it change HELP

 

i recently graduated from NTTS. I wish I could be more positive. $6200 for 5 weeks traing. Plus figure another $2500 for separate food and lodging.
Did they have good road trucks,YES, did they have a good written program, YES. Did they have skilled teachers....(nice people in general) but NO. Were they honest when thinking about joining school...NO NO NO NO,,, (1 more ) NO! Have they helped with placement since, OH soooo slightly. The placement director make it sound like he will lose sleep finding u a job. But in reality he places u where he wants. Maybe there is "kickbacks" involved??? seems to me like that. But either way no one mentioned making $25 to (max) $30,000 a year. and yet here I am, taking home $259 to $400 a week!!! I also never saw the hood of ANY truck opened to do a VI. When I got to my job and another newbies discussed schools I was fairly proud of NTTS, until I heard what I didnt get for MORE money then most paid. Nice trucks, medium teachers, poor actual program, some dishonesty. But maybe in this business where most of us, me too, NEED the job and school more then they need us, it opens human nature up to take advantage of those less fortunate?? Good luck to all. NTTS we teach u enough and provide u with practice time to drive well enough to pass. YOU need to push urself!!
JJ

 

A few other areas none of the schools seem to address are real world logbooks (other than a few minutes of poor examples), and coupling/decoupling the trailer.

One of the students that went through school with me bashed in the cab of a tractor at his new job trying to hookup a trailer. Skipped the 5th wheel and hit the nose of the trailer - I'm not sure if he kept his job, but they were the ones to send him to that school.

I've run into many issues with written logbooks along the way, even knowing what I did before going to school. I brought up many questions and issues during class to help clarify the regs, and the instructor knew less than I did. If anyone lands a job with a small carrier, their safety officer (book auditor) will probably help clean it up if it isn't too badly done.

 

I am dreading training, looking for a good choice in cleveland area. great lakes has a deal with a trucking company to get me a prehire. so i am not sure about them. grant or no grant, getting a prehire that was seems shady.

 

As a recent graduate of the school featured in the original post (yep, I'm one of "Jerry's Kids" ) ... I would strongly recommend to anyone in the western-central Maine area to check out OHTS... I checked into every school within a hundred mile radius and I'm definately glad I chose OHTS.

The one downside to it if you're in a hurry is the time... the course is spread out over 13 weeks (classroom is 4 hours 2 nights a week) vs the 4 or 5 weeks of the S.Maine schools... but the advantages far outweigh that negative in my book... and the pricetag was only a small part of that picture... & now that I'm done I feel like I got the most bang for my buck I ever could have.

Class size is limited to 12 max (we had 8 )... smaller classes naturally mean more individual attention.

There's room for two trucks & mock "basic maneuvers courses" in the yard & you'll get plenty of instruction & time to work on getting those down to pass your test.

When you're on the road, it's one-on-one with you and instructer Jerry Verrill... there aren't any other students in the truck swapping in & out of the driver's seat (although Jerry did ask me a couple times if I minded having another student ride along to watch how I did things... which was fine by me) ... you'll be behind the wheel from the time you pull out of the yard to the time you get back & park it... & yes YOU have to back it in & park it, right from your first road adventure to the last... experience backing is not going to be lacking by the time you get done.

You'll pull a loaded trailer as well as an empty... up & down steep grades... turn onto a side road in the middle of a steep hill (yep, I blew that one 1st time through )... how & when to use the splitter on a transmission so equipped (Eaton-Fuller 13 speed)... you'll go through some of the tightest corners the towns of Norway & S.Paris have to offer.... 3 months ago I'd never have believed I could get a truck through some of the places I've been through.

You get a logbook & have to keep it current through the entire course... IMO the school really does cover as many of the bases as practically possible for a student.

All endorcements (tanks, doub/trip, & HAZMAT) are covered and you can take those tests at your option (with no added cost).

The biggest benefit IMO is instructer Jerry Verrill himself... the guy's is packed chock full of decades worth of experience in real-world driving... and is not at all shy about sharing those experiences... good AND bad.... heck, I swear most of what I now know kind of rubbed off from just being around the guy... almost via osmosis.

Other places in the area may get you a CDL faster... but I doubt any can match the value of Jerry Verrill & OHTS.

As always.... your mileage may vary.

 

Hmm the Pell Grant part most only be for certain schools. In Texas there are two schools that are Pell Grant elible, one in San Antonio and one in El Paso. Both of them are a long ways from me. Hell, the El Paso school is about $9000. Its 630 contact hours, but still, $9000? That is just a bit insane. And you have to consider the Pell Grant only give a max of around 5,000 a year.

 

New to trucking

Hello every one.

I am currently in the process of upgrading my CDL B to a CDL A at the Skowhegan Driving school here in Maine. They have been in business for a good 30 years, they have well qualified instructor.

I am intend on going OTR once I graduate at the end of October.

I have applied with a few co one of which is U.S. Xpress if any one has any good suggestions I am always open to those.​