Special Alert!!! Truck Driving Schools

By the way, I am currently a student of United Truck Driving School in San Diego, CA.

Ron is a great instructor, for both classroom and truck. He gives each student personal attention, and each as needed.

I am taking my skills and road tests tomorrow (a couple days early due to the holiday).

 

I was broke, had very little $$$ for school and needed a job so I researched all of the train and hire outfits and Central Refrigerated was the best one that i could find. $215.00 out of pocket, paid training at $450.00 a week after obtaining my CDL and 28 cents a mile in my own truck with various bonus opportunities during the 1st year as a company driver. They have the best leasing program that i've seen and haul food & beer, that stuff sells no matter the economy or season. Sure it's not much but I didn't invest much to have a steady income in a nice truck, it does require a year contract but you only pay back $1200.00 if you honor it or $3000.00 if you don't. GOOD LUCK!

 

Thank you so much for your concern in creating this forum! I am going into trucking some way some how, and have been researching for weeks. I am afraid to commit to any one school because of many of the reasons I have seen here as warnings. I was thinking it would be best to go through a company sponsored school so that I would have a job as soon as I was done, but now..... hmmmm.... I dunno... sounds like maybe I should go through one of the independent schools that offer job placement. I live in Arizona and am considering Southwest Truck Driver Training Inc. and can probably go through the WIA with a grant. Has anyone gone there or does anyone have any advice related to Southwest? Also, and more importantly, my boyfriend, who has been a miner all his life and has an excellent work record and a great job, wants to change careers as well and we are considering seriously, both of us getting trained and going over the road as a team. I started all this (I decided to get into trucking and over the weeks, he started thinking about it and now he really wants to do it) and I want to make sure we do the right thing. I would die if we got into a mess after him quitting his good job only to end up in a bad situation. He has been at his present job for over 8 years. I'm 47 and he is 56. We don't have any children at home or any obligations that would tie us down, so it seems it would be a good career choice. He is sooooooo punctual and never, ever misses work and has been a great influence on me. (I never used to get anywhere on time, and often missed or forgot important things, now I make it everywhere I have to be early and never forget important issues!) What a blessing!!LOL Anyway, any advice would greatly be appreciated and AGAIN...Thank you so much for this forum...God Bless!

 

Now thats funny!

 

BBQGuy et al:
Greetings,

Disclaimer 1: I am the IT Guy for IITR, and have been for over 10 years.
Disclaimer 2: I have a Masters Degree in Teaching
Disclaimer 3: I have never worked for the Dept. of Education
Disclaimer 4: I tried to send BBQGuy a Private Invitation to call and speak with Dave to help get the facts straight on this forum, but you have to have 7 posts to do that. (Found this out after hitting SEND) J


BBQGUY: Regardless of "what your job" currently is, if you are speaking against an organization, or its practices, on this forum, you will either do your due diligence, which involves backing up all of your statements factually, or you will retract the statements, as they are untrue.

I spoke with Dave, the owner of IITR Truck Driving School, and mentioned this thread to him. He is more than willing to discuss this topic at length with you (BBQGUY), and anyone else who is interested. IITR bases its training not only on the quality of its instructors, but also on its National Accreditation, and on "telling it like it is".

BBQGUY, please call Dave Riggins at: 503-657-8225 or Toll-Free: 1-888-438-2235 and mention that you would like to discuss this issue with him. He might even be the one that answers the phone. Yeah, he does that.

As to National Accreditation, PTDI is not an accreditation organization. So your statement that Bates Technical/Community College in Tacoma, WA is Nationally Accredited is the false statement. PTDI, by their own words, acknowledge this, and say that they have to set people straight on this issue all of the time. We do not deny that there are quality schools with PTDI certification, but accreditation is much more difficult, and expensive, to obtain than certification.

We would like to give a little more information about PTDI certification vs. Accreditation by Accet. Here is a statement from Marlene Dakita, who at that time was Certification Coordinator for PTDI.

“.. PTDI is not an accrediting commission and has no oversight of schools like federally approved accrediting commissions.

PTDI is an independent, industry-based organization which certifies courses at truck driving schools. This means that schools that want to have an independent third party (PTDI) come in and verify that they are meeting and maintaining industry-based minimum standards may voluntarily apply for course certification. Again, PTDI certifies courses; it does NOT accredit schools (or courses). Unfortunately, we sometimes here the word “accredited” when people are speaking about PTDI “certified” course, and PTDI always tries to explain the difference.”

END QUOTE
(Grammar, capitalization, and spelling errors are the responsibility of the person being quoted)

ACCET is federally recognized, and DOES have oversight of schools. This includes evaluating all aspects of the Organization, including their financials, student satisfaction, and job placement history. The Accreditation is for the Course. Any significant changes to the course require approval from the commission. You can read more about the requirements for maintaining accreditation at the accet.org website (I can't post links, so I am sorry you will need to do a little research).

Respectfully submitted, and encouraging discourse

Russ

 

I think the going rate now for Community Colleges, at least here, is $3,750, for a 16 week course, that you can finish early in 14 weeks if you get your A license and a job before the program is finished.....they were flexible with us, which was nice.

 

Anyone heard of CDL College in Aurora, Colorado? I can't find anything negative whatsoever online about them, and they have been in business since 2001. They are P.T.D.I. approved as well.
Thanks in advance!!

 

I went to the CDL School in Menands, NY. Not a fan. 3 1/2 week course. 1 week classroom and 2 1/2 weeks in the truck. Mostly they use automatic transmissions (to make passing the test easier). Only 6 shofting classes on a 10 speed offered. Cost=waaaay to much. $1500 from WIA (government carrer change money) and $6100@18% loan.

 

You may pass the DMV test easier, but it will be next to impossible to find a job.

There was a guy in the truck with me during the road test at orientation that didn't know how to shift a ten speed, and didn't really understand how to double-clutch. He was gone a couple hours later.

 

I know, that was me at Roehl. I blew their road test in less than a block. I forgot to double clutch.