Special Alert!!! Truck Driving Schools

You and me both. Yeah, I wish I would have had this place to come to back around February 1995. I would have made decisions that were 180 degrees from those I actually made.

Live and learn....and blog.

 

I am just completing my training at Fox Valley Tech in Appleton Wisconsin and have been very happy with the course the equipment and the instructors. I do training in communications and safety related to firefighting and know a good instructor when I see one. The instructors at Fox Valley all have at least 15 years in the industry and are very people oriented there is no stupid question to these guys and they always respect you when talking to you. If a problem occours with equipment it is fixed the next day. A truck only has 1 or 2 students in it and you drive everything from tankers to flatbeds and all size vans and doubles. You will also drive all types of trucks with many transmissions. If you want professional this is it.

 

I guess the major reason these scam schools get so many people is this...

I don't have the money to move to a city 60-100 miles away for a month or more just to get the training for the CDL.

I am going to Schneider's school, they pay for the hotel.

For someone like me who can't just take time off of work to "try" and get a CDL it is the best option. When I leave for school I know that I'll have the money I need to live even if it is only $200. But with a CC course I'd have to pay for either a motel room for the time, or commute (have you seen gas prices) On top of that my bills back home would have to be paid, all this with no income being generated.

Some of us don't have $3000+ in the bank to make a change like this.

 

I am in my 3rd week of training at CDI/TDI in South Bend, IN. I have one more day of driving and range training and I take my state exam on Wednesday. I have seen signs of high interest rates associated with their loan programs. However, I paid my tuition with a credit card which saved me $1000 right off the top for prepaying for a total of $4995. Several companies recruit through the school and most have tuition repayment programs. They usually pay $150 per month and top out at $6000. This means I will have to work for one of these places for 2.8 years to get totally reimbursed. What if I don't like driving a truck after 6 months? I will be stuck with the credit card bill either way.

However, I will say that I feel the training is top notch. They are very thorough, and they get you confidently trained. The road instructors are top notch, and the range instructor is too. I think the price is high, but I think the training is top notch, and they fast track the students to a job in the industry.

My reasons for choosing CDI/TDI? Home study courses suck, community colleges take too long when you need a job ASAP, and contracts with a carrier sound scary.

Right now, I have 4 conditional offers of employment from TMC, Werner, Stevens & Central Refrigerated.

Good Luck Truckers!
See you on the road!
JC

 

thanks for all the imput.....been reserching driving schools. Tech. Collages -vrs- co-owned driver training schools. beginning to look like Schnider has the most thorough, safety oriented courses.....anybody dispute this....please lend me your advice.

 

Sounds good for you. So who did you decide to go with? Take your time and do some research first. Of the four you listed , look into TMC pretty good. Gotta friend there who has worked for them for almost 2 yrs now and likes it. Took some adjusting he said but the money is nice. Good luck on your search.

 

Isn't Central Refrigerated owned by Swift?

 

More or less it is.

 

Are they really owned by Swift? I've heard too many bad things about Swift to work for a compnay that they have anything to do with. Can anyone confirm or deny this?


Thanks,
J

 

I am finished with the driver school now and officially have my CDL-A! Woo-Hoo..! TMC is at the top of my list so far. I was considering Central Refrigerated, but if Swift owns them, I will stay away.