The CDL School (Miami)

Just an update...

I passed my pre-trip.

Did alley docking today. I picked that up pretty quick. Still having problems with parallel, but I think I'll get it tomorrow. Offset and straight backing are cake now.


I'm much more comfortable behind the wheel and shifting now. It feels real good when everything clicks into place. I'm lovin' every minute of it.

 

Passed my skills and road tests with flying colors on Wed. Yesterday I went to DMV and got my CDL. Took the test for HAZMAT and aced it. I should be getting a new license with the HM endorsement within 30 days.

I'll post a full review of what I thought about this school later...

 

Ok...now time for my review...

Recruiters: Remember, these guys are salesmen. Take what they say with a grain of salt. I went in knowing a good deal about what to expect already. I ignored all the hype about $ and how I will have a great truck with all the comforts of home.

Instructors: I found all the instructors to be very knowledgable about the industry. One had over 25 yrs of experience. Another had close to that, plus had run their own trucking company. The third had lots of experience as well. The fourth was an actual graduate of the school and had worked for Werner for 3 years. I got to hear more than one point of view on everything.

Class size: There were 9 people in my class. Usually there were only 2 instructors at any one time. Usually we broke off into 2-3 people per truck to practice maneuvers. Try to group with the people who are serious. There is no hand-holding by the instructors. They show you once how to do it, then you practice. If they see people not getting it, then they will review for you. You are not going to learn anything with an instructor standing there going "turn the wheel left, now right".

Driving on the road was in groups of 4-5.

The next class coming in was only 4 people. I guess it's the luck of the draw.

Equipment: Yes, the trucks on the range are not roadworthy. They are used and abused every day. You are only backing up and pulling forward a couple hundred feet. The trucks we used out on the road were fine though.

Overall: I do feel I got my money's worth. I would have liked to have a little more class time to put us ahead of the game. My biggest problem was more with some of my fellow students who would waste class time either cutting up or asking stupid "what if" questions.

Maybe I am satisfied because I went in with reasonable expectations. I didn't expect to come out of there with an all-encopmassing knowledge of trucking. What I got was basic knowledge, basic skills and the tools to move into the next phase of this career, getting into a company that is willing to provide further training to someone with no experience.

I've seen two bad reports on this school. One was on the ripoff report. The other was Dan Rather. Both were women who said they didn't feel they were ready to drive after taking the course. However, both got jobs. I don't think the ripoff report one made it. She had problems with her trainer, etc. I got the impression she was scared to death of driving a big truck. The other one did well in her job. She was complaining about the school, yet they are the ones who made it possible for her to be sitting in the truck she was doing the interview from. Let's face it, trucking isn't for everybody. No, I don't mean women. I know a few women truckers. I mean whiners and complainers. If after two weeks you are afraid of a truck, then maybe this job isn't for you. Sure, everyone is going to be nervous at first. I'm talking about fear. Respect the truck, don't fear it.

Think long and hard about it before you sign up. Are you a go-getter, or do you need your hand held every step of the way. Are you afraid of getting dirty? Do you think this is going to be like hopping in a big RV and seeing the sights? Those are questions you must ask yourself before even considering becoming a truck driver.

I can see how this school may not be for everyone. Me, I do have a background working on cars. I've also spent a lot of time driving routes, etc so I have a little understanding of what I am getting into. I've also been unemployed for many months so there was a time factor for me. If you have no real idea what you are getting into and a big truck is completely foreign to you, then you might want to look into a community college with a longer class time.

If anyone has any questions about this school feel free to ask me, either in this thread or PM. I'll be happy to tell you all I know.

 

Wow, I was bored so came to this section and saw my thread up here at the top.

Actually, the whole pre-hire thing didn't work out for me. I had signed up in Lake Worth so Miami though LW would take care of that. LW thought Miami would take care of it. I ended up filling out apps myself and got hired at CRST. At that time they were the only ones hiring out of South Florida. Now I don't think there is any reason to worry about a pre-hire as long as you know you won't get disqualified for tickets, felonies, etc. You will have more choices living in Jax.