The New FFE Driver Academey

What were the reasons people left the class?
I realize that this has been discussed in other posts, but I would like to hear about your observations. Thanks.

 

we had one guy that had a bad evaluation on thursday and they sent him home friday morning before taking the test and i think we had 2 others that failed on there evaluations --- 4 passed on there 3rd (and last try ) i passed mine on the first try ---- i think of the original 35 that started on 6/4 monday class we have 15 left , i feel bad for the ones that got this far and didnt make it and i am real glad i got it in one because if it got down to a third and final attempt that would be hard on the nerves --- my dps test isnt till tuesday so monday will be a waste day unless we can go practice the course --- and 1 more day of wallmart food---we had a bunch of different reasons for the people that didnt make it -- some were just had to get off a certain perscription --4 didnt want to drug test and 2 more failed --3 for personnel reasons --1 of the cdlers left because he wanted to get a job were he didnt have to back up ( good luck in that) but as far as the people that washed out -- 2 just couldnt catch on to the paraell parking ( good thing you didnt have to spell it ) and the 3 that washed out today -i am not sure because after you get out on the road driving you dont really know how the other people are doing except the ones in your truck and those 3 are the ones i feel bad for because i know 2 of them were in my original group and both of them really wanted this and were good students and really tried hard and i dont know the details of what went wrong but i think both of them could make it and just need some more practice --i hope they dont give up and try to get in another school--- if they cant return here for another go at it

 

but if you are thinking of a school this has to be one of if not the best in the country --- all the instructors are really good and there are some exceptional ones like connie and deb --- hopefully if big brother is watching lol he will put them 2 in for a raise --- they save the company a lot of money in accidents down the road -- but they are all good and they seem to be good at matching the instructors to the students -- even if i would have failed out today i would say the same thing

 

So if you only last a few days for whatever reason, are you still charged for the whole schooling? I don't see how if you don't pass the DOT physical due to high bp, they could actually charge you for schooling you.

 

no if you fail your physical or fail before you get your cdl (after you graduate ) you dont owe anything and they get you a bus ticket home--- if you quit or fail your drug test you owe nothing and have to get home on your own-- thats more than fair -- i have know idea if this school turns a profit with all the government money or what ever --- its not run that way at all ---this is a first rate proffesional organization and they are looking to train safe profesional drivers to put in there trucks thats what they tell us and then they prove it by the way the school is taught and run -- if you are looking for a quick and easy way to get a cdl this isnt the place for you --- this is a tuff school but if your able to listen and follow instruction you will do fine --- i dont know who set the school up but they knew what they were doing and its working --- check for negetive things about the school and the company and
then check ffe's csa score improvement since the school started then do the same for cr england --- its easy to see who's on the right track

 

Buckeye! Glad to hear you made it man!

@roadrunner
My viewpoint?
Its a simple one. FFE calls in 60 people to this academy every week because they know out of that, only about 20 prospective safe drivers will make it through what is effectively, a trucker boot camp.
Regardless of what I said about not getting to close to those you attend with, there is an amazing sense of comradere going on. Every guy we lost, well at least the majority, felt like a personal loss to all of us. In the beggining of our second week, we lost three really amazing folks. It was hard to see them go...

Those two weeks and 4 days seem like a month.
The academy is not easy, because being a professional driver is not easy.
FFE does NOT WANT WHEEL HOLDERS.


EDIT;
Just realized what road was asking, in addition to what i said above, it relates very heavily to how much you want this.
I saw a lot of people leaving because they had great skills but ###### attitudes.
Buck eye's class had a few super truckers that I knew weren't going to make it.

When it comes to FFE, forget everything you think you know about driving semi tractors.
Some people couldn't manage to get control of their trailers, some people couldn't master shifting.

Others, like myself, had a love affair with curbs and quite often wanted to make sure every available tire on my vehicle made contact with that concrete beauty.
Regardless, my skill on turns might suck, but my attitude for safety prevailed and I made it.

 

what kinds of things on the elevation quistions are they, im not good at math

 

Well in all reality, there's lists about your performance. It will say things like "looks both ways and continues to scan road upon entrance to intersection." Or another one for advanced shifting might be "properly places shifter knob prior to down shifting."

They're really simple, some folks that made it to the road evaluation in my class, the class before me and quite frankly every class, probably didn't deserve to, only because they looked over that list and did what they had to.

 

well i guess i probably fail then , because he might get in patience with me then i double check everything when i hook up too a trailer, like stuff they never teach you in school, such as when i go ahead , i turn a sharp right , and watch the driver and pass mirrors, too check if all my tandems are rolling back there, then i go the other way, or i do complete air brake check, i double check all my trailer lines , make sure there no air leak's, then i go back too trailer and listen there, on way back , go under double check my fifth wheel thing's like that i probably fail , cause i take too long too get going down the road, i just like too make sure everything ok , before i go on down the road , that big box can kill you or somebody else if it come's off your tractor,and in one road test, and this was a cdl course too, i popped the hill , crap , bottom of the hill was a school, everybody just went thru it like normal speed, not me , even tho i was in lower gear already, i just grab anthor gear and applied the brakes , like they taught me in school and went thru the school zone at the school zone speed limit, when we got back too the range , they gather everybody around the truck and had a big talking about everybody practice score's, i got 87, cause my tire kinda hit the curb , real tight turn ,but everybody got hit real big in the school zone, but me, they say that hill get's everybody, but i played it kewl, even tho i was nervous as heck , but i made it thru the course.

 

I am the slowest person in my class. Without a doubt I drive Ms.daisy.
They're by no means impatient people. I roll up on service roads that have yield signs in fifth gear, and stay there until the u turns, which I do in fourth gear.

They're very patient people there, slow is good. You can handle slow, you're probably not going to kill someone doing 15 MPH around a harsh curve or a yield. Whereas 25-35 would be dangerous.

Hell, if buckeye can make it, you can P)