Training at CFI/Conway

Mike, CFIteam, et al.

Thanks, for starting and contributing to this thread! I've read every post with great interest. I'm glad to hear CFI works out well for team drivers. The wife and I plan to start CDL training at the local community college in late August. We hate to wait that long, but current classes are filled, and we don't want to owe a CDI-mill anything if things don't work out. It's an 8-week course for $2k each (vs. $6k each elsewhere), but we won't get our CDL's until late October! We are on fixed income (retired) and will just have to survive until then. By then, we should know if Con-Way/CFI have worked out their differences and become team players without hurting the drivers too much. From what we've read here, we now think we might want to be one of their teams. Looking forward to the skid-pad!

We're curious about how they work husband/wife teams after orientation? Do we each go out with individual polishers for the 7500 miles? Probably so, I'd think, but can they at least guarantee the wife's polisher would be female? The wife would refuse a male, and I'm not too fond of the idea either!

 

As far as I know they will not train husband/wife's together. I do know they have some female trainers and will allow your wife to have a female trainer if requested, however, because there aren't as many female trainers, your wife may have to wait a while until a female becomes available.

As far as Conway/CFI merger and working out their differences, things seem to be smoothing out, I can only speak from my sons experiences, but they are both very happy with the company and they are making very good money!

Have you checked into Crowder College for training? It's a school near Joplin, Mo that seems to be very highly recommended. I don't know the cost, but from what little I have read, it seems like it is probably pretty reasonable and I believe it goes for 4 weeks. You may want to check with CFI and see if they would reimburse some of the cost for school at Crowder. Call and ask for Christine, she handles the new recruits and if she tells you something, you can trust that it's right! Good luck!

 

Thanks! Yep, found Crowder's website. At this point, I'm just getting anxious to GO! I'm not making any money waiting for class. I've filled out the online Driver Solutions application and I'm supposed to call a Driver Agent (recruiter) tomorrow about their 3-week course starting every week. It might even be Roadmasters, which is local for me. It's a short course, but I've driven trucks before and expect no problems. The wife may have to wait awhile anyway, while Social Security figures out what they're doing and arranges for her 8-week scholarship at community college. By the time she graduates, I'll have been on the road for awhile and we will better know what our options are (and with more money in my pocket to boot, I hope!) A lot changes in 11 hours! I've been researching all day every day for a week, and don't know much more than I did a week ago!

 

Hey mike, I went to Naugatuck Ct this weekend to pick up a trailer. WOW that 53's wiggles & slides when empty around the hartford area on 84. I had to do some tight turns around taunton because of detours (car show # taunton green) It was worth the experience.I ride with Rich"s monday.I'll let you know how it goes. Rob

 

It's an 05 with 280k miles. It was pretty clean but it had a tire that I didn't think was DOT compliant. Road service was really good about getting it replaced.

 

Yeah I had to sit on hold for a long time too. I'm glad to hear you are happy with CFI so far. I'm going to be driving team in a couple weeks so that T600 will be a little cramped, but I figure we can get to 500k on it in a year or so. I'm on home time till wed, I was out 40 days.

 

Howdy all. I just finished testing for my CDL today and I passed!!! Tomorrow I go get my new license and then will go to CFI for orientation on June 30. I am so excited. It is nice to have school over. Now the real training begins.

See you on the road!!!