Choosing and going To a Truck Driver Training school
Canyon in Arizona
Hello, in this blog post I will be informing you of the decision making process I went through in choosing a Truck Driver Training school and what it was like to attend.
I researched Truck Driver Training Schools for nearly a month online; visiting several forums and calling different schools. I was looking at several aspects of the schools to make the best decision. Based on my research of forums and my lifetime exposure to the industry, the aspects I was looking for was: Equipment ( most companies have equipment produced since ’00 so that’s the best thing to learn on) Financing options ( I’m not rich so I needed a reasonable payment option) state accreditation (this is important because with out this the government will not assist in paying for the school) and the final major point was lifetime job placement and the companies they deal with.
In searching I came across a school in Eagan, Mn that really didn’t appeal to me because of its lack of a reasonable website ( this is a big factor to me) but when I went there and met with the people I learned quickly to like them and their general vision in the trucking industry. Many Truck Driver Training facilities are “cdl mills” operating at a bare minimum only training a driver to pass his or her’s on road test and nothing more; I had no desire to be a part of this.
The Truck Driver Training school I chose wasn’t such an operation though their focus certainly was in passing the road test it was also teaching you in full sized equipment ( many schools use small trucks with either a short “pup” style trailer or something like an equipment trailer) this obviously appealed to me. The instructors all had at least 10-15 years in the industry. Being state accredited I was able to supplement financing with the dislocated worker program ( for unemployed people to go to school for a new trade) and secure a state grant for the balance. I had looked at technical colleges as well but was turned off by a couple of things 1) the equipment hasn’t even been produced since Ronald Reagan was president. and 2) the length was longer than I felt I could gain from because of my lifetime exposure and 2 years moving trailers I really didn’t think 3-4 weeks just learning how to back up would benefit me. I also didn’t feel the job placement program was all that great though I may be wrong on that one. I do however wish I would have gotten some education in the business side that was offered from the technical school and may someday go and take those classes which were specifically for trucking from the Technical College.
Going to Truck Driver Training was a generally enjoyable experience though it was in the 3 coldest weeks of the winter. The first couple of days were spent in the classroom going through a text book and watching videos about the safe operation of commercial vehicles (not the most exciting thing in the world but informational none the less). After that I ventured out into the “backing Pool” where drivers were rotated through an obstacle course to practice backing up in both a straight line and a 90 degree “alley dock” taking 3 or 4 rounds through the course at a time. Having backed for a good deal of time moving trailers I generally took a turn or two and actually passed off the remaining passes so as to help some of my fellow students who were struggling. Everyone learns and teaches a bit different. Backing up a trailer is the most difficult maneuver you will do in a commercial vehicle. Since we generally had 3 or 4 students in the cab at a time and the instructor was outside communicating via walkie-talkie I always said step by step what I was doing, What I was looking at, and what would happen next so they knew, a handful thanked me after they passed their test.
Going out on the road was something I had never done so I became very intuitive and absorbent of the information coming to me from the instructors. 2 times in the training while I was behind the wheel I had something happen in front of me as a result of snow or ice. Once I had a car spin all the way around right in front of me as a result of being to impatient and having to pass that truck right away, I couldn’t help but laugh but it was a bit frightening given the road conditions. The other time when I was about to take off from a stop light the instructor stopped me and said “watch this” 2 cars slid through the intersection to my right and ran into one another again I laughed but obviously again I was aware of the conditions and had my instructor not told me to stop we would have been filling out an accident report.
Overall school was good and I personally never had problems but I will say that some of my fellow students had me looking for the escape hatch! The thing that sticks out to me is the fact that so many people in my school had no idea at all what they were getting into they thought it was like driving a delivery van and nothing more. Very few students actually realized the sacrifice involved in this profession and the recruiters didn’t help that cause. Overall I feel I picked the right school The instructors were great, equipment was adequate for training, and my fellow students were all friendly and enjoyable to be with. We took our exam in a completely different city but I did very well only getting points knocked off for being 6 inches short of stopping my front bumper in the cones otherwise I got high marks and much of that is accredited to what I learned from Truck Driver Training school. In the next segment of my life trials I will retell my stories of some of the difficulties I was faced with finding employment ( thats what this is all about right?).
