Profile For Terry P.

I lost it recently due to my DOT Physical expiring. It was close to expiration, then my dad passed away, and I came back home to help my mom close out the business they had together.

How long was it expired? Info I found from FMCSA states your CDL will be reinstated after you update med card as long as your drivers license isn't suspended or renewed.

Regardless, almost all drivers can agree that private schools don't teach as much as they should. In reality you're paying to be taught just enough to pass the test.

To clarify, what I mentioned about cdl being reinstated with a valid medical card is texas specific, as that's where I'm assuming OP resides/licensed due to school location.

I did learn about that 3 days after my birthday, after I renewed the license as a class C. I tried to research to see if that was an option, but I didn't look hard enough. I can't begin to explain how angry I was about learning that just a few days too late.

Did you pay for this out of your own money?

Did you successfully obtain a CDL?

I did pay out of pocket, and I did obtain my CDL.

See, this story points out, the exact reason, it is highly recommended here on TT, to go to a company, that trains drivers, and has a job waiting for you !

My 1st school close to home, was kind of the same, but not as bad. Worst part was there where more students and returning people to practice, than trucks. 1 old 7 speed day cab with a super stiff clutch, would kill you in a day practicing 90 degree alley docks (in dirt yard) BUT it was do-able. Some days, there would be like 25-30+ students in the yard patio. Place was just like a puppy mill get em in, crank em out @ $5,000+ each. I went there on the WIOA program, so was no out of MY pocket cost, still ya didn't get what you paid for, if you had to pay.

2 test trcuks (Volvo's) 1 was always OOS, from clogged DEF filter. 2nd truck actually used at DMV, was iffy as well. My 2nd attempt, the girl failed the truck because the air pressure wouldn't pass 100 psi (bad governor) I'd told the owner of the school how to fix it, but he blew me off (I was a diesel tech for over 10 years, Cummins Certified even hahaha)

So in the end I ended up going with company training @ CRST, because it was 40 miles away, and had dorms etc so I didn't have to drive back n forth up the mountain to "school" Wasn't into team driving, but I did what I had to do to get my start. Ended up being best thing I did, should've done it in the first place!

I did want to go through a company, but I couldn't find any that trained with manual transmissions. I originally went through Swift 10 years ago. I lost it recently due to my DOT Physical expiring. It was close to expiration, then my dad passed away, and I came back home to help my mom close out the business they had together. I just forgot about the physical and was downgraded. I didn't want the automatic restriction, even though I realize I'm not likely going to drive a manual ever again. I'm sure the main reason I was able to get my CDL after this joke of a school was because of my experience. That's why I wanted to post this. I don't think that people coming in fresh would have a chance at this school.

Week 4 on the Yard:

Week 4 was basically the same as week 3, except we did not do any road time. The day cab was still out of diesel on Monday, so we waited around for the instructors to fill it up. They kept saying that they were about to, but by the end of the day, they had not. That day was a complete waste. Tue-Thur was a mix of sitting in our cars, and practicing maneuvers a few times when the truck was available.

By Friday of week 4, my final week on the yard, I only had 4.5 hours of skills (backing maneuvers) practice. Jerry took me into the office, and told me that I had to have at least 36 hours to report to the FMCSA so that I would be allowed to take my test. So he went through my entire 4 weeks of class, and changed my hours for the day, one day at a time, so that I would have those 36 hours. He falsified information being sent to a government agency. I probably should have said something about it as it was happening, but I was tired of being at that terrible school, and tired of sitting in my car for hours every day. I didn’t want get dropped from the program, and no longer have access to a truck to take my test with. It wasn’t the right thing to do, but that’s what I did.

Personally, I was able to catch on to the maneuvers well enough that I was ready to test after 4.5 hours of practice. I would have liked a couple more hours, just to feel 100% confident, but I felt like I was ok. I am angry at the fact that I paid for this school to teach me, and give me those hours, and they did not.

TL;DR: The Lubbock, Tx location is a terrible school, and you should avoid it at all costs. There are 20 students on average, with only 2 trucks. You are required by the FMCSA to have 5 hours of road driving, and 36 hours of skills. Skills are practicing backing maneuvers. The lead instructor will falsify student’s skill hours. I personally had 4.5 of the 36 by the time I tested at the DPS, but the lead instructor altered my hours to show that I had the 36. This is illegal, but also detrimental to the student. You just need more practice than that to pass the test. Also, you should get what you paid for at the very least. 80% of the 4 weeks on the yard was literally spent sitting in my car, studying a packet of papers.

I want to acknowledge Eddie Muniz. He is an amazing instructor. He has a gift for teaching students complicated, and overwhelming information in a way that is easy to understand. He is very knowledgeable, patient, and is always willing to help as much as he possibly can. Unfortunately, he is only one man, and cannot be in 10 places at once. This school would be great if Eddie was the lead instructor.

Week 1 on the Yard:

The yard hours are 7:00 to 3:30, with a 30 minute lunch. There is an 8’ x 20’ shipping container type building that serves as the office, which is being run by a generator. This is the only building on the yard. There are 2 porta potties for your restroom needs. My first day, I showed up at 7:00, and the lead instructor told me that they will be doing the orientation for new students at 8:30. So I can just go sit in my car until then. We finally did the orientation, and all we heard was how experienced, and what amazing super truckers the lead and another instructor are. They told us tall tales about the amazing things that they have done for nearly an hour before they finally got to the actual orientation for the yard.

Around 10:30, they finally decided to teach us something about the truck. The pre-trip is broken down into 5 sections. A,B,C, Coupling, and In-Cab inspection. Quinton attempted to perform the A section for us. He missed a few parts under the hood. Once he got to the slack adjuster and push rod, he said that it should have no more than….. He looked at me, and I said 1 inch of play. I knew this from my CLP test. He said “ that’s right. I can never remember all of this stupid **** they want ya’ll to know.” I agree with his sentiment, but he is an instructor at a school that is teaching us this “stupid ****”, so he needs to know it! This is the first 5 minutes of instruction on the yard, and this man had to ask a student for the answer. After he finished with the A section, he told us to go sit in our cars and study the pre-trip packet.

Monday-Thursday was spent sitting in our cars studying that pre-trip packet. We would go over to the day cab during lunch to practice, so that we could actually see the components. We also took pictures of all of the components so that we could look at them and practice in our cars. By the end of Thursday, we were finally tested on our knowledge. On friday, the daycab was taken to the DPS for students to test. So, we rode in the sleeper with 3rd week students while they practiced their maneuvers.

Week 2 on the Yard:

We were able to do our road driving this week. Eddie took us out Mon-Wed. He took us on a circuit with stop signs, and curves that you need to slow down for. He taught students how to shift, and this circuit gave you ample opportunity to learn how to upshift, downshift, stop and start, and make turns. Eddie was very patient, and was able to explain shifting in a way that made it easy to understand. If you get stuck doing your driving time with Jerry or Quinton, they will just take you on the loop where you spend your hour for the day staying in one lane, and staying in 10th gear. You don’t learn anything. They will also mark you as proficient, whether you are or not. Luckily, they can’t be bothered to take students out most of the time. Even if you do have to go out on the road with them, you will still get to go with Eddie, and he will help catch you up, and teach you what you missed.

After the 4 of us got our hour each, we returned to the yard around noon, and we all just went home early. The day cab was being used by students who were testing that week, and we would not get a turn to practice. So we just went home instead of wasting our time sitting in our cars until the end of the day.

Week 3 on the Yard:

This week, we only needed 2 more hours of road time. We completed those on Monday and Tuesday, going home early again. Wed-Fri were mostly spent in our cars again. We were able to practice maneuvers in the day cab here and there, but we only got about an hour each in those 3 days. We would have gotten more, but the day cab was out of diesel on Friday, and the instructors did not want to fill it up. We were told to practice in the sleeper instead. I refused, because the sleeper and day cab have a huge difference in their wheelbase. If you practice in the one, you will have trouble with the other. So I wanted to only practice in the truck I would be taking my test in.

I want to share my experience with 160 Driving Academy in Lubbock, Tx. I have seen others talk about their experiences, and there were both good and bad. I cannot speak about the company as a whole, so do your own thorough research on the location you may be considering attending.

I'll leave a TL;DR (too long, didn't read) summary at the bottom, as this will be fairly long.

Researching the School:

You really need to do thorough research on the location that you are planning to attend. Look on reddit, and TruckingTruth.com, and other similar sites. Google allows business owners to hide negative reviews. I know this because I, and 6 other people I know of for a fact, wrote negative reviews about 160. The reviews were visible for less than 24 hours, and none have been seen again. The reviews on the school’s website are untrustworthy, but that is true for most company website reviews. There are 27 pages of reviews there, and every one is 5-stars.

Week 1:

The first week is classroom. The classroom is 8:00 to 4:30, with a 30 minute lunch. You are sitting at folding tables, in metal folding chairs. The entire class is a zoom meeting. There is a tv up front for you to watch the instructor, and his screen. You are working on a chromebook. The classroom is 90% teaching you what you need to know to obtain your CLP (Commercial Learner's Permit) If you have your CLP before enrolling in the school, you are still required to sit through that entire week. You have to study on your own for your CLP as well, and the school tells you that. You will not learn enough in that class to pass the tests.

Week 2:

If you did not have your CLP before enrolling, then week 2 is for you to go to the DPS to obtain it. You do it on your own time. I don’t know why they require you take the whole week to do so. If you already have your CLP when you enroll, then you immediately go to the yard on week 2.

The Instructors on the Yard:

The instructors on the yard are Jerry the lead instructor, Quinton, and Eddie. Eddie is an amazing instructor. He is extremely knowledgeable, and he has a gift for teaching that makes everything easy to understand. He is always willing to help, and will always answer any questions you have. He will always do his absolute best to help every student. Unfortunately, he is only one man. He can’t be 10 places at once.

Jerry and Quinton are there for a paycheck. You very rarely see them come out of the office. When they do come out, they are teaching you incorrect information. They skip over important facts, and just forget some as well. When they try to perform the backing maneuvers to show us how they are done, they mess it up, and tell you that you shouldn’t do it like that. In my 4 weeks on the yard, I did not see Jerry or Quinton manage to perform a single backing maneuver completely.

Trucks on the Yard:

There are 2 automatic transmission trucks, and 2 manual transmission trucks available on the yard. The only people who are allowed to touch the automatics are Amazon students, so if you are not Amazon, those trucks are irrelevant. There is a day cab, and a sleeper manual. The day cab is the truck that you will take your test in at the DPS, and it will be the truck that you practice your backing maneuvers with. The sleeper is used for road driving, so that they can fit 4 students and 1 instructor. There are stadium seats bolted to a homemade frame in the back where the bed was. Those seats are extremely uncomfortable, and I recommend you bring some sort of cushion. If not for comfort, then to protect yourself from the bolts that have worn through the material of the seat.