W3, C1 Truck School Advice?

So I'm in a bit of a dilemma and need some solid advice. I am very new to trucking and have just started training at C1 trucking school through Swift. Everything was going very smoothly, until we get out on the road and now I'm starting to think I'm not getting trained properly.

I have never driven a manual before in my life, let alone double clutching. Since they only have a certain amount of trucks and instructors, they limit it to 4 students per truck and at the very least you only get an hour a day to drive IF you're out on the road that day, they like to switch it up all the time to either yard or road. What concerns me is that the instructors do no care one bit about the students. I'm getting yelled at and talked down to by my Instructor for not clutching correctly, rubbing a curve every now and then, missing a gear. No one taught me any of this. No one taught me anything about manuals or how they work, what I need to do correctly or how to recover. How to keep the engine from dying. I'm getting yelled at for screwing up, other students are getting called names and demeaned. It even took me such a hard time to even get my permit because they didn't give me any proper study material.

And they're always switching instructors and trucks so its hard to get use to a certain vehicles reaction. We'll get in one truck and one instructor will tell us one way, then the next day we'll go into another truck and that instructor will tell us to listen to forget what that instructor taught you and listen to them because they know everything. I waste my time, having a 9 hour day at this school to only drive for an hour that day getting yelled and screamed at, not taught in anyway. I'm in my third week and apparently I'm suppose to text next week? I AM NO WHERE NEAR READY. But they don't really care. I've asked the main instructor if I could drive with an instructor who is apparently amazing, and he tells me, "No, You're going to ride with who ever we tell you you're going to ride with. We have too many people to move students around when they want."

What a load of BS. Im sitting here busting my butt off, studying and desperately trying to learn and when I need help I'm shooed? I'm not learning anything here when it comes to actually driving.

I went online and did some research and saw that Knights way of training makes SO MUCH more sense and seems a lot more comfortable. I haven't applied yet because on our first day we were threatened that If we applied to anyone else they would send us home and make us pay for the entire tuition and hotel bill. It all equals out to 6,000. I don't know anything about Swift and I am not going to talk bad about them because it seems like its this school. They're just rushing people through because they get paid for every person that walks through the door. 5 people have already been kicked out these last two weeks. I don't know if its all C1 schools or it could be just this particular one, but I'm not kidding, this stuff is actually happening! And I'm not being negative or telling anyone my feelings towards it, I really do think I'm going to love a job in this field! But based on how they run and train at this school, I'm wanting to leave now. A guy here as a student use to be a trucker and has been talking about how much crap this place is on training and I didn't see it until now. He even plans on taking legal action, or so he says.

I'm really just looking for advice. I can stick it out, but Nervous that they're setting me up for failure here. And now after doing more research I would feel much more comfortable doing Knights training than this is what it seems.

Any advice, guys?

Don't hold anything back, you won't hurt my feelings if you think I'm just being a little b**ch I can take it. Just Let me know what you think or your experience!

I'm sorry to say that I can't offer any advice as I'm preparing for School myself.

But...I do want to thank you for telling it like it is at C1. Just out of curiousity...where is your school at? We have a C1 in Indy & I can find very little into online from graduates.

Not into, info*. Sorry, autocorrect wins again!

Charlie Mac,

I am at a school in Missouri. Now, I don't know about any other schools anywhere else. I'm going to try and talk to the Head Director to get put with the instructor I need to learn. I won't give up or be negative, but I also need to do whats best for me since it is my life. I only know 2 or 3 instructors I actually really respect and love to teach and do it well. I am not here to bad mouth anyone or any company. Just searching for advice from truckers who have/or know of someone that has gone through any issues such as me.

I'll give you info on the school though.

Week 1 you will go into a classroom with a class of 13-16. You will have a bunch of paper work first day. Second day is drug test. Third day is when you go to take your permit. (This took me a while to get because I have such bad test anxiety and I honestly felt like I was very unprepared.) Day four is class work and so is day 5. During this first week you are learning everything other than how to drive, like keeping logs and planning out your map. You will have the weekends off. I honestly loved the classroom time and the Instructor was awesome.

Week 2 is driving.

You will be put in a truck with an instructor and 4 other students. You might go out on the road first into an industrial area to learn to shift and control the trailer around turns. Or you could be in the yard learning maneuvers. Such as straight backing, offsetting, alley docking and parallel parking. This is where it honestly gets extremely hectic because its not consistent at all. You will put in a random truck with a random instructor. I honestly found it very chaotic.

Week 3 is the exact same as week 2 and whether or not the school thinks you're ready, you take your CDL test.

I am not going to say the school itself is bad, but I strongly prefer a different learning/teaching method, but saying that every instructor is different. That again though is just me and what I think will help me personally. After all, if the school was THAT terrible people wouldn't graduate or pass from it.

You could pass through it easily like a friend of mine is doing right now! Or could be like me and some other guys who are so freaking lost. C1 in my honest opinion is a great school for guys who have some experience in hauling, driving manuals, or just a plain refresher course. But for guys coming into the trucking industry with absolutely no past in any of those things, will more than likely struggle. Especially in the driving part.

I will not quit. Never have quit and never will. But if things turn to the worse, I will do whatever I can to benefit myself. I already talked to my recruiter about my situation, but I'm going to try and handle first on my own.

Good Luck!

As much issues I've been having, Its honestly a lot of fun. Especially when you are confident and do things correctly. Best feeling in the world.

If you are attending the C1 school in Springfield you are probably in for a rough time. I'm attending a private school about an hour from there (right up the road from where you will go to take your test) and I've heard some pretty negative things about that school. I'm in the same boat as you, not having any experience with anything bigger than a Suburban. But the program I am doing is 6 weeks, double the time of C1 and they have a super small class size. It's just me and one other person at the same stage of training. 3 weeks is not nearly enough time to learn how to drive a truck in my opinion. All C1 is doing is teaching you how to pass the test, if that.

I am almost done with my 4th week and today was my first day of driving in a town and doing an alley dock if that tells you how slow this program takes things. They aren't going to put you in a position of doing something, or sending you for your test until they believe you are truly ready and fully prepared to pass.

Not trying to say anything negative here, but I would have done a little more research before picking a school. I was able to get a WIA grant for my training and not be locked into a contract with any company. Which now means I have MY choice of who I want to drive, which is who has the best options for me, my family, and my specific circumstances.

Also Jake if you would like, PM me and I can give you the info for this school. They have trained several C1 flunkees and have a 100% pass rate. NOT kidding. Also they may be able to help you out of the jam you are in with Swift.

Very interesting. So far I've been doing pretty decent and will take the test This Thursday is what it seems like. But I would like some other info as well on C1 and your school

Editor's Note: See our review of C1 Truck Driver Training

So I'm in a bit of a dilemma and need some solid advice. I am very new to trucking and have just started training at C1 trucking school through Swift. Everything was going very smoothly, until we get out on the road and now I'm starting to think I'm not getting trained properly.

I have never driven a manual before in my life, let alone double clutching. Since they only have a certain amount of trucks and instructors, they limit it to 4 students per truck and at the very least you only get an hour a day to drive IF you're out on the road that day, they like to switch it up all the time to either yard or road. What concerns me is that the instructors do no care one bit about the students. I'm getting yelled at and talked down to by my Instructor for not clutching correctly, rubbing a curve every now and then, missing a gear. No one taught me any of this. No one taught me anything about manuals or how they work, what I need to do correctly or how to recover. How to keep the engine from dying. I'm getting yelled at for screwing up, other students are getting called names and demeaned. It even took me such a hard time to even get my permit because they didn't give me any proper study material.

And they're always switching instructors and trucks so its hard to get use to a certain vehicles reaction. We'll get in one truck and one instructor will tell us one way, then the next day we'll go into another truck and that instructor will tell us to listen to forget what that instructor taught you and listen to them because they know everything. I waste my time, having a 9 hour day at this school to only drive for an hour that day getting yelled and screamed at, not taught in anyway. I'm in my third week and apparently I'm suppose to text next week? I AM NO WHERE NEAR READY. But they don't really care. I've asked the main instructor if I could drive with an instructor who is apparently amazing, and he tells me, "No, You're going to ride with who ever we tell you you're going to ride with. We have too many people to move students around when they want."

What a load of BS. Im sitting here busting my butt off, studying and desperately trying to learn and when I need help I'm shooed? I'm not learning anything here when it comes to actually driving.

I went online and did some research and saw that Knights way of training makes SO MUCH more sense and seems a lot more comfortable. I haven't applied yet because on our first day we were threatened that If we applied to anyone else they would send us home and make us pay for the entire tuition and hotel bill. It all equals out to 6,000. I don't know anything about Swift and I am not going to talk bad about them because it seems like its this school. They're just rushing people through because they get paid for every person that walks through the door. 5 people have already been kicked out these last two weeks. I don't know if its all C1 schools or it could be just this particular one, but I'm not kidding, this stuff is actually happening! And I'm not being negative or telling anyone my feelings towards it, I really do think I'm going to love a job in this field! But based on how they run and train at this school, I'm wanting to leave now. A guy here as a student use to be a trucker and has been talking about how much crap this place is on training and I didn't see it until now. He even plans on taking legal action, or so he says.

I'm really just looking for advice. I can stick it out, but Nervous that they're setting me up for failure here. And now after doing more research I would feel much more comfortable doing Knights training than this is what it seems.

Any advice, guys?

Don't hold anything back, you won't hurt my feelings if you think I'm just being a little b**ch I can take it. Just Let me know what you think or your experience!

I'm sorry to hear about your experience with your training. It sounds frustrating and not very supportive. If you're not getting the instruction you need, it might be worth having a serious conversation with the head of the school. Explain your concerns about the lack of proper training and inconsistent feedback. If that doesn't help, consider looking into other programs , but be aware of any financial or contractual obligations with your current school. In the meantime, seek out online resources and practice as much as you can. Your goal is to become a safe and competent driver, so make sure you're getting the training you need to achieve that. Good luck!

CDL instructor here. I hear this all the time about CDL instructors. Our job is to be tough but also understand that this is a skill and you don't learn it overnight. I am here in South Alabama. I make strong, confident and safe students with patience and commitment. We cant scare you into learning. I hate this for you, did you get this resolved and pass your CDL exam?