NTI Bangor, Maine... My CDL Class A Journey
Topic 13979 | Page 1
How much are you paying for the class in Bangor?
I've paid $6,013 total. But from my research I'd say it's worth the cost. It is a private school though so keep that in mind, that's why the price is a little steep. It's only a 5 week program and they said they do everything they can to help you get a job, sometimes pre-hires but I'll know more about that next week and can give more info on the classes and the flow of things.
You get your CDL Class A with any/all the endorsements you want as long as you put the effort in. Like any program though your not guaranteed a CDL at the end of the 5 weeks cause your overall end results really depend upon your effort and getting the most out of your instructors and learning time.
From what I know the first 2 weeks is classroom work getting your permit, I assume through instructor teachings and the Maine State CDL manual and the remaining 3 weeks is in the trucks learning yard maneuvers, road driving, etc... but I won't know until I'm there.
Hopefully this answers your question lol I know I went a little beyond but I feel like it's necessary to include that info. I'll be getting more accurate info though in a week so if your interested keep an eye on this because I'll be putting up as much info daily starting the 25th every Monday - Thursday.
- Tom
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Pre-hire:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Pre-hires:
What Exactly Is A Pre-Hire Letter?
Pre-hire letters are acceptance letters from trucking companies to students, or even potential students, to verify placement. The trucking companies are saying in writing that the student, or potential student, appears to meet the company's minimum hiring requirements and is welcome to attend their orientation at the company’s expense once he or she graduates from truck driving school and has their CDL in hand.
We have an excellent article that will help you Understand The Pre-Hire Process.
A Pre-Hire Letter Is Not A Guarantee Of Employment
The people that receive a pre-hire letter are people who meet the company's minimum hiring requirements, but it is not an employment contract. It is an invitation to orientation, and the orientation itself is a prerequisite to employment.
During the orientation you will get a physical, drug screen, and background check done. These and other qualifications must be met before someone in orientation is officially hired.
Tomorrow is the big day! Pretty excited to change my status to "in school" and start learning. Seems like the last week took forever but now it's gone and I'm less than 24 hours away from starting my first day and now I'm nervous lol
I've done some studying on the training section, knowing I'm going into the classroom with some knowledge and preparation I'm still worried about how much more I've got to learn.
All I can really do is keep my head right, keep my nose in the CDL manual, pay attention and learn as much as possible.
Tomorrow I'll start my first entry for school. Here we go!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Day 1
Early morning up at 5:15 cause I live an hour away. We go over some basic material after signing some paperwork. Good thing is I've covered that material and seems like I've got a good head start with the training material on this site. Watched a few videos too, my eyes hurt and I wanted to fall asleep lol
H.O. Wolding had a recruiter stop in and it sounds like a decent company. Got to go take a look at their rig too.
We got randomly selected to go do our DOT physical today, half the class went the other half goes tomorrow.
At my physical I ran into a guy who gave me a card for Eastern Freightways and he says it's a good job and company and likes it very much. So far off to a good start.
All in all it was a good day and can't wait for tomorrow!
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Hey! Good luck, I'll follow your thread, i hadn't really considered private school but I'll see how it results with you
Hey Mario! Thanks for following! I'll be adding an update later on after class for yesterday and today (completely forgot to yesterday). I noticed your from Florida... I'm from Kissimmee originally before I moved. Wish I could be soaking that nice weather up again lol Thanks for following!
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
Day 2 (yesterday)
We began covering our general knowledge tests after having to study the section last night. We got 3 tests in total and I did pretty good. Out of 60 questions I was getting 2-3 wrong per test so that isn't bad.
We watched some videos that talked about general knowledge and explained things very thorough. We engaged in class discussions over the tests and videos. We also took turns reading out of the CDL manual and discussing each topic which is really helpful.
Our homework was to do 3 more general knowledge tests with open book. It was another good day!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Day 3
Today we began with grading the open book tests. I did perfect on the first, OK on the second and missed 8 on the last. At least I know what I need to study.
We finished up general knowledge this morning and proceeded into the air brakes section. I love this section! I just seem to remember everything about it lol we watched some videos and had another class discussion. We read aloud again and discussed each part.
We then randomly watched a video on turning and backing. It is a welcome change up because at this point the guy in the videos were starting to put me to sleep lol
Near the end of our day we watched another video about basic control of the vehicle. We also started to learn about the Eaton Fuller 10 speed and it's specs on shifting and how to shift.
So far I haven't seen a truck but at least this is one day closers to it lol Tomorrow is the end of the week for the class and we pick up on Monday. We will be covering the combination vehicles and tanker sections tomorrow. By the end of next week we will be ready for our permit test!
So far I've gotten up at 5:15 AM to make it to class on time at 7:00 AM and let me tell you these 10 1/2 hour days ending at 5:30 PM with the amount of material we cover is exhausting but by Friday when I get to sleep in I bet it will feel well worth it lol
Another end to a good day :)
Combination Vehicle:
A vehicle with two separate parts - the power unit (tractor) and the trailer. Tractor-trailers are considered combination vehicles.
Hey Tom, I'm following this also.
I caught your previous comment about being from Kissimmee. I'm born and raised in Jax, and lived in Kissimmee also for a year or so, but have lived in NY for the past 26 yrs now. I hardly miss FL, even when it's 20 below here lol.
Anyway, I'm still a few months away from starting my schooling. In the meantime, I've been soaking up all the knowledge I can. Looking forward to watching your progress. Good luck bro
OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
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Hello TruckingTruth community!
I'm starting my training in exactly a week on April 25th!!!! Super excited and very ready to start. I've read through a few journals and think that it's a good idea to document my journey for further reference for others who might want to go through school in this area and to also become more involved in this online community.
I've been doing work on the High Road training to get started before school so I can enter with some information already under my belt.
I really enjoy this site, I'm on it everyday always researching and reading looking for answers to my questions or just browsing. Thanks again for having a great site.
- Tom