CDL School, Weekday Vs Weekend Training?
Topic 15798 | Page 2
I did weekends. It did suck having the week off, but the classes were 8 hours and I always got a 2 hour private lesson before testing. There was just no way I would've been able to do the weekday classes.
Nobody is saying it's impossible. I did it (and succeeded) under very unusual and less than ideal circumstances. Where there's a will there's a way. It's doable but tough under good circumstances. We simply put light on disadvantages, but yes, it's doable.
I can't really answer your question, just offer my experience and what worked for me. The school I wound up attending was completely different. You did all the permit studying on your own. The school was 5 weeks or 50 hours if you will. The thing is it was also one on one instruction on the pre-trip, backing maneuvers and on the road driving. Two hours a day, 5 days a week, one hour pre-trip and one hour backing maneuvers to start. You basically had to get your permit after week two so you.could switch from backing to over the road. Then you focused on what you needed more time on. Pre-trip, maneuvers or OTR. I thought it was wacky a first but then I had the pre-trip and maneuvers down and focused on OTR. I know some people swear you need the 160 to 240 hrs but this school is approved by most of the major carriers. Swift, Schneider and Knight to name a few.
JJ
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Over The Road:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
I also used and credit TT's high road training program to pass the permit test. LOL
JJ
My friend went local and there were 3 trucks... each had 8 students. Not much time for each student.. and each truck feels different
My friend went local and there were 3 trucks... each had 8 students. Not much time for each student.. and each truck feels different
No doubt, that's kind of why I with these guys. I was actually sweating the pre-trip until mid week on week three. LOL
Jay, I can understand your concerns about too much time being off, especially when trying to first learn a skill set. Honestly, the school policy of absolutely no make-ups is what concerns me a bit, including the supposed comment of coming in when sick. That just seems a bit excessive. At least they could offer a make-up and charge you for it. I don't understanding having such a policy and it raises red flags for me. You already are only coming in twice a week, what if something unforeseen comes up and you have to miss a class? Are there other schools in your area that you've researched? I compared no less than three schools before I made a decision. In my class it was only myself and another student, which made it great for having extra time to practice. Going 5 nights a week, we had plenty of time to learn our skills to pass the CDL A exam.
I spent $5k on my school and went week nights. There was about a 1 month gap (if I recall) between when I graduated and when I was given a road test for my company during the hiring process. They had to process paper work first with the application which delays the road test. I didn't forget anything, but then again my road test was pretty easy.
Based on a previous thread you started, have you considered LTL work, i.e. linehaul? I had suggested it as an option because of your remarks about earning potential, hometime, and not being interested in OTR. Another linehaul driver on this forum recently posted a thread about his experience at Fed Ex Freight, including how the company paid for him to get his CDL A while he was an employee on the dock. I mentioned Old Dominion also has their own 'school' and will pay you very good money while being a student - back then it was around $20 an hour. Had I known OD had their own school, I would've saved my $5k since I planned on being a linehaul driver when I first started researching trucking. I'm never planning on going anywhere else, so it would've been a no-brainer to go through their school.
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.
LTL:
Less Than Truckload
Refers to carriers that make a lot of smaller pickups and deliveries for multiple customers as opposed to hauling one big load of freight for one customer. This type of hauling is normally done by companies with terminals scattered throughout the country where freight is sorted before being moved on to its destination.
LTL carriers include:
- FedEx Freight
- Con-way
- YRC Freight
- UPS
- Old Dominion
- Estes
- Yellow-Roadway
- ABF Freight
- R+L Carrier
OTR:
Over The Road
OTR driving normally means you'll be hauling freight to various customers throughout your company's hauling region. It often entails being gone from home for two to three weeks at a time.
Linehaul:
Linehaul drivers will normally run loads from terminal to terminal for LTL (Less than Truckload) companies.
LTL (Less Than Truckload) carriers will have Linehaul drivers and P&D drivers. The P&D drivers will deliver loads locally from the terminal and pick up loads returning them to the terminal. Linehaul drivers will then run truckloads from terminal to terminal.TWIC:
Transportation Worker Identification Credential
Truck drivers who regularly pick up from or deliver to the shipping ports will often be required to carry a TWIC card.
Your TWIC is a tamper-resistant biometric card which acts as both your identification in secure areas, as well as an indicator of you having passed the necessary security clearance. TWIC cards are valid for five years. The issuance of TWIC cards is overseen by the Transportation Security Administration and the Department of Homeland Security.
Also, have you considered a Company-Sponsored Training Program?
Have a look at these materials to better help you understand your choices for schooling:
- Trucker's Career Guide: Choosing A Truck Driving School
- Article Category: Choosing A Truck Driving School
- Forum Topics Tagged "Choosing A Truck Driving School"
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.
Company-sponsored Training:
A Company-Sponsored Training Program is a school that is owned and operated by a trucking company.
The schooling often requires little or no money up front. Instead of paying up-front tuition you will sign an agreement to work for the company for a specified amount of time after graduation, usually around a year, at a slightly lower rate of pay in order to pay for the training.
If you choose to quit working for the company before your year is up, they will normally require you to pay back a prorated amount of money for the schooling. The amount you pay back will be comparable to what you would have paid if you went to an independently owned school.
Company-sponsored training can be an excellent way to get your career underway if you can't afford the tuition up front for private schooling.
OOS:
When a violation by either a driver or company is confirmed, an out-of-service order removes either the driver or the vehicle from the roadway until the violation is corrected.
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Best of luck to you Jay. One option would be to save up some $ so you can afford to go to school on a regular schedule. Going on the weekend isn't impossible, but it does add a lot of difficulty to a difficult situation. If you feel like you can work through it anyway, damn the torpedoes and go full speed ahead.
On a second thought, XPO offers tuition reimbursement. Something to think about when you start looking for a company to work for.