Manual Transmission

I started cdl school yesterday only go on weekends 10 weekends but really am not pleased with the school the teacher to student ratio is 1 teacher to around 20 students today got to school at 8 in morning did 1/2 hour of going over pre trip then the 4 of us that had our permits went on truck out on road not much traffic on road but we each got about 20 minutes trying to drive I find I can not shift the gears after coming back from truck on road it was lunch time till 1 went outside there is 3 trucks running for 3 class rooms of students and lots of students that have graduated and are practicing for there cdl class it is students teaching students really it is instructors are quite frequently going to there cars going to bathroom going anywhere but in trucks with students but all day long 8 to 4 with hour off lunch I was trying to drive for about 15 minutes and I was able to get in truck to do 4 straight backs I do not think I can learn here I told one instructor today I was not born driving a truck and yesterday was my first day in one I really want to do this but I do not think I can get the shifting down I want to ask if there are any schools that train on automatics I see a lot of companies are using them and I am confident I can do them I did 4 straight backs today without hitting any cones and only 1 or 2 pullups yesterday I got a chance to get in and do 2 straight backs there is no order here at this school it is just whoever can get in truck gets in I hate to complain but I think I need to cancel I can by tomorrow and pay a cancellation fee and get some money knocked off my bill I will only owe like 500 for quitting after the keep my downpayment

Well Michael, now you know why we recommend Paid CDL Training Programs and why we don't recommend weekend CDL school. Most paid trading programs are small classes and you one on one. Why not get paid while you earn? I would suggest you look into Paid CDL Training Programs. This list is not complete, I was trained by and drive for CFI. I am very happy with them. I have also heard companies advertising they now have company training. Take your time and find one that works for you.

As far as manual transmission, I trained and passed my CDL in one, but drive an automatic. When trying to learn everything the automatic makes life easier.

Good luck.

Michael, why did you choose a weekend school? I'm assuming you're working full time and you're trying to keep working while going through training? If this is the case you could indeed choose Paid CDL Training where many of the companies will pay you from day one, or loan you money interest free to get through the schooling. It's certainly worth filling out the appliction and speaking with the various companies anyhow. There's no obligation for doing so and you may find it's a better fit.

The training you'll get with the Paid CDL Training Programs is overall better than you'll get at a private school. Private schools are trying to turn a profit through training drivers, where the companies that operate paid training programs and trying to produce drivers for their own fleets. They're not worried about trying to make money from training drivers, they're trying to produce safe, productive drivers for their own company. Big difference.

For anyone interested you can check out this article I wrote:

Why I Prefer Paid CDL Training Over Private CDL Training

Time of year may have something to do with class sizes.

I'm in a weekend class as well. I started at the beginning of August with 6 people in the class. 1 dropped out after the third week. We're on our third weekend on the driving range with 3 trucks and 3 instructors. First thing in the morning,everyone does pre-trip and in-cab airbrake tests,then we split up in 2 groups of 2,on 2 trucks to practice our maneuvers,while the fifth student practices shifting on the outside of the practice range boundaries,or out on the road.Everyone is getting proficient with the backing maneuvers and we've all been on the road except for one student(difficulties with shifting) multiple times.

So,for us,it's been a great experience,however,the head instructor told us yesterday that the next weekend class after ours already has 18 people signed up,so they'll be getting a lot less one-on-one time with instructors and seat time in the trucks

Thanks for the suggestions yes I chose to do weekend school to keep working but I read the ladies post about money during schooling training and calling car payments and asking to put them on hold can any of you tell me which company trains and drives automatics and I can start getting a check quickly got my Virginia cdl permit and my dot medical card but I really do not think I can get the manual shifting down I used to drive a sticking a car but so different and I read post on here about driving sticking cities seems very tiring but if any one can point me in right direction I will say you referred me and maybe hopefully you can get a bonus's

Don't worry about referrals or bonuses. We've all been given tremendous amounts of free help over the years from gracious people and we're happy to do the same.

As far as shifting, you most certainly can do it. It's very tricky and awkward at first for everyone, but at some point it clicks and you'll have it. Millions of people have learned how to shift a big rig just fine. You can't possibly think that millions have done it but you can't. Of course you can.

That being said, most of the Paid CDL Training Programs are companies that have either gone 100% to automatics or are on their way there. Most of them are now training in automatics, or you can request an automatic.

Let me say this, though, about trucking in general. If you're going to survive and eventually thrive in this industry you must learn to face challenges head on and learn to keep your wits about you when you're a little bit outside of your comfort zone. Trucking is always incredibly challenging and you'll find yourself outside of your comfort zone regularly. Learn to see the challenges as the most fun and exciting part of this career, the part that makes it so fulfilling.

I always say there's no faking it in trucking, and that's 100% true. You can either hack it, or you can't, and most people can't. There's just no way to fake your way over the Rocky Mountains or through Downtown Chicago in rush hour traffic in a 70 foot long, 80,000 pound building on wheels. There's no "easy way" to make a living in this industry, though some days will be more challenging than others.

It all starts with attitude, as everything does. Learn to keep your cool under pressure and learn to enjoy the challenges you'll face, because the challenges and the pressure never ends. You learn to adapt to it and enjoy it, or you'll be on to a different career before long.

Read this: It takes commitment to make it in trucking

I too had a hard time figuring out the double clutch. I've been driving manual transmission since I was 16, it was hard to re train my left leg to doing something different. Funny enough it was another student who had been in the class 1 week before me who put me in a bobtail and started talking me through it. "Clutch -Neutral --- Clutch -Gear... He would repeat that as I shifted. After a few minutes I had it. It was the same instructions the teacher was giving us, but maybe since it was another student there was less pressure. The next day we went out again but this time we worked on downshifting. By my second week I payed it forward and helped other students that had problems with shifting.

I went on to pass my CDL Exam and during my road test I grinded a few gears, I nervously told the examiner I have been working really hard not to miss or grind gears. He told me "don't worry about it, you might never drive a manual again". I haven't since, automatics are so nice especially in traffic. But I'm glad I learned how. I definitely want to learn as much as possible. I will soon be starting my solo.

I tried to get my pilot licenses with weekend classes i know its not the same thing but the learning style is simular and weekend classses didnt work for me i would send half of the time with the instructor relearning the same things becuase honestly i forgot i think learning to drive a big rig is the same way you just have to do it and go all in anf you will get it but that is just me you might be different

Thanks I'm thinking of trying to find me accompany to train me on an automictic I will keep going to school on weekends since I am paying for it I have got my permit and health card but I do not like the way this school is run at all as I said yesterday I was there from 8-4 and had maybe a hour hour and a half of any instruction that's including instruction from other students I guess I should have checked them out better my fault

I do not like the way this school is run at all

Michael, I've lost track of how many times we've heard that statement. We teach people all the time about how their expectations of truck driving school are not even close to the realities, yet they still persist in thinking it should square up with their ideas. I paid for a private school, passed as the top student in my class, and maybe had four hours total behind the wheel driving practice. That was what I got from a 160 hour course of study.

Guess what else I got? I got my CDL. All the fresh greenhorns going into truck driving school think it should be done differently. They think they've come to learn to be a professional driver, while the School's priority is to get them the bare minimum instruction to pass the state's driving exam. I promise you that school you're at can supply what you need to pass that test. You will bear the responsibility of applying yourself and learning not only by actually doing stuff behind the wheel, but also by paying attention to all the others during the times that you are not behind the wheel.

There are three major phases, or steps, in the training process.

The first one is schooling.

The second one is the time you spend with a trainer after you've gotten hired.

The third one is the time you spend during the next year as a solo rookie driver.

In all three of those phases you are responsible for getting yourself to the next level. There is nobody out here to hold your hand. You've got to be a self starter to make it in trucking. There's got to be some source of motivation that rises up within you to grasp the concepts and succeed. It's never done the way you think it should be. That's why the failure rate is so high. People quit and blame their company or their school. To be honest with you this whole process cuts out a lot of folks who weren't going to have the kind of temperament it takes to survive this career anyway. The quicker you are to blame all the peripherals and to focus on everything other than your own determination, the quicker you are to bomb out at trucking.

Take a thoughtful listen to this Podcast. I think it Will Help Give You The Proper Perspective.