Prime PSD Training, From A Trainer's Perspective.

And it would be interesting (if to no one else but me), why Schneider shut down their CDL schools and switched to their current policy of just finishing those who come in with a CDL from the get go.

Bruce, it's typically a business decision based on what you're actually getting for the expense involved in obtaining it. Training is expensive and some of the companies who've tried it decided the returns (good drivers who actually stick around and contribute to the company's success) are too expensive when you measure how much you spend to get them. You might train 45 people and only get 5 or 6 who stick with it and prove valuable. It ends up being more economical to let somebody else do the initial training and then you try and see if you can bring them on as a licensed driver and develop them from that point.

It's always been an issue. Some companies decide to just bite the bullet and consider the expense a necessary evil to keep satisfying their needs for drivers. It's one of those things that companies will go back and forth on at times. Knight has a program called the "Squire" training program where they train new drivers. It was a lot bigger at one point a few years ago, but the guys in suits who crunch the numbers determined it was too costly so they cut it way back to just doing it at a couple of key locations.

The national averages indicate a 5% level of success rate for new drivers when you measure their success by how many new drivers stick with their first driving job for one year. That's an extremely low return if you are the one footing the bill to train them and they keep quitting or jumping ship.

I meant to add this...

Prime can reduce their out of pocket expenses by having their students being productive. That's the reason they are moving freight. We can argue the virtues of that practice, and I could never say it was greed. It's just a way to deal with the expense while also providing real world experience to the new drivers. Their program has been working for them, and I'm sure they monitor the costs involved regularly.

Schneider used to train people from the ground up to get their CDL. Now they don't do that. In fact, most companies only take CDL holders in to train, is that correct? And it would be interesting (if to no one else but me), why Schneider shut down their CDL schools and switched to their current policy of just finishing those who come in with a CDL from the get go.

Schneider teamed up with a bunch of private schools and told them how they wanted their drivers trained. They also worked out some sort of a financial agreement between themselves and the schools.

Paid CDL Training Programs are growing in both size and number, while private truck driving schools are shutting down quickly from coast to coast, both of which make perfect sense. Company paid programs have every advantage over a private school for both the company and the drivers.

Obviously in a paid training program the company you're going to work for is the one training you. They're training you on their equipment using their procedures. They're also the ones paying for your schooling up front, while at the same time paying you during the training. So the student is getting paid to train instead of paying for the training.

Not only that, but the paid programs have a vested interest in their drivers succeeding. If you don't succeed, they lose their investment. So not only will they train you more thoroughly than private schools, but they're going to be far more willing to stand behind you if you make some rookie mistakes, which almost everyone does.

A private school is simply looking to make a profit by training you, then they ship you off to be someone else's problem. Having a student behind the wheel is a truck driving school's greatest expense. The less time they give you behind the wheel the more profitable the training is for them, but the worse it is for the student. So that puts the school's needs and the student's needs in direct conflict.

A paid program isn't training students for profit, they're doing it because they need drivers to fill their trucks and haul freight. Because you're going to be driving for them they have a very strong interest in the quality of the driver you become.

Personally I believe this trend will continue. Students simply don't have the money to pay for schooling up front and paid programs put everyone in a much better position. The companies can ensure the students are trained according to their standards and the students wind up with better training working for a company that has a vested need in the student going on to become successful.

Schneider basically decided, "Instead of taking on the financial burden of running our own schools, we'll let someone else take all the financial risk and we'll force them to run their programs according to our criteria. In the end it's a compromise for everyone. I've heard that Schneider is considering going back to running their own operations, but time will tell.

The paid programs I speak with are all trying to grow as quickly as possible and they all say they're having far better luck training their own drivers than they do bringing in students from outside schools.

I wish they would refer to these training programs as an apprenticeship, because that's what it is and that might give incoming drivers a better perspective on what it takes to become a proficient truck driver. I think the private schools being only a few weeks long give the impression that in a few weeks you can become a truck driver. Students come out of these programs thinking they're valuable, they're in high demand, and they're going to call the shots because they're professional truck drivers now.

The entire first year for a driver is really an apprenticeship, where you'll be monitored directly by an experienced driver for at least some time before being let loose to start moving freight on your own.

That's interesting insight into the trucking world. Brett mentioned that certain companies might have connections with private CDL training schools. I did all my training in Wisconsin. The CDL school was in Sun Prairie, WI and of course Schneider brought me in to Green Bay. In CDL school, three companies sent recruiters in to pitch their companies to the students. (I got 3 nice pens and one job offer out of the process, but no free tee shirts like I really wanted). One of the recruiting companies was Wolding, which might catch LDRSHIP's attention. Almost all of the trucks at the school were retired H.O.W. trucks and the school tried to direct students to Wolding, not high pressure, but there was a connection there. There was not a lot of difference between what the three companies had to offer. All three solid outfits and I think any student would have been ok to just pick a straw. I'd probably be working for Wolding if they knew how important free tee shirts are to frugal old men like me. The other company was Windy Hill Foliage, a smaller company not as well known, but I see their trucks every once in a while. No real point to this comment, just trying to keep my head in the game until I get back on the road.

Seriously, even if there were signs on the trucks, car drivers wouldnt read them or notice. We all have "wide turn" signs, yet idiots try to sneak around us. One guy drove partly on the curb to get past me on the right.

Some signs say "If you cant see my mirrors, i cant see you".... this should be on ALL trailers. I read that once driving a car and i finally struck me. The only trailer at Prime with this is the PTI practice trailer in the yard. real helpful!

Seriously, even if there were signs on the trucks, car drivers wouldnt read them or notice. We all have "wide turn" signs, yet idiots try to sneak around us. One guy drove partly on the curb to get past me on the right.

Some signs say "If you cant see my mirrors, i cant see you".... this should be on ALL trailers. I read that once driving a car and i finally struck me. The only trailer at Prime with this is the PTI practice trailer in the yard. real helpful!

This is a repeat comment, but I saw a Swift truck with a nice decal behind the passenger side door that said: WARNING! YOU ARE DRIVING IN MY BLIND SPOT I thought that was a good idea.

I agree with Patrick, that military should have more training for there big rigs.... short story, one of our units was moving a multi million dollar radar from NH to Fort Drum, and hit a low bridge in NY. Main issue, they started the trip too high, should have used the correct trailer for one, a better recon, just to name a couple. Our big trucks don’t have the safety features semi’s do yet, a pvt graduating from AIT is gtg.

That radar’s top was peeled back like a canned good... millions in damage.

I agree with Patrick, that military should have more training for there big rigs.... short story, one of our units was moving a multi million dollar radar from NH to Fort Drum, and hit a low bridge in NY. Main issue, they started the trip too high, should have used the correct trailer for one, a better recon, just to name a couple. Our big trucks don’t have the safety features semi’s do yet, a pvt graduating from AIT is gtg.

That radar’s top was peeled back like a canned good... millions in damage.

Unfortunately, that damage came out of my pocket—-US Taxpayer.

That's interesting insight into the trucking world. Brett mentioned that certain companies might have connections with private CDL training schools. I did all my training in Wisconsin. The CDL school was in Sun Prairie, WI and of course Schneider brought me in to Green Bay. In CDL school, three companies sent recruiters in to pitch their companies to the students. (I got 3 nice pens and one job offer out of the process, but no free tee shirts like I really wanted). One of the recruiting companies was Wolding, which might catch LDRSHIP's attention. Almost all of the trucks at the school were retired H.O.W. trucks and the school tried to direct students to Wolding, not high pressure, but there was a connection there. There was not a lot of difference between what the three companies had to offer. All three solid outfits and I think any student would have been ok to just pick a straw. I'd probably be working for Wolding if they knew how important free tee shirts are to frugal old men like me. The other company was Windy Hill Foliage, a smaller company not as well known, but I see their trucks every once in a while. No real point to this comment, just trying to keep my head in the game until I get back on the road.

At one time Wolding ran their own school. It was located in Moulton, AL.. when they decided to shut it down the sold the property to a truck Driving school and donated several trucks. I have noticed more than a few schools especially in Wisconsin that have Wolding trucks. If they have kept a “good” truck beyond a valuable resale point, once they no longer have use for it, they donate it. They usually make more off of it as a tax write off then they would by selling it.