Florida Truckers Institute New Port Richey FL

I will be talking about this school in this forum today:

https://floridatruckersinstitute.org/

I will start by saying this is not the school for you if you value getting your moneys worth. There are seemingly endless reasons why you should avoid this school; they are unorganized, unsafe, when I attended they had only 3 trucks, with 28 ft trailers, and these trucks were in and out of the shop.

I found them unorganized because they had no real training system in place. If a student wanted to drive, they didn't need to ask. They just hopped in a truck and ENTIRELY threw proper student rotation out the window. There were times students would just drive without an instructor around to keep an eye on, myself included.

Someone actually ended up nearly totaling another semi in the yard due to this reason (caused several hundred if not north of thousand in damages to a tractor and trailer).

I would sit for HOURS at a time doing and learning nothing due to the poor organization. They only had 3-4 trucks when I went and 2-3 instructors on duty. (Nothing against the instructors they were great). If you want to drive anything larger than a 48 (and 90% of you will) don't go here, they only have 28 fts and day cabs. I suffered greatly for it.

Instructor told me he could've got me on a 48 ft if I asked but 1. He didn't even have one in the yard and 2. He wouldn't even let me take the truck I primarily trained on to the DMV for testing without paying him.

What did I learn? 3 yard maneuvers, coupling, they EXPLAINED how to parallel, pre trips, a few road trips, and that's it. No ELDs, no logs, no weigh stations, no hours of service, no documents, nothing.

I'm highly upset that I paid this school after learning other average schools in the area taught you EVERYTHING from elds to to hours of service to hazmat and more. Pretty much anything I didn't learn here, was taught at other schools in the area. Sad.

The owner coerced me into making a good review before leaving the dmv as he did many others. Back to the instructors, they're good and teach you what the boss man tells them to and no more no less. But they need to get their act together if they haven't already. They're just allowed students to hop in those trucks willy nilly without any proper rotation and just skipping over others.

That was my experience and it incredibly dangerous ESPECIALLY when the instructors are inside in the ac not monitoring students. I hope the owner sees this and adjust his school accordingly, because every single word I've said above is 100% truth, spoken from an unfortunate first hand experience that cost me north of $5700.

Yeah I passed my test the first time. So what? When I went into my first orientation for a job with TMC, I ended up being sent home for no reason other than my driving skills on a 48 ft and sleeper cab were not satisfactory. Why? The day cabs with 28 fts. A whole different world between the 2.

So again, don't waste your time or money on this place if you wish to get your moneys worth and whats more, if you wish to actually learn anything of serious value other than backing up a small rinky dink day cab combo.

As I see there isn't any forum posts about this place yet on here, (that I've seen) I've made sure to cover my entire experience there and maybe this will serve as a decent guide for some time, acting as possibly the first and only review on this Florida Truckers Institute of New Port Richey,Truck Driving School Listings Florida

I cleaned up this new first post a little, just to make it easier to read. To be honest, I started to delete the whole thing, but I think it can be educational for other newbies to see and comprehend the things they may experience as they begin their pursuit of this career.

Let's start with how this newbie seems to know better how to teach people to obtain a CDL than the school he went to. This is a common occurrence. I am in no way defending the school. I have no knowledge of them. But, it is a common theme among newbies to misunderstand the whole process of obtaining a CDL.

This statement amazed me after all the whining and complaining...

Yeah I passed my test the first time. So what?

I've been in this forum for over a decade. I can't tell you how many people have come in here begging for compassion and advice because they failed their CDL test two or three times! Here's a guy who passed his first attempt yet has nothing but contempt for the folks who got him to that point. It's almost hard to read!

We see this a lot in new truck drivers. We always seem to know better how things should be done. Please people, try to be at least a little bit humble when you start this career. I can promise you this career will humble you at some point. It is always best to start out realizing you may not see the big picture just yet. Take your baby steps even if you don't understand the whole process. The time will come when you realize how you got to where you are.

Here's another classic mistake made by newbies...

When I went into my first orientation for a job with TMC, I ended up being sent home for no reason other than my driving skills on a 48 ft and sleeper cab were not satisfactory. Why? The day cabs with 28 fts. A whole different world between the 2.

We blame our failures on others or on forces outside our control. It's far better to realize your shortcomings and face them. Learn to deal with your own limitations. Yes, I agree it is different backing a 28 foot trailer and a daycab, but that is what you chose when you chose the school. I am sure you did your research before forking out $5,700.00 for school. If you didn't, this is all on you. If I learned on a 28 foot trailer, I would be practicing maneuvers in my mind on how I need to do things differently. I would study up on the differences and I would know I need to make corrections much slower and deliberately.

Just in case I am sounding like a hard ass, let's remind ourselves of my history. I had a lot of issues getting started in trucking. TMC sent me home three different times. That's right! The folks here in this forum never heard me complaining or blaming anybody for my problems. It takes a lot of resilience to get this career started. These self pay schools offer no guarantees, and they sure don't promise you will be accepted by your choice of trucking company.

Beginners are just that. They are lucky to get a job anywhere. Once they have landed that job, they get a chance to prove themselves. That is where the learning begins. School is just a little first step in your career. Don't count on it being the end all to everything you need to get a job and be successful. You will produce the effort and the tenacity to gain the necessary skills to succeed at trucking. I took my first job at a place many claim is a very poor opportunity. They were all wrong. it became a great opportunity because I made it one.

That is how trucking works. You put in the effort, and you reap the rewards. Don't count on your school or your company to be a critical link in your chain to success. You will always be dependent on yourself in this career. Learn that early and take it seriously. Otherwise you will be doomed to the bitter crowd of truckers who are always complaining and always looking for that perfect job or opportunity.

Thank you Old School! I was thinking much the same thing as I read it this morning. I am so grateful I came here before going to Truck Driving School.

I went to a private school, paid the tuition and did the reimbursement thing. My school had those rickety old day cabs and 48' trailers. No complaints from me. It wasn't a perfect scenario, but it was what I needed to accomplish my objectives.

Yeah, I laughed when the dude tries to make his passing the test sound like no big deal. I'm pretty sure we've all seen many people not able to pass, even at the best training facilities. So yeah, let's see; basically he taught himself, drove whenever he felt like it, no supervision and still he managed to pass the test. WOW!

Again Old School, I'm grateful to the TT site AND YOU!

Once again Sir O.S., you have posted so much knowledge, and wisdom, for those needing it. IF they just can take heed, and learn from any, and all that's given in here !!

@ first a lot of things mentioned rang a few bells with my 1st "trucking school" lol... 1 old day cab 7 speed with stiff azz clutch.Made my thigh sore n tight, after few hours doing 90 degree backs (in a dirt lot). The other 2 volvo training trucks, were also day cabs, 1 was usually broke down because of a bad/clogged def filter, they'd clean it, and days later, its dead again, 5 mph. They did have a dead sleeper cab Pete and 53 trailer parked by the fence, to use for in-cab, and air brake practice. It did actually start up and run though

I soon figured out this was just a CDL Mill, like puppy mill. Bring em in, get their $5,000+ and get em out ASAP! .....'students' came at went at will too, lunch they be done for the day. or come in later, thinking they could jump ahead and get road time. Others, returned to make up time lost. Was a few days, there were 20-30 people standing around on the patio waiting for a turn, ( I counted em)

The pup trailers were also junk only 1 was used around town doing drive / shifting practice. The other 2 had tires without tread, just wire cords hahaha. Their "mechanic" was a nephew or something who didn't know diddly. I'd mentioned the 1 good test trucks air governor was bad and needed replaced. The owner said "Oh you can't replace it, it's built ON the engine" hahaha I told him that was incorrect but eh what do I know after 10+ years working on semi's of every make & model.

The place was a learning experience at the very least,in seeing how these so-called "Schools" actually operate. Just as has been posted here many times over the years!! Company PAID training is, THE route to go literally!

Im grateful too that I found TT and Old School. He saved my bacon. My first plan was to go to a private school, at night no less. Ironically, I drove past their southern branch of that school nearly every day last month, old beat up trucks, dirt lot etc. Old School kindly steered me in the direction of company training and gave sound reasons for the advice.

I didnt understand what it meant when the company I went with said "You will be learning and taking in your test in the very same equipment you will be driving for us, complete with sleeper cabs, 53 foot trailers and will take them on the road." Like many things we realized that we learned things after we learned them. A lot of things, when we first get into this industry, we hear, but they dont have value or mean anything until we live them. Like hours of service, preserving your clock, performing consistently and communicating early and often.

I think its after we go through that it dawns on us what people meant. Hopefully the op is able to figure out things along the way without damaging his career. He may find it tough to get hired in todays market, And even tougher to keep a job if he thinks its the companies fault or the trainers fault or safety fault. Another thing we keep telling folks is mind the marketplace, Theres just not enough loads for the drivers in the workforce, let alone new ones coming into it.

This really is an opportunity for him to critically change his thinking and philosophy in life. All it takes is a bit of open mindedness and willingness to be humble.