My Experience With SAGE Truck Driving School Of Rome, NY (So Far!)

Hey everyone!

I just wanted to take a few minutes & tell you all about what's happening in the quest for my CDL A. I've been reading everyone’s posts, going through the High road training program, researching different companies & training. I've also read Brett's book cover to cover about three or four times. And I want to take this opportunity to personally thank each and every one of you for your help (directly or indirectly) and your insight, through your own experiences.

I have to say, that for quite a while I was going back & forth as to which type of training I was going to go with. I started out looking at private/community college courses. Then, at one point, my wife and I though it might be better, financially to go with a company sponsored school. However, so as not to leave any stone unturned, we decided to contact Sage truck driving school at Mohawk Valley Community College, in Rome, NY. Let me tell you, after that first meeting with Beverly the school's program director, our minds were made up! I'm going with Sage!! She was incredible! She's a driver herself, her husband is a driver, & her father is a driver. She took us on a quick tour of the classroom and showed us the text books, teaching aids, and the logbook , that, as a student you use to track your time at the school. They try to keep the class sizes small so that if someone is having a problem understanding something, they can review it until everyone is ready to move on to the next section. They also have lifetime job placement, anywhere in the country that there is a Sage school. All you have to do is walk in, and tell them which school you went to & when. And they will help you in anyway they can to get you started with another company.

We asked her very direct questions, & she gave us very honest and direct answers. She professed, that she is in no way a “salesman”, & she didn't come off as one either. Believe me, I come from a line of great salesmen, so I can tell when someone is being genuine, or they're preaching the company gospel. We sat there for so long talking, that the assistant director, Sandy called up to the classroom to let her know it was well beyond closing time, & that her kids had been blowing up her cell phone in her office. (there's no clock in that classroom, thank goodness. I hate clocks in classrooms) So, we went back down to the office & they gave us some information packets, a trucking jobs newspaper, a list of websites to do some research on, (I did notice that https://www.truckingtruth.com/ was not on the list.) So I told them all about it & what a great resource it is. She said she would definitely check it out!

Now, this whole time, my wife & felt as though we were talking to a long time friend we hadn't seen in a while. When out of the blue, both women looked at us & told us we seemed so familiar. We stood there in the office for what must have been another ½ hour, asking each other questions, trying to figure it out. (we are still not sure of it.) But, have you ever just had that feeling about someone? That somehow, somewhere you've met before? I was like that. I still can't shake that feeling.

Anyhow. At this point we had to leave because they were getting ready to close up the building. So, we headed to the parking lot. We said goodbye to Sandy, and Bev, and were about to leave, when my wife asked one more question of Bev. Well, that one question turned into another hour or so of talking. She answered all of our questions, and even brought up a few we hadn't though of! She was genuinely concerned that we know what we were getting into. The time away, the stresses of being apart, and she wanted to make sure we BOTH understood what this lifestyle was all about. And, as we told her, for the first 5 years of our marriage, we spent almost ½ the year 2 hours apart from one another. She lived & worked out west of Syracuse, NY, I lived & worked 6-8 months a year in Old Forge, NY as a boat mechanic. I jokingly said, I think she agreed to this, just so she could get me out of her hair & enjoy the solitude again! But, what really drove it home for us was how much she really cared what happened to her students after they graduated. She keeps in touch with a lot of them everyday via text or email. When she told us about how proud she was that two of her driving instructors had graduated form that school, one of which she taught, went out on the road for several years, then returned to Sage to teach others and pass along what they had learned. You could see it in her eyes just how much it meant to her.

We finally said our goodbyes & we were off. Headed for home. Even though I won't be starting at the school until Oct./Nov., I've been keeping in touch with Bev & Sandy at the school, asking questions and bouncing ideas off them. They have been great! One night while my wife & I were talking she got the idea that I should ask if I could sit in on a class, & maybe even go out to the trucks, just to get a feel for it. So, I sent them an e-mail, & they thought it was a great idea! Well, I just got off the phone with Bev, & we're all set! I'm going in on July 21 to sit in on the second half of a new class. Then, when that's done, I'm going out to the truck!

I can't wait! The adventure is truly going to begin! I'll be sure to let you know how it goes, & I'll do my best to keep you all up to date, once I start classes in the fall.

Tarren

Sounds like I good deal. I just completed school with Sage in Lexington SC. The instructors here were pretty awesome. Just curious, how many hours is the course in NY and do you need to have your permit prior to attending school?

This is right from the email I received from Bev, the school's director:

The Class “A” CDL training curriculum requires 150 hours of training. The TTD150 course consists of 104 hours in the classroom and lab and 46 hours behind-the-wheel. The 44 hours behind-the-wheel are broken down into four hour increments; this means that you will have “11” four-hour drives. The remaining two hours are set aside for a warm-up prior to the road test, and the road test itself. SAGE is the only truck driving school in the USA that offers ONE student PER truck … this means that during those 44 hours you spend in the truck it will be you and an instructor only. You do not share your drive time with other students as some schools do. The total cost of the course ($5329) includes all the DMV fees up front (Road Test, Permit, Permit Test, MVR , and Licensing Fees), books, tuition to MVCC, and the DOT drug screen and physical.

Is that about what it was for you?

Tarren

Yep, That is how my course was set up. I did one week in a class room. The next week learning/practicing Pre-Trip Then on to the 11 Drives (along with 6 observations). I was just curious how standardized they were.

I just finished up with my sage program and received my hard copy license with my endorsements. The only thing I can say about one on one is its great in theory but not easy. Think about it!!!!! Eight HOURS A WEEK! UGH! THAT IS ONLY SPENDING *****EIGHT HOURS***** WITH YOUR TRAINER AND AROUND A SEMI TRACTOR TRAILER. THATS NOTHING!!!!! if you really think about it. I KNOW I DID IT!!!!! there were five guys in my class and talking with them we all agreed. Its fine, and you will be fine, and I didn't write this to bust balls, im just telling you the reality of it. You must hold your permit for x amount of days before taking your driving test hence the five weeks of four hour training sessions. Sage is a truck driving school period! They will provide the equipment for the bare minimum amount of time needed! I just don't want you to think its " SAGE " it must be the best ever and their always going to do their best for me. Don't expect to jump in and drive for hundreds of miles while doing four hours of driving either! Those trucks burn fuel and fuel cost MONEY! that's all I am going to say. My instructor could not have been better! He was getting an hourly wage, that was insanely low! With that little bit of information, I wish you happy driving. I will say this again, this was not an attack on the SAGE program its fine, im fine, and you will be fine. I just wanted to say you are not alone if you feel any or some concerns with the driving end of the program. I will not write again on this subject! I have my license and nothing to prove or gain by responding to any post about my post. GOOD LUCK. ps I did not use spell check and I know I can not spell or type . TREAT YOU TRAINERS WITH RESPECT AND HEAR WHAT THEY ARE SAYING IT IS VERY IMPORTANT!! YOU ONLY HAVE A LIMITED AMOUT OF TIME BEHIND THE WHEEL>>>>>>> DONT WASTE ANY>>>>>>

TREAT YOU TRAINERS WITH RESPECT AND HEAR WHAT THEY ARE SAYING IT IS VERY IMPORTANT!! YOU ONLY HAVE A LIMITED AMOUT OF TIME BEHIND THE WHEEL>>>>>>> DONT WASTE ANY>>>>>>

Thank you for responding, Daniel. I have to say, I didn't read your post as slamming anybody. I think I may have been just a bit over zealous with my original post. But, what can I say, I am excited about starting this faze of my life. It's something I've wanted to do my whole life, but I wasn't ready to try it until now. I really appreciate your honest opinion, and I will be sure to remember the last line of your post!

Thanks again!

Tarren

Sorry it's taken so long to update.... But, I went to the school this past Monday....

It was freakin' awesome!!!!!

I got there about 15 - 20 min early. Bev & one of the instructors Ed, were just finishing up Ed's birthday lunch. We went outside for a smoke and got talking about cars and such. Before long, it was time to get to class!

That was pretty cool. It was the first day of this class session, so I was not too far behind having missed the first half of the class that morning. They really are small class sizes. There were only 5 guys in there. So, if someone didn't understand something, they can give it some extra attention. One thing I had done was I bought the textbook that they use for the class on amazon, & I'm glad I did. Because that's one of the things you don't get to keep upon completion of the program. All in all, it was a pretty relaxed atmosphere. Ed, talked to us about what the training was going to be like, what kind of equipment we will be using, & how the 11 - 4 hour driving sessions will be set up so that they are spaced out leading up to your road test. Rather than doing them all at once and then having a big gap of time not driving before you take the test.

We watched a couple of videos and then did a question and answer to review what we had seen. We had a couple of discussions about double clutching , different transmissions, air brakes and the like. Then, before I knew it, the phone call came up to the classroom that one of the other instructors was ready to take me out on a ride along. That's when I met Matt. Matt, along with Ed, are the two instructors that were trained at that very school. (As I said in the o/p) We set off to take a ride through the streets of Rome. He gave me a demo of double clutching, then he showed me how to float gears. After we got back, and checked in with Bev. She totally blew me away when she said; "Now that you've seen it... How do you feel about driving that thing?" Of course, my answer was; "HELL YES!!!"

So, I jumped in my Jeep, and followed Matt up to the practice range. I have to say, that at first, my biggest concern was controlling the trailer. But, my years of towing long and short boat trailers really paid off for that! I did pretty good upshifting (it's an Eaton Fuller split 10 speed) until I got to 6th gear. My muscle memory is so used to the 5 speed in my mustang, that coming back over to the left was throwing me off. Matt also noticed that I was having a little bit of trouble with the throw from one gear to the next. There's a little bit of a catch just before you come out of gear and get to neutral, and I was stopping there, thinking I'd gotten it to neutral. Downshifting was my biggest hurdle. I just couldn't seem to get the hang of rev-matching. I'd either, overrev way too much, or nowhere near enough. I also, had a tendency to deep clutch and hit the clutch brake. All in all though, he said I did really good for never having done it before. And that with more practice, I shouldn't have too much of a problem getting the hang of things. One other thing that happened on my first lap around the range, was when I hit the first left hand curve. I came around perfectly, following Matt's instruction, and watched as my tandems cleared the corner. After we made it through, Matt said; "That was perfect. Most people end up in the big ditch there, which is covered by that overgrowth." I told him I was really glad he hadn't told me about the ditch before I made the turn, or I'd have been fixated on it so much, that I probably would have gone in! LOL

But, like all good things. It came to an end way too soon. Matt's next student had arrived, and my time in the truck was over. I had gotten about a half an hour, to 45 minutes of seat time though. And I have to say, I'm hooked!!! I can't wait until October, when I'll get the chance to do it again! In the meantime, It's back to the High Road Training Program and studying the textbook to get everything solidified in my brain.

I hope this helps for someone who might be thinking of getting there CDL at Sage. Until the next adventure....

Keep on trucking!!!

Tarren

Howdy! I am glad you have had a good experience with Sage. I will be on day 8 in the classroom (Monday) and all I can say is that having the 2 instructors read the powerpoints in their monotone puts me to sleep (plus I'm a nite owl and it's tough getting going in the mornings). Back in 88-91, I drove for 3 different companies and while it was awhile ago, I do have experience. My concern was the HOS as my brother got his CDL this spring and talking with him I realized that it's an all new ball game. We got 3 hrs on HOS and I still don't quite understand it. When I asked, I was told not to worry as most companies use QualComm and it will keep me straight.....yeah, until the system fails and one has to do log books. Those I know how to do but not on duty hours, off duty hours and sleep time in a 14 hr period. Oh well, may end up teaming with my brother and I won't have to worry as much.

My big fear is the pretrip cause under the Chauffeur License, I didn't do one....but we will get to practice that starting next Weds afternoon. It will be hard going back to double clutching , but that will be for a short time. As for helping to get a driving job, they partner with Werner, recommend May, Andrus and Pride along with a local company that is only hiring "relief" drivers. There is NO driving Nov-Apr and working on a dock at $13.71/hr (better pay than most companies in this area) is better than nothing, it won't keep the wolf from my door :-P The cost of the 150 hrs training turned out to be $3891 (without hazmat & DOT physical...I paid that and drug test). With a grant from a local Veteran's Motorcycle club, I am paying only $2891 and I believe what I am getting is worth only that much. I did get my permit without tankers....which at my age, I don't need to be hauling milk and cleaning the tanks :-P This Sage didn't have any sort of financing, so I wiped out my savings to get going. The one good thing is having one on one with the instructor while driving. I'll let you know how the driving and testing goes.

IDLaura

Thanks for the input Laura! I'm told that double clutching is like riding a bike, you never forget. Just maybe a little rusty.

As for the financing, this Sage is run through the local community college so they have Wells Fargo & Sally Mae loans available. I think I may also be eligible for WIA with unemployment when I get laid off for the winter. But, for some reason around here they don't like to give it out.

You're welcome to use this thread to update us on your progress! So, please do! The more information about the different schools, the better.

Best of luck! I'm pulling for you!

Tarren

Well... We may have hit a bump in the road. Sort of. I talked to a friend of mine, who it turns out will likely be in the same class at the school with me. And as we were talking he mentioned having problems getting a student loan because of the loan on his pick-up. It had me worried, because I also have a loan on my Jeep. So, as soon as I got home tonight, I went online and filled out the applications.

I got turned down!!!!

But, every cloud has a silver lining! "In the midst of my preparations for harry-carry, I had a vision." (line from a movie) I remembered that I have money in my 401K, that I can borrow against!

So, we're back on track!!!! I'll get in touch with my investment company tomorrow, and get it all set!!!

Start date for night classes: Sept. 2

I'll do my best to keep you guys informed!

Tarren