Florida Driver School - west coast - starting

[Catman]

I just started school at Pinellas Technical Ed. Center (PTEC) in St. Petersburg, Fla. in the CDL class for a class-A license. They seem to have everything covered here. It was $1135.00 for the 12 week course. At end of class, I will have all permits done to get a CDL from the state DMV. They give you some nice books and an atlas. They stress SAFETY and daily logs. I will have 1000 miles behind the wheel, not just in the cab. Driving will be around town and the interstate system. I'll even get to go thru "malfunction-junction" at some point. The drug test and DOT physical will be done. Plus they have recruiters come to class. And there is only 6 people (max) in the class and it is close to home. Does this sound good? The class is long because of all the driving as I will have 1000 miles logged at end of class. Am I getting too :P hopeful about getting a good paying job in Jan?

[Catman]

Update....got my permits so I can drive as a student. Still watching videos and doing bookwork on daily driver logs and trip planning. No driving yet.

[Catman]

Update: Finished up month of Oct. in the classroom doing daily logs (HOS) and trip planning. Been on driving range for 2 weeks now learning to shift and down shift, hook and drop. I can't believe how some students have never driven a stick-shift ever! We have 5 drive tests on the range to complete before we go out on the public highways. Also got tested on the pre-trip inspection. This is a public school course and the instructors are well experienced and very good. They even train other (3rd party) instructors to become state-certified testers, like for a local Roadmasters school. So there is a lot of CYA learning to get done. later.....

FYI, I think this is fantastic web-site and have been reading bits and pieces of it for over a year! Thanks! Looking forward to getting done with school, and out on the road. 8)

[Catman]

School is out for holiday vacation all week. Finished all range driving lessons and tests. Had tests for pre-trip, straight backing of 100 feet, right-hand turn without hitting a barrel but getting as close as possible, 45 degree backing to a dock (they called bow dock backing) and parallel parking. We had to hook and drop a trailer everyday, as we drove on range with a trailer hooked up. Passed all with a very good score. I went and got an extra endorsement for tanker also. Now, we all get to go out onto the public roadways around St. Petersburg which is VERY heavy with traffic and then also do some interstate and secondary road travelling to get our 1000 miles each. We will probably finish just before the xmas school vacation or Jan. 15 at the latest. I am starting to look for a truckin job already and want to get into OTR. Any suggestions for a newbie that wants OTR? I know, I could end up around the cold northeast, which will be a BIG shock for an old Florida boy like me. But, that's life...Thanks in advance for company suggestions.

[woundwort]

Man, Our local community college in Illinois charges a LOT more to the tune of $3450. 160 hour class done as 1 month of 8 hour days or 2 months of 4 hour nights. I have never heard a bad word about them but wonder whats the deal in price?

Do get a little tired of people pitching that companies come into recruit. Well, yeah! If they are decent sized then NEED to so that they have drivers. And why not go where the new ones are, SCHOOL!

only saw posters for 2 companies I have read "mostly" decent stuff on the walls. Roehl and Maverick.

The only three companies I see that I am interested in working for are a few local regional Van co's in my area and then TMC, Roehl, Maverick and then CFI . I am not afraid of work so the flatbed companies don't scare me. I have a buddy that currently hauls construction equipment regionally and says flatbed is the way to go.

It's funny about another thing. I have read enough about Schneider National's driving school is that I'd like to go to it but not work for them.


Anyway, Keep posting.

I would like to see more about cdl schools ,private and public colleges, discussed. Lets become good consumers and spenders.

[Catman]

Well, things are progressing faster than we were told at first, thankfully. I was given the 'final road test' yesderday and PASSED! They updated my state records and sent me down to the DMV and I got my own personal CDL-A license! I am now a CDL-A driver! Hard to believe!!! We are down to 4 in class and there are 2 of us with an actual CDL now. We all are driving on the public highways and have about 200 miles each, so we still got several days more of driving to get 1000 miles under our belt. The other 2 students still have to take the road test and get thier CDL-A also during this time. We were supposed to finish in middle of Jan.2007, now we will be finishing before xmas vacation which starts Dec.21!
I love this, it's a public school run by county school board, so we get the same time off as all the other 'kids' do for xgiving and xmas!!! On the down side, I will be looking for a job during the weeks of xmas and New Years.....
If you hear of anything for OTR newbies, post me.....thanks.

[Cripplecreek]

I went to PTEC also and got my CDL A. The night drive was pretty cool we went down to punta gorda. You might want to check out CCC if you wanna stay local. Swift was about the only one who would hire me but I have driving infractions in the past, and a spotty work history. Swift hired me but I never took the job. Good luck to you. Be prepared to wash a truck the last day your there, our class had to.

[Catman]

They don't have night time drives anymore. In fact, they were gonna scrap the whole program and so let eveything 'go to hell'. If we ever got stopped, we'd get put out of service because of some the trailer tires are totally bald! We had CCC there as a recruiter, but I want to go over the road, long haul. I talked with CFI, and they will hire me. I can start Jan 15 in Joplin if I can get a heavy enough coat.

[Catman]

All finished up! Today was the last day for all 4 of us. The last two took the road test and passed and we all got to wash 4 trucks. We also all logged 1000 miles on the road each. We are over and done with school, even before the official school-board break for xmas which starts Thurs. (12/21). One small drawback was we only had 2 company recruiters come and pitch to us.
I been looking around and can get hired at CFI, or so they say so far. I'm gonna move over to 'trucking jobs' forum for any possible info.
Just a side; I have a very clean license. Very few citations, none in 4 years. No DUI or felonys ever. No accidents in over 10 years. I'm catagorized as a 'safe driver' in Florida here. Later...

[Cripplecreek]

Congrats man, you made it, and I''ll bet your relieved. Sounds to me like you will have your pick of jobs pretty soon. My intention after PTEC was to get a job with the city running trash out to 28th St, but it never panned out, ( I had a DUI and some minor criminal). I know you mentioned going north to drive, and getting warm clothes. If you do invest in a Carhart jacket and some thermals. I had a Carhart jacket when I lived in Michigan and i would stay warm in zero degree temps comftorablly.

Me and my driving partner on the last day were gettin pizzed, Jack was out there on the range, yellin about something trivial, treating us like morons. My driving partner was like, screw him, were done I aint washin no truck. I brought him to his senses explaining, 'We are not done until the DMV gives you a CDL A.

For the most part, our class of 6, had a good time, but there were 2 that were gonna throw down at one of the rest areas on the way back from Wildwood, and the other 4 of us had to break it up.

We had a retired sheriff in our class and he forced a pickup off the road, on 58th or 62nd south, that was wild. About a week later the same guy hit a parked rig in Wildwood, it was a bump, and the driver of the parked rig was sleeping, but it was enough to wake him up.

It was cool, I went to PTEC while we had those 2 hurricanes that came through back in 04, so we were gettin many days off.

I'll never forget my first time going through malfunction junction, I was a bundle of nerves, but I did fine. It was a hell of a lotta fun and worth the 1300 bucks, which by the way is tax deductable, they should send ya a form in the mail about Feb.

Well, good luck driver.

[Catman]

Cool....about the tax stuff and I'm sure I'll be more than cool in Joplin, MO at the end of Jan. :?
I been talking real serious with CFI and am scheduled for an orientation class on Jan 15th right now. I may change it to Jan 22nd though as I am single and what to 'prepare' the house for my 4 week absence. I go through a week of school at Crowder, then 7500 miles with a mentor/trainer, then out on my own. Can't believe it!!! :shock:
Two of us students washed 2 trucks while the other 2 got road-tested, then they got to wash 2 more trucks. We get letter of certification from school if we stuck around.
This was Jack's last class as he is gonna finally retire! Laura Kingswood is gonna be new head person.