[T * Storm]

OK. I Finally got my CDL today and now I feel like I cant get "tattooed" by telling the truth.

The instructors are top notch. As stated in an earlier post, it's not fancy but it is functional. I don't believe the pass rate is as high as its neighbor WesternTrucking School. According to the instructor I met at the DMV today, their school pass rate is in the mid 90s, but you do have to pay about $4700 dollars for the 4 week course there, up front or find financing through a private source, whereas with the Truck Driving School Swift will pick up the tab with an agreement to work for Swift for a year to have it considered paid in full, (pay roll deduction) for Swift to pay you back for the half you paid during the first year through payroll deduction you work for them for 2 years therefore your schooling was "free". The acceleration clause ends after 6 months of employment with Swift, but you are still charged the balance of your half of the 600-dollar hotel bill plus the 3900 dollars for the course. For more details contact TDA.

Now for the BAD. As I said, the instructors are top notch, and the student to truck ratio is 4 students per truck. You go out for 5 hours and drive on the road and then an hour lunch. After lunch you stay in the yard and practice your skills. The instructors during the first week of yard and road use a semi military boot camp approach. The will not holler at you, but the do get loud giving you the directions of what to do while you are in the truck. i.e. "left...LEFT...LEFT!!! ...YOU'RE OTHER LEFT!!! (Hi Abdul :lol: ) as some people who have been driving and never backed a thing in their lives (such as me) what they tell you isn't logical to a non-professional. They break your thinking down to be able to trust them. As I soon realized -listening actually makes the truck do what you need it too - contrary to what conventional wisdom would seem to be correct. After I listened and did what seemed to be "wrong" and did exactly as I was told, I was able to alley doc, perfect every time by doing what the instructor guided me to do. Amazing. Some people that were hard headed and wouldn't listen washed over from the preceding classes until they began to listen and finally "got it". Others washed out and never listened or passed. - So is the "boot camp" approach effective? For me it was. Second week they instruct you in a more normal conversational tone (if you show that you can listen, this "coaching" comes around a bit quicker.)

So, now for the truly bad part of the TDA course. Ever hear 10 - 20 other students shouting instructions to you to the point they drown out the instructor? I have. It irritated the hell out of me. I downright got highly pissed. I honestly don't want to hear 6-week holdovers and 2 time DMV failures hollering instructions at me. I am being charged $4600 by Swift for the School and lodging (nice clean hotel) and committing a year of my life for this training. I WANT TO HEAR THE HIGHLY PROFESSIONAL INSTRUCTORS - trucking professionals that have been OTR and know the skills and life involved in becoming a professional truck driver (Mcuh thanks to Pete, Gamo, Jeet, etc.). Not some 6-week rookie that hasn't even gotten their CDL yet. Very frustrating when you’re trying to master the yard skills. Truth be told, I learned almost as much by keeping my mouth shut while sitting under the canopy at the picnic table, listening to the instructors (competing with the know it all students) coaching from outside the truckas I did, trying to strain my hearing to filter out the "noise" while I was in the truck being coached.

So the BAD of TDA is that TDA needs to maintain a bit more yard discipline, so we can all learn. BTW, I also want to give a shout out to my class, class 148, (among other students from other classes) for being professional enough NOT to holler along with the rest of the crowd, but instead waiting til my turn was over and then offering different perspectives from their experience from backing boats, camping trailers, whats workign for them, etc., in a calm, collected, un-mass-frenzied, side talks.

Also, this relative lack of yard discipline, put in check, would do much to maintain the sanity and reduce the stress levels of the instructors.

Maybe I'm just spoiled by having a "kollige edjukashun" so consider this just my 2 cents worth.

Scale of 1 - 10 (10 being best)

Honesty of recruiter - 9.5
Value of driving instructors - 9.5
Value Class instructor - 9.5
Professionalism of Operations staff- 9.5
Value of school overall 7.5 - (I ain't paying to learn from the students especially when they are shouting conflicting instructions. Ex: Some will be hollering left while the others are hollering right)

If you go to this school AND LISTEN TO THE INSTRUCTORS you will much
much more than likely pass.

I listened and passed - Thank you Truck Driving Academy !!!!

P.S. I spoke about this with the Operations Manager and they are going to do something about it. They do care, not only about their reputation but also about the actual student success.

I went to Western Truck School and paid $4000 for the course, I didn't want to be property of Swift for a year. But congrats on the CDL and I wish you many years of sucess!