Howdy:
Just took my CDL Skills Test.... passed two an failed the backup.... while I would of been please to pass all the segments of the tests I must state that I have less than 20 hours behind the wheel... and that was team teaching... two trainees in the same cab... and we constantly were looking for places to drop our cones and practice the turn and dock back up test.

My concern is that there may be a lot of companies that are getting paid to prepare new drivers for a professional driving career.... but it appears, at least from my experience that its a wham bam and no thank you mam circumstance. I have been in class for ten days... and of those ten days we would start at 8 Am and dick around sometimes getting in a couple hours of driving and stop and go home by 3 or 5 Pm....

I told my trainer I felt I was not ready for the test... and he said just go with it the company will pay for you to take the test again...

This is NOT the question.... I am a displace executive and was forced to leave a company I started 30 years ago... I would never send an employee or potential employee into a situation where he may..... and I mean may slip by and get certified as a PROFESSIONAL driver. I would not only be endangering his life but potentially the live of others....

What can I do in this situation.... I am scheduled to retake the backing portion of the test this coming Tuesday.... and I know I will have no more behind the wheel time from now til then.... while I truly want to be a PROFESSIONAL driver I don't want to be one in name only.... I desire to be the best at what I do and feel this is truly a schlock training company.... hmmmmm strangely enough it is one of two training companies certified by my state for federal and state financial assistance programs.... WIA etc.

I would really appreciate some CONSTRUCTIVE input... I am under the impression that credible companies will not hire you if you do not have a sufficient number of hours of training under your belt... even to go into their otr training... is this correct.... please advise.
Thanks for your help.

 

Sadly, many schools feel that their only job is too get a student their CDL and nothing more.

While some companies do have a requirement for hours of class work, others do not and only want to see a certificate of completion and a valid CDL.

At this point I think you only have a few options:

Take the test again get your CDL and be sure to talk to your trainer at your first company about the areas you need work on and why and make sure he provides you with ample oppurtunity to work on those.

Quit the school all together and try to get the money together to pay for a school yourself. There are good ones out there that will garuntee a minimum of 40 hours of behind the wheel driving and plenty of range work on pre-trips, backing, etc.

Finally the last option is to find another line of work.

In any case I would contact your WIA councilor and let them know how truly shabby you found the school.

 

You'll learn much more when your out with a company trainer for 6 weeks

 

Well, it would be great to have six weeks out with a trainer ... they already told us it would be more like two weeks... this really puts a knot in my bonnet.... :twisted:

 

I will take the test again... until I get the CDL... I have made arrangements for the full amount of $2500 to be paid to the school... $2k deposit and $500 unpon receipt of the CDL.... would another company be interested in a student with a CDL... is it possible to sign on with another company and get the six weeks otr training from them? Is this an option....?
thanks

 

I am a little confused here.

Are you currently attending a private CDL school through WIA or are you going through a company sponsored training program where upon graduation you are commited to working for a specific company for a set length of time.

 

It is a company sponsored school but, here's the deal.... because the schooling is paid for I will not have an obligation to work for them when I get my CDL... if I go out on the road with a trainer for the two week period they mentioned... they will pay me $250 per week but, I would repay them the five hundred dollars once I come in from the training... I can work it off as an employee or pay it off and be free of them... like most trucking companies they are pretty smart... the have set up a separate school under the name Idaho Provisioners... it is a subsidiary of Cargo Express.... Of course they want me to work for them... but the agreement going in was that if the course was fully paid... I would have no obligation to them to work. I hope that helps... sorry for the misunderstandings...

 

what company is that?

 

Cargo Express is the trucking company and Idaho Provisioners is their Driver Training School.... thanks

 

First of all, if you couldn't pass the first time why do you think you are going to pass the 2nd, 3rd and so on. Your posts are a little confusing, are you paying or is the company and then you pay them back? Talk to the school, ask if they offer 1 on 1 training by the hour. It might be $50-75/hr but get yourself a couple hours w/trainer and just work on backing or whatever you're having problems with. By practicing you are setting yourself up to pass not to fail.