[redsfan]

Originally Posted by GoldiesPlating

With TMC for example, we require a 160 hour course and only from certain schools on our list.

Not entirely true. TMC may prefer to work this way, but they certainly don't require it. They've taken numerous students from the CDL school up the road from me and it's a 120 hour course. Ask Rebecca or Matt in recruiting if they've ever heard of Allied Truck Driving Academy in Aberdeen, OH?

IMO, most if not all companies look more at your work history and driving record than what school you've attended. A simple road test will give them a good idea if you have the first clue about driving a truck. Even PTDI doesn't make much of difference anymore. Crete claims to only hire from PTDI Certified schools and they offered me a chance to come to orientation. I didn't attend a PTDI school.

[BanditsCousin]

The piece of paper that says you graduated from trucking school is worthless after 1-2 years. Then, the only piece of paper thats worth something is your DMV report, with no blemishes, or very few.

And regarding all the mom&pop outfits- how many of you have driven for such a place? Some of the best driving jobs are through carriers like such.

I'd NEVER work on G-Man's 2nd truck making percentage because he's so small. I'd rather run for 25cpm for a mega carrier because they can afford to give me cool tshirts, buttons, and have 10,000 other drivers passing me on the road. :roll:

[redsfan]

I agree, some of the best jobs are with the mom & pop's.

As for the insurance companies wanting to see the piece of paper from the CDL school. I'll bet a dollar to a doughnut that this never happens. That info might make the carrier feel a little better about hiring you, but the insurance company would never see the certificate. My wife is an insurance agent and she insures several truckers around here, from fleets to owner/ops and they've never even verified experience. Not even once. You "say" you have X years experience and your MVR is clean, that's good enough for the insurance company. I'd love to see documentation from a company sometime where an insurance company sent them a request to verify someone's experience or to get a copy of their CDL school diploma. It flat doesn't happen.

Sorry, gotta call BS in that one...

[BanditsCousin]

Well said redsfan. The certifcate of completed training pretty much gets you through your first year, especially if ya job hop

[GoldiesPlating]

Originally Posted by redsfan

Not entirely true. TMC may prefer to work this way, but they certainly don't require it. They've taken numerous students from the CDL school up the road from me and it's a 120 hour course. Ask Rebecca or Matt in recruiting if they've ever heard of Allied Truck Driving Academy in Aberdeen, OH?

IMO, most if not all companies look more at your work history and driving record than what school you've attended. A simple road test will give them a good idea if you have the first clue about driving a truck. Even PTDI doesn't make much of difference anymore. Crete claims to only hire from PTDI Certified schools and they offered me a chance to come to orientation. I didn't attend a PTDI school.

You ARE correct, there are exceptions. The 160 hour class thing is more of a guidline. We hire from a list of a few hundred schools and each has different hours of training.

[murray]

Igot my cdl in Canada on my own; withthe socalled driver shortage I thought it would be fairly easy to get a job but it took a while ( 6 mths.). Finally landed one on flat bed which I don't mind except it's not the highways i"d perfer to run ,I was looking to run west Instead of east but It'll get my feet wet till I find a carrier that does do the longer runs out west that i perfer. The one thing I like about flat bed is that I'm not doing a lot of the city delivery thing trying to find different places every day,All our loads are maxed on the weight if not sometimes a bit over. I still stop or get on the C.B. a lot to make sure I'm heading the right direction,not so much in the U.S. but in Ontario. I've come to realize that we have the worst infrustuture going,espiecally in the GTA<Hamilton< Kitchener areas. The freeways suck and the signs are even worse. Pretty bad when I go south of the border and find where I have to go and then get lost in the province I live in, all in all I do like the challenge and will get used to the highways and my new career change even if it means buying a gps to help me along. Just a few unimortant thoughts I'd throw at you's

[BigWheels]

Originally Posted by BanditsCousin

The piece of paper that says you graduated from trucking school is worthless after 1-2 years. Then, the only piece of paper thats worth something is your DMV report, with no blemishes, or very few.

It's the same if you graduate with a BA, BS or whatever from college--even a master's degree. The paper ain't that useful as the years roll by. You have to prove yourself at the real school--the school of hard knocks--day in and day out. That's what counts.

Originally Posted by redsfan

...As for the insurance companies wanting to see the piece of paper from the CDL school. I'll bet a dollar to a doughnut that this never happens. That info might make the carrier feel a little better about hiring you, but the insurance company would never see the certificate. My wife is an insurance agent and she insures several truckers around here, from fleets to owner/ops and they've never even verified experience. Not even once. You "say" you have X years experience and your MVR is clean, that's good enough for the insurance company. I'd love to see documentation from a company sometime where an insurance company sent them a request to verify someone's experience or to get a copy of their CDL school diploma. It flat doesn't happen....

That's an eye-opener! :shock: Perhaps the only time it is checked if some poor soul is involved in a fender-bender or worse.

Originally Posted by BanditsCousin

Well said redsfan. The certifcate of completed training pretty much gets you through your first year, especially if ya job hop

Very true.

[Shawnee]

It can be done, I did it on my own, but I also had many years experience driving trucks, and backing trucks, etc. before getting my licence. Getting my CDL was no problem at all since I had all this experience.

But keep in mind I had to learn all the rules of the road on my own, the hard way, Nobody taught me how to slide tandems, or taught me what to do when you go through the scale, I learned a lot from other drivers along the way.

I don't think that companies necessarily require you to go to a school, A CDL is a CDL, no matter how you got it, Of course I don't know anything about these big companies but I have never heard of a company advertising that you must have graduated from CDL school