US express training school
 

Has anyone here been through it? I may be attending the one in Fort Wayne IN, and am just curious what to expect. I have no previous truck driving experience, so am completely new to all of this. They claim to cover all of my school costs if I work for them for a year (the standard deal from what I have seen elsewhere), will give me $200 for expenses (although obviously will need to bring some more of my own for a 3 week course), and all I will actually have to pay out of my pocket is a state licensing charge which they aren't legally able to cover.

Sounds like a good deal to me, or at least the best one that you can expect to get, and from my brief look over this site it seems that they are considered a pretty decent company.

Do you mean orientation or a driving school? U.S. Xpress no longer has their own company school but they no hire out of most truck driving schools. They do offer tution reimbursement up to $5000. When you are out with a trainer w/ U.S.X you will be with him/her for 150 paid hours, which is about $43 a day.You will do all the backing with the truck and most of the driving. Haven't gone through their training yet but their trainers here in Ohio that I have spoke with seem nice and know their stuff.I am going with U.S. Xpress and they do seem to be one of the better companies out there and the starting pay for rookies is good. Hope this helps. If you have anymore questions you can send me a PM or an e-mail.

One other thing, do they teach you in the training school how to drive a stickshift? I have only had 2 cars previously, both automatics, so haven't the slightest idea how to do so. Just finding out if that is covered, or if I need to have someone teach me before I get there.

I Think US Xpress has all autoshifts.

Really? W00t, that is one huge load off of my mind if that is the case.

Yeah the fleet is 100% auto-shift, but you are able to select manuel transmission with the push of a button if you want for pulling up steep grades. The auto shift is good because your left leg is not hurting at the end of the day. :D You will need to learn to drive stick shift to get through truck driving school though.

if you can get on with millis transfer try that there a good company great equiptment

US express training school
 

Like I said in my msg to you, P.A.M. runs a school out of Ft Wayne, IN, I know someone who did attended it. He informs me that their trucks are all auto. You may want to go to their site.


www.pamtransport.com/index.html

Best of Luck

Drive Safely Everyone :D

if you take your cdl test in an auto-shift thy will put auto-only on your cdl and the only way you can drive a stick is to retest in a stick

Ok so is that something that is covered in most driving schools, or is it something you are expected to come to the place knowing how to do? I just need to know if they will teach me to drive stick there, or if I need to learn it beforehand.

You will learn in school. :D

Perfect! Thanks for all the continuing answers guys!

Just wanted to post a couple of extra things to consider: If you have a lot of difficulty with getting the hang of driving or have trouble getting a CDL what happens with your school? Do they wash you out or spend a little extra time with you? Is there a lot of pressure from the instructors? Do they yell and scream if you execute a maneuver improperly? If you wash out, how much do you owe? There was a guy in my class who had quite Schneider school after 9 days and he had to repay them "a lot" he told me. He quit because he couldn't take the instructors yelling and decided he wasn't cut out for driving... Later he passed his test and is now working.

I took the accelerated class at my school, and looking back, I think I would have gone for the standard class even though it cost an extra $800. I thought this truck driving thing was a snap, and have never had any problems driving cars, gas trucks or motor homes. School turned out to be more difficult than I thought and that extra week of practice/training would've been nice.

I do think anyone can learn to drive a t/t, as long as they have the motor skills to drive a car. It just takes time getting adjusted to the larger size, turning radius and comfort level in traffic.

I can't speak for all schools, but the one I went through - Roadmaster @ West Memphis, AR - they will bend over backwards to help you learn! In fact, they say that the only way a student will leave without a CDL is if he/she quits on their own!

I went to Sage Tech in Muncie, IN. There was a guy in my class that had never driven a stick before. He was worried about shifting at first, but the instructor told him that it's actually easier to teach someone thats never driven a stick in a car.
He did ok and went on to get his CDL.

good luck

Well it turns out that I "misheard" and the company that actually would be considering hiring me would be "USA Trucking". Which is fine too, but now I have to go and make sure that they aren't going to screw me over royally. Fun.

I leave for orientation on Monday. After my training they said that I will be driving there solo regional. Since I am out of Houston that seems to cover the Eastern U.S. Cant wait to get going.

What kind of physical
 

What kind of physical do y'all require? Do I need to be able to Clim into the back of the trailer??