Just wondering about Minnesota transportation for excellence its a trucking school in eagan MN. Anyone heard of them?
I just finished week 1 at TCE. The class is well structured. They want to teach you the basics, then get your permit. In the first week, I got my DOT physical and my CDL permit. We rode in a bobtail on Thursday. Friday, I had a chance to back the truck up to a trailer.
One of the trainers took us for a spin around the neighborhood on Friday afternoon and he pointed out mistakes that some of the profession drivers were doing. One professional trucker was in the left lane on a 4 lande road and decided he wanted to take a right hand turn from a full stop at the intersection! We were approaching in the right lane to make the turn. Our trainer had held back so we were not clipped.
On Monday, I will riding a bobtail around the warehouse districts of Saint Paul and Minneapolis with a trainer. After I am comfortable with the truck, I will start hauling a 48' trailer, then a 53'. The backing techniques will be taught in week 3. And highway driving in the 4th week. The last day of class will be a one hour warm up with the trainer and then a trip to the DMV to take the road test to get the CDL licence. If someone fails, they keep working and try again the following week.