Has anyone gone through any of the Truck Driver Institute schools? I'm thinking of going to the one in Tupelo, MS. I've already talked to the recruiter.

Thanks.

good luck

I briefly checked into their school here in Milton, FL. Here's my take:

When I walked into the office, I thought I'd walked into a Werner recruiting office. Werner posters wallpapered the walls, Werner desk calendars, tables full of Werner propaganda. Oh, by the way, they had applications for two other companies stuffed in a corner :roll:

Tuition was high (either $4000 or $5000, if I remember correctly), but a massive sales pitch assuring me there'd be no out-of-pocket expense thanks to tuition reimbursement. "Just sign this loan agreement..........."

One question I asked was how well keeping logs was covered in the course, as this is one area I want to make sure I'm well-versed in. The reply - "Oh, you don't have to worry about that, 'cause Werner has paperless logs. The computer does it for you......."

Then of course they failed to mention that the course schedule was 157 hours. Having talked to over 20 different companies, I've found that's exactly three hours short of the 160 hour requirement for almost any reputable company. BTW, Werner accepts them. Swift too.

I've since applied to a local Vo-Tech (Bradford-Union Career Center in Starke, FL). Eight weeks of training (320 hours), and tuition is only $1675. They even had $40k in grant money available recently, which could have reduced my cost to $0 if I had been ready to go at the time.

Only you know what's best for you, but in my opinion you could do a lot better. If you don't have the luxury of time for an eight-week school, at least find one that's minimum 160 hours. Hope this helps.....

Rick

You're right about the school. I graduated from the Milton branch in Nov. 06. I didn't sign a loan agreement I went through WIA. They definitely push Werner I didn't take any of the BS offered. I'm going with Maverick. They accept the schools creditials and my shiney new CDL.


If you're unsure if companies will take a schools creditials check with your local WIA office. If the school is on their list, you're good to go.

i went to the branch in sellersburg indiana.
i think its a good school.
they hade over 10 companies that recruited from the school. swift, falcon, transport america, trans-am, roehl, tmc, usa truck, h.o.w, covenant, and a couple more.
they make sure you have a job lined up before you graduate.

every one of those companies offered tuition riembursement. many schools only promote one or two companies, and money is deducted from your pay to cover school costs.
instructers worked for most of those companies.
they also didnt promote a specific company , and informed us of the good and bad points of each company.
lets just say that werner wasnt their favorite pick.
the interest on their loan is high 19%.
tdi isnt top-notch, but its sure helluva lot better than most schools i scouted.
if you want best of the best go to a community college.

Typical CDL mill :roll:

But I got my license

I looked into the school, two different stories from the Milton, Fl. school and the Alabama school, $200.00 down for the Fl. school. Contacted the Alabama school and since I live in Al. they said I would have to come there because I would have to get my lic. in Al.

They want $5995.00, with approved credit or co signer.
I am interested in Driver Solutions training, it is just a better fit for me, Runner123.

See you on the road soon!

I'm in a TDI/CDI Right now.. Idk which one it is..They are both on the schools name lol.. I'm in oxford AL. Schools alright so far.. Getting forced to work for either TMC Swift or Stevens.. I'm still trying to figure out if I can get away with telling them one thing..Then going with another company.