I just graduated from Delta Career Academy in Mt. Sterling, KY. Mt. Sterling is about 30 miles East of Lexington, KY on I-64. As I have NOT attended any other schools take my info for what it is: My Experience.
The school lasts approximately 3 weeks. Classes start each Monday but students seem to start actually any time. Hours are 7-5 M-F and 8-4 weekends. Class sizes are 5-8 persons and you can progress at your own pace.
The first week is filled with physical, drug test, study for CDL permit and taking the permit test. After you get your permit you will be in the Yard going around the test circuit which consists of cones in a gravel lot. The circuit looks like this:
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You will enter the left lane at bottom and pull all the way through till your trailer is clear. You will then back all the way through till the tractor is clear. Pull all the way through again till you are about 100 feet past cones. From this "left" lane you will back into the right lane all the way until your tractor is clear then pull forward to the right and Parallel park in between the cones on the right of the circuit. You will do this again and again day after day. It takes about 10 minutes but you then have to wait up to 60 minutes for your turn again.
After you have mastered the yard you will start going out on the road where you will drive on the interstate and two lane back roads practicing turns, up/down shifting, emergency stops, situation awareness, space management, etc. You will be with two other students and an instructor and will drive for about an hour before you swap with another student. Each time you swap you will go over the In-Cab procedures on checking gages, brakes and air pressures.
You will also go over Pre-Trip inspection for days on end before you go take your CDL test. Like most schools Delta concentrates on teaching you to pass the CDL test and that is it. The instructors are good helpful. However, you may have to ask a bunch of questions to get some data from them.
Only complaints are the lunch, covered by tuition costs, consists of burgers one day and pizza the next over and over! ugh! The other complaint is the lodging, again covered by tuition, is at the Budget Inn. This place is the last resort as most other hotels kicked the school out for rowdy students. The Budget Inn, more commonly known as the Roach Motel is just above camping in the army. If you stay there do not leave valuables in your room as they can "disappear".
Overall the school is OK and if you live in the area it is a good choice for CDL training.
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