My experience at C1 Training in Ft. Wayne, IN

I just graduated from the C1 Truck Driver Training Center in Fort Wayne, IN. I wanted to share my experience with all of the other aspiring drivers who don't know what to expect from their training. I was there for a company sponsored training program through Driver Solutions. The carrier paying for my training was USA Truck. I am from the Detroit area, therefore I needed lodging. Don't expect a 5 star hotel, the place I stayed was a dump. It was an old run down motel complete with wandering prostitutes and drug dealers. Several people I was there with requested new rooms due to insect infestations. The sheets are changed Tuesdays and Fridays, or so they say. The rooms are not cleaned unless you complain. Also, you are required to have a room mate at all times. You will probably be moved 3 or 4 times while you are there. But hey, at least they have cable tv.
Week 1 - Classroom
Your first day at school is a long one. You have to be there from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. From 7 until noon is physicals, drug screens, and paperwork. Then you will be in class from noon until 8 p.m. That will be your schedule the rest of the week also. The first week is all classroom. If you are a fairly intelligent person, you will notice that there are several people in your class who are a little slow, to put in kindly. In my class, I had 4 or 5 people who failed their drug test. This was amazing to me. Why would you drive all the way out of state to go to a school that tells you in advance they will drug test you if you are a drug user? Not to mention, why would you be so stupid that you would think using drugs is okay for a professional driver behind the wheel of an 80,000 pound vehicle? Crazy. My class lost another 4 or 5 people for other reasons. (couldn't pass state tests to get their CDL permit, couldn't pass school's open book tests!, had unpaid tickets in other states!) The classroom portion of the training was interesting at times, but mostly boring. The instructor has to proceed slowly so everyone can understand the material. This was brutally mind numbing at times. On the first Friday, you will go out to the range at the end of the day so the instructor can walk you through the pre-trip inspection. Don't expect to get out before 10 or 10:30 p.m. Then, if you have passed all your state tests (CDL general knowledge, air brakes, combination vehicles) you can go home for the weekend.
Week 2 - Range/Road
The second week schedule is 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. You will also go back to the range at night for an hour or so to practice pre-trip inspections and 4 point brake checks. On the first day, you will go on the road with an instructor and another student for about 30-45 minutes of road driving per student. You will receive virtually no instruction before you drive the first time. It's kind of like learning to swim by being thrown into the deep end of the pool. The instructors refer to this day as "Hamburger Monday" because of all the gear grinding. You will also learn the 3 backing maneuvers required to pass the state CDL test. These are "straight line back", "offset back", and "parallel park". Count on being really bad at everything the first day. The rest of the week is the same. Each day you will drive for about 45 minutes and spend the rest of the day waiting your turn to practice backing maneuvers. I suggest bringing a folding chair, you will be sitting around a lot. Also, dress for the weather. besides your 2 - 15 minute breaks and your 1 hour lunch, you are required to be outside all day with no shelter. Bring a rain poncho and warm clothing or you will be sorry. On thursday and friday, you will complete the school's tests. They will not let you do your state test until you pass the school tests. Saturday you will have a half day class to teach you how to couple/uncouple a trailer, and do a 45 degree alley dock. This will be from 7 to 11 or from 12 to 4. Then you can go home if you want.
Week 3 - Practice/State Test
The schedule for this week is the same as week 2. You will be practicing your range maneuvers and road driving skills while waiting to go over the fence and test for the state. I passed my state test on monday. If you do also, you will still have to stay there until tuesday because the Indiana Bureau of Motor Vehicles License Branch is not open on mondays. After you get your "hard copy" CDL license, you can complete your paperwork at the school office. Then you go home for a few days before being picked up by your OTR trainer. A couple things to keep in mind about this training: This is a CDL mill, not a CDL training center. They will not tell you that, but it is true. Their goal is not to make you a safe, professional truck driver. Their goal is to get you to pass a state CDL range/road test. The state test range is separated from the school's range by a fence with a gate. The state examiner will take you on the road in a truck with the school's logo on it. he will be wearing a hat and jacket with the school's logo on them. Get it? The school pumps out CDL drivers, that's it. When you graduate, you will not be a good truck driver. But you will be legally able to drive a truck. It is then the OTR trainer's job to teach you how to be a truck driver.

Overall, the experience wasn't terrible. I have my CDL-A now and I am confident that I can drive a tractor/trailer anywhere you want it to go safely. However, I am not a good driver and I won't be anytime soon. But you have to start somewhere. If you are like me, and you cannot afford to pay for a high quality CDL training school, the the Driver Solutions program is not a bad option. I am currently waiting for my OTR trainer to pick me up, so I will update again when I get back. In the meantime, feel free to respond or ask me any questions. I will be home until Tuesday, October 23.

 

I'm assuming you mean that you have never driven a manual transmission car before. This is not a problem. I have driven manual transmission cars all my life and to be honest with you, I don't think it helped. First of all, the shift pattern is different from a car's pattern, so I had to break old habits there. also, they teach you double clutching which is tricky if you are used to clutching normally. Then, since the transmissions are non synchronized, downshifting is different too. Basically, it might take you an extra 15 minutes to understand the basics of shifting a transmission. This won't really hold you back though. From what I hear, in another 5 years the whole industry will be auto-shift anyway. Keep in mind, you don't have to be good at shifting when you are done, you just have to be able to do it.