Need feedback on this topic:How long do you think Truck Driver Training should be??

that's the problem with the industry today, is they are desperate to hire drivers and get them on the road. as an experienced driver I agree that 4 weeks is no where near enough time to be on your own as a solo driver. I think 8 to 12 weeks or even longer for people who have never drove. No offense to the new drivers but the road is a dangerous place without the newbs out there.

 

The length of training does seem to matter from the results of the training that I have been witness to of late . The quality of the training has more bearing than length.

That is the reason I believe that we have such poor quality of driver today is that all the training in the world is not worth a crap if it is not good training .
Rookies training rookies just makes more rookies in my book .

Did you ever wonder how we did it before all of these so called schools and trainers came around? We learned by doing and watching the old hands and asking for and listening to the advice we were given .

So my advice to you is to go the school and get your CDL because that is what you have to do to get one now . But please do everything you can do to stay away from anyplace that wants you to train with a guy that spent more time in high school than he has been driving for your own benefit .

I will say this one more time you do NOT have to drive for a mega company!!!!

As much as I like high tech we are still run by old school at times get off your butt and knock on doors in person and look at the man doing the hiring if you can It will make a difference believe me I speak from experience .
There are hundreds of thousands of truck drives that have never spent a day OTR or even slept in a truck so don't believe the lie that you have to do OTR for a year!!!!

It will take more work to find a non OTR job right out of school but if you are willing to work and have a little luck and maybe know someone you might just start your last trucking job on your first day .

The main thing you need to know is slow and easy don't let them push you to try to perform beyond your abilities ! There is nothing wrong with taking your time and doing it right the first time . It is faster to be slow and safe than it is to fast and fill out accident reports or sign tickets and pay fines .

In my book it is better to fired for being late than being fired for destruction of property or too many tickets and no CDL !!

Warning these may be the ramblings of an old wore out grouchy trucker so take them for the value that you think they be worth and good luck joining the best worst job on earth !!!

 

If these bottom dweller companies paid drivers good money it would weed out all these homeless people wanting to drive an 18 wheeler..You get what you pay for..As long as they pay people 50.00-90.00 a day,they will continue to run people through the meat grinder...

The real issue that is never talked about much is the Company Slave Camps they have set up for new drivers.They extort these guys/gals to no end to raise there bottom line..Trucking today in the beginning is a ruguge camp on wheels.

 

The longer the course the better I say.These short term classes is nothing more then a crash course and why be in a hurry.Your cdl job will still be there when you graduate.If ppl would just do their homework before attending the first school they find because its closer they could actually find a long term school and pay close to the same price as a short term svhool.I did and my course was approx 2 months.I also think trainers should'nt be a newby to train newbies.All you need is 6 months otr exp to be a trainer.Thats like the blind leading the blind.You should have a solid yr over the road.Short term training does not help the student unless you're advanced before attending the school.Also students needs to ask questions before attending the school and if at all possible go to the school first and ask other students how they like it.Thats what I did.I have never for one second regretted my choice of where I attended trucking school.

 

no one expects you to go out and drive a truck after 4 weeks of schooling
the schools really only teach you to pass your states test for a license
you go get more training with that company you hire on to
if your lucky you get a trainer that shows you what to do

for any of us that drove many years ago it was assumed we had enough common sense to learn our jobs
my uncle handed me a set of keys to an old autocar with a quadbox no power steering and said go load this up
with topsoil and take it here
i says i never drove the loader or this truck
he says by dinner time neither will be true

 

I attended Iowa Central community college (ICCC) in Fort Dodge,Iowa.Herd the course is longer now.Nothing at all wrong with that.

 

I'm currently enrolled in a 4 week course and I can tell you this and the most important key to this is that I realize my comment includes myself.

The 4 week course prepares you to PASS the CDL road test and obtain a CDL license. It does not teach you anything about being a "Truck Driver" it only gets you a CDL. Do I think that makes me a awesome driver? No, It just means I have my license and yeah its scary that there are some companies that would hand me the keys to 80,000lbs and say have at it. Its my own responsibility to move on to a company that will give me quality training on how to be a truck driver, meaning how to be safe out there for myself and everyone around me so if you can't get into some long CDL program I think its up to you to seek out the best training when you are ready to be a company driver.

Most people will ask a recruiter "How fast will I get my own truck and will it a be a 2017?"

I ask "How long it my training and is there a set program of things I will get to do and how often" If I drive 1,500 miles to a security booth and my trainer tells me to move over so he can dock it because hes faster, that's not good training. I should only be removed from the seat if I'm being unsafe and at that point you might as well put me on a bus home.