ONTRA CDL Driver Training, Ronkonkoma, NY

ONTRA CDL Driver Training, Ronkonkoma, NY


Pros: Experienced real world truck drivers teaching CDL Class A students.


Cons: Limited equipment and instructor availability. No learner’s permit preparation.


I choose this CDL School after doing much research into CDL schools on Long Island, NY. I am a 50 year old male who is making a career change from a 30+ year career in information technology and have practical teaching experience on technical and safety topics. So I understand how hard it is to teach commercial driver training in a safe environment.


The training equipment is good. The tractor is a 1999 Freightliner with a 10-speed transmission with a 53 foot 1996 trailer (no ABS brakes on the trailer). There is no classroom for permit training. You are expected to obtain the CDL A learner permit on your own. If you read the NY CDL manual available from DMV you should have no problem passing the tests. The minimum you need for a CDL A learner’s permit are the general, combination and air brakes written tests.

There is also no “office” to speak of for this school. There is an office in Patchogue but students never go there. You meet your instructor at a vacant lot off of Portion Road (between Beech & Elm Streets) in Ronkonkoma. I believe they may have relocated to another vacant lot near the Long Island Expressway since I have seen the trailer parked there on recent trips out to Eastern Long Island.


The two main CDL instructors have full time jobs with local gasoline tanker companies and bring a wealth of information to the student. One plus is that the first lessons of the day are not totally rigid to time. If you and the instructor show up early the lesson starts early and ends at the designated time so not to short change the student after you on time. One minor problem is instructor availability. In the summer months, Steve, one of the owners of the school is mainly devoted to the sister motorcycle school. Dave the other owner of the school handles most of the CDL instruction with another instructor also named Dave as the alternate instructor. Lessons need to be scheduled around the two Dave’s work schedules and with the summer driving season and increased gasoline tanker deliveries the instructors work overtime at their tanker jobs thus limiting your lesson choices. Most of my lessons were at 8AM on Saturdays with Dave, the owner, with a couple of mid-morning lessons with the other Dave. This is a relatively new school (about 1 year of operation) so they are between the “doing it part-time” and having a full time dedicated instructors for the school. Additionally, also only having one truck limits the amount of training slots available to students.


First practice session is usually in one of the local multiplex theater parking lots near the lot and latter lessons on the various roads around Ronkonkoma, NY and the surrounding towns. You do get a varied exposure to different driving scenarios. The instructors also keep upping the challenges for the student with tight corners to maneuver around and other road hazards one may encounter.


I purchased the 16 hour package that consisted of eight 2-hour lessons. I got off to a slow start because I hadn’t driven a stick shift in over 30 years and the trucks have double clutches. I wound up learning to power shift instead.
The downside of my training was that I felt intimidated by the “owner” Dave during road lessons. It may have just been me but I did have several conversations about the intimidation factor. When driving with the “other Dave” lessons felt like a Sunday drive. Unfortunately, the next lesson would be enduring “owner Dave” un-teaching me the methods the “other Dave” had taught me from the lesson prior.


In the end, I wound up switching schools and going with a “so-called CDL Mill” in Brooklyn, NY (Ferrari/D. Pinto) to finish up my road test preparations and eventually obtaining my CDL Class A with a 40 foot trailer and a Mack 6 speed tractor. I felt continuing with ONTRA was counterproductive though I had learned a lot. Driving the congested streets of East New York, Brooklyn, NY was less stressful than any of my lessons with ONTRA. My “CDL Mill” instructor did much to alleviate any fears and hesitations I had while operating a truck. I felt so comfortable driving that not even driving my truck into a drug deal “gone wrong” on the streets by the Glenwood houses un-nerved me.

As a final grade I would give ONTRA a "B".

 

Just started my job search. I passed my CDL road test yesterday. Right now I am studying for my HazMat endorsement.

 

Thank you for considering me.

 

It was the first school I did check out. I used to work down the block from their campus but with $6,800 in tuition and two months of dedicated time, the cost and time factors did not work for me. I was able to study on my own and pass the general knowledge, combination vehicle, air brakes, tanker, doubles & triples written tests on my own. I wasn't thrilled with sharing the cab with 3 other students. I preferred a one-on-one approach.

Additionally, since many drivers here don't like to drive in NYC I figured if I learned on the streets of NYC (Brooklyn) I could then handle driving anywhere.