West Michigan C.D.L. Inc.

Correct me if I am wrong, but I think most large companies want you to have at least 160 hours of school training. 2 weeks at 9 hours per day falls way short of that.

 

Don't waste your money on any cdl training less than 120 hours. If you do you will have a hard time getting hired. Some companies may even require you to complete thier in house training school on top of that 2 week program.

Most schools will put 3-4 students in a truck and you will have to take turns driving and backing. So this does not give you very much time actually behind the wheel.

You will have the most employment options if your school is PTDI certified.

 

I graduated from a school in Warren Mi. It was a 4 wk class 8am - 5pm (9hrs per day). (180 total hrs.)Most companies want atleast 160 hrs. As far as getting a job, I would suggest Appling to companies on your own, dont depend on the school to get you anything.With most major carriers you can apply online. The school I attended made alot of promises, and didnt follow thru with none. Also with some of the students that turned applications into the school for companies like Warner, Swift, etc... The school never forward the apps to the perspective companies. Acouple of guys contacted recruiters and was told they havnt received an app. The moral of all this is Find a reputable school, check around, talk to alot of drivers before choosing. Do your homework and dont rush into anything. Also dont take what anybody tells to as the truth. Something I was told is never beleive a recruiter, something I found out on my own is not to trust the training schools advisor, they wont follow thru with any promises. I was told I would be able to get a local position right out of school, they said they had alot of contacts with alot of companies. After i finished training i started with a company i foung on my own, When i wasnt getting no runs i contacted the school to find another job. NOW the wont even return my calls.

 

i'm in my third week at FVTC in Appleton WI. it's PTDI certified, 1000 road miles minimun Behind the wheel. 10 weeks M-F. In state tuition app. $1,700. (pm me for details) . I'm very happy with my decission, but you maybe different. Take all oppinions and choose wisely. BTW, it'll get you 12 college credits should you collect 'em.

 

My husband graduated from west michigan cdl and had no problems getting an over the road driving job. the hard part for him was chosing which company to go with. he did chose werner and has been there eight months. i would like him to be home more often but most companies that offer local driving jobs want at least one year experience first. so any how you shouldn't have any problems finding a decent trucking job.

 

West Michigan C D L looks like a reputable school to me. I see them every day when I deliver in Grandville. That is the school that singled their standard tires as I mentioned in another thread. The rumors are that the tuition is high, but the student to teacher ratio is low. I realize that we cannot judge a school by the condition of their equipment, but West Michigan is tops compared to the schools from Lawton or New Buffalo. Burky probably remembers the West Michigan student who posted here throughout her training.

 

I can't wholeheartedly recommend the people down in New Buffalo because they are active shills for Swift. I am always a little bit leery of a place that is tied in with a specific company, because you never know if they are truly acting in your best interest or that of a third part like Swift. And I don't think I would want to choke myself to death on the dust in their dirt lot.

As for the place in Lawton, years back when I went in to get my CDL testing, we took the truck into there and I took the test. They marked me as failed on the test, claiming that I missed on the walkaround/pretrip part. Okay, I can accept that. But they then offered to show me a video on pre tripping and then retake the test, providing I paid for it again. One, I smelled a scam, in that if you didn;t go through their driving school training, then you were going to have to take the test multiple times at about 100 dollars a shot until they collected enough to allow you to pass. Secondly, a facility that is testing is not allowed to also do teaching in those conditions. Showing that video violated that part of the rules.

That afternoon I called the people up at the Kalamazoo Community College, and they had an examiner come down to a parking lot near me and administer the test. I passed it and the road test with flying colors, doing exactly as I had done the day before.

So I have some serious questions about the folks at both of those places. The school in Grandville, and the one run by the Lansing Comm College at the old Custer AFB near Battle Creek are both top notch outfits and I would cheerfully recommend either of them.

 

WMCDL is an awsome school near grand rapids