Comparing Truck Schools Is Easy If You Know How!
Staff and instructors of truck schools should be committed to guiding students in the right direction to get their trucking careers on the move. They should make sure that students understand, and are satisfied with the institution‘s history, policies, academics, facilities, housing arrangements, training curriculum, financing and job placement policy before they sign any contracts. Students should be encouraged to ask questions. Truck schools should be able to provide documentation of any claims made in regard to financing and their job placement policy. Administration and management should satisfactorily answer concerned questions candidates may have, and satisfactorily resolve problems or conflicts that may arise. A pleasant recruiter/student relationship should be encouraged. Truck schools look for serious candidates who have a strong desire to succeed in the transport industry, and determination to excel in their training program. Even though prior knowledge or experience in truck driving is not required, they expect candidates to meet a set of minimum qualifications to be considered for enrollment. Generally these are: • Candidates are required to be at least 18 years old at the time of graduation for local or intrastate driving, or 21 years old for over-the-road or interstate driving. • Generally they must have a high school diploma, a GED, or be judged able to benefit from the program through an interview and written test. • Know the English language according to Department of Transportation standards. • Prospective trainees must be able to pass a DOT physical examination, and a mandatory drug screen. • Quite often a background check will be made for the purposes of job placement requirements. • Students must have a valid driver’s license, usually for at least one year. • A clean driving record will be required, with no DUI convictions within the past three years.
Admission requirements will vary from school to school except for the DOT mandatory requirements. Reputable truck schools will not enroll students if they are not employable. If not living locally, they will be required to transfer their driver’s license over to the state in which the school operates. Enrollees will be expected to pay for that expense. If housing is provided, students are expected to pay for their own meals. They are also expected to provide their own transportation when traveling outside of the school’s facilities. Truck driving schools committed to meeting the needs of future truck drivers naturally expect commitment from their students as well. Once enrolled, they are expected to satisfactorily complete all classroom assignments, homework, tests and hours of training, and act in a professional manner, and maintain that demeanor among staff and their peers throughout the entire training process. Students are expected to respect truck schools property, and abide by the relevant policies, rules and regulations. They are expected to abide by the school’s safety rules and policies, and contribute to the safety of the school, its environment, staff, other students, vehicles and classroom equipment. The main purpose of truck schools is to provide students with the necessary amount of training and instruction that will make it possible for them to pass their CDL test, and be job ready by the time they graduate. Truck driving is a serious occupation, and short cuts in training should be unacceptable. As recommended by the Professional Truck Drivers Institute, trainees should receive and complete at least 148 hours of training of which 104 hours are class time, and 44 hours are driving time. The first two weeks of training begins with classroom training that includes: - General knowledge - All endorsements - Combinations - Logs / hours of service - Pre-trip - Driver and equipment safety - Brake inspections - Truck and trailer maintenance - Troubleshooting - Repair Attendees of truck schools are given homework and study assignments to ensure they become fully knowledgeable in those areas. Tests are given and graded to measure their ability to familiarize themselves with, and learn the important tasks they must perform as truck drivers. The second two weeks ends with equipment training in late model tractor-trailers. Basic control skills and skills maneuvers include: - Coupling and uncoupling - Straight line backing - Alley docking - Parallel parking All aspects of road training are covered. At the end of this phase, graduates are given the final Department of Motor Vehicle (DMV) equipment test given by an experienced qualified road tester that determines whether they will receive their CDL.
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