Comments By Bsrlinmaz

Has anyone had issues with arriving at a customer's location, to pick-up or drop-off, and being told the animal may not be on the property? Has this ever happened to any of you, or do you know of anyone who experienced this? I'm trying to get as much information ahead of time regarding things that may or may-not happen OTR, so I can be at least forewarned.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

If you think your 53-footer is big, little awkward to back into tight spots, etc., put it in perspective by watching this video:

Some of the setups in this video are simply mind boggling to me.

I'm going to say from my experience of rain. Always rain or shine I am wearing slip and oil resistant,water proof,and good tread on soul of boot! Metal is slick! Hurts when you slip😔 I was down a week once......black and blue down one side of butt and hip and leg......and had to get a Titus shot. And is was a sunny day. Metal sweats. Anyway when it rains you want others to see you. So the loudest brightest color and with hood on it helps others to see you ! Safety1st! You are going to get wet! Now I just picked me up some rubber steel toe boots. For when I find my new job. Can't say I will trust them. I may wear them if I know I will wade in mud. Not sure on the slip and slide factor of those yet! Really don't like to play that game.😂😂😂 going shopping with me for my boots is a pain. I want so much and they never have my size.😔 5-51/2 in men's or 7 1/2 for women's . And they short change the women boots. Not enough thread on the soul and oil and slip resistant and water proof and steel toe. Is a lot to ask in my size. Which is sad cause I choice safety over pretty any day ! Just venting .....that is what I have been told at the boot store. There is a steel toe and they are pretty. That's the way women's work books comes. Really ...... it's under the pants leg you want see it. And I should have all the same thing that a men's work book offers for safety.😠

Have you tried a RedWing store...have not used them for about 10-plus years, but back then they had quality footwear, men & women.

One more thing. Have you considered Company-Sponsored Training? That is a great way to get your new career underway without putting out hardly any money yourself. If you are not familiar with this then follow that link to a really great way to save some money and still accomplish your goal. A lot of the drivers here in this forum took that path, it is a great way to get started.

I originally started my research into the schools and carriers on "another forum", and based on what I was seeing posted there, I was sure all the "mega carriers" were out to rip me off, take advantage of me, etc., etc. -- but now I am getting information from other points of view (I just joined this forum yesterday), and now I'm forced to re-think my initial plan (which was to go the private school path so as not to have to work it off for any particular company). If I go to the private school, I will still have an obligation to repay the student loan, and if i go through company-paid training I have to repay them also...so to the point: Yes, I am seriously considering company training, and am currently getting information regarding KNIGHT, as they have training here in Phoenix.

I have not made a decision yet...have waited 56 years to do this, so a few more days, or a week, looking at options, is not a bad thing...as they say "Hind-sight is 20-20", and I don't want to be mumbling, "...coulda, shoulda..." six to twelve months from now, LOL.

As I mentioned in my other reply, the extra time does seem to be due to them wanting to be able to be accredited so students can get Federal Funding.

I'm 56 years old, and think back to first time doing anything -- first time driving as a kid, first time doing a task at a new job, etc. -- there is always that period of being new at it, when I am self-conscious, nervous, etc., and during which the odds are more mistakes are made, I'm slower, etc. So my thinking is the extra time in the 12-week school would take some of that newness and nervousness out of the equation, because I will have been doing it for eight more weeks, and help me stay out of situations where I might get terminated for a rookie mistake.

I am going back to the AIT offices tomorrow, Monday, to speak face-to-face, and want to ask them more questions about the training times, days-per-week, etc. I was under the impression that the 12 weeks at AIT would be full-time, (Monday thru Friday, 40-hours per week), but perhaps I misunderstood. If the 12 week time frame is because I would be going less than full-time everyday, every week, then the four week course does seem the way to go.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Am I overlooking something, or looking at this from the wrong perspective?

Okay, I think maybe I can help you out on this one. Not knowing all the particulars I might be a little bit off, but here's how this typically breaks down.

Usually when you come across a three month course it will be offered through a Junior College or Technical institute of some sort. The reason for the length is that they need it to take up an entire semester so that they can receive funding and accreditation for their course. When you attend a four week private truck driving school you will attend Monday - Friday all day every day of the work week for four weeks straight. A working person simply cannot do that without losing their job.

Those semester long courses are usually offered at a convenient time of the day for a working person to attend. They will only be a few hours each day. There are pros and cons to each one, but generally the semester long course covers more than the private four week courses. Here's the catch though. Either way a person goes, the main objective of the course is to get the student a commercial drivers license so they can go get a truck driving job. Most of the real training one receives is during their time with a trainer at their first job, and the time they spend during their first year running solo.

So, as long as you get a certificate indicating that you've had 160 hours training you will be good to go and should have no problems finding employment. If you are unemployed the shorter course will put you in the work force quicker. If you have a job and need to keep it while getting ready for your new career, the longer course may work better for you.

Thank you for your reply/advice...I type extremely slow, and typed my other reply while you were posting yours.

Thank you again for your information.

Can anyone offer advice about this, even if you've not actually attended AIT's school (having a hard time finding anyone who has)? I'm able to get a student loan for the AIT school...but for the other, they are not accredited properly, so I'm not able to get a Federal Student Loan.

But the money is not the primary issue...I'm just trying to make a decision as to whether the additional eight weeks is really worth it...looking for thoughts/opinions in that regard...would the extra eight weeks of training and driving make the transition into real-world driving less stressful, and really help reduce the odds of me messing up during my first 6 months, or is the difference from "school driving/training" to real-world driving going to be hard no matter what? And most carriers are going to put me through their orientation and then driving with their trainer/mentor driver anyway.

On one hand I think I would be into the real world driving quicker, and thus making money sooner, with the 4-week course...but on the other hand I look at the extra time in the longer school as better preparing me, and so in the long run might be better because I would (hopefully) be reducing the odds of my messing up during my first 6-12 months on the road...so I'm sitting here on the fence, stuck, and literally frozen.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

I'm still in the process of selecting/starting CDL school, here in Phoenix, Az area...but have a question for others who've already been on the road for a bit, with their pet. What issues, problems, experiences have you encountered that you would share with others who are considering taking their pet with them OTR?

My dog is small, less than 20#; and I also know that pet policies vary from one carrier to another.

Thank you for your time and assistance.

Can someone with firsthand knowledge explain to me what the primary differences are between the American Institute of Trucking 3 month course, (in Phoenix AZ) and most of the 160-hour, 1 month courses? AIT's 3 month course costs approx. $7200, while down the road are a cpl of other private CDL schools, which are approx. half the cost, and done in approx. 4 weeks. I spoke face-to-face with the recruiter at Phoenix Institute of Trucking, and their course sounds to be about par with what most of the 160-hour courses are offering:

WK 1 - Classroom, learning to pass the permit tests, and getting the permit/endorsements/physical/drug test, etc.

WK 2 thru 4 - Learning to pass the CDL tests, both written and driving, with combination of classroom work, drive range, and driving on local streets/roads.

The Phoenix Institute of Trucking course (4-week, 160 hrs) is approx. $4000 vs the $7200 (approx.) price at AIT.

So how much more involved is the AIT course, that it is three times longer? Both courses involve going full-time, five days per week. I am hoping to get information from people who have actually taken the AIT course, regardless of whether you passed or failed, so that I may compare what students have to say against what the recruiters have to say?

I've been researching a lot of schools and companies, and it seems that for the majority, when I graduate from a private CDL school the company will then put me in their own orientation program, of an average of a week. Then after passing that, I would then be paired with a driver trainer/mentor, and have to drive with that person as a trainee, for a time which varies from company to company.

If that is the norm...what do I really gain by attending the course which is three times longer, and costs a LOT more? Granted, I would probably have more time behind the wheel, and more time studying PTI, more time spent backing, etc. -- but it looks like no matter how much time I spend doing that in the school, the majority of the trucking companies that will hire a newly graduated CDL holder with no experience are going to require me to go through their orientation, and their on-road training/mentoring program.

I guess what I'm really trying to decide is whether the addition 8 weeks of training are going to make me that much more safe as a new driver, and more desirable as a new-hire to trucking companies...I understand that the failure rate during the first year is extremely high...new driver's make mistakes, due to inexperience, and can get terminated because of those mistakes, and the record follows them. So the additional 8 weeks spent in the school would possibly better prepare me to lessen the odds of that happening to me?

But eight additional weeks, that I am paying for, seems like a lot of money and time. I am going to go to one or the other of these schools...hopefully within the next few weeks, and just need more feedback from others who have experienced them first hand, before I make the final decision and spend a bunch of money. $4000 versus $7200 is a big difference, and I'd read somewhere that when comparing schools in the same area if there is a big difference in prices, one should try to find out why.

Am I overlooking something, or looking at this from the wrong perspective? Any and all feedback, advice, etc., would be GREATLY appreciated. Thank you for your time and assistance.

Stay safe out there.

Any updates since the bus ride back, or did I miss a link to another thread where you continued your updates?