Profile For Philip N.

Did you test there and get your CDL?

Went through the Roadmasters school in Orlando.

First couple of days you work on your permit. Then, you learn operation basics, then you start backing.

Schoolwork was typically in the morning, driving in the afternoon.

Instructors are friendly enough.

Trucks are worn out.

Two weeks in, recruiters come by to pitch.

Was about five weeks.

Anyone have anything to say about Roadmaster's training program?

Anyone have anything to say about Roadmaster's training program?

I have completed just about 50% of the course and find it very helpful.

I have started reviewing the High Road CDL and have found it very helpful. I am only around 13% but I find that it is very helpful so far. I am not sure what I have I can sell, but I should figure something out as this is something I really want to do. Even if I fail, at least I tried.

Here's a tip that will greatly help you prepare for the permit tests. You said...

I have been studying the manual and trying to gear my self up for the change as it is huge.

I would ditch that plan and go with studying the High Road CDL Training Program. That will make a huge difference in your ability to grasp and retain all the information you need to know. It will give you a tremendous headstart over the other students and will likely get you connected with your first trainer much quicker.

Thank you for all that. Congrats on your CDL. Schneider will not be moving forward with my hiring because I made a really stupid, totally ignorant comment to a classmate. It was a bad joke and she did not think it was funny. Sucks because I don't really want to drive for anyone else. Totally lost my fire for the career, but I am still looking for another paid CDL program. I went to All-State Careers in Lester, PA (next to the Phila airport). They use a dirt lot and tuition for the 6 month course is $10,000. It's 4 days a week, half-days. I won't ne doing that.

Keep us posted on the Schneider career. I'm envious.

Dude. I absolutely feel for you. I was at Trainco may and June and had the exact same experience. I don't think some of these guys realize that in order to go slow enough you need to hold the clutch in and ease it in and out to control your speed. I was close to giving up myself. If you look up my posts from that time I was very discouraged. I failed my CDL test at Trainco on the alley dock, simply because I couldn't do the repetitions I needed to master it. Came back the next week-failed on the exact same thing. I went home to NJ and didn't know what to do. Luckily for me, the local CDL school had a Schneider's rep they dealt with who was able to get me 4(turned out more like 8) and the road test paid for by Schneider. This is on top of the Trainco school they already paid for. I went through it and had to redo all the sections of the test here in NJ. I passed my maneuvers this time, but this time I hit a curb and failed. 😂 It was just a simple mistake, but I was really discouraged and almost gave up again! This time I exhausted my resources, but I came up with the $500 I needed to get my test. I passed this time and right now I'm laying in bed in Carlisle, PA after my first day at Schneider orientation. 😁 You can do it too! Don't give up. Look for a local school and see if they have a Schneider rep there that can get you covered for a little help. If you are anywhere near southern NJ, I'd really recommend Mike's CDL school in Clayton. Their range trucks (except 1) have hydraulic clutches so it won't kill your knee. I don't think they have any automatic trucks though so consider that as well. Best of luck to you.

Congratulations!

And...I PASSED! 😁 First thing I did was stop at the DMV and I picked up my CDL. I'm estatic! I called Schneider today and they're scheduling me for orientation. Thanks for all the help and support from all of you. It's been a tough road, but I got one of the brass rings.

Thank you for all your feed back. I totally agree the bad attitude has got to go. I was so excited and positive at Trainco. I'd struggle but keep on trying. I think I was afraid I would fail the test and end up paying for the school. There was almost no chance that, on the very last day in the last few hours that I was going to get parallel parking and alley docking down well enough to pass. I hadn't even learned alley docking at the point. Prime is not .12cpm or $700.

Is that training pay??? Primes in team training is 14cpm or $700 whichever is greater.

and to answer your question... many people in the south can live on that, or certain areas of the country. they have a national fleet who does. especially if you live on the truck. Many CRE drivers are second chancers with background issues who were given a chance other companies wouldn't offer. They appreciate the investment, despite the fact that they are an insurance high risk.

However, i seriously think you need to do some deep thinking. Get rid of all the negativity. the " i cant drive a manual, i need an automatic, i cant back.. i had to leave the one school and now im going to bash a company that others enjoy after one email" crappy attitude.

if a company is not for you, then move on to researching another. But please, the bad attitude has to go.

I was just feeling ****ed off about a comment. I do appreciate all the feedback I get here. Thanks!

"No replies needed."

Posted on a discussion forum....

Hmmm...

'Red rag to a bull' methinks...

Why do you post questions on a forum if you don't want answers? Or ask for advice if you're not willing to consider said advice once it is given?

Sorry...couldn't resist! lol

Each driver is doing 3000/week, 6000 total? That's half of $960 or $480.

That's $960/2 or $480 a week for 70 hours of driving a week. That's $6.85 an hour.

Phillip, can you live on $960 dollars per week?

If you and your co-driver are getting it done like you should, that's what your gross pay would be. If a team runs 6,000 miles a week at that rate, each driver makes $960 dollars.

Now the question becomes, "Can I get out there and be that productive?" You're asking all the wrong questions.

You may need to check your math......

6000 miles x 0.16c per mile = $960.00 not $480.00.

Just sayin' .....

😜lol

USA Truck is now 100% automatics according to a recruiter I spoke with today. CR England is only buying automatics according to one of their recruiters who I spoke to today. Schneider is going automatic and are currently 65-70 percent automatic. SWIFT and many other companies are also buying more automatics. And no, I CAN'T drive a manual because I have arthritis in my knees. All the clutch work, especially in the winter, would be bad for me over time. Besidwes, I've had a hard enough time driving a 5 speed car because I can never seem to find that spot where the clutch engages where you let off the gas. I was always burning rubber, especially on wet roads. The automatic Schneider gave Trainco was sweet. I can handle that just fine.

No replies needed. Thanks!

Is that training pay??? Primes in team training is 14cpm or $700 whichever is greater.

and to answer your question... many people in the south can live on that, or certain areas of the country. they have a national fleet who does. especially if you live on the truck. Many CRE drivers are second chancers with background issues who were given a chance other companies wouldn't offer. They appreciate the investment, despite the fact that they are an insurance high risk.

However, i seriously think you need to do some deep thinking. Get rid of all the negativity. the " i cant drive a manual, i need an automatic, i cant back.. i had to leave the one school and now im going to bash a company that others enjoy after one email" crappy attitude.

if a company is not for you, then move on to researching another. But please, the bad attitude has to go.

Is that training pay??? Primes in team training is 14cpm or $700 whichever is greater.

and to answer your question... many people in the south can live on that, or certain areas of the country. they have a national fleet who does. especially if you live on the truck. Many CRE drivers are second chancers with background issues who were given a chance other companies wouldn't offer. They appreciate the investment, despite the fact that they are an insurance high risk.

However, i seriously think you need to do some deep thinking. Get rid of all the negativity. the " i cant drive a manual, i need an automatic, i cant back.. i had to leave the one school and now im going to bash a company that others enjoy after one email" crappy attitude.

if a company is not for you, then move on to researching another. But please, the bad attitude has to go.

That's $960/2 or $480 a week for 70 hours of driving a week. That's $6.85 an hour.

Phillip, can you live on $960 dollars per week?

If you and your co-driver are getting it done like you should, that's what your gross pay would be. If a team runs 6,000 miles a week at that rate, each driver makes $960 dollars.

Now the question becomes, "Can I get out there and be that productive?" You're asking all the wrong questions.

I received an email from CR England with their pay scale for new drivers who go their school. 32cpm split between 2 drivers and your state's minimum wage for on duty time you're not driving. Who can live on that?

Yes, I completely agree with you which is why I intend to contact different schools today.

Thanks for your very valuable feedback.

Does anyone know of other options, other than going to another school for the full course, for me to learn the backing skills? My friend insists there must be a way.

Who is this friend? What kind of authority on becoming a successful truck driver are they?

Philip, have you ever noticed how often we talk about the Commitment required to get this career started? Now, think about how you are racking your brain to try and figure out some other way to get yourself behind the wheel of a big rig.

I think it's time for you to realize that you need to make a commitment to this and apply to one of the Paid CDL Training Programs. No one will hire you without an official training certificate. That certificate carries more weight than a CDL when you're a newbie just trying to enter the job market as a rookie driver.

You either need to figure out a way to finish what you started at Trainco, or start over at another school. Surely you want to get this started right don't you? It's a pretty serious responsiblity being out here commandeering an 80,000 pound monstrosity on wheels. We are all wanting you to get it right. I hope you feel that same responsibility to play by the rules.

Look, we understand your dilemma. Not everybody learns this stuff at the same pace. When you started this it probably caught you completely off guard that others were advancing quicker than you. That's not a big deal. What is a big deal is that you are now wanting to cut corners with your own solutions based on some random friend's suggestion. That's a bad approach.

Get it settled in your mind that you want to do this right. Taking the proper steps to success is one sure way of assuring you have a chance of achieving your goals. Cutting corners at the onset of your career is a sure fire way to establish yourself as someone who will surely fall short when the going gets tough.

I've posted elsewhere that I went through a two-week training at Trainco in Ohio. I left last Tuesday before making up the time I missed the previous week. I have also posted elsewhere that I walked away because I could parallel park to save my live and I only had a few hours left, never mind moving on to alley docking.

I have inquired with Trainco to see if I can come back and finish. Mike, the owner, said I could when I left. I know I'll need more than the remaining time in my training because I have other things to make up beside the range time.

Does anyone know of other options, other than going to another school for the full course, for me to learn the backing skills? My friend insists there must be a way. All I have found is expensive rentals and a licensed driver would need to make the rental.

Schneider is at least 65% automatic now according to the recruiter i spoke with.

Plus from what i know, most major carriers are switching to a fully automatic fleet. I know Schneider is in the process of it as we speak.

THANK YOU.

If it was normal to you, you probably wouldn't get discouraged. But it's not normal and it wasn't normal for anyone else. Relax a bit and let the clutch go and worry about the trailer. Keep your foot off the accelerator and just watch the trailer.

More importantly don't give up. Learning new things takes time, you sound as if you didn't give it much time.

As for the equipment... It all changes considerably and fairly often so.. relax and learn what you need to do to move that trailer how you want it to move. The rest will be different for years to come.

I did not explain the problem clearly enough. When I let the clutch all the way out the instructors tell me to slow down. The only way to do that is depress the clutch slightly because the clutch engages less than and inch from all the way out. So I would be riding the clutch about 1/2" from fully out and the clutch wanting to pop all the way out. It had my leg shaking pretty bad. So my focus was as much on keeping the right speed, clutch held just right, and the trailer turning. Make sense?

We looked inside the door or somewhere and it said 1995.

20+ year old manuals

This sounds almost like the skill I'm going through right now, we are supposed to be learning on an auto. But we are learning on a manual, I believe the year range of the trucks are 1999/2000, I believe our instructor told us.

Boss, if you drove my truck you'd have some problems too. It's not new.. it's not hydraulic, it doesn't easily move.

You really only need it to move 2-3 inches. And that's the part most have problems with. It's not a car. It only need to go to the floor when starting. And after all is said and done and your almost done with your trainer... your not going to be using it much.

Focus on the trailer. The clutch won't matter much in the end.

We looked inside the door or somewhere and it said 1995.

20+ year old manuals

This sounds almost like the skill I'm going through right now, we are supposed to be learning on an auto. But we are learning on a manual, I believe the year range of the trucks are 1999/2000, I believe our instructor told us.

There is no way I can drive a manual transmission and many large companies are switching over to automatics (Schneider and SWIFT to name two). Does anyone know a school or company sponsored program where students learn on automatics?

I just went to the Trainco CDL, two-week course for automatic transmissions. The program just started in May and I think is mostly sponsored by Schneider. My whole class, whether in the two-week auto or three-week manual trans, were sponsored by Schneider. Their representatives were telling potential automatic transmission students that Trainco uses automatic transmissions. That is only half true. What Schneider reps did not know, until I complained to mine (Ger Wang), is that Trainco only has 20+ year old manuals on the range. They have two really nice 3 year old Volvos with auto trans for road practice and testing given to them by Schneider.

My fellow auto trans classmates did ok on the manuals but all I managed was straight line backing. None of my classmates did great beyond that but they did manage more than the 20% I did on offset and parallel parking. I never made it to alley docking and one classmate only had 90 minutes of alley docking at the very end of the last day (he failed the CDL exam on parallel parking).

I mentioned in another post that I quit this past Tuesday at lunch just short of my certificate. I only had a few hours left and was struggling on parallel parking which I had only been doing for less 3 hours. Alley docking was still ahead. (Trainco said I can come back and finish anytime.) I came home very discouraged and not sure what to do next. I want to drive! I think I'll give it another go if I can find a company/school training on automatics. NOTE: You might say, as instructions and classmates said, Trainco's manuals are just like automatics because you only use first gear and reverse. That may be true but I could not manage with the old, beat to hell clutches. Every truck was different and I spend at least as much time trying to deal with the clutch as I did watching where my trailer was going.

Trainco's automatic transmission program is two weeks long. It's 6 ten hour days a week for two weeks. You test on the Monday after the second Saturday. All of the instructors tried to help me many, many times. I simply wasn't getting the hang of it though all my classmates did, to a greater or lesser degree. The school is in Ohio so during the backing skills test you get: straight line backing one free get out and look and one free pull up before points are deducted (11 passes 12 fails.); two free get out and look and two free pull ups on offset backing and parallel parking OR alley docking. The examiner chooses which of the last two you perform and which side you'll do (driver's side parallel or passanger side, for example).

After trying it and failing to manage offset over more than a week I was feeling sure I would not become just proficient enough to succeed on the test pad, never mind paralell and ally docking. Schneider sponsors most of the students but if you fail the course (too easy to fail) or do not pass your CDL test (first try) you have to pay Schneider for the cost of $3410 (course plus lodging for automatic, more for manual students because they stay and extra 4 days).

OR

Did you ask the instructors for extra help? It takes most people more than two weeks to get the backing maneuvers to pass the test. What did they expect of you for that first test? Why would you not at least try? The CDL test is in three parts, pretrip, backing, and road test. In most states, once you pass a section you don't have to retake it. Also, most states give you three tries per section. That's 9 potential tries. Is the school only 2 weeks long? Did you know that quitting is not the answer?

I left school early today before receiving a certificate. I mean, the certificate certifies that you have completed the skills training. It seemed futile, after 12-15 hours of offset backing practice and some parallel parking practice, that I would complete those skills and alley docking by the end of the day, my last at the school. After two weeks of hour upon hour upon hour of practice...I was only getting offset right maybe 2 in 10 tries and parallel was 1 in 10.

The owner of Trainco said I am welcome to come back any time. (I live outside Philly and it's a 8+ hour drive.) I can also take my test their at the CDL testing facility attached to their property. There's an $85 fee for using the test pad that I would not have paid if I tested Monday with the rest of my classmates.

Some people simply don't have, and may not be able to develop, the skills for handling a truck. I was fine with straight line backing but as soon as the wheels started to turn I couldn't get it: I turned too fast, I turned too slow, I held the turn too long or not long enough, I was going to fast and the cones to signal straightening out flew past my mirror. I understand the steps but somehow it didn't translate into my hands when the trailer started moving. At times I'd get out and look and have to tell myself, "Ok, I want the trailer to go right so I need to turn the wheel left." After two weeks I think I should have at least learned that much without planning it out.

I nearly quit last week but decided that I would give it my best. After another week of miserable misses I was done. I still want to believe I can learn it but I need way more time on the range. At some point Trainco would probably charge me.

A friend said her county tech school might work with me. They're in central PA but I will look into that.

I

Phillip, are you aware of what kind of daily revenue a big rig can produce? I think it's out of the question to go that route - the price will be exorbitant. You need to start a dialogue with the school. Most of them allow some extra time when they can work you into their schedule.