To Drivers Who Went To CFI's CDL Program
Topic 22186 | Page 1
I have two questions for Drivers who attended CFI's CDL programs. If I understand correctly, CFI sends students to either one of two schools - Crowder College and Truck Dynasty. 1. What determines which one you go to, and 2. Is there a difference, that you are aware of, in their curriculum/instruction?
Don't get too hung up on this sort of thing. schools are just to get your license. training one on one is when you get all the good stuff. the permit phase is backing and yard maneuvers and some road work to get you good enough to pass the test. Most places will give you extra help to get you pass worthy if you are struggling
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
Don, I am currently at Crowder College through CFI and the training is superb but each person gets out of it what they put into it. Lots of practice and studying the Pretrip inspection. I know that CFI uses both schools because they have a good reputation and train their students to be the best drivers they can be but the learning is an ongoing thing once you get into a truck with your finisher and then your own truck. I believe that Crowder is the first place they put students and then overflow is sent to Truck Dynasty but I am not 100% on that assessment. CFI decides ultimately where they send the students, but the training is the same time frame. As what Rainy had mentioned do not get completely hung up on where you would be sent to but what CFI can offer you when you are finished with school. I can also tell you that our instructors tell us that Missouri has the strictest rules and regulations on what training is required for the CDL test, meaning that more is taught to the students than is required by the CDL requirements. So in my opinion that is good to know so that I am being giving more than necessary so that I can be the safest driver I can when out on the road, you are given the tools needed and then it is up to us to put them to use. I hope this helps.
On another note, when at Crowder you do not need any money for food or housing. Only money needed is for laundry and walmart runs that the school provides via bus on Mondays. If you have a vehicle of your own then you can go whenever you want. All meals are provided at no cost to the student. Weekends too!
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
EPU:
Electric Auxiliary Power Units
Electric APUs have started gaining acceptance. These electric APUs use battery packs instead of the diesel engine on traditional APUs as a source of power. The APU's battery pack is charged when the truck is in motion. When the truck is idle, the stored energy in the battery pack is then used to power an air conditioner, heater, and other devices
Thanks Chuck. Anyone I have "spoken with" in regards to CFI has had great things to say about their training and the company.
They usually fill Crowder first. At Truck Dynasty they pay you $15/day for food. At Crowder, they feed you. At Crowder, they do some kind of driving test for CFI. So, Cowder students don't do the road driving test at orientation. At Truck Dynasty you stay in a hotel at Crowder you stay in on campus housing. Other than that they both teach you to pass the DOT tests to get your CDL.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
I appreciate hearing about the differences between the two schools.
They usually fill Crowder first. At Truck Dynasty they pay you $15/day for food. At Crowder, they feed you. At Crowder, they do some kind of driving test for CFI. So, Cowder students don't do the road driving test at orientation. At Truck Dynasty you stay in a hotel at Crowder you stay in on campus housing. Other than that they both teach you to pass the DOT tests to get your CDL.
They usually fill Crowder first. At Truck Dynasty they pay you $15/day for food. At Crowder, they feed you. At Crowder, they do some kind of driving test for CFI. So, Cowder students don't do the road driving test at orientation. At Truck Dynasty you stay in a hotel at Crowder you stay in on campus housing. Other than that they both teach you to pass the DOT tests to get your CDL.
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles:
- Any combination of vehicles with a gross combined weight rating (GCWR) of 26,001 or more pounds, providing the gross vehicle weight rating (GVWR) of the vehicle being towed is in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any single vehicle with a GVWR of 26,001 or more pounds, or any such vehicle towing another not in excess of 10,000 pounds.
- Any vehicle, regardless of size, designed to transport 16 or more persons, including the driver.
- Any vehicle required by federal regulations to be placarded while transporting hazardous materials.
DOT:
Department Of Transportation
A department of the federal executive branch responsible for the national highways and for railroad and airline safety. It also manages Amtrak, the national railroad system, and the Coast Guard.
State and Federal DOT Officers are responsible for commercial vehicle enforcement. "The truck police" you could call them.
Those differences are minor in the whole process. Apply yourself and four short weeks after you start school, you're back in Joplin for orientation. The road test for orientation is basically driving a round the block and don't hit anything. Curbing a tandem won't matter. Showing that you're safe is important. Just don't hit a vehicle, building or sign. lol. Seriously, when I went through orientation, one guy (not a student), took out a stop sign. He was sent home. CFI does not expect you to be perfect, just safe.
Tandem:
Tandem Axles
A set of axles spaced close together, legally defined as more than 40 and less than 96 inches apart by the USDOT. Drivers tend to refer to the tandem axles on their trailer as just "tandems". You might hear a driver say, "I'm 400 pounds overweight on my tandems", referring to his trailer tandems, not his tractor tandems. Tractor tandems are generally just referred to as "drives" which is short for "drive axles".
HOS:
Hours Of Service
HOS refers to the logbook hours of service regulations.OWI:
Operating While Intoxicated
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I have two questions for Drivers who attended CFI's CDL programs. If I understand correctly, CFI sends students to either one of two schools - Crowder College and Truck Dynasty. 1. What determines which one you go to, and 2. Is there a difference, that you are aware of, in their curriculum/instruction?
CDL:
Commercial Driver's License (CDL)
A CDL is required to drive any of the following vehicles: