Advanced Technology Institute (ATI), Virginia Beach, VA.....just Graduated!!!

I have read reviews of trucking schools and found it helpful so I wanted to write about my experience to help others. I am an over 40 female who worked in call centers and waitressing but always wanted to drive a truck.

I decided a few months ago to take the opportunity to go to truck driving school. I checked out the schools in the area and found ATI to be the best choice. They had the best trucks, most experienced instructors, and an open door policy. My recruiter said I could stop by the school anytime before I even signed up and I did. I also took into account reviews I had read and spoke to truckers in the area.

I could have gone to company-sponsored training or shorter courses, but I know how I learn. It takes some time to sink in and with the experience all the instructors had to share, there was lots of extra tidbits and valuable stories. All the instructors have at least 10 years of experience and are happy to share their insights. This was an excellent choice for me.

The course is 8 weeks long. The first 4 weeks is classroom with cdl manual, trip planning, hazmat and logging. The 5th week is spent on the range pad, backing. I was in a class of 11 students and there were 4-5 instructors there all week. The 6th thru 8th week was spent on the road,.....yes, the roads of Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, both tunnels (Hampton Roads Bridge Tunnel and Monitor Merrimac Tunnel), Suffolk etc. I even crossed the scales on Route 460. Wow!!

I do want to thank you for the High Road Course. It broke down the CDL manual very well. I even got my cdl permit before class started. You don't have to do this, but it can put you ahead. I shared the website with my fellow students in class also and they said it helped them study for the cdl permit test. There are great tools here.

The week of backing on the range was great. I was scared at first, but for those few seconds where I am just going straight ahead to line up for backing, and I don't need to worry about the clutch or shifting, I could already feel the freedom of the open road. The instructors would tell me to keep that feeling and hang onto it if I get frustrated....and I got frustrated. But each instructor was supportive, gave constructive criticism, and I was able to take a little tidbit of advice from each of them to work out what I needed to know to get those wheels passing within 3 feet of those cones.

The instructors also took that 5th week to gauge which students would work well together and with which instructors. We were broken up in 3 groups, 1 instructor for up to 4 students and spent all day on the road. We traded off trucks every few days so we could get used to each one. They were the same model, but the clutch and transmission were a little different in each.

All in all, it was a lot of hard work and very rewarding. My group bonded quickly when we got on the road. It didn't take long to realize we really have each other's lives in our hands. I took the DMV test yesterday and passed just fine.

This all sounds so positive but it was a great experience and I am very happy with my choice. My next step is to pick a trucking company, but that's for another forum...

Thanks Again,

LittleFeet Trucker

I looked into to ATI. They seem really expensive. How are they for job placement?

The first day of class, we met the job placement lady. She is always talking to companies and you can speak to her anytime. She actually is in the office right at school every Monday all day. She spoke to us one on one in our last week. That's when she kicks into high gear, and really works with what we are looking for and helps us find it. She is very honest in admitting that most new jobs are going to be over the road , but there are some regional and even the occasional local position that she may be able to find. Just talk to her one on one from the beginning; she is a great tool.

I forgot to mention in my post that we also had at least 5 major trucking companies recruiters visit in the first few weeks of class. A few alumni also came by with their trucks and their stories.

As far as cost, they are expensive, but they are also the best in the area, in my opinion. I found out during school that another school I was considering just hands out a paper for the pretrip inspection and tells you to study it. At ATI, we actually DID the pretrip inspection the second 4 weeks of school every day twice a day. On DMV test day, I scored 101 out of 105 and completed it in 25 minutes. Other schools' students have taken over an hour because they never did the pretrip. I also have heard some students of other schools say they only drove 15 minutes during the whole schooling. I drove 15 minutes the first day and drove more every single day until I was up to almost 2 hours by the last week.

They do have financing options and are very military friendly if you are eligible for the GI bill; there are also programs through unemployment agencies if you have been unemployed. Most major companies also have tuition reimbursement so you could be getting money to help pay for a student loan. Call the ATI recruiter and she may have more information to help you out. Good luck.

Hey that was a great review LittleFeet Trucker! Thanks for that!

I'm also a student at ATI, in the class behind Littlefeet. ATI is good. Tonight finishes week 1 of Phase 2 for us, 3 weeks to go. Just to let you know, I was hired by week 3 of Phase 1 by a company and given a date to report already. Employment is not a problem if your DMV Record is clean and you don't have other "issues" to deal with.

Pushing on....

I just finished my training with ATI and received my CDL today. Woohoo! The training is great! Every instructor has a boat load of experience, and I found the personal experiences by the instructors to be quite educational as well. The school is accredited by Virginia, DMV and DOT. The student to instructor ratio is 4 to 1. The instructors encourage feedback and are willing to stay after class or even work extra hours to give you the driving time needed to help you feel comfortable in the driver's seat. If you follow their instructions YOU will pass your CDL drivers test. :-)