Still Preparing To Get Into CDL School

As the title states. I'm still working on getting into CDL school. I have already picked out the school I will be attending. The next class starts March 13 and is 4 weeks long at 8 hours per day Monday thru Friday. Day one they start you out behind the wheel in the parking lot and have flatbed, box, reefer , and tankers. Students are required to have their permit before class starts. I have been using the "High Road Training Program" and I love it. I'm only working on the permit sections. Once I take the test and get the permit I plan to go back and work on all of the endorsements. I tried reading the book that my DMV gave me and it was so dry. But the online course here breaks it down I find it hard to stop reading at night.

I'm in the process of closing the family business right now and working on whether I would even pass the DOT hearing test. So for that reason I took a four day break as I got kind of discourage from the fact I may not even be able to get my CDL. I wear hearing aids and have ever since I was three years old. I have a major loss in the high frequency areas and worried I may not meet the 2000mhz DOT requirement. I contacted the DOT physician that the school uses and he told me that they do a forced whisper. I was trying to figure out just how loud or low a force whisper really is and nothing online helped. He wasn't really able to explain it to me himself, but stated that if I fail I could just have my audiologist test me in the DOT parameters. If I pass that he would accept it as a pass. When I called my audiologist he told me that the 500 and 1000 mhz wouldn't be a issue. The 2000mhz however could be a stretch. He told me that he could tweak the hearing aids to try and get me to the 2000mhz parameters. To be honest I'm not too optimistic.

I spent the last week trying to figure out just what is the reason for the 2000 mhz parameters. I can hear the alarms in the cab. I can hear the brake warning tabs on most vehicles. The 2000 mhz frequency is that of smoke detectors, whistle, and such. I know that it is possible to get an exemption. My concern with that is it's not a guarantee. I don't know how long the exemption is good for. Would I have to apply for one every two years when I renew my medical card? Seems like a lot at stake to pay for a CDL class and drive a truck when at anytime I may not be granted a exemption one year. Then I will be where I am now looking for a career path with a wife and 4 kids .

I haven't quite giving up yet though. I mean I know I would enjoy driving a truck and think with experience I would be very good at it. I'm very safety oriented and I currently drive a 14' step van. Not very long but it is top heavy. I also drive fire engines at my fire company and I have been driving both my stepvan and fire engines like they say truckers should drive using the complete lane to their advantage. Such as in turns take them wide and use the outside lines. Go 10 mph less than the ramp speeds. I practice braking distance by keeping an eye on my following distance. I'm really hoping that I pass my audio test this coming Tuesday. If I don't it will be a major bummer.

If I do pass I will register to the CDL school soon as my taxes come back. I was expecting them a week ago. I've looked into working for a company that trains folks to get their CDL, but I just have mix feelings about that. I mean many say they are rushed through the class to get on the road. Many companies pay less for the first year or two under contract. I would be locked into a contract and if I just don't like that company I want to be able to leave. Many of those companies are OTR and I'm looking for more of a regional company. I'm not looking to do flatbed work and be out for weeks at a time. I will look into the different companies once I get my results back from my hearing test on Tuesday. The CDL school I would be attending stated that they would want their students to have pre hire offers by the 2nd week of class. They also have recruiters that come into the school often and meet with potential drivers.

So right now that's my story. I plan to continue with the "High Road Training Program" and see how Tuesday turns out. Be safe out there folks...

What happened to the questions you had about Swift? And running Walmart Dedicated?

Careful who you believe regarding Paid CDL Training Programs. Many success stories in this forum.

Good luck!

Hey Lance,

For starters, definitely continue with the High Road! You'll be all set with the written exams if you'll do that. We have a new version if you'd like to switch. It's completely separate from the old one, so the scores and progress won't translate to the new one. But the new one has updated questions, materials, and a nicer interface. You can find it here:

High Road CDL Training Program 2.0

I've looked into working for a company that trains folks to get their CDL, but I just have mixed feelings about that. I mean many say they are rushed through the class to get on the road. Many companies pay less for the first year or two under contract. I would be locked into a contract and if I just don't like that company I want to be able to leave. Many of those companies are OTR and I'm looking for more of a regional company. I'm not looking to do flatbed work and be out for weeks at a time.

I have quite a few materials here on the website that cover your concerns thoroughly, so I won't try to break it all down here. I'll give you some great stuff you'll want to look into:

• Episode 5: Why Is Truck Driver Training Done In Such A Rush?
• Why I Prefer Paid CDL Training Over Private CDL Training
• Episode 4: Why Stick With Your First Company One Full Year?

Many of those companies are OTR and I'm looking for more of a regional company

Almost all of the Paid CDL Training Programs offer regional options.

Based on your impressions, I can see you're not getting good information about the paid training programs. Keep doing your research.

Here are some important things to consider about paid vs private training:

• Paid training programs invest their time, money, people, and equipment in your success. If you fail, they lose a ton of money and waste umteen resources. Not to mention, you're driving their vehicles. The company sends poor-quality drivers out on the road if you're not trained properly. You can't build a company on a foundation of poorly trained drivers.
• Private schools make money whether you succeed or fail. They have no vested interest in your success. Not only that, but making a profit off of training someone means you must spend as little as possible during training. The most expensive part of training is actually driving the trucks. So private schools will have you drive as little as necessary because it's built into their business model.

Regarding your hearing, the government has really made it much easier to get an exemption for it in recent years. They realize they're excluding perfectly safe drivers with regulations that were a bit too strict. They'll want you to get the exemption, if necessary, just to make sure you're safe to be out there. But from what you're saying, I have a hunch you'll be fine getting past this.

What happened to the questions you had about Swift? And running Walmart Dedicated?

Careful who you believe regarding Paid CDL Training Programs. Many success stories in this forum.

Good luck!

Hey G-Town, I do have some questions about Swift. However, I didn't want to waste your time until I knew I was good with the DOT physical. Once I'm good with that I will most definitely reach out to you.

Brett, thank you for the response. I've read a few links you posted before and I did not know about the updated training program. I will certainly check it out. Thanks again.

Hey Brett, is there a reason the Online Training 2.0 gives the answers to the quizzes?

Hey Brett, is there a reason the Online Training 2.0 gives the answers to the quizzes?

Oh yeah! I forgot to eliminate that. I was doing that for testing purposes. I'll eliminate that now.

Thank you Brett. Where can I find the 2.0 version of the Online training? I've been having to click on your link to get to it.

Whenever you’re ready Lance… I’ll be here.

Thank you Brett. Where can I find the 2.0 version of the Online training? I've been having to click on your link to get to it.

I haven't put the link in the menus yet because I wanted to get some people using it before I released it across the website. I'm gonna bump the thread to get a few more people using it, then I'll add the link to the main menu.

Passed my hearing test today per dot regulations. So I'll be getting back into it.