What Are The Things That I Should Know About Before Enrolling In A CDL Training School?
Choosing the right school to enroll in for your CDL Training will make a big impact on your career as a Commercial Driver.
It is after training that you'll get your first driving job, after all, so it's best to get a good company as your ice breaker.
However, with the advent of internet advertising, it's so easy to just browse and review your choices online, that one might just end up enlisting in the wrong school for them.
So to avoid this mistake, it would be best to have some criteria for your prospective school, and to visit them and see them personally to know if they fit the bill.
The first thing that you will notice upon visiting are, of course, the training center's facilities.
It is a must to scrutinize these, as a school's facility can reflect what kind of institution it actually is.
Are the surroundings clean and well- ordered? How many classrooms are there? How many students can a classroom hold? In this case, a smaller population would be better, since more students would mean lesser concentration on their professor.
Another thing that you should tackle are the school's instructors.
Ask about their work history.
Were they seasoned drivers before shifting careers? Do the students seem to understand them enough when they teach? Also check the trucks.
Are the trucks in good condition, and are they similar to the ones we see on the road today? These things are important in producing good and responsible drivers, so it's best if they're all found in the school you're about to enroll in.
It would also be best to compare between schools the length of time of their CDL Training course.
A lot of schools promise to turn students into expert drivers in as short as three weeks' time.
Personally, I think that three weeks is not enough time to learn and to fully grasp all the knowledge and skills that are needed to be able to fully manipulate a vehicle as heavy as that of the common commercial vehicle.
A longer length of time would be more appropriate- say 3 months or so- albeit more expensive.
If you already have previous experience with driving commercial trucks, then I suppose short courses are alright for you.
But for those who have never driven these monstrous trucks or buses before, I recommend that you take a full length course on the matter.
You will not be sorry, in the long run.
This way, not only will you have a lengthy classroom time, but you'll also have a more extensive hands-on experience with the vehicle.
If you find yourself confused, it's the total number of hours that the course offers that should matter, not the weeks.
Also, ask about the school's track record.
Most schools keep a record of their list of graduates, and have a computed CDL License passing rate, and also their employment rate.
Enrolling in a school with a good reputation increases your chances of being hired in a good trucking company.
Moreover, look for a school with multiple motor carrier connections; meaning that several trucking companies have them in their books as a source of future truck drivers.
This spells more employment opportunities for you.
So, you've already evaluated your potential CDL Training School.
However, being the novice that you are, your evaluation might not be enough to really tell if a school is as good as they claim to be.
This is the time to ask whether your school is licensed, certified or accredited to teach CDL training.
When they say that their school is licensed, it means that they were able to meet the minimum standards imposed by the state.
Being a certified CDL Training institute means that your school was inspected, reviewed, and certified by institutions such as the PTDI (or, the Professional Truck Drivers Institute), meaning that it met the minimum training standard of the trucking industry.
When they say that their school is accredited, it means that the evaluation was done "by an accrediting agency that has been authorized by the U.
S.
Department of Education to accredit schools that meet certain federal standards" (Wikipedia).
These things are important, as being hired spells the difference between a licensed commercial driver and a working, licensed commercial driver.
It is after training that you'll get your first driving job, after all, so it's best to get a good company as your ice breaker.
However, with the advent of internet advertising, it's so easy to just browse and review your choices online, that one might just end up enlisting in the wrong school for them.
So to avoid this mistake, it would be best to have some criteria for your prospective school, and to visit them and see them personally to know if they fit the bill.
The first thing that you will notice upon visiting are, of course, the training center's facilities.
It is a must to scrutinize these, as a school's facility can reflect what kind of institution it actually is.
Are the surroundings clean and well- ordered? How many classrooms are there? How many students can a classroom hold? In this case, a smaller population would be better, since more students would mean lesser concentration on their professor.
Another thing that you should tackle are the school's instructors.
Ask about their work history.
Were they seasoned drivers before shifting careers? Do the students seem to understand them enough when they teach? Also check the trucks.
Are the trucks in good condition, and are they similar to the ones we see on the road today? These things are important in producing good and responsible drivers, so it's best if they're all found in the school you're about to enroll in.
It would also be best to compare between schools the length of time of their CDL Training course.
A lot of schools promise to turn students into expert drivers in as short as three weeks' time.
Personally, I think that three weeks is not enough time to learn and to fully grasp all the knowledge and skills that are needed to be able to fully manipulate a vehicle as heavy as that of the common commercial vehicle.
A longer length of time would be more appropriate- say 3 months or so- albeit more expensive.
If you already have previous experience with driving commercial trucks, then I suppose short courses are alright for you.
But for those who have never driven these monstrous trucks or buses before, I recommend that you take a full length course on the matter.
You will not be sorry, in the long run.
This way, not only will you have a lengthy classroom time, but you'll also have a more extensive hands-on experience with the vehicle.
If you find yourself confused, it's the total number of hours that the course offers that should matter, not the weeks.
Also, ask about the school's track record.
Most schools keep a record of their list of graduates, and have a computed CDL License passing rate, and also their employment rate.
Enrolling in a school with a good reputation increases your chances of being hired in a good trucking company.
Moreover, look for a school with multiple motor carrier connections; meaning that several trucking companies have them in their books as a source of future truck drivers.
This spells more employment opportunities for you.
So, you've already evaluated your potential CDL Training School.
However, being the novice that you are, your evaluation might not be enough to really tell if a school is as good as they claim to be.
This is the time to ask whether your school is licensed, certified or accredited to teach CDL training.
When they say that their school is licensed, it means that they were able to meet the minimum standards imposed by the state.
Being a certified CDL Training institute means that your school was inspected, reviewed, and certified by institutions such as the PTDI (or, the Professional Truck Drivers Institute), meaning that it met the minimum training standard of the trucking industry.
When they say that their school is accredited, it means that the evaluation was done "by an accrediting agency that has been authorized by the U.
S.
Department of Education to accredit schools that meet certain federal standards" (Wikipedia).
These things are important, as being hired spells the difference between a licensed commercial driver and a working, licensed commercial driver.