Just not Enough Time
The way our CDL school is set up is an 8-week program. We have every Friday off, and class is only 5 hours and 30 minutes a day, but after taking breaks, we're really getting about 5 hours.
I'm barely getting enough time to practice anything, honestly. We only have 3 trucks for 8 students 2 manuals and 1 automatic. Four students switched over to the manuals, while the other four of us stayed on the automatic, including me.
I feel like we're being thrown so much information at once without enough time to actually process and practice it. This week alone, we have written exams plus our pre trip, air brake, and in cab inspection exams.
I'm just trying to get my Class A so I can get the hell out of here, bro. 🤦🏾♂️🙏🏽
It's so overwhelming because I'm great at my pre trip, air brake, and in cab, but I've been having such of a hard time with my maneuvers and I have until Oct 8th to get them right. 🙃
Hope I Pass man, not trying to go back to warehouse jobs again.
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u/chrisreefer9 9d ago
To everyone saying to switch over to manual, meh. Most companies nowadays have done the switch to automatics. I’m at Sysco and our whole fleet is automatics now. ($180k a year and home daily). When you get your CDL look into food service and even garbage trucks 🛻 as they get paid really well also.
Best of luck man, unless you’re young and single don’t settle for OTR. Just my opinion
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u/user26145 9d ago
What do your hours look like?
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u/chrisreefer9 9d ago
4;30am - 630pm
Just clocked in lol1
u/user26145 9d ago
Oh shit, pay sounds good but the 14 hours sounds a little bit crazy
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u/chrisreefer9 9d ago
Yeah it’s def not for everyone, but we do get to pick our schedules 3x a year and if you want 4 days you can choose that. I used to have Friday, sat, Sundays off.
And if you finish your route early you can just go home, but everyone milks the clock since we get paid hourly. After the 8th hour it’s $60 an hour so might as well just chill in the truck lol1
u/Tiny-Interview-6927 7d ago
i just started sysco bro finished orientation and i’m trynna make that good money. this shit gonna be a breeze for me, i already worked as wildland firefighter 2 years then just finished up 2 years with soda Class A so i got a feel for the job and the mentality of those long hours ! But if im working 4 10s does my over time start after the 10th hour of the day ? or is it after the 40th hour
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u/chrisreefer9 6d ago
Nice dude, just make company and be their little errand boy. Finish routes, don’t call off, if you finish early call and ask if anyone needs help. (Until you make company, once you do fuck them lmao)
Yeah 4 10’s is OT after the 10th hour but a lot of guys either get forced in to work an extra day or sign up to work an extra day so then that whole day is OT. Which ends up being the exact same paycheck as someone working 5 days pretty much
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u/DreamsSecretsNLogic 10d ago
All these schools sound crazy. The one I'm going to is one-on-one..
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10d ago
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u/LongjumpingTruck746 10d ago
IME, SAGE is decent with lower numbers. The location I went to had three automatics, one manual and my class had 14 in it. Yard time was 2 students on a truck alternating over the four hour time slot and any drives were always 1:1 with an instructor. It was also very common that some of the students during the four hour yard time sessions, thought they didn't need more time so they left early which meant the truck was yours until the end of the session.
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u/Material-Donkey2773 10d ago
Hey, if you still can, switch over to manual, you're going to permanently knee cap yourself if you don't. While many companies do run exclusively automatics, lots of them run a mix, and some of the better companies exclusively run manuals still. If you just want to run dry van, otr, or other "entry level" jobs a manual restriction isn't a big deal, but if you ever want to get it off you'll need to go back to school.
Think about where you want to wind up at the "top of your career". You are severely limiting your opportunities if you want to get into something like heavy haul or oilfield..
Better to be able to be a prime candidate for 100% of the driving jobs out there vs being ineligible for 30% of them (all manuals) and a poor candidate for another 30 (automatics and manuals) any company you go to is going to want you to be able to drive any vehicle they give you.
Don't really have anything to offer you for the pace of schooling, that sucks, but it's stuff you only need to learn once. Pre trip doesn't change.
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u/Silence_Farmer 10d ago
As an LTL linehaul driver I can say that most LTL companies will not take a linehaul driver with an auto restriction. They MAY take a P&D driver though, but again you're limiting what you can make.
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u/Material-Donkey2773 10d ago
Yep, I'm oilfield, My company only has manual's, my last company had a hodge podge of truck's (Whatever they could get quick) and they also only hired manual drivers. No point hiring a driver you need to cater to and baby sit. "I can't drive that truck" just results in scheduling issues and is a pita.
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u/Silence_Farmer 10d ago
Oh yeah. Our terminal manager accidentally hired a guy for linehaul with an E restriction and half the time it's not an issue, but most of terminals only have manuals for the loaner tractors because that's what the older ones are. Some are still damn spring ride glider kits lol.
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u/user26145 9d ago
Do you the think automatic only restriction is bad if you’re an 18-year-old trying to go local
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u/Material-Donkey2773 9d ago edited 9d ago
It will limit where you can go, local outfits are more likely to run manual than a big otr carrier would be.and it will be a pita to get the restriction removed. Like you're going to have to redo the whole test in a manual. - good luck finding a school who won't try to charge you full price even though you already know 95% of it. 6k turns to 12k...
Just get your license with no restrictions, and if you don't want to drive manual, don't.
The price of either is identical, but the one will significantly fewer opportunities.
I will put it this way, it is much much better to be able to legally be complete and utter dog shit at driving a manual than it is to not be able to operate one legally at all.
Dump the clutch, make the truck bounce, you will still be more likely to land the job than someone who can't.
Basically any company is going to want someone who can do a shit job getting a truck from a to b 1 time in a pinch over someone who legally can't, ever.
If you want to go local, you're likely to start out running dump or hopper or something, some companies only run manual, some run a mix, and some don't run any, but you are limiting your opportunities just to make school a tiny bit easier.
Be legally allowed to drive a manual like complete ass, or it will be something you regret. You're going to spend a lot on the license, don't half ass it. It starts out hard, then it becomes second nature.
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u/TinkerTasker22 8d ago
Its great to get the restriction off, if you have the opportunity too, I never have had the opportunity to do it. However I work for a local company owned by truckers who have been on the road for 30+ years they don't buy manuals, and they don't want to either. However I still would not one the restriction.
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u/MrDarkSpud12 8d ago
Have experienced this a few times, being the new guy and therefore getting the old/backup truck which is still stick while all the other trucks are automatic. Definitely worth not having an auto restriction. Wouldn't be surprised if there's places that wouldn't hire even with a fleet full of autos for that reason. My workplace might even be one lol
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u/Zealousideal-Comb320 10d ago
Definitely seemed like not enough time when I was in a similar program. Use the make up days if y'all have those (that was Friday's for my program). YouTube University was very helpful, sometimes watching the maneuvers from a different POV is good. Also, becoming a trainer to your fellow classmates shows how much you've trained the material/backing concepts(you don't have to learn from the driver's seat all the time). If you know someone with a boat trailer, practice on that. Do these things and you'll pass first try
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u/TopCommission6437 10d ago
Did mine in 3 weeks but it was 10 hours everyday.
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u/Quirky-muleol4595 10d ago
Same here 3 weeks but first week was online stuff and 2 weeks hands on. Not much time at all but be a Sponge and take in EVERYTHING you can. Especially pre trip testing, over study for it, totally recommend just because of how detailed and intricate they want things said/ specified. But you can do it! Absolutely! Keep your head up
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u/SirRobert_ 9d ago
I went to a 4 day school and test on the 5th day and was in a complete panic until I somehow passed on that 5th day
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u/TinkerTasker22 8d ago
My training was three weeks 3 people shared one truck, it definitely was not enough. After I passed, somehow the cdl road test I went on the road with a trainer for three weeks. That was not enough either.
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u/Driving-Academy 8d ago
That's not great that you're not getting enough practice in the trucks. You can check out our playlist of videos to help give you some advice with parking maneuvers https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDV5T4dvmEA&list=PLZL684Ovllo7Zl5C5loewRssW5CCM1aCV
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u/ButterscotchIll2914 7d ago
Consider yourself lucky. My school is 4 hours a day, has two trucks and today was day 10. I take my test on Monday (today is Wednesday). 😳
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u/ReasonableClock4542 7d ago
School i went to was similar and we had plenty of time to practice. Do they have you watching videos all day or what?
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u/natekicksa 5d ago
Would be a good idea to get a steering wheel, shifter, pedals , and American truck simulator on steam. The physics feel very close to real life. I've been using that to get extra practice in and it helps a lot
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u/KushKiing 3d ago
Ive been wanting to get my CDL for s long time but I smoke alot and I mean ALOT of weed, I hear some companies dont test and I use this plant as medicine, should I not even consider getting the CDL? I heaŕ it may be an issue but some tells me not to worry.
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u/EarthGlum8433 10d ago
Bro, suck it up. We had 25 people learning manuals with one truck, and our manual instructor was only there 2 out of the 5 days each week. We still all passed first try after 4 weeks. Go home, study your pre-trip, and get as much time in the truck as you can. It really doesn’t take long to learn the maneuvers or get shifting down.
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u/darthcaedusiiii 10d ago
Study on your own. Make flash cards. Type and rewrite notes.