Question:
Would like to hear some opinions on MTC (Hazelwood MO). I went there for an orientation meeting this morning. Seems decent, very close to home, very pricey though if you foot the bill yourself.
7 days a week for 2 weeks. 12 hours a day. I'm not sure how much a guy can really learn in 2 weeks. But most of all, how much a person can retain in a 12 hour stretch.
Answer:
Check out your area for a course that's offered by a Technical College. They're usually cheaper and longer, covering more than a 2 week CDL mill will ever cover.
Use the "search feature" at the top of the page and you'll find the other threads on this subject.

Answer:

Thanks Hoss!
Man, figuring out what'll work best for me is hard to do. Looks like they enjoy my squeeky clean record and good work history. I just wish I could find out as much about theirs. I have a list of what's important for me. It's just weighing it all out.
I'm in the St Louis MO area so my options are good and wide.
I'll call some tech schools and see what their "scoop" is.
Answer:
Hoss is certainly right that a technical college, or JC, will provide you with more bang/time for the buck. On the other hand, driving a truck isn't brain surgery so you're going to have to weigh the time/money spent versus what you're getting and how it applies to your own ability to learn.
Probably your best strategy is to determine who you want to drive for once you obtain your CDL and look at your schooling in that light. In other words, if you want to try to get a local/regional job right out of school (they're probably fairly plentiful in your area), you may want to spend more time in a school environment that will give you plenty of hands on training.
On the other hand, if you're looking to go with a regular OTR training company (Schneider, Werner, U.S. Express, etc.) the amount of hands-on you get in school won't be as important because you'll be spending some weeks on the road with a trainer.
I'm not trying to say that school isn't important but, frankly, it's not as important as the on-the-job training you'll receive in your first year. BOL

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That statement is EXACTLY One of the Reasons I do NOT recommend spending mega bucks for trking school.

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MTC has been around for awhile they can't be that bad just remember these schools really only teach enough to pass the CDL thats all. You dont really start learning alot til you are out on your own anyway. I live in St. Louis too the school I went to is not around any more was just a CDL mill down in Crystal City that was over 11 years ago. I can tell you after 3 weeks of school and 3 weeks with a trainer I didnt really know much but when on my own I learned real quick how to manage things.
Answer:
I went to MTC it was in Charlestown, IN about 30 miles from Louvul, KY the school itself was great had a lot of fun teachers were really cool and I learned alot. Learned more on the road but the get you your cdl. Now the office part of the school is really screwed up. The told me they would get me there and back, feed me and put a roof on my head. Well they did most of that. The got me there by way of bus(nothing like sitting next to some old stinky chinese speaking to his wife in the seat next to him) That wasn't so bad I got some sleep! Got to the bus station one of the teachers picked me up and took me to my place to sleep which was ok. It was a 2 bedroom apartment with 4 beds per room a couple of couches and a tv. No smoking no use of any fire containing item including a stove but we had a microwave. After starting school we would get called in to talk to the dean or owner or whatever you want to call him. He was a nice person but the company itself couldn't make up there mind they said $500 down for the loan then they wanted more I told them that was all I had. Then they said ok after threatening to send me home without a bus ticket. Well everything went well until after I got my cdl. Then the big lie came in. The recruter said that they would get me back home, well I told them that I wanted to know when I should expect to be picked up to leave. They said whenever your ready I said well I need a bus ticket, they said no you get yourself home. I said no the guy on the phone told me that you get me here and back. Now they said no we get you here and let the company of your choice get you to work. I said that he didn't tell me that and there wasn't a companie that had called yet and I was out of money. Of course they told me (only after I told them that I didn't have anymore money not even a dollar)that they would have to charge me for the stay in the room after the end of the week and I would have to find my own transportation and food. I told them again that I didn't have any money. The head teacher then called corperate and asked if they would buy my ticket, he explained the matter and they still said no( go figure) So I had to call my parents who wouldn't give the credit card # over the phone to greyhound and wouldn't even drive 30 min. to help me out( im used to that). So my fiance had to call around and got a family friend to fork it up so I didn't have to walk home. After that I had my cdl and was going to pay for it like I was supposed to. I got a job with burlington motor carriers a week later, 2 months later they went bankrupt without telling anyone. First off why the hell would you hire 300+ people if you knew you were going to go bankrupt. So I lost my job had no money and they were calling me with threats every other day even after 10pm. And they couldn't exept the fact that I was unemployed and broke. Well they stopped after a while and I was working on biulding a latter to get me out of the crater I was in and now they got me by the balls. They are garnishing my wages and I work 50+ hours a week at an average hourly rate of 13-14 bucks a hour and just the basic living expences I come up short $450 a month. They are taking 25% of my wages a week and no matter what I ask or how I ask they won't reduces it at all so what it comes down to is they charge $7000 before interest if you make minimal payments for the length of your loan you will owe $14000. now I owe them $16000 and soon I will have to break my family up because I have nobody to turn to for help and the government rather help my crackhead father in-law then help a hard working no drinking, no drug, worker like me. So my wife and son can get a better deal with me gone out of the picture. Just letting you know what you could get into if you don't have the money funds backed up for emergencies.

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finished 8th day of driving school at local cc. first week all classroom and study for cdl permit test and endorsements. 3 weeks of yard, city, and interstate.
10 hours per day with two official breaks and 1 hour lunch.
$3660.00 includes physical, drug test, books, guides, etc.
Also includes vehicle for road test. even if you have to take it again, no extra charge.
Mine is paid through state and federal funding.
Codger (check my thread at Texas driving school thread)"Stop holding me back. I'm going to clown college." Homer Simpson

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It takes awhile from the ytime you start till you acually make money so dont think hey i have 20 buck i may be a truck driver and make a bunch a money.
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What's your recommendation?
Is it possible anymore for a guy with good credentials to pass the writen part of the test and then find a company who does the rest of the training? (with a commitment of course)
A few years back I dabbled in the realestate business as a side job. From what I saw today, I sort of had that same sick "you're getting scammed" feeling as with the realestate school. Maybe I'm just a bit gun shy.
Also: Thanks guys for the ideas, opinions, and straight talk. It's helping figure out what works best.
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Whats possible is you could find someone with a truck go take your state test pass and the written part too of course have a CDL and with the propers conduct go to a co and get a job with just your CDL all this BS school and training co stuff is a racket if you are a mature and resonsible adult you can get your own lic and job but these co's want you to believe that there low pay bs is the only way to go go that way if you want just know it is not the only way.
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MTC..... The Hazzelwood school is a mill pure and simple. You can do a lot better than that one without much effort. I have yet to hear anything good about it.
Unless you want to work for some outlaw company that could care less about you you need schooling. The BIG reason is the insurance companies make it VERY expensive if not impossible to insure a new driver who has not had schooling.
You have 2 options for schooling:
1: Find and attend a private school or tech program. As I mentioned before make sure that the companies you are wanting to work for will hire from that school before forking out any money. Many companies have a tutition reimbursement program (typically at a rate of $100/month) if they are the first company you work for upon graduation.
2: Company sponsored/financed school. You will have little or no out of pocket expense for the tution but will be required to sign an employment agreement to work for that company for a term of 1 and sometimes 2 years at which time your tuition is considered paid in full. The exact terms vary from company to company so if you go this route be sure to get specifics.
Some companies that offer this are Schnieder, PAM, USA Truck, Millis, US Xpress, Crete.
Answer:
A driving school is important due to the fact that as a new entry level driver, your not going to get hired by a major carrier without it. This is due to the fact that the insurance carrier needs to have entry level driver's with some backgound in the industry, before they are allowed to be hired by a trucking company.
Most carrier's will hire you with around 120 hours of instruction from a school, so your going to meet the insurance company's requirements there. I have trained driver's with 25 yrs of experience in refresher courses due to the fact that they have been out of the industry for more then a year, this is due to several personal reasons, but is mandated by the carrier before they can be hired.
So making a statement on here, as some post state that driving school is not important, I beg to differ. The industry has changed driver's and getting started in the industry is almost impossiable without a driving school..
Driving school's are the first phase of your trucking carieer, We do get your CDL's the next phase is the training that you get with your trainer from the company that you hire on with. That training is not possiable without your CDL, nor is your employment with that carrier. So to diminish the value of a driving school, is the most ignorant statement that could be made.
While I agree that there are bad driving school's out there and mills, this is changing on a gradual basis, due to the fact that each state is developing standard's that driving school's must follow and comply with. This will give the profession a much needed correction and reslut in driving mills to go out of business.
As with bad driving school's there are bad trucking company's with bad trainer's but I seldom here about this issue on here. How do u know if a driver has recieved insufficent, or bad training by a company? Just tune in every day to the news, and you will see a major highway shut down by a truck because the driver was not trained correctly in speed and space management, by his company or trainer in regards to shifting weights.
As for the other statements on here about mills, it is those same people that allow their companies to use them and work them like slaves, and violate the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Regulations so that they may exploted, I find there opinon's of mills to be at best, a double standard.
Catch you on the Flip!

Answer:
I got my CDL here in Granite City, Illinois. Right across the river on 270.
They train you fairly well and will take the extra time with you to pass the MO test, as the IL test is easier I think.
http://www.cdldrivertraining.com
If you go with them tell Fred and Steve the guy with the 2 stack Mack sent you. They will know who I am.This is USAF 2T2 and I approve this message.

Answer:
STAY AWAY FROM MTC!
They have a bad rating brome the BBB. Check it out!
The weeks can turn into 4 weeks very quick.
If you want to know the real truth abou this cheats. Which at one time had like 6 different collages now only have one, and their credit is tapped out. E mail me.
The Mo attorney generals office has a huge list of complaints. Give them a call.
You would be better off going to a carrier and having them train you. Go to US Express or Schnieder.
Also, the school is like 5999. that is for the 2 week class.
Housing is about 900. They have shitty dorms and real crappy food. Hope you like hot dogs 6 times a week!
They then add on a 2500 deal if you do not go to the selected carrier. You may want to go to say Werner but they say werner will not take you. P.A.M. wants you.
Stay away. US Express is only 3500 free if you stay like 1 year. Schneider is about the same.
I WOULD GO TO PRIME BEFORE I EVER WENT TO MTC!
Call over to MTC and talk to Phill, Anne, or Debbie. Let them screw up your life for you.
Really. They are that bad. They are just about on the brink of bankrupcie. Check with the BBB and the State. You will see.
www.moago.org
I do see they have cleaned up there act a bit. they only have like 4 complains in last 36 months. Much better then when they had 12.
Why would you go to a place like this any way? Why not go staright to a carrier?202 N Main Street
Summerfield Il 62289
TRUCK PARKING AVAILABLE!