Question:
I've been reading RT for a while, finally decided to sign up....great website here. I'm going to be venturing into the OTR world and am trying to decide about schooling. I think I've decided NOT to train with a company, but rather go to an independent school. I had first planned to attend a community college course, but it appears all the CC's in my area have quit offering truck driving courses for whatever reason.
Has anyone here heard of, or attended Roadmastser? Comments? Pros, cons? There don't seem to be many other options in the San Antonio area. http://www.roadmaster.com
P.S. - I just wanted to thank all the folks who have posted diaries/journals of their first days/months/year on the road. They are very informative, eye opening, and entertaining to read. I've learned a lot by reading many, many threads here. And no, I won't be working for Swift, Prime, etc
Answer:
i was trained by roadmaster, in jacksonville, fl. - 3 weeks. it was 1 to 2 years before i got fairly comfortable.
the companies offer to reimburse for school, amounted to about 15 miles per day. so, i paid for my own... beholden to no company.Government Ain't YO' Friend. Nor your Servant.
A Tax Reduces Incentive & Capacity. A Regulation is also a TAX.


Answer:
I went to Roadmaster in Tampa Fl. in Nov. 2000. it teaches you what you need to get your CDL, all schools will do the same them ecept for comm. colleges, I think you get more driving time from a comm. college. but all the real stuff comes when your on the road, good luck. all in all Roadmaster was'nt bad, if i got out of driving and later decided to return I could go free of charge to Roadmaster and take a refresher course,

Answer:
55sams and wedafitz00,
Much thanks for the replies. I'm going to go check out Roadmaster tomorrow to talk with them and check out their facility. I'm still trying to figure out what makes them worth twice as much as most the other schools out there(you guys have any thoughts on this?), but maybe I'll figure that out tomorrow. If I want to train locally, it seems like it's my only choice so far.
Thanks.
Answer:
i went in summer '99. paid $4,000.
my decision was based on the recruiting presence of a number of large companies. of course, i new nothing of the differences between carriers.Government Ain't YO' Friend. Nor your Servant.
A Tax Reduces Incentive & Capacity. A Regulation is also a TAX.


Answer:
It's $5995 now(at least that's what it is in San Antonio)
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I went in 2000 and paid $4000.00, I basically went there because they were close , just over the bridge and they offered weekend courses, that why i got to keep working and make a living until I got hired on as a driver somewhere.
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I went and talked to a recruiter today, nice guy(go figure). I wasn't thoroughly impressed with the school though. The newest tractor they had was a '99, oldest was a '94....non in very healthy shape. Not the greatest facilities.....gravel training yard, tiny classroom. The thing that really got me though was when I asked about the student to instructor ratio when driving. It's 3 students to one instructor. I can't imagine learning much in 3 weeks with those ratios. If it were around $3000, I'd bite the bullet and do it. But $6000?? I can't imagine it's worth that at all.
Guess I have a decision to make now.......I think I'd rather travel out of town and stay in a hotel while training at a better school. Will keep this thread updated with my decisions.
Thanks.
Answer:
At the price roadmaster wants it is probably worth traveling out of town to go to a community college. There's a school in Lincoln NE that crete hires from that cost around $600.00 for 10 weeks training and you have to pay the living expenses for the 10 weeks. Go to cretes website for more info. There are alot of CC's that have courses for far less than $6000.00. Don't get suckered into paying that much. There are other places.

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MCT has a school, there's no charge except fpr your boarding expense as long as you sign on a yr. with them., if no c.c works out you can always go to roadmaster and after grad, find a comp. that pays tuition reimb.
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I found out that there's a PTDI certified school in Houston(Houston Community College). It's only $2300 for 6 weeks(less than half the price, for twice the training). Most of my family lives in Houston so I can find a free place to stay while I'm there. Probably going to wait until after the first of the year to go.
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Good to see you are doing your research! IMHO, you can never do too much! Good Luck!- Pete
The only source of knowledge is experience.
- Albert Einstein
Cj aka Fairedust

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Thanks! I'm really looking forward to this new venture. Wish I could start now, but I have some of things that need to be taken care of first.
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Better late than never!
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Trust me...............there will always be things to be taken care of.....whether you start now or later.
Same with trucking..........there will always things to be taken care of ..........there will always things to be taken care of ..........there will always things to be taken care of ..........there will always things to be taken care of ..........there will always things to be taken care of ..........there will always things to be taken care of...................................................................................................................................... ''