Question:
I am scheduled to start school a week from Monday at Alexandria Technical College. Alex Tech is not PTDI certified, but is an accredited institution of higher learning and is part of the Minnesota State Colleges & Universities System. Alexandria Technical College's Truck Driving program is supported by and a member of the Minnesota Truckers Association, Minnesota Safety Council and the Minnesota Motor Transport Association. Do you think I'll have any problem finding a job after school since they are not PTDI certified?
Alexandria Technical College

Answer:
Is simply an industry benchmark so to speak. While a handful of companies do require PTDI certifcation from the schools they will accept students from there are plenty of companies out there who do not require it.
What I strongly suggest you do however is talk to your job placement advisor and see what companies hire from that school and then verify it by calling those companies direct. Also if there are any companies you are seriously considering going to work for call them and ask if they accept students from that school.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
Glen,
I've recently done a lot of school research, and talked to a number of companies. The PTDI certification DOES make a difference to most of them, because it means less work. They are assured of a minimum level of driving competence without having to either check out a school or roll the dice on one.
It does NOT mean, and I'm not saying, that good training doesn't exist elsewhere. Just that you will probably run into some companies who have decided to let the PDTI certification do some of the selection process for them. (Which is what a certification is FOR, in any field.)
DD

Answer:
Is just a standard which most schools go by. Mostly it is bare minmum in "good" training. If you are going to a good school you can expect about 6 weeks or 200 or more hours of training. Which in my book will be alot better than PTDI. Many companies don't care about the cert., they care mostly about the amount of hours you have in school. The more hours, the better the school, the btter your chances are of getting hired out of school. If the school you are going to, exceeds the PTDI min. hours then, by all means go to that school. Most PTDI schools do the bare minmum.
Hey, if life throws you a curve ball, try and take a swing at it. Who knows what might happen

Answer:
Midnightrunner is correct. PTDI does not garauntee that your school will meet the requirements of a carrier. Some PTDI courses are only 148 hours, with only 60 hours of wheel time. Look for a 240 or 260 hour course in your area, then ask any companies that you intend to hire on with whether it is acceptable.

Answer:
The school is 16 weeks in length and I will have 2500 - 3000 road miles by completion. There is also an additional 2 weeks available for motor coach certification, which I will probably take.

Answer:
SIXTEEN WEEKS? That is like boot camp! I would say that 16 weeks and over 2500 logged miles is going to be good enough for any carrier that hires entry level drivers.

Answer:
Well, then you are good to go. Don't go PTDI if you are getting that much
Hey, if life throws you a curve ball, try and take a swing at it. Who knows what might happen

Answer:
You will not have any trouble finding employment upon graduation.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
Your supposed to be working. Hmm, so am I.
"Caution: Door May Open"

Answer:
Like uturn said -- different employers have different affiliations/relationships with diffrent schools.
Aproach it from the employers you might want to work for. Call them and ask them what schools they hire them from. Ask them if they require PDTI.
Most of the major carriers (Swift, Schneidr, Swift...) need a PDTI certified curriculum to satisfy insurance criteria. They also pay the driver back for their school costs over time ($50-$200 per month is typical) which is, in effect, payment to the school. It's a complex relationship.
PDTI is NOT necessarily the best education -- just a "benchmark" curriculum established (and written) by the industry.

Answer:
Schneider didn't require PTDI from me. Just wanted to make sure my course was more than 200 hours.

Answer:
Really? Schneider doesn't? I stand corrected. But the point is, check with the carriers you may want to work for and make sure your school choice is compatible.

Answer:
Good advice, that is EXACTLY what I did. I talked with Schneider first, they pre-hired me then we talked about training. I told them I would rather do it here so I could clear up my current work responsibilities. They wanted to know what schools I was interested in then they called them to verify the course length and curriculum.