Question:
As you can tell, I am in Maine. I plan to attend a Driving School very soon but I want to make the right choice for schools. In '89 I chose Shields Aviation in Jax Florida to get my Commercial Pilots liscense. As I am sure many of you have already deduced, I am not flying for a living. I don't want to make the same mistake again.
My plan, is to spend my first year OTR with a major carrier like, Werner, Schaffer, CRST, or Schneider (but not limited to them). I want to have the maximum flexibility and the greatest chance of being hired by a high-end company. Of course, if I really like them and it works out. . .who knows how long.
I am considering ProDrive Maine. They are PTDI certified. Now, does that really matter to anyone in the "real world"???? There are also the Community colleges. I am trying to avoid getting hooked up with "Fly-by-Night" or some other go nowhere Fast driving school. Any help would be greatly appreciated
"Love is blind and marriage is an institution. If you fall in love and get married, it's an institution for the blind."

Answer:
Newfman to some companies it does matter. Most of the ones you listed I doubt. Alot of comapnies look at a community college the same as they do PTDI schools. Basically because the quality of teaching is usually better. I would avoid any of the 2 or 3 week schools if you can.
I attended an 8 week private school. Because of the lenght of time and the curriculum used I was acceptable at most all companies hiring newbies. Even the ones that wanted PTDI certification only.
Community colleges are usually less expensive. You might want to call the companies your interested in and ask if the CC your thinking about is acceptable to them. They usually know what schools they will and won't hire from. It could save you some money.
Once you have experience the school you went to will have little if not zero relevance when you apply. Your safety and driving record is what they will look at.
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of all who threaten it"

Answer:
School generally will make you more eligible for hire upon grad with more companies. The reason is that companies know the "min" training you have yrecieved through a PTDI school and know you didn't attend one of those super mills. There are also a lot of good schools that are not PTDI certified. These schools meet or exceed all PTDi certifications but choose, for one reason or another (aka money) not to get the certification.
For info on what makes a school PTDI certified and to help you in choosing a good school got to
TruckSchoolsUsa.com.
I will always be a mutter trucker at heart.
Answer:
Newfman. How bout a community college and a PTDI program? Some friends of mine went through this school and were very pleased. http://www.isothermal.edu/truck
Good luck on your decision. Don't be pushed into it and you have to feel good about it. If something doesn't feel right, it probably won't get better during your training.

Answer:
I can make a suggestion as to what helped me decide on schools.
I called the companies I want to work for, asked them if they hire out of the school I am attending and got a resounding yes from all of them.
So with that I looked into the overall school. Here is what I came up with:
Sage...160 hrs total approximately 45 hrs driving, three weeks long. One on one instruction. Total cost was 3,300. roughly.
McFatter...320 total hours I'm starting week 4 and easily have 45+ hrs driving. In the yard/range one student drives, one sits passenger, then you switch. We have a very small class, so a lot of times you get the truck by yourself. Once e get our CDL's (within the next two-three weeks) we get no less than 1,000 logged miles per student....driving. With our class as small as it is it will likely be much more. Trips are from Fort Lauderdale to Tampa or Jacksonville, or Ocala, or Key West. Not driving around the block a few dozen times. Total cost $1,200.00. We use the PTDI manual, and one of my instructors had a big part in helping revise the second edition.
Twice as much school and 1/3rd the cost. Plus all the recruiters I've spoken to will happily hire me from here.
Do a lot of homework.....you already learned a valuable lesson from your flight training!

Answer:
PTDI does not mean they're a "better" school. PTDI is just a specified program designed by and for the major carriers, and recognized by their insurance providers. It establishes the specific training those carriers want, before you' turn yourself over to them to pick-up where the school leaves off.
A community college program that's PDTI certified might indeed be the best education, if such a thing exists.
As stated above, just call these companys on their 800 number and ask them if they hire from the school you're considering -- or ask them which schools hey DO hire from in your part of Maine.
By all means, do this BEFORE you sign-up for school. The great truck school with a superior program won't get you the job, unless the company has approved that school in advance of your application. The carriers tend to stick with schools they have an on-going relationship with -- the ones that feed them students on a regular basis. Be especially suspicious of new schools -- not because they may not be good, but because the carriers might not recognize them yet.
The company recruiter has to cover their butt with everything about your application. A rip-off school they deal with looks better on paper than a superior school they've never heard of. Their view is, they'll re-teach you everything you need to know anyway to do the job THEIR way. Sadly, all Werner, Schneider, CRST or Schneider want is a diploma with your name on it from a PDTI school they hire from.
[This message was edited by Shuffler on June 02, 2003 at 23:38.]

Answer:
My better half and I (today is her and my 11th anniv. wow, how time flies) went to visit ProDrive Maine yesterday. This was interesting, We kicked back in his office and didn't try to pressure sell us to sign me up. Basically it came down to, I have solid equipment, one student per truck, no more than 6 students per class with an occasional part-timer in and out. No standing around in the yard watching your fellow students squashing cones. If you learn to operate the rig at a different rate than your fellow student/s, you will be taught at a different rate. He doesn't pay PTDI, they come in occasionally and make sure there standards are met. Now, enough about that, let's talk about, is this the job for you? Do you qualify to gain employment? (background, driving record etc.) Here are some apps. for trucking companies, fill them out and we will send them in to get a feeling of which ones may be interested in you. Feel free to go look at all your options and come back if you want to learn here.
This was the owner of the company and he spent an hour and a half just chatting with us. No school recruiter, No, leave a deposit, No, sign here before the opportunity of a lifetime gets away, NO B.S.! On our way out, he sends us up the road to the practice Lot and says go have a look on your way home. They have nothing to hide. The owner has been OTR for 17 years, and has been teaching for mor than 7.
I will check to make sure that these companies hire the PorDrive Maine students, plus I have seen posts from some of them here on the boards.
It gives me the option to apply to more companies than if I were to do it all with a trucking company (i.e. Schnieder) and have to sign a years contract with them. More flexibility. I am still researching though. Plus, it is only a forty minute drive to school.
Love is blind and marriage is an institution. If you fall in love and get married, it's an institution for the blind.

Answer:
That sounds like a typical pitch -- to someone who presents themself as a 'sophiscated' shopper. Remember, he's a professional salesman.
Six students per class, but only one per truck?
No standing around watching others squash cones?
I wouldn't take these claims literally, since it's highly unlikely they have one truck and instructor for each student. That would leave no profit for the school with your hundred-and-something per day tuition.
But the only thing that really jumped off the page was not paying PTDI. The school is either PTDI, or it isn't. If he did not clearly state the former....??
Having you fill-out applications and sending them in with his (school) name on them, tags your idendity for the purpose of collecting the recruiter's fee should you go to work for one of them. He's now "referred" you to them.
What you really want to know is if that company will accept the school's diploma. Again, calling them and asking is a first step -- one I'd suggest doing before getting deep with applications and such.
You do NOT need to even identify yourself when calling to check the school's status with the carrier. If they ask you to identify yourself over the phone so they can "start a file" on you, just decline "at this time". All you want to know is if they hire from this school.
Sounds like they probably do, since he's got their blank applications. But there are probably PTDI schools they DON'T hire from, or are on some list they keep of schools they've had problems with....who knows. In any event, make these calls asap. It'll only take a few minutes to check-out this most important part of your decision, and again -- although the recruiter you get connected to may pressure you to identify yourself (etc), there's no reason they can't answer this simple question without "starting a file on you". They're desperate for a continous supply of qualified new students. The ball, at this stage of the process, is in your court.
Good luck and keep us posted. It's a shame more folks don't approach this as carefully as you are. You might also want to visit the school during "class" and talk to a couple students during a break. The school should welcome this and encourage you to do it. Second to getting your money, they want happy students who aren't disappointed by the program once they start attending.

Answer:
" I have solid equipment, one student per truck, no more than 6 students per class with an occasional part-timer in and out. No standing around in the yard watching your fellow students squashing cones." Kind of interesting. He must have at-least 7 trucks and 7 instructors in case a PT students pops in. It's the only way it could be one on one with no waiting. Sounds a little fishy. How many trucks did you see when you visited the range?
For some reason driving students think training has to be one on one to be any good. Well, it doesn't have to be and most likely won't be. Your going to be sharing driving and sitting time. A small number of students per truck would be good such as 2-3 but not just one. Any more than 3 and you'll be watching more than driving. The school I went to put three to a truck. We each had 3.5 hours a day of driving for a 4 week period. The time was split between the range and on the road. Thats a whole lot more than most newbies get. I enjoyed watching the others drive and being a back seat critic much the same way they enjoyed it also. I didn't see anything wrong with it or feel it was a waiste of time.
"He doesn't pay PTDI, they come in occasionally and make sure there standards are met." Not rue, it's actually a bit expensive to be certified with them. They do check to make sure their standards are being met. Doesn't make it free just makes it standard.
"Here are some apps. for trucking companies, fill them out and we will send them in to get a feeling of which ones may be interested in you." You have to give him credit for that one. They can make upwards of $600. for a referral.
At-least now you have a good idea what companies hire from that area if you have their apps. Check them out first and see if it's what you want.
I have never met a person from a company who's interest is trucking that wasn't out to make a buck. There are more people in this industry waiting to be your friend so they can get their hand in your pocket than you can imagine. Just do what's right for you and your family and it should work out. That school may be a great school and probably is. Just over look some of the BS.
"Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of all who threaten it"

Answer:
Small world!
It's amazing what one can find on the internet. I am tossed up between going to Prodrive because of the PDTI Cert or NTI (NorthEast Tech INC) because it is logistically a little easier for me to do, as I am unable to attend 5+ week course because I hold a full time job.
Anyway, I enjoy reading and learning from those that are in the know. Hello! (1st post).
Answer:
I am looking into 4, NTI, ProDrive, Roehl and Skowhegan Driving School. I am leaning towards ProDrive and Roehl but we will see I will make that decision once the mill here shuts its doors for good.

Answer:
Ended up with NTI (non PDTI) and found 2 local jobs afterwards.