|
CDL Mills
Page 1 Page 2
Page One:
Page Two:
-
Characteristics Of A CDL Mill
-
Is A "CDL Mill" Always The Wrong Choice?
-
Meet "John" -- CDL Mill Graduate
-
In Closing
-
More Information & References
What Is A CDL Mill?
Is a school a CDL Mill just because its program length is short? Not necessarily, but that is one characteristic that CDL Mills have in common. Is a school a CDL Mill just because its price is high? Not necessary, but this is another characteristic that CDL Mills share. Some schools simply have poor programs and/or untrained or insufficiently trained personnel. Which school is worse? It's hard to say.
Truck Driver Training Is Big Business... It Is An Industry Of It's Own
What must be understood is that truck driver training is big business. It is an industry all of it's own. Anybody can start a school and there are no guidelines as to what must be taught, how they teach it nor who does the teaching. Thousands upon thousands consider a truck driving career every year and there are many who capitalize on this and exploit the job seekers. For example, here is a web site that will sell you CDL testing material for a cool $95.00 and a "guarantee" that you will pass the CDL written tests. Well, friends, with a little bit of web surfing, I was able to easily locate the CDL Manual online... for a far more reasonable price of $0. The written tests are based upon this manual. This is all you need in order to pass any and all of the written tests.
Here is a free gift, in .pdf format, yours for the downloading:
You can also practice taking tests for free at any of many websites. Try:
back to top
Many trainees will go on to a successful career. Many will not make it through their first year over the road. Poor training is a strong contributor to this problem.
Trainee Traps
Many trainees fall for programs that advertise, "TWO WEEK TRAINING!!" as though this is a good thing. Of course, it is difficult for most to take 4-8 weeks out of their lives to go through a training program. Most of us live paycheck to paycheck and up to two months without income hurts... or is just impossible. This is why CDL Mills are exceedingly successful. They effectively make the prospective trainee believe that in two to three weeks' time the trainee will be ready for the open road. They will not tell the trainee in which areas the course scrimps, cuts and/or altogether skips. A trap that the trainee often falls into is the gross underestimation of the skills and knowledge necessary to be a competent, informed and professional driver.
Even as the trainee goes through a program, he/she still often does not know that he/she is getting the raw end of the deal. Unfortunately, this understanding usually does not come until much later, when they find themselves out on the road somewhere not knowing how to handle a fairly simple situation. Some discover the truth when even the simplest backing job requires 45 minutes. Some find out when they are consistently 25% out of route on mileage. Others see it the first time they descend a mountain or drive on snow and ice. Some will believe that the first year or so is supposed to be this hard and may not even see how it relates to less than adequate training. The first year is usually hard for most -- but it doesn't have to be pure torture.
A CDL does not a driver make, but the CDL Mill does not tell the trainee this, and in fact, leads the trainee to believe exactly this. The trainee is encouraged to believe that it is the trainer's job to "pick up" where the training left off and this is absolutely not true.
back to top
Brilliant Advice From The "Pros"
It does not help that there are many schools, recruiters and job placement companies eager to encourage trainees to hurry through training. In regard to community college programs, one irresponsible website advises, "There are many cheaper community college/vocational programs. However they are sometimes longer than necessary (6 weeks +)...Time is money."
Whether a course is "too long" is very much dependent on the individual. If you have some trucking background, a shorter course might be preferable. If you are as green as grass, it is very doubtful that 6 weeks will be "too long".
Update: The above bothered me so much that I decided to email the website owner. Read our email exchange here.
A few more words of brilliance from these people advise:
"Many folks just look at tuition amount when thinking of training...don't pay any more than necessary, but the lowest price may not be the best if the program is too long! Companies hire from schools with 3 or 4 week programs...why train longer than necessary?" This statement implies that because carriers hire from such programs that they are the way to go. There is no emphasis or mention of becoming a safe driver -- only becoming a driver quickly.
And finally, they say: "The quicker you get trained, the more money you make." What about a banner that proclaims, "The better you're trained, the more success you'll enjoy?" Or maybe, "The quicker you're trained, the quicker you can wreck the truck and kill a family."
If you click on the banner that proclaims, "Let a company pay for your training," you are taken to a page that assures you that, "In less than 2 weeks of training, you can be on the road to success in a great paying career as a professional truck driver." The sponsoring company claims, "We are the recruiting network for some of the country’s most well known and profitable trucking companies." This program consists of an entire six days spent behind the wheel.
back to top
Why The CDL Mill Will Continue To Exist... And To Thrive
The CDL Mill will not only survive -- but thrive -- because carriers are more than happy to hire the CDL Mill product. As a result, an incredible amount of responsibility is placed on the shoulders of untrained trainers to do the job that by all rights, the school should have done. Some carriers institute "Train the Trainer" courses in an effort to better inform trainers. While this is commendable, it is not even close to enough. A 1 to 2 day course cannot teach someone how to teach. Most trainers know how to perform their jobs well and they assume that this is enough qualification. When their trainee cannot shift or back, few trainers truly know how to walk the trainee through the procedure. Just because you know how to do something does not mean that you know how to teach someone else how to do it.
back to top
Just Because You Can Do It Doesn't Mean You Can Teach It...
"Train The Trainer"... Nice Start, Not Enough
I attended a "Train the Trainer" session years ago with my boss. He wanted me there to mostly listen but told me to put together some information to present. I was a nervous wreck. I was going to stand up in front of a large group of experienced drivers who wanted to become trainers and tell them something that they didn't know???!! The night before I racked my brain trying to think of what I would say. Eventually I realized that I wasn't there to tell these drivers how to drive -- just to share with them what I'd learned about how to teach.
I told them a bit about what they could likely expect of their trainees.... that most would occasionally forget the button, get into the clutch brake, have backing difficulties, shifting screw ups, trouble with the logbook, etc. I consider these problems normal and to be expected for awhile. Patient instruction and repetition usually brings improvement. Many of the trainers-to-be were acting surprised. Finally someone asked, "If they (the trainees) don't know all of this stuff, what did you guys teach them in school?" My response was, "If you think they're rough when you get them, you can't believe what the first day in the truck was like for us!" They slowly warmed up. They began to see the trainee as a real person.
Another thing I really wanted to stress was that their trainees would want a certain amount of specific direction from them. They wouldn't want to be left hanging, not knowing what to do. I challenged them to tell me the steps to unhooking the truck and trailer. They laughed. They'd done this a million times and to them, the process was just about the simplest thing they ever did. One brave soul volunteered to list the steps aloud. When he got done, no one else had noticed, but he had forgotten something. I asked him and the others if they were aware of what was left out. No one was. This experienced, safe, professional driver had forgotten to mention the step of cranking the landing gear down. Many trainer / trainee problems could be significantly reduced if trainees came in better prepared and if trainers knew more about how to teach and carriers allowed them the time to do so.
I'll never forget Dale. A few years back when I was working as the classroom instructor at a truck driving school, Dale walked in on the first day and sat in the front row. After some opening comments, I asked each student to say their name and a sentence or two as an introduction. Dale went first. He said, "My name is Dale and I have a Class A CDL with HazMat, Tanker and Doubles/Triples....” I immediately thought, "Oh no... one of these..." Every class had a person that already knew everything I was going to teach them. (Though you couldn't tell it by their test scores.) Just as this thought entered my mind, Dale finished his sentence by saying, ".... and I don't know **** about truck driving. I went to a two week school in Los Angeles and I don't know how I got a CDL and I can't go backwards at all." My opinion of Dale changed instantly. Dale knew what he didn't know. Dale turned out to be an excellent student. He listened and paid attention. He did well in the classroom as well as on the concourse and on the road. The school he had attended had given him just enough information to make him very dangerous and he was wise enough to know it.
So, because CDL Mills can make a quick buck off the back of a trainee and because carriers accept CDL Mill trainees, there will continue to be CDL Mills.
back to top |
