Hello,
I have wanted to get into the trucking industry (OTR) for a few years and recently decided to pursue it. I looked into several options for getting my education. I settled on the Commercial Driver institue (CDI) located in Southbend, IN. When I talked to my recruiter from there he told me it was one of the top 3 schools in the country. They offer a three week program (1 week in class, 2 driving). The cost for their program is 5,000. They offer financing through a lender, but almost everyone is required to get a cosigner. I had lined everything up and went through the first week without a hitch. I was ready to learn how to drive the big truck the 2nd week. As were the 21 other students in my class. The class started with 36 but we were dwindled down to 21 the first week for various reasons (financing, physical, Drug test). On Monday morning the range instructor drew on the board how to drive a truck backward into a dock and then we went on the range to do it. We were told to take turns in the truck and do it. No one showed us physically how to do it. One by one we got into the trucks and went. We were screamed at, threatened to be sent home, and called #@$ing Idiots! Because we didn't know how to follow directions. Now personally if I had known how to drive a truck, I would have no need for the school. The instructors would constantly call us names and use profanity that would make Howard Stern blush. If you couldn't do it right, they pulled you out of the truck. If you hit a cone on the range you were done for the day. Fortunately I didn't hit any, but not everyone was so fortunante. It didn't get any better when we got on the road. The yelling and name calling continued as if we weren't nervous enough about driving an 18 wheeler on the highway for the first time. The second day continued the same with a few people leaving due to the abuse. The third day rolled around with more of the same. The instructors called us in as a group midway through our range time and asked, "Does anybody here not understand English!" They then told us that if we didn't like the way they were teaching us then we could @#$ing Leave! They said that if we needed more time in the truck then we shouldn't be there because they were only going to spend so much time on each of us and if we couldn't get it we would be gone. This was the straw that broke me after one more yelling. I decided to go complain about the treatment and leave. My recruiter agreed with me and made a few phone calls. He said that he had several complaints and that something needed to be done to break up the "Gestapo" they had there. Another guy left with me for the same reasons, and when we left it brought the class size down to 12 people. If you are looking for an education in the trucking industry, I recommend that you don't go here.
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