Anyone considering C. R England as a way to get their CDL should reconsider. I only wish I had a warning before going to one of their schools in South Carolina.
First off I was lied to and was even given a brochure that showed the so called facility. The brochure showed a brand new facility complete with a restaurant, stores, work out room, huge classrooms, barber shops, video area and lots more. The school recruiter said that someone would take us into town for any reason every hour on the hour. He also said that before we left the school we would have our CDL hard copy.
When I arrived at southcarolina by way of a greyhound I met the driver (Jamie) He instantly yelled at the top of his lungs and talked so fast he reminded me of a drill seargent. (Not Pleasant) When we arrived at the school it was a joke. It looked exactly like a jail cement walls, very cold, grim faces, and nothing in that brochure was at that facility.
I was quickly shown my room which I think may have been smaller than a jail cell again the cement walls and very cold, but I wasnt worried at that point I could handle the accomadations despite the fact I had been lied to considerably. The room consisted of a bunk bed that could hardly fit and a locker that was used by what im guessing was high school students at a high school after reading all the grafitti.
The first week was all class work and many many many exams. If you plan on going there i hope you can write fast because the classroom instructor (Frank Z.) goes through it real fast and you better know it come exam time. The guy is not someone Id care to meet ever again he had a chip on his shoulder and looked down upon others with all his knowledge of being the instructor. Especially females. There was one female in our class and I fealt real bad for her. Frank came down hard on her and when she knew the awnser to a question he would never call upon her just ignore her. Everyone saw it but we were just there to pass the class and get through the week without problems So no one ever said anything.
We had to be in class from 7:00 am SHARP to 6:00 pm A very long day with about a year's worth of knowledge crammed into one week. Oh no dont think it had anything to do with the permit and general knowledge, air brakes, combination vehicles, or haz mat. We had to have that before we got there. We had to learn alot about the engine as if we were going to be working on the truck its self.
The only visual aids was franks art work he would draw on the board and then quickly wipe away to draw more. Thats right the A* hole would sit up there and draw pics for us. Funny I know but if you had to look at frank all week you wouldnt be smiling I mean the guy was that bad. Even worse when he would try to crack his charcastic jokes which were usually an insult to someone else.
At lunch time you had to run to the bus if you wanted to go to town to get something to eat because (Jamie) the driver only took people into town twice a day (not every hour on the hour) If you didnt make it then you better have money for pizza or the vending machines because you were not eating if you didnt make it outside fast enough. Which was pretty hard when Frank the instructor would give out exams just before you went to lunch. I made it on the bus a few times and the driver dropped us off at a certain location where we would then have to walk to get something to eat. Then walk back at a specific time to meet jamie the wanna be drill instructor.
If you were not there in time then he would leave you and you better have money for a cab because he wouldnt come back to get you. Then at 6: pm right when class is letting out you would have another opportunity to go to Walmart Again you better run from your class to the bus or your left behind. That was it except for sundays then good ole Jamie wouldnt take you to lunch he said you can order pizza at your own expense of course.
You are pretty much stuck at that school at all other times. I only saw one girl who got taken to town when she wanted (Debbie) and um We were all pretty sure she was "doing" half the people in there. I think she was a lot lizard turning into a driver and turning tricks while she was learning new things. Yep a major hoochie that everyone called Lucy as in LOOSEY
: booya:
Don't get me wrong there was one sweet female there who wanted to make her own way and not lay on her back to get there and she got (atleast) my respect, but not much of anyone elses. No they wanted the open spaces (Debbie) AKA Lucy or Loosey
So we got through the class which was the first week but the female was given a hard time and was even threatened by the instructor that she may fail because she was late twice. Again I fealt sorry for her because many had fallen asleep in that class and was late coming back from break but nothing was ever said to them only her.
I wanted to be the good guy and say something but I just wanted to get my CDL and be gone.
Week two - FUN (wrong) Monday it was time to be out to the yard at 6:00am sharp about 45 degrees and pouring down rain and I mean pouring down rain. POURING!!! Yes we had to stand in the freezing cold rain for 10 hours. My arms were turning blue and do you know how many short backing manuvers I was given in ten freezing, wet hours??? ONLY 3
Do you think I learned much??? No!!!
Tuesday out to the yard 6:00 am sharp again pouring down rain and freezing cold. Some of the guys started to complain at which time a rusty old steel barrel was pointed out. We had to go fetch wet firewood so that we could start a fire in the barrel to stay warm. Wet fire wood? LOL i was starting to be convinced that this was a bootcamp or some type of punishment for wanting to be a trucker. I mean come on now 10 hours and three times in the truck the day before and now we were suppose to be stupid enough to try this again?
Okay so Im optimistic and said I can deal with this. I fetched some wet wood and I ripped up notebook paper and notes to stay warm. The trucks mirrors were viberating violently not to mention the pouring down rain and we were suppose to see a little yellow cone in our mirrors about 80 feet back??? LOL
Just from the three backing chances the day before I was suppose to know how to do this. No coaching this time The instructor (Chad S.) Yelled that if one of the cones gets knocked over then you get out and pick it up. He was aggervated and VERY impatient. If you were turning the wheel the wrong way he would motion and jerk his hand the other way then shake his head and yell and scream like a BIT*CH
My second day on the yard my poncho stuck to my face, Every hair on my head dripping freezing water in my face as I consentrate on a viberating mirror for a cone and this Chad F*ck tells yells and screams in my way one to many. 24 hours later Im back at home and Im warning you if you go to C. R England you will be sorry. Its a joke and stop to ask yourself why its so cheap. There is a reason for it. Because you wont have hardly anytime in that truck. The trucks they do have for training are riddeled with problems. The air brakes leaking, mirrors viberating. Worn out clutches, non working windshield wipers in the pouring down rain, non working heat, impatient instructors who are pissed to be out there as much as you in the rain and cold. Take notice its nowhere you want to go if you want to learn.
YOU WONT LEARN ANYTHING AT C.R. ENGLAND! If you have some experience with a tractor trailer then you might have some luck if you can stand the conditions. But I saw guys there that had experience and were going on their fifth week there. They say they dont check your credit and all that for the loan but im hear to tell you that they do and if they think that you wont be able to pay them back without working for them then they will make it twice as hard for you and may not pass you through the first class and send you home at your expense of course.
They won't let you get in that truck if they think you don't qualify for the 3000 dollar loan but they wont tell you that they will just flunk you or make it extremly hard on you so that you want to go home or they may lie and say you have high blood pressure to get you to go home. I saw this done to many of people.
But the people who paid up front or the ones who have good credit they try to atleast be friendly to those folks. But even if you do pay up front or have good credit dont expect to get your monies worth because you wont even if you pass the class the jobs at C.R. England are nothing you'd want atleast thats what I was told by every trucker that came in there who was on a layover. One guy said the truck that you will get will be a junker and more than likley you will have to ride with someone to go pick it up (umpteen miles away because the last driver abandoned it there and quit. Bad company full of lies and alot of A*holes working for them but if I had to stoop to that company then I might be an A*hole too.
Andy
clearwater, Florida
U.S.A.
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