I'm looking to start my CDL training with Roadmaster here in Orlando, FL. I will be moving to Ohio soon after I begin driving.
I want to know if Roadmaster is a good school, and what to expect. If any of you have received your training through Roadmaster and would like to share a little of your experience there, I would really like to read about it.
Thanks in advance.

 

I am just curious why you are moving to Ohio and where. Depending on where you go jobs could be hard to come by.

 

You need to look into getting your initial driver training at a community college such as FCCJ in Jacksonville (Kent Campus/Cecil Commerce Center) or Bradford-Union in Starke. You'll get better training for less money. If you're moving to Ohio, you may be ahead of the game to try C-1, I think they have a campus in Ohio. Why pay twice for the license, yes, there will be a cost to transfer your CDL. BOL

 

It will be a lot easier to get on with a company living in ohio rather than living in florida.

 

Do yourself a HUGE favor and give consideration to Sealord's advice regarding Bradford-Union Vo-Tech. Having gone through their program 2 years ago, I can say from first-hand experience that it is a TOP NOTCH school!

In an effort to find a universally understood analogy, let's assume we all enjoy a cool, refreshing adult beverage on occasion. That said, why would anyone pay $6 for a six-pack of Milwaukee's Best when you can go up the road and get a 12-pack of Budweiser for $1.60? How about that Budweiser for FREE! Have I lost anyone yet? Well, here's the deal:

If my memory serves correctly, at Roadmaster you get a 160 hour course for around $5,000 (or is it $6,000?). At Bradford-Union, you get 320 hours for $1600. Think 160 hours is enough? Some may argue it's plenty. I simply can not imagine having achieved the same level of proficiency in a 160 hour course that I did at Bradford-Union. We weren't rushed to complete any objective, and there were NO shortcuts. For example, take the off-site driving (actually on the road). I believe it was a 1000 mile per student requirement. Both schools claim to deliver it. I've heard that some of the 3-4 week wonders will put as many as 4 students in the truck at a time and go 1,000 miles, each student driving 250 miles. Everyone in the truck gets credit for the 1,000 miles on the premise that they can learn as much watching another student drive as they can actually in the driver's seat. We each got the 1,000 miles in the driver's seat (2 students in the truck at a time). So if you subscribe to their theory, we actually got 2,000 miles experience No doubt about it, you get a lot more for your money with the Vo-Tech program.

One other bit of info: When I went through the school, they were handing out grant money for tuition to everyone who signed up. Don't know what the source was, but what I do know is that I didn't pay a dime in tuition for the course, nor did anyone in my class, or the class before and after mine. They were trying to use up the last of it for the year (a use it or lose it scenario), and the only requirement to receive the grant was filling out a 30 second questionaire, the contents of which were essentially basic CDL requirements. Didn't even have to demonstrate need (I was actually stilll drawing active duty military pay for the duration of the course). Definitely look into this before committing to Roadmaster. Even without the grant, it's still a much better deal.

Also, it seems I rememmber the staff mentioning there was another Vo-Tech program in Orlando, but I may be mistaken. Might be worth looking into. As it's a state school (part of the public school system), tuition, curriculum, and policy would be the same.

Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions regarding Bradford Union. They have a good website, or I can give you the contact info.

 

SidewinderF16:

First off, Welcome To CAD !!

I attended "RoadMaster Wholesale Freight Relocation University" a number of years ago. It's a CDL Diploma Mill; Okay, I suppose. They kept their word, and did for me what they said they would do. No complaints.

If you can get training through your local community college, you would be far better off. You will quite likely receive more hours of training, and you may save a considerable amount of money in the process.

I'm not trying to be the infernal pessimist here, but you should be ready to enter a very difficult market. I was talking to some drivers today, and they were talking about hauling a load, and then waiting two or three days to get another one...... and these were older, very experienced drivers with excellent records!!

I've been out of driving for several years now, and while I knew times for truckers were hard, I didn't realize just how bad they were!!

BOL2U !!

 

Mid-Florida Tech in Orlando has a nice program, costs $2050. It is an 8 week program, with over 1000 hours of OTR driving. Mid Florida Tech is part of the Orange County School System (2900 Oak Ridge Road, Orlando).

 

Forgot to mention, Mid Florida Tech is also a 320 hour clock-hour course, including over 1000 miles of OTR driving practice.

 

I want to thank you all for taking the time to help me out. The reason that I'm considering Roadmaster is because they have a weekend program that allows me to keep my current job as an Automation Tech at the Orlando International Airport, and it is close to me. They also said that they will guarantee a job when I graduate with companies such as Covenant etc...

I am moving to Lorain Ohio which is just east of Cleveland. I am a single parent of a thirteen year old girl who I've raise since she was three, and her mother lives in Lorain. Over the past few years my daughter has become more attached to her mom during some recent visits, and so her mom and I have worked it out for my daughter to live with her mom again.

As you know, good paying jobs aren't in abundance in that area (Lorain, OH) except for Truck Driving. For this reason, I have chosen to make Trucking my new career. Besides, I really like the outdoors and what better way to enjoy it.

I am going to check out these schools that you guys mentioned as soon as I'm done with this post. I would prefer to receive great training at a lesser cost, but I really would like to hold on to my current job, if possible, until I finish my training and can lock down a new job.

Again, thanks for the great advice. I'll keep you guys posted.

Sidewinder

 

I'll ask before someone else does... you have a job as a automation tech & you want to go into truck driving at this time? guarantee a job at places like covenant? have you read the post by a covenant drivers wife who just posted last week that her hubby & is not getting loads & is not doing well at all? best of luck to you my friend.