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Roadmaster graduates - Please share your experience

by Daryl
(Florida)

Good Afternoon:

I hope this e-mail finds you in good health and spirits.

I am a 40 yr old man with no trucking experience seriously considering obtaining an education in the industry with Roadmaster Driving School. If you have attended this school I do not have to tell you the fee required to do so.

Did you enjoy the experience?

How long did it take to obtain employment once you graduated? It would be especaially awesome to hear from those who have attended/graduated in this calendar year due to the current economic mess.

Would you have taken a different route to obtain the education/class "A" if you had to do it again?

I have to say that my impression of my experience with the application process feels "a bit" like buying a used car. The pitch and the paperwork process feels a bit rushed. "Sign here and we'll get you over to financing. I wasn't aware that I have three business days to cancel the contract from the signing date until I got in the parking lot to leave. Shame on me for not pulling the reins back but at the same time it is a $5-8,000.00 investment. The consultant assisting with the app process told me he's been working with the company for many years. It is feedback that I will certainally share with him. For now I would greatly appreciate honest feedback of your experience.

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Oct 01, 2009
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Roadmaster Graduates truck driving school
by: Hervy

Hey Daryl did you end up going to Roadmasters? How did it turn out.

Nick did you find a job yet?

Jul 18, 2009
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Cont'd
by: Nick V

Now from your post it looks like you have already taken the plunge. STAY ON TOP OF THEM! Make sure by the 4th day of class, which should be your last day of classroom, that you are filling out applications. Whether they tell you, find you to do it, dont ask you, dont find you, make sure you do that.

You want options and a lot of them. Dont get fed up with filling them out. Yeah it sucks but you will thank me in the long run. Also, practice as much as you can. The trainers down here rather brag about what they did on the road and how great a driver they are then actually help you out. YOU WILL slip through the cracks if you dont stay on top of them. You would think that as much money as you are spending that it would be different but its not.

You will learn what you need. The tools are there but its up to you how you use them. When they ask who wants to drive, jump up there cause I guarantee you everyone else is going to sit there looking at each other til someone moves.

Dont want to see another story like mine pop up on this site man. And yeah I may be one of the few that things didn't work out for. But I will tell you this. I was done with my ETREAD in one week and I went to weekend classes. Came in after work everyday cause they made it sound like we had to do it on our own time and I like to get things out of the way. Got my permit the Monday after my first weekend. Passed every yard test they gave me with 100. Studied, sacrificed, succeeded in everything they threw at me and I haven't heard the sweet sound of a tractor start up since April 16th 2009. And im pissed!

Daryl look through this website, ask questions to these gentlemen. Promise its the best advice you will find on the internet. These men and women on here aren't some dorks sitting behind a computer that decided to read a book and put up a website.

These men are pounding out miles in there homes away from homes day in and day out and they know the ropes. AND they are ready and willing to answer any question you can fire at them. As far as SHAFTmasters goes...God Speed sir.

Hope your experience is waaaay better than mine.

P.S. The first 4 days of the school part are gonna suck, and I mean suck in a bad way. After that its all down hill. Good luck man and like I said you should be filling out apps by the 4th day. If your not then something is wrong and bring it to their attention. Dont feel like you are bothering them, you paid a lot of money, get what you deserve cause they wont hand it to you.

P.S.S. If you have ANY other questions please feel free to ask. I can give you pros and cons about almost every aspect of roadmasters.

Jul 18, 2009
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Watch it!
by: Nick V

Hey there Daryl its Nick from San Antonio and I would LOVE to give you a little advice about SHAFTmasters. I got this email on my phone at work and have been waiting all day, licking my chops to answer this post.

First off, if you have ANY record what so ever you had better watch your back. I dont care if you got caught smoking in the bathroom in 7th grade its gonna come up on a criminal background check. Now, Roadmasters says they are going to run one on you BUT they turned around and said that the background they did on me is not the same as they do when you get hired at a trucking company.

I know what your thinking, a background is a background...right? NOPE! They came back saying the background they did cost them 30 and the ones that companies do are about 120. Sounds like to me the 120 dollar background should have been done to defer such situations as I am in.

Daryl I graduated April 16th 2009 with a 97.6% "GPA" and I still have no work. I have gone through companies they have given me, tried ones I found on the internet, my girlfriend works at a truckstop and gives me leads as well as my buddies chick works at Blue Beacon which is a truck wash. Nothin.

So my advice to you is do your research. Those people treat you like a million bucks when you walk in the door cause all they see is the next paycheck rollin into their pocket. Make it sound real good telling you, well look at the numbers, you make .37 cents a mile and say you roll 10 hours in one day and they come up with some beautiful number like 40K+ a year. Yeah...you make over 40K your first year then someone needs to give you a drug test cause you couldn't stay awake that long. PLUS your truck problems put you down also, you think your gonna get paid for that? NOPE.

There is alot of things that they make sound so beautiful and perfect. Come on, if it was so great why the hell isn't everyone driving a truck.

Jul 17, 2009
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Daryl has questions.
by: Jimmy

Hey Daryl, welcome aboard. We have an occasional contributor to the website named Nick V. out of San Antonio, Tx who went to Roadmasters school within the past 3 months. Look on this website under 'ask a trucker' for his blogs. I won't say anything pro or con re: Roadmasters. You can read it yourself. Jimmy

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