MTC Truck Driver Training substandard, unsafe, unfit ripoff Hazelwood Missouri

   He saved me alot of typing also,after 39 years there is nothing that I disagree with him about.  Also there is alot of good advice there,take advantage of it.

mrtmrsh@gmail.com                     Marty

Anthony is a Godsend thanks for the straight 100 . mr. Director Of Operations & Finance the sheet is getting deep I am going to have to roll up my pants legs . there is 1 woman who went to DH because mtc got her money and did not give a rat's a*s about her so she went to DH Driving school to finish up .  if you do your best to help every student I would hate to see your worst . I have heard other stories as well and seen and heard of some very unsatisfactory things about mtc . why don't you put your name on here if you are so proud of yourself ?

 I attended their "school" in november of 2011. I am very dissatisfied with MTC, and everything that I have read on this site is true. The hotel they put you in is disgusting (even this new "better" hotel). The food sucked. The equipment was a joke, and the instructors for the most part were idiots. 

The roof of the hotel they put you in (The Lodge) leaked and im not talking a little bit when I arrived it was raining. Water was pouring from the roof into the indoor pool, The rooms all smelled like mold, and the rooms were never cleaned. I asked the clerk at the desk when they were going to clean my room, he said that the school asked that the rooms not be cleaned in order to save money.

        The school it's self was ridiculous. The equipment was a danger to anyone who got into it. The trucks had serious mechanical issues,  one of the trucks had half of the steering wheel missing and the splitter was broken off and wrapped in duct tape. Not one of the trailers on the yard trucks had working air brakes, or even working lights. You would think that when they are charging $6,588.99 plus an administrative fee of $500 for a three week course, they would maintain their equipment better.

The meals are absolutely a joke. You get either two dollar sandwiches from a fast food chain, or two burritos from taco bell. No drinks, no fruit, no veggies. They don't even feed you on the weekend. Again for what they charge they absolutely could do a lot better.

The only thing I can say positive about the school is their road instructors (which you only get about three sessions with before you go test at the dmv) are all retired truckers, with millions of miles under their belts, and for the most part are very patient.

If you are thinking of becoming an over the road truck driver. Please explore your other options before you consider MTC. check with your local junior college, they usually have a cdl course that is way more in depth, with equipment that is functioning, and is a lot cheaper (like four to five thousand dollars cheaper.)  This school is by definition a cdl mill. You will not learn anything other than the bare minimum to pass the cdl test on the right day, and under the right circumstances, with the right dmv agent. They will outright lie to you to get you to the school, and will say that they never said or implied anything when you call them out for it.  

Hours of instruction for students is not stricly enforced by the FMCSA. The loophole is the 4:1 ratio, i.e., every hour the instructor is with the student is worth four training hours.

If the actual student training hours was strictly monitored, assuming the hours entered by the instructor was not fraudulent, the amount would not likely match the hours advertised by the school

Most schools teach just enough to allow a student to pass the CDL A exam (whether it takes two or three times), not enough to really operate a truck in an employment situation. The 'handle' for this type of school is called the 'CDL A Mill'. Typically the student is sent, upon 'graduation,' assuming the application was approved, to a 'starter' company' for on-the-road supervision and instruction.

The swap & bait went on when I went to that place that calls itself a school also. Hopefully people in the future will read this sight before choosing to go here.

the one in paducah,ky is way better u do learn things and they give u time

I started MTC school in Hazelwood on 7/14, and graduated on 7/31. It took me 17 days, which is within the time the school advertises.

Since I live 15 miles from the school, I did not need their housing, so I did not have exactly the same experience as J. from Springfield. However, I did not hear many people complaining about the hotel accommadations. As far as the rooms at the school, they are small and not very comfortable. Neither is the sleeper of a rig. The rooms were made that way for a reason.

I agree with J. about the lunches. While I did not have to eat what the school provided, I saw that the lunches were not the most delicious or filling meals. Once again, on the road you might not always have the time or opportunity for steak dinners either.

Most of the instructors there have over 1 million miles each, some accident/ticket free. If you listen to what they say, they can be the best instructors for driving.

Yes, there is a lot of waiting in the classroom or on the yard, especially if you are in a large class (20 people or more). From research I've done and people I've talked to, there is a lot of waiting in the trucking industry; waiting for a dock to open, trailer to be loaded/unloaded, waiting for a shower, waiting for a load you can take. So a person might as well get used to the waiting now.

It's all in the attitude you keep while at this school. Yes it can be difficult, but they can also get you on the road with a Class A CDL in 3 1/2 weeks. It's up to you to learn all they present to you, remember and apply what they say, and don't get mixed up in all the bs and talk of other students that just don't get it. There are going to be people who take a month or more to get through a 18 day course, and they are also the ones doing the most complaining, and least listening to instructors. MTC can be a great step in starting a trucking career, if you take it for what it is, a trucking school, not a trucking resort.

I just love these types. This guy could not qualify as the director of changing a light bulb in a closet!

Did anyone else notice the executive level spelling and grammar?

"Doorm" was used in multiple places. It is a "dorm", not a "doorm". What a moron!
Then there is "controled". Did you mean "controlled"?

What do you mean you are not in control of the training time? Or the training quality?
.."As far as the testng goes we are not in control of that, this is controled by the Missouri State Highway Patrol."
No, you are in control of that! You need to PROPERLY prepare your students for testing BEFORE the test is scheduled! Very simple solution!

The law establishes a MINIMUM standard for training. You are clearly not meeting that minimum. This is obvious.

If you have more than 4 students per truck in training, you are not training anyone.
Any good training company will have only 2-3 students per truck for the driving portion of the training.

You are just running a CDL mill, just like the one that CR England ran and was closed down. Hundreds of students found themselve sin leases and out on the road on that one with NO CDL. The school was closed, and everyone who got a CDL from that school was disqualified! No notice. No recourse. Just no CDL.

That is what you get from a CDL mill!

>>>
Submitted: 4/24/2008 2:57:27 PM
Modified: 4/24/2008 7:05:45 PM Director Of Operations & Finance
Hazelwood, Missouri
U.S.A.

15 years in business and over 17,500 drivers graduated
Greetings,
Without the student exact information it is very difficult to determine why or what the problem was with his passing the course in 144 hours. With that being said we allowed the gentleman to stay in the course past his contracted hours without charging an extra penny. The hotel issue has been resolved but this is just that a hotes that we are not in business with, it is a national chain and since we have moved to another national chain hotel but this is just for over flow from our doorms.

Our doorm rooms are 10x10 with bunkbeds, cabinet, lights switch, and a door. This is larger that the space that the students will be in when they move into their new career of over the road truck driving with a sleeper birth. The food is very simple and designed to get them use to their life on the road. Everything we do here is for a very spacific reason....Training Truck Drivers.

As far as the testng goes we are not in control of that, this is controled by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. We do our best to assist every student that comes through our doors and allowing this particular stay and extra 2 weeks without charging him any extra should show that. I hope that he is still on the road and sucessful in his new career.

>>>

Unbelievable.

First off I would like to thank Anthony for his comments. You hit it right on the nose with alot of things you wrote. I hope others heed your warnings.

Secondly- the reply from an employee there raises questions on the realness of it as the typing errors are quite a few for working in an office. This person also stated that that 10x10 room is preparing them to get ready to live on the road. Trucks have better conditions than those rooms do. Trucks have ventilation, WORKING air and heat, and mattresses that aren't holey or moldy. Those 10x10 rooms have nasty mattresses, pvc piping and 2x4's as the bed frame. Woo h*o on the light switch. What a big luxury. Did he mention that the lights blow out in those rooms alot so that you have to use your flashlight?

Another thing mentioned was the food. Most if not all truck drivers eat a whole lot healthier than what is fed at that school. The salt content is sky high in the foods they feed you, are cheap, wilted if lettuce is on those big n tasty's, and ramon noodles with a few pieces of meat in them day after day is not what most people eat. Truck drivers also have access to fruits, salads, and healthier alternatives to food than what is provided day after day at that school.

The school also false advertises itself by stating that you make money immediately. I was told that the 2nd week of school I would start making money even while in school. Alot of other students upon arriving were told the same thing but we all found out differently. They tell us all that we misunderstood what was said. Funny how close to 20 people all misunderstood that. Does this person in that office also mention that they have 30-40 students on the yard with 2 trucks running? No. One is an old cabover. There were also many people sent back after testing for their CDL that failed because tires were bad, or the pretrip inspection didn't pass so they had to come back, and set another test date. Not the students fault as the school should have put good tires on the tractor and trailers but they don't.

That 144 hours stated? I guess that includes watching a pretrip 2-3 hours a day over and over. At the most all of us that graduated when we did had a total of 4 hours drive time the WHOLE time at that school. Sitting in the truck with 4-5 others was considered drive time. Not mentioned is the lack of trainers. Some nights only one trainer to take out all of us to drive. Meaning we didn't get to drive. Or one on the yard with 50 students walking for 8 hours at a time trying to get a turn to do ONE manuever in a truck. Not mentioned is the pretrip truck with missing parts. You have to imagine they are there & its not easy when you are still learning. The trucks aren't even close to being new at all.

Also what has never been mentioned in any reports is why do they ask for money up front? They wanted $200 "administration" fee from our whole class. But the recruiter will ask you for up to $1000 from some as was my case. The money is not applied towards the loan, or anything else. They also give you a plain receipt for that money so as to have no way on the person paying to track down what it was for. It also has to be cash and NOT a check or money order. What exactly and where does this money go other than into their pockets? They also have a slick way of getting you roped into that contract. Signing upon getting there after a long greyhound ride is still not good for the student but being bone tired, and not seeing straight doesn't help with the thinking on our end when everything is rushed at you fast, and upon arriving.

Again Anthony? Thanks for your wisdom and putting on here what new drivers don't know or know to ask.

...as I did when I read the employee's rebuttal.

Mr. "Director of Operations and Finance", you really ought to have refrained from offering a response, because I'm about to embarrass you. People like you make me want to hurl.

I've spent more than twenty eight years in this industry. I've owned three different trucking companies. I've driven trucks each and every one of those years as well. I'm well in touch with the reality of this industry, from both sides of the desks.

Perusing your website raises all kinds of red flags before I even get into your comments. You don't even list a physical address on the site. Never in a million years, would I submit personal information to such a site. You partner with five of the worst companies out there, all known to not be able to recruit from experienced pools of drivers, and who should be run out of business themselves. Hogan Transport is the only company that endures a halfway decent reputation.

You run a CDL mill. There's no better way to describe it. You lure people to that facility with promises of big money and the thrill of a new career, and the sad fact is that most of the people who are run through the school, never make it very long as a driver. Their hopes are dashed when they are lured into the other spider webs awaiting them when they sign on to those crappy companies that will use and abuse them for profit gain.

Let me guess, you probably charge students upwards of $5,000 or more for training. For this they get maybe 144 hours of training. Your classes are structured so that no student gets more than maybe 20 to 25 hours of time total behind the wheel of the truck, before they are tested by the state of Missouri.

How much are you augmented by those crappy companies when you refer them to them, and if they are hired? What funds do you receive by the state or federal government for the retraining of displaced workers? You've got quite a scam going, don't you? I dare say that you are probably netting several thousands of dollars for each head you run through that school, even if the student him or herself doesn't pay the tab you soak them with. Yeah...I know the game and how it is played. I've researched it for years.

Addressing your comments, I find it ludicrous to think that anyone could begin to be considered "trained" in only 144 hours in how to drive a truck. Fortunately the FMCSA is poised to address this issue. Standards will be raised and mandated, long overdue if you ask me.

When people sign a contract for training, the ultimate goal should be to see that they GET that training, even if it requires more time than allotted for the course, and yes..at no additional cost. Roping people into contracts with no assurances that they will be trained is what has scarred the truck driving school industry, and why I detest them with every breath. There should be no such thing as a student who fails the course.

I've trained several drivers over the years, and I never received a dime for it. I know that some will learn quicker than others, and it takes patience and understanding to know how to explain the dynamics of operating a tractor and trailer, and being able to relate to people on their level, so that they CAN learn to do it.

The fact that you were doing business with a motel at a time when your dorms were full tells me only one thing; You had too many people crammed into your school, and that was for one purpose as well. It's all about the money. Getting signatures on contracts, and collecting the cash is the main goal. It also tells me that your school has not been evaluated for curriculum and standards by any credible accreditation organization.

You go on to describe the dorms. How quaint it is for you to compare them to the sleeper berth of a truck. That makes it all fine and dandy, doesn't it?

Then the part that made me want to reach through the computer screen and throttle you. The food. Your comment was that "the food is very simple and designed to get them use to their life on the road." Contrary to your belief, as a driver, I do not exist on "Pizza, sandwiches, rice, or McDonald's dollar menu items." You didn't deny the charge that you make a profit on those meals sold to students, so I assume that this is another profit pad for the school.

Just once, I'd love to see a little honesty from someone in your position. Your goal is not to "train drivers". Your goal is to bring in cash, by whatever means necessary. Don't get me wrong, I'm a capitalist born and bred. I think making a profit is the American way, but there are limits to everything. When people's lives and their ability to make a living are sacrificed to make a profit for someone else, then something is horribly wrong.

The people that sign those contracts are looking for one thing. They are desperately seeking a way to house and feed themselves and/or their loved ones. They don't have time to waste for weeks at a time, to fail and be thrown out like garbage. They wouldn't be there otherwise.

So while you are raking in that cash for each head you sign up, and funnel your savings into tax-free accounts, I hope that for one minute you might think about the lives of those who leave that place without a decent job, or worse, shuffled into a truck of one of those crappy companies you are in bed with, who will only find out too late, what a mistake it all was to take the chance, and lose months of productive working time, dealing with a total financial loss of all they have worked for.

I like sleeping at night. I've been in a position many times in my life where I could have taken advantage of people to make a wad of money, but I just cannot do it. I wonder how you sleep at night.

For anyone reading this, I have some simple advice and tips if you are looking to enter the trucking industry.

1) Look at your local community colleges FIRST for driver training. The courses and curriculum are better, the tuitions are usually a third of what the CDL mills charge, and you can obtain Government approved student loans at very low interest rates to pay for the training.

2) If there are no community colleges local to you that offer CDL training, seek an ACCREDITED training facility near where you live. Consult the Professional Truck Driver Training Institute (Google it - I don't post links on this site) to find an accredited facility near you.

3) The most economical method of entering the industry is to exchange free training for a commitment of service with a motor carrier that offers such training. The periods of commitment are from one to two years, depending on where you live. Now, there is only ONE carrier I personally endorse for this kind of exchange. The other major carriers offering this are not worth a first or second look. Schneider National Carriers (Google them) offers the best pay while in training, the best accommodations while attending their academy's, the best and most screened driver trainers, and the best chances of continued success after you are on your own. They are far from perfect, but they are the only company in my opinion, that does their level best to train a driver, and they do it right. Their record of safety as a training carrier is unsurpassed. You will know what you are doing when you make it solo into one of their trucks as a driver.

4) Never post personal information or submit an employment application to any website that does not clearly identify it's physical address on the site, or if it does not offer a secure, encrypted page for the submission of personal information.

5) When you are asked to sign a contract of any nature, make sure you READ every line on it thoroughly before you sign it. If you sign it, and the terms are legal in the state where it is signed, you are bound to those terms. I always advise people to ask for a blank copy of a contract to be faxed or e-mailed to them before they arrive on site to sign it. Any business that refuses that request, is not worth your time. You know you are likely going to be ripped off, when they won't even let you see the terms up-front.

6) Always ask questions about any situation you are going into. Listen to those answers carefully. Try to trip up people into disclosing all the little details that would make or break the deal. For example, ask how many students will be training in a class, and how many trucks they have for training purposes. Do the math. If they have two trucks for thirty students, and the course is for two to three weeks, your driving time is going to be very limited. However, if they have six trucks for thirty students, you're probably going to see more time behind the wheel. Ask questions about their success rates. If they hem and haw, the person doesn't have a clue. A good school will know that rate and will be able to cite it. In other words, pin the person on that phone to the wall on issues that matter, to see if you are being told the truth, or if they are just trying to sell you the deal.

There's more...so much more, but the best piece of advice I can give anyone is to never take anyone's word at face value. Do your research, and take all the time needed to make an informed and wise decision when making any life changing decision. The trucking industry is not like any other. The protections afforded workers of most any other job category do not apply to trucking. Trucking is exempt from most of those protections. You have to look out for yourself, because no one else will.

Greetings,
Without the student exact information it is very difficult to determine why or what the problem was with his passing the course in 144 hours. With that being said we allowed the gentleman to stay in the course past his contracted hours without charging an extra penny. The hotel issue has been resolved but this is just that a hotes that we are not in business with, it is a national chain and since we have moved to another national chain hotel but this is just for over flow from our doorms.

Our doorm rooms are 10x10 with bunkbeds, cabinet, lights switch, and a door. This is larger that the space that the students will be in when they move into their new career of over the road truck driving with a sleeper birth. The food is very simple and designed to get them use to their life on the road. Everything we do here is for a very spacific reason....Training Truck Drivers.

As far as the testng goes we are not in control of that, this is controled by the Missouri State Highway Patrol. We do our best to assist every student that comes through our doors and allowing this particular stay and extra 2 weeks without charging him any extra should show that. I hope that he is still on the road and sucessful in his new career.

I went to MTC a year after you did and everything you wrote is about the same as it was when I went there. I agree with you that I would never ever endorse this company to anyone, and neithor would most of the people who went with me.

One thing that I forgot to add with my own report is that the school claims that it is highly respected amongst trucking companies. Which ones?? Most if not all the trucking companies out there cringe and don't want to hire anyone that just came out of there due to lack of any kind of training. Having a CDL is the purpose of any school but as I was told my many many MANY truck companies, MTC students don't even have half the training that other schools offer. They are NOT highly respected at all by anyone. Their way of teaching by having you walk for hours around the yard without enough trucks to drive, enough instructors, and having other students teach students is not even close to being taught how to drive. I totally agree with everything you wrote. I think if more students found this websight, you would see the same complaints.

look i went to mtc as well. I attended there in april 2003, the instructors were worthless, did not teach anything well, granted I eventually passed my cdl test barley, two months later, because we did not get alot of drive time I think maybe a total of 4 hours behind the wheel and the rest of the time was spent walking around the lot with fifty or so other students waiting to do yard skills in one of there broken down pieces of junk. out of ten hours a day for six days a week, we were lucky to get four full hours on the yard or sitting in the sleeper berth waiting for our little time of actual behind the wheel a day, seeing how we had to watch pre trip bob for two hours at a time every day,then an hour for lunch then two half hour breaks, our yard instructor wold spend atleast an hour every day going over pre trip out in the yard showing us how it went with a truck that had pieces of it missing, that was after the two hour video. Once I got my cdl and went to the company that hired me I knew nothing, But then again I should of not expected to know anything seeing how we were told by Bill that it was not there job to train us but simply to help us get our cdl.

look i went to mtc as well. I attended there in april 2003, the instructors were worthless, did not teach anything well, granted I eventually passed my cdl test barley, two months later, because we did not get alot of drive time I think maybe a total of 4 hours behind the wheel and the rest of the time was spent walking around the lot with fifty or so other students waiting to do yard skills in one of there broken down pieces of junk. out of ten hours a day for six days a week, we were lucky to get four full hours on the yard or sitting in the sleeper berth waiting for our little time of actual behind the wheel a day, seeing how we had to watch pre trip bob for two hours at a time every day,then an hour for lunch then two half hour breaks, our yard instructor wold spend atleast an hour every day going over pre trip out in the yard showing us how it went with a truck that had pieces of it missing, that was after the two hour video. Once I got my cdl and went to the company that hired me I knew nothing, But then again I should of not expected to know anything seeing how we were told by Bill that it was not there job to train us but simply to help us get our cdl.

look i went to mtc as well. I attended there in april 2003, the instructors were worthless, did not teach anything well, granted I eventually passed my cdl test barley, two months later, because we did not get alot of drive time I think maybe a total of 4 hours behind the wheel and the rest of the time was spent walking around the lot with fifty or so other students waiting to do yard skills in one of there broken down pieces of junk. out of ten hours a day for six days a week, we were lucky to get four full hours on the yard or sitting in the sleeper berth waiting for our little time of actual behind the wheel a day, seeing how we had to watch pre trip bob for two hours at a time every day,then an hour for lunch then two half hour breaks, our yard instructor wold spend atleast an hour every day going over pre trip out in the yard showing us how it went with a truck that had pieces of it missing, that was after the two hour video. Once I got my cdl and went to the company that hired me I knew nothing, But then again I should of not expected to know anything seeing how we were told by Bill that it was not there job to train us but simply to help us get our cdl.

look i went to mtc as well. I attended there in april 2003, the instructors were worthless, did not teach anything well, granted I eventually passed my cdl test barley, two months later, because we did not get alot of drive time I think maybe a total of 4 hours behind the wheel and the rest of the time was spent walking around the lot with fifty or so other students waiting to do yard skills in one of there broken down pieces of junk. out of ten hours a day for six days a week, we were lucky to get four full hours on the yard or sitting in the sleeper berth waiting for our little time of actual behind the wheel a day, seeing how we had to watch pre trip bob for two hours at a time every day,then an hour for lunch then two half hour breaks, our yard instructor wold spend atleast an hour every day going over pre trip out in the yard showing us how it went with a truck that had pieces of it missing, that was after the two hour video. Once I got my cdl and went to the company that hired me I knew nothing, But then again I should of not expected to know anything seeing how we were told by Bill that it was not there job to train us but simply to help us get our cdl.