Driver Solutions Scam

Applying for truck driving school is not only the first step toward a big career change, it's also the first step toward a big lifestyle change.  And like all big decisions in life, it's a good idea to do some research. 

Driver Solutions recently had a Facebook conversation discussing just that - researching truck driving schools.

Here's what he had to say:













Chaz makes a great point here - the trucking industry is plagued with "horrible stories" and complaints.  Like many things in life, people are always quick to complain but rarely take the time to praise when they receive a service or product better than expected. 

Unfortunately, this causes many truck driving schools (Driver Solutions and others) to have to deal with people finding search results on Google such as "Driver Solutions Scam" or "Driver Solutions Complaints."  The fact is - these are few and far between.  Last year alone, Driver Solutions was able to help over 2,400 students successfully start a trucking career. 

So, what can we do to make sure those people new to the trucking industry get an accurate picture?  The answer is just what Chaz suggests in this post.  We MUST share the good stories as well.

There are so many great drivers out there that help keep us running day-to-day, it's a shame to see their hard work go unrecognized as they're hidden behind these "horror stories."  And behind most of these talented drivers is a great trucking school that helped them get their start in the industry. 

It's for these reasons that Driver Solutions has spent a lot of time reaching out to these individuals so they can share their stories as well - because they deserve it.  Please take a moment to check out some of the resources listed below if you are researching truck driving schools

#1 Resources To Check Out
Driver Solutions followed 2 students through truck driver training.  Each week, we posted a video up with their progress and how they were feeling at each point.  This is a MUST see series and you can check it out using these links:

• Week 1 - Getting Started - 3 Weeks.  2 Guys.  1 Goal.
• Week 2 - Driving a Semi Tractor Trailer for the First Time
• Week 3 - Preparing for the CDL Skills Test
• Week 3 - Taking the CDL Skills Test

#2 Resource To Check Out
Driver Solutions also held a Truck Driver Appreciation contest last year (we'll be doing the same this year) and received many great stories from the families of truck drivers recoginizing hard work and dedication.  Below are links to just some of the MANY stories we received: 

• My Wonderful Experience at Truck Driver Training School
• Because We Love Him (Winning Entry with Pictures)
• Providing For His Family - A Truck Driver Appreciation Story

If you've done your research and you'd like to find out your trucking school options, go ahead and complete our online driver application.  By doing so, you won't be commited to anything and you'll be able to schedule a time to speak with a driver agent about your particular situation.  Just click the Apply Now button in this post to get started. 

From time to time, we get questions from people considering CDL training regarding the Driver Solutions' scam reports they read online.  While no business can be perfect, it is important to look at where this content is posted and the original source.  Generally, you will find that it's on a website such as a complaint board or rip-off report.

Why are these websites created? 
The very name of the site usually indicates it's trying to generate some type of negative report or complaint.  And if you look around long enough you'll find nearly every business has negative reports.  In fact, many times users don't even need to use their real name or real contact information to submit a negative story about a business.  Furthermore, they don't even have to prove that they were actually a customer/client or that the complaint is based on facts. 

What happens if a business would like to respond to one of these scam reports?  Many times they are not able to do so from the business name, or they must pay some type of fee.  

We always encourage anyone considering CDL training to do their homework.  While you will find many negative reports directed toward many trucking companies on the sites mentioned above, you also need to take the time to check out more established, reputable sites like the Better Business Bureau.  Here you can find out information about how businesses have handled any reported complaints.

Another great place to do your homework is the world of social media...      

As we've said before in a blog post responding to these Driver Solutions scam reports, it is for this reason that we love using social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter to connect with CDL training students.  By using social media, we're able to connect directly with each student to stay updated on their Driver Solutions experience and follow up accordingly as soon as possible.  

Social media sites like Facebook also allow truck drivers to connect with other drivers in training via the Driver Solutions page.  So, if a potential student wants to get the real story on the Driver Solutions scam reports, they can ask other truck drivers that have actually been through our program.  No more reading a report online from someone with a made up name and email address...now they can actually connect with real people.  

Below is an example of this very type of interaction that happened today:  



 
So, as you can see Steve posted:
"Why is it I keep seeing people posting bad comments about Driver Solutions? Is there anyone else who have seen those comments?"  (punctuation corrected)

Will Cash, one of our recent graduates was able to follow up quickly (even before us) with real feedback about his experience saying:
"Steve i have read stories about DS and a lot of companies.  I personally had a positive experience with DS and this day and time you have to start somewhere and unless you have thousands of dollars to pay your way into the industry, DS offers a program to get started and once you go to work the repayment plan is affordable and you get a huge credit after the first year."

Thanks, Will.  We're glad to hear about your positive experience with Driver Solutions and wish you continued success with your trucking career.
 
We were also able to respond directly to Steve by including a link to a blog post we published last month regarding the Driver Solutions scam reports. 

The trucking industry offers a great opportunity for many people looking to make a change.  In fact, last year alone Driver Solutions was able to successfully help over 2,400 truck drivers get a new career started.

If you are looking to become a truck driver, you'll likely find some negative information about the industry.  We just ask you to make sure you've done your homework and give the opportunity a fair shot. 

Do you believe everything you read online?

While no company can be perfect, there are two sides to every story.  When it comes to online review sites, there are times when the company under attack doesn't even have the option to respond directly to the complaint or bad review.  In fact, we like to occasionally search "Driver Solutions scam" to check out the latest claims.  We have no problems with people making complaints about Driver Solutions.  We have to be accountable, but so does the person making the complaint as well as the website that publishes the complaint.  When given the opportunity, we want to make the situation right for all involved.

That's why we love using social media.   

Here at Driver Solutions, we use some of the bigger social media sites like Facebook and Twitter to talk directly with our students going through CDL training.  We're then able to stay in contact with them once they graduate and start a trucking career.  This makes it easy for us to stay updated on their progress and receive instant feedback. By using social media, we're able to directly address any concerns potential truck drivers have with the CDL training program very quickly.   

Just today, we received the following comment on our Driver Solutions Facebook Page:

I'm still on the fence with all the terrible reviews online from a dozen different websites.. anyone care to add to this? (note: we fixed a couple of spelling mistakes)




Now, this is a perfectly normal concern if you read Driver Solutions scam reports, complaints or other negative reviews.  The great thing about using Facebook is that we were able to quickly respond to Anthony.  Since we know there may be others out there still "on the fence" about CDL training or truck driving in general, we wanted to share our response to Anthony on the Driver Solutions blog as well. 

Here is how we responded:

Anthony,

Thank you for your message. Several of these negative reviews are out there for CDL training and trucking companies. It’s something the entire industry faces at some point and it’s not uncommon to be a little “on the fence.” Having been involved in the CDL training industry for over 24 years, we’ve come to find that most reviews are from those that don’t give the career or job a fair shot. Be careful judging a company or a career when you read just one side of the story. Many negative reviewers fail to disclose any blame they are responsible for. Like any new career, it’s not always easy at first. Some drivers choose to turn down loads, make late deliveries and approach truck driving with a negative attitude. These are typically the drivers that leave these negative reviews. Last year alone, we helped over 2,400 people start a new truck driving career. We’ve been able to stay in contact with a lot of these drivers long after training. And they all tell us one thing: just like any job, if you come into it with a positive attitude, don’t make excuses and do what you’re supposed to do (take loads and make on-time deliveries) you can be very successful.

We also encourage you to check out the Better Business Bureau. In addition to that, we’ve put together an entire section on our blog of real reviews from people that have been through our program and you can find those here - http://blog.greatcdltraining.com/blog/cdl-truck-driver-training-graduation-stories.

We hope you find this info to be helpful. Let us know if you have any other questions. Thank you.



By using Anthony as an example, (with his permission, of course) we hope that we're able to reach some of our readers that may be in a similar situation.

Did you find this post to be helpful?  Is there anything we can do to help?  We can't promise we'll be able to fix the issue, but we will listen. 

Just let us know in the comments section below.

If you are looking to get into a trucking career and have been researching truck driving training, you might be wondering what it's like out there on the road each day.  We do our best to provide info on this blog that will help prepare you for life out on the road, but nothing is better than hearing about it first hand. 

Last month, we featured a 4 part series of interviews with USA Truck driver, Michael Thomasson.  In this interview, Michael discusses everything from truck driver training to how he handles the trucking lifestyle.  Below are links to each of the 4 parts along with a brief summary:

Part 1 of USA Truck Driver Interview
In this post, Michael tells us about the reasons he decided to get into truck driving.  What was he doing before pursuing a trucking career?  How does he like working with USA Truck?  Get answers to these questions in this post.

Part 2 - Trucking Lifestyle
Michael tells us about the trucking lifestyle and how he balances life on the road with his family time.   In this post, he answers questions like - What is the hardest part about trucking?  and What would you be doing now if you weren't a truck driver?

Part 3 - Trucking Training with Driver Solutions
Learn more about Michael's time at training and the things he enjoyed.  In this post, Michael also addresses the Driver Solutions scam and review reports online and provides information on working with Driver Solutions' students directly.

Part 4 - Truck Driving Career Advice
Looking for some advice before you get started with your trucking career?  Michael provides a ton of useful information that will help you prepare for success on the open road in this post. 

So far, we have shared with you the first and second part of our interview with Michael Thomasson.  In the first part of our interview we got to know more about Michael and in the second part of our interview he discussed the trucking industry & lifestyle.  Today, we bring you part 3 of that interview in which Michael discusses his experience with Driver Solutions and the CDL training.  Part 4 will be published on Monday, so be sure to check back!

Q: How did you like truck driver training during your time at Driver Solutions?

A: I really enjoyed the way training was done back when I was at Driver Solutions about 7 years ago.  All of the staff at Driver Solutions were very friendly and they answered all of my questions.  When I got the to the truck driving school, they broke us down into groups and we stayed in those groups the whole time.  This let us get to know each other better and other groups wanted to compete with us to show they were better truck drivers.  In the end, it helped us all get more out of the cdl training. 

Q: Sometimes you will see these ‘consumer scam’ websites that allow users to rant and rave about a company without checking the source.  Trucking is no exception to these misleading reports.  So what would you say to someone that has read Driver Solutions scam report or a bad review online?

A: It’s a very good program that helps people get their trucking careers started.  Just like anything, there are a few things I’d change.  But having been through the program, I know you (Driver Solutions) are going to take the students at trucking school and do a good job with them.  The training itself is excellent and I’d say about 80 – 85% of the drivers I work with come through the Driver Solutions Training Program.  For awhile, I made it a point to keep up with the truck driving school instructors that are still there when I talk with my students.
Once students finish the truck driving school, they will come to the USA Truck training department for OTR training.  These folks ensure they (the trucking school grads) get the OTR training needed to be able to make it on their own.  I consider our training department & training requirements to be top notch.

Read part 1 of our interview with USA Truck Driver, Michael Thomasson

Read part 2 of our interview with USA Truck Driver, Michael Thomasson

More about Michael:
Michael came through the Driver Solutions truck driver training program almost 7 years ago exactly (he remembers it was right before the 4th of July when he started school) and has been with USA Truck ever since.  He is currently training new drivers for USA truck and has been doing that for over 5 years.  He prides himself on the low accident rate his students have after they get off his truck and next year he, himself, will hit his 1 million safe miles mark all with USA Truck!