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PINNACLE TRUCK DRIVER TRAINING, INC. IS AN INDEPENDENT, EMPLOYEE-OWNED BUSINESS

founded in 2013 by Tim Martin, Tim Baker, Duane Dodde, Richard Herweyer, Michael Bell, and Frank Kopasz. All six had worked together for several years in the truck driver training program at Baker College of Cadillac. Four of the founding shareholders are currently involved in running the business day-to-day. Because we are owners of the business, we approach our work with passion and a commitment far beyond that of ordinary employees. And we have a great deal of fun in the process.

We believe that a lack of financial stability is at the heart of many problems experienced by families and society in general. We also believe that every person deserves the opportunity to become financially stable by obtaining secure employment. A career as an operator of commercial motor vehicles is an excellent way for many to achieve that stability and provide for themselves and their family.

We are committed to delivering training that enables these people to join the noble profession of commercial motor vehicle operator. We are a team of experienced professionals that bring a diverse set of complimentary talents to this task. For those with the innate capability, supportive family environment, and personal drive to succeed, we will be the leader in commercial motor vehicle driver training in Northern Michigan.

This 4-week, 160-hour course is designed to prepare drivers for the State of Michigan Commercial Driver License test and to become professional truck drivers. It is intended for those who have little or no experience driving tractor-trailer rigs. The course includes knowledge of state & federal regulations governing commercial motor vehicles as well as skills in inspecting, maneuvering, and driving tractor-trailer rigs. We also teach skills that will maximize your employability.

Our approach is similar to the one used by the airlines and the military to train pilots:

- Teach knowledge and concepts in the classroom

- Develop skills through practice in the simulator

- Master skills through range and road driving in a tractor-trailer rig

Classes run 7:30 am-6:00 pm Monday through Thursday for 4 weeks. The course includes:

80 hours of classroom instruction*

40 hours of driving simulator instruction (20 hours driving; 20 hours observing)*

12 hours of commercial vehicle inspection lab

28 hours of behind-the-wheel (BTW) driving

One of the most difficult parts of the CDL test is the Basic Vehicle Control Skills Test in which you must demonstrate three required backing maneuvers on the driving range. We begin teaching these maneuvers on the simulator. First, you will develop the ability to use the mirrors to back a tractor-trailer rig in a straight line. Next comes practicing the off-set backing maneuver. Once you have mastered these on the simulator, you will begin practicing the actual CDL test maneuvers in a truck – the same maneuvers and the same set-up that you will encounter on the test. By the end of the course, you will have the experience to “nail” each maneuver when you take the test.

Before you head out onto the streets and highways in a big rig, you will learn how to shift gears and make turns on the simulator. Proper clutch depression, the rhythm of double-clutching, up-shifting, and down-shifting can be learned on the simulator more quickly and with less stress than in a truck. Then, once in the truck, shifting will be smoother and you can focus on driving safely. Making turns in a tractor-trailer rig is another difficult skill to master. Turn too wide or too short and the odds are that there will be an insurance claim of some sort and a driver’s job will be in jeopardy. In our course, you will learn to make both left and right turns on the simulator before attempting turns on the streets. Wrinkled fenders and crushed street signs are easy to fix on the simulator.

Beyond the knowledge and skills required to pass the CDL test, we also teach skills that will make you a more valuable, and more employable, professional truck driver. Hours of service, maintaining logbooks, map-reading, trip planning, and customer service are some of the skills carriers expect their drivers to have.

You will learn all of these and more in your Pinnacle Truck Driver Training course!