Descriptions, Policies, & Procedures

Course Description:

• Theory: Provides required 40 hours of entry-level driver training. Training is provided online through CDL Powersuite.

• Range & Road: Provides 80 hours of hands-on vehicle training, which covers basic control, vehicle inspections, bakcing skills, and driving instruction.

Course Objectives:

• Theory: Upon completion of this portion of the course with an 80% or higher, the student should meet the Entry-Level Driver Training regulations set forth by the FMCSA.

• Range & Road: Upon completion of this portion of the course, the student should be able to display the knowledge and skill of safety in the transportation industry, while having obtained the necessary skills needed to pass a Class A CDL examination provided by the state of Indiana.

Tuition & Refunds

Tuition includes all course materials, but does not cover permitting or licensing fees, nor does it offer meals or boarding.

Self Pay & Employer Paid - Class A Course Tuition (No Permit): $4,750.00

• Student does not have CLP prior to enrollment

• School provides DOT drug screen and DOT physical through tuition, if needed

• Covers 1 CDL state exam attempt

Grant Funding - Class A Course Tuition: $4,500.00

• Student does not have to have CLP prior to enrollment, but is encouraged to test

• School provides DOT drug screen and DOT physical through tuition, if needed, no extra charge

• Covers 2 CDL state exam attempts

Additional Offerings

• Class A CDL Refresher Course: $200/day

  • Must hold valid Class A CDL w/ no driving restrictions

  • No attempts at state exam

• Class A CDL Completion: $1,500.00/week

  • Must have theory, range, & road completed and submitted to TPR prior to enrollment

  • Must have valid CLP

  • Covers 1 CDL state exam attempt

• Additional CDL State Exam Attempt: Based on test site availability

  • $500.00

    • Includes test fee & truck rental

• Theory Only: $100.00

  • No additional requirements

• Hazmat Theory: $100.00

  • Must hold valid CDL (Class A or B) or be enrolled in Class A or Class B CDL Training & hold CLP

• DOT Physical: $150.00

• DOT Drug Screen: $100.00

• Additional Range Hours: $100.00/hour

• Additional Road Hours: $150.00/hour

Should a student choose to remove himself/herself from a course, they must notify the school of their withdrawal and request for refund in writing. This written withdrawal must be received prior to the student not being in attendance for a scheduled class day. Refunds will not be provided to students who fail to provide the written withdrawal prior to the No Call, No Show occurrence. Refunds are only available to those paying for CDL Training - Class A CDL course. Refunds are not available for Theory Only, Hazmat, or other additional offerings. Students funded by grant funding are not eligible for any reimbursement. Students funded by employers are not eligible for any reimbursement on a course, and could be subject to reimbursing their employer for time completed in the program.

Eligible refunds will be pro-rated as follows:

Full Time & Part Time

• Withdrawal between days 1-5: 70%

• Withdrawal between days 6-10: 40%

• Withdrawal day 11 or later: N/A

Weekends

• Withdrawal at least 24 hours prior to Class 2: 50%

• Withdrawal from the course any time after 24 hours prior to Class 2: N/A

Attendance

Full time classes run Monday through Friday from 8:00am-4:30pm CST for 4 weeks.

Part time classes must be scheduled during full time schedule.

Weekend courses are scheduled Saturdays from 8:00am - 4:30pm CST for 5 weeks.

Schedules could change based on daylight hours and instructor schedule.

The school is closed on the following national holidays:

• New Year's Eve

• New Year's Day

• Memorial Day

• Independence Day

• Labor Day

• Thanksgiving Day

• Christmas Eve

• Christmas Day

Other holidays may be observed, and will be announced within 2 weeks of said holiday.

During severe weather that could impact student and staff safety, notifications for delayed openings or school closings will be issued to all students currently enrolled, and a message posted to the school Facebook page.

It is the student’s responsibility to notify the school if the student will be tardy or absent. If a student fails to notify the school if the student will be tardy or absent, this is considered a No Call, No Show, and will be grounds for dismissal from the program. If a student is not in attendance upon start of class, student will be counted as tardy. If a student is not in attendance by 30 minutes after the start of class time, the student will be counted as absent. Sleeping during class is also not permitted. Any instance of tardiness, absenteeism, or sleeping is considered 1 occurrence. After 3 occurrences, a student will be dismissed from the program.

Program Improvement Policy

All students must show improvement week to week in order to remain in the course. Each week, students will be graded to ensure they have maintained the knowledge to proceed in the course. These graded reports are reviewed weekly by the Operations Manager and Lead Instructor. Students may discuss their advancement with the Lead Instructor during the Lead Instructor’s office hours. Failure to maintain improvement in the course may result in removal from the program.

Documentation & Participation Policy

All students must have all enrollment paperwork and full payment on file in order to participate in class. If any part of the enrollment paperwork or payment is missing, a student will not be allowed to begin the course(s). Classes are scheduled on a first come, first serve basis.

In order to participate in range training or road training, students must have the following items on them at all times: state driver’s license, commercial learner’s permit, DOT physical. If a student does not have these items on them, or the documents aren’t valid (i.e. expired, photocopied, etc.), student will be dismissed from class for the day, and 1 occurrence will be given to the student.

Participation is required in all aspects of the course as it takes attention, focus, and participation to be a safe driver. Students failing to participate in class (i.e. be attentive, watching demonstrations, actively using their practice time) for the first time will be given a written warning. Students failing to participate in class for a second time will be given a final written warning and sent home for the day. Students who fail to participate after the final written warning will be dismissed from the program.

Job Recruiters, Job Placement Assistance, and Certificate & Transcript Policy

Job recruiters may visit school property to offer positions to students, and to answer questions that students may have about the trucking industry. Recruiters are not affiliated with Tri-State CDL School, and will not be able to make changes to the student’s enrollment.

Job placement is not a guarantee made by Tri-State CDL School. While the school will provide a student will options for entry-level driving positions in and around the area, Tri-State CDL School is not affiliated with any of the positions and companies.

Upon graduation, students will receive 1 copy of their CDL school certificate. Students may request an additional copy (hard copy or electronic) of their certificate & transcript for $10. Employers may request an electronic copy of the student’s certificate and transcript or a verification request for a $20 fee but must have a signed consent release form, or $30 for a hard copy. *EMPLOYERS* Written requests with signed consent release from the student can be sent to kdavis@tristatecdlschoolllc.com.

Payments for certificates, transcripts, or verifications can be made by card over the phone (surcharge added during transaction), via cash, check, or money order in person or by mail, or via CashApp electronically to $tristatecdlschool. If paying check, money order, or CashApp, please notate the student's name in the memo/notes section.

Dress Code & Personal Hygiene Policy

Shirts, pants/shorts, and shoes are required at all times. No offensive logos or designs will be allowed. Shirts must have sleeves (short or long), and must cover the torso. Pants and shorts are acceptable, as long as there are no holds in inappropriate areas and shorts must clear the fingertips when standing straight with arms down at the sides. All pants/shorts must cover the buttocks, and must not sag. Closed-toed shoes must be worn at all times (no flip flops, slides, Crocs, etc.). Dress appropriately for the weather. Students and instructors alike must pay attention to personal hygiene as both will be in areas where they will be close with another person or group, and poor hygiene can be distracting. Failure to abide by the dress code & personal hygiene policy will result in a written warning. An additional occurrence will results in a final written warning and removal from the class until the issue is fixed. If a third occurrence of this issue were to happen, the student would be dismissed from the program for failure to abide by this policy.

Drug & Alcohol Policy

Tri-State CDL School has a zero-tolerance policy for alcohol and illegal drug use as we aim to ensure the safety of all students and staff. Students will be asked to provide a negative pre-employment DOT drug screen dated within 30 days of class start date prior to being able to enroll in any course. Students may schedule and pay for their own pre-employment DOT drug screen, or may pay the school to schedule and provide payment to a certified clinic to perform the pre-employment DOT drug screen. Students suspected of and/or appearing under the influence of alcohol or illegal drug will be subject to a reasonable suspicion DOT drug screen. Students refusing to provide drug testing results, refusing to test, caught with an adulterated or fake specimen, or provide testing results that are positive or negative-dilute will not be allowed to enroll in the program if prior to enrollment, or will be removed from the program immediately if currently enrolled. The results of any drug screen scheduled by Tri-State CDL School will be sent to the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, and any positive drug screens will affect the status of the driver’s Clearinghouse account. To learn more about the FMCSA’s Drug & Alcohol Clearinghouse, please visit https://clearinghouse.fmcsa.dot.gov/Learn.

Cell Phone & Electronics Policy

Cell phone, voice recorder, camera, video camera, handheld device, laptop, game console, and smart watch use are not permitted during class times. Students may not record other students or instructors at any time for any reason without written consent from all parties. Students may provide the school number as an emergency contact number for the student while in class, and school staff will relay the message to the student as quickly as possible. Devices may be used on breaks and during lunch. Any student found in violation of the cell phone & electronics policy will be removed from class for the day, and this will count as 1 occurrence towards the student’s attendance record.

Accident Policy

If an accident were to happen, staff will follow each of the following tasks:

1. Instructor at the scene will ensure the students and staff are safe from further incident.

2. Instructor at the scene will call emergency services, if needed.

3. Instructor at the scene will take photos.

4. Instructor at the scene will collect witness statements, including student statements and instructor’s own statement.

5. Instructor will contact management.

6. Management will contact insurance company.

7. Management will assess the incident.

Upon assessment, the accident will be decided as preventable or not preventable, and the student could be deemed as at fault or not at fault. If the student is found not at fault, whether the accident was preventable or not preventable, the student will remain in the course. If the student is found at fault and the accident was not preventable, the student will then be assessed for safe driving. If the student passes the safe driving assessment, they will receive a final written warning and be allowed to continue in class. If the student fails the safe driving assessment, they will be dismissed from the program for safety reasons. If the student is found at fault and the accident was preventable, the student will be dismissed from the program for safety reasons.