If you are looking to get your commercial license the most difficult, expensive and time consuming way possible,then maatson would probably be a good decision for you.
I would leave this review with... Read More
If you are looking to get your commercial license the most difficult, expensive and time consuming way possible,then maatson would probably be a good decision for you.
I would leave this review with negative stars if I could. It's gonna be long, but bare with me, it will be most helpful in explaining how much of a scam this school is.
It offers 4 "package deals" ranging from roughly $700-$2000. From what i can remember, the least expensive package gets you 5 hours (minus 1 hour because the trainer takes up The first two lessons). The training is set up as 30 min individual lessons. There are only 2 people that work there, Manny (the owner) and Mike (the right hand) so everything is done by appointment only. And you have to pay fees for not showing up to a lesson. The first 2 lessons are already taken up with air brakes and the inspections. Depending on if you get Manny, he will spend about 50% (or more) of the lesson driving, himself. Mike has a lower percentage, I believe, but I had never had a lesson with him. Manny will pick his favorites on the select few people he trains, and Mike takes on the rest of the people. You also have to pay 75$ for a drug test and physical just for his records...scam. He also charges nearly 500$ if you have to retake your DMV test. Funny, other schools charge 60$.
Just about 90% of the students there have had to pay for extra lessons only b/c how they teach.Its 60$ per 30 min lesson. There are only two trucks, one w 8 gears the other is a super 10, both of which are very old and hard to maneuver. There is no yard at the school so you have to learn to do all the skills on the cul de sac.
My personal experience, was absolutely horrific. very discouraging and disappointing. My mom paid for the package that was about 1400$, And paid 1000$ down. That got me 22 lessons because he gave me some extra for free. I drove an hour to get to the school, to drive for roughly 10-15 mins, some lessons not driving at all. Eventually, Manny had offered me a part time position working there as a receptionist, where I made phone calls, signed up students, wrote out emails, etc. I usually got there at 6am and left anywhere between 3-6pm, and again, drove for maybe 15 minutes on a good day. Me being naive, and Manny being completely deceiving, I had continued to work there hoping I would have an opportunity to drive more, without getting paid or getting more lessons. I did talk to Other students and prior students, who agreed, the school is too expensive and far too time consuming for what it is.
Besides getting robbed, Manny had even asked me one day "you should lie to your mom and tell her we're going to train on Saturday, and we can go to my house and walk on the beach instead." I felt extremely uncomfortable, and horrible. I wondered if this was why he was taking up my lessons.Was he really expecting me to pay for more lessons when I had already spent 2 months at the school with only (condensed) 5 hours of driving, and 2 lessons short of having to break out the wallet again. During the lessons, I would get very overwhelmed, after all, it is a lot to learn especially on the trucks that he has. They are very difficult to drive and I was also under a very strict time frame. He would try to "calm me down" by saying "you're so smart and beautiful and sexy and you're doing great". He called me these names many times in the time I was there. I'm 19. I don't even have words for how horrible that was.
Let me just clarify, I was just trying to get my license asap. Not be hit on by some creepy dude, not spend all of my mom's money, And actually get driving time.
Manny completely and utterly took advantage of me, wasted my money, time, effort, energy. I am still so angry and ashamed I even put up with it for so long.
Within 2 weeks at another trucking school, I had my license. There was a yard, a much better learning environment, trucks were new and so easy to learn on, less expensive, and I got to spend as much time behind the wheel as I needed.
Long story short, DO NOT GO HERE. SAVE YOUR MONEY AND TIME Read Less