Smith & Solomon Commercial Driver Training — Local services in Philadelphia

Edit: 2/7/18: I will have to agree with the reviewer Carl that the 5star reviews are bogus. I see some guys that I had class with and shared the same experience as I did giving a good review. It's sad some people won't speak up in uncomfortable situations. I was asked to change my review multiple times but i cannot without valid reason. And since there is a character limit on the review I cannot update in any better deal while leaving the previous review intact.

Original Review: If you're taking the time to read this please take heed to what I'm mentioning. Unfortunately 0 stars isn't an option. As of 9/11/17 I am on my fourth week at this school and its an overall terrible experience. I'm on the night class which is only 3 days a week, M-W, and 5 hrs each, 5-10pm. I acquired my permit and endorsements between May & mid July before attending this school. I spoke with the admissions office and they would not cut the price of their program just because I was ahead of the game. Their Class A program is currently at $4,300 and you need to complete 160hrs before you can schedule your road test. At this price you have to still go to the DMV and pay for each and every test you plan to carry on you CDL. That's the FIRST FLAG. SECOND FLAG; My first two days out in the yard I wasn't given any direction and didn't even work with an instructor. Third Flag; During this first week, Tues. & Wed., The instructors shut down the building at 9:30pm. REALLY! At $4300 I need to be practicing for all 5hrs. Week two wasn't any better. Monday they shut down at 9pm, Tues. 9pm, & Wed. 8:30pm. I was heated. That Tuesday I got there right before the managers left and told them the situation. They said that shouldn't be happening and they'll talk to the instructors. So as you see they did't take heed to the managers. That Wednesday night the instructor told 3 guys on the night class to tell the managers we left at 9:30 and the clock out pc wasn't working. This is bad business. If I'm not behind the wheel practicing then why the hell am I paying $4300 out of pocket? Monday of week three comes and I speak to the manager again and he assures me everything has been taking care of after he tried to blow me off from telling him about Wednesday night's lies from the instructor. This week was a little better but I still haven't spent any time with an instructor. I've been learning from other students. Not cool at all. All I've been doing is backing up and pulling forward for 15 minutes every hours. There aren't enough instructors for all the students nor trucks. The instructors will go and sit on a bench and talk amongst themselves rather than teach you how to back up a tractor with a trailer. As the students play musical chairs in the trucks I have watched youtube on my phone to learn how to straight line back. I've also used youtube and Grand Theft Auto 5 to practice offset backing just to understand the mechanics. I also use a Logitech G27 Racing Wheel on Gran Turismo 6 to practice clutching. I have taught myself much more than any of those instructor have. This is extremely ridiculous. I'm on a tight schedule since I acquired my permit before attending. Cutting out early for the night will now force me to renew my permit if I keep to their 160 hrs. This place is crooked. Every student feels the same way but no one speaks up. As far as I know I may be the only one that has. Everyone else says the same thing, " I'm going to just get these hours and get the hell out of here." This solves nothing. I've read the reviews but took a chance since I have a friend that didn't share this experience when they went some years ago. I met another driver that went here 10 years ago and it was the same thing. The only difference is they charged $3000 at the time. Same student mentality then too. I may go to the Better Business Bureau but they have taken payments for better ratings some recent years ago so I'm not certain. I may have to seek out a lawyer. FYI: Equipment is outdated, broken, and...

Let me start off by saying that I personally cannot speak for any other locations, but the one on tacony st. Short story..... The first leg of my journey starts with classroom/CDL-A permit prep with Mike and later in the week with Mark whom was training for the classroom teaching position. Mike is one of the testers currently, so be nice. Both have a wealth of information. Both are great guys. When Mark isn't in the classroom he's in the yard with the students passing off his knowledge and still learning himself from students.

Leg 2: Yard Time. I tested and passed my permit test with help from Mike and Mark plus a few apps. In the yard my class and myself met with Tim (The yard dog) who showed all of us the in cab, air brakes and finally the outside pre trip points on the tractor & trailer. All this is over the course of my second week with Smith and Solomon. My third week was still with Tim showing me how to straight line back, off-set back and parallel park. Tim may seem a little standoffish when you first meet him, but dont let that deter you in any way. I would probably be the same way being stuck in the yard all day with a bunch of newbies. Tim has alot of experience and is more than willing to answer any questions you might have. Make sure that you ask and listen. Without Tim I wouldn't have had a chance of graduating. Great guy.

Leg three: Road Time. This really started with Dante in the middle of my second week. Dante told me one day to come with him along with a few other students. We got into a truck with a newer student in the driver seat and left the yard. He rotated through the four of us, driving on the small streets until Dante got to me. Intimidated, but with a very small amount of confidence I took the driver seat and screwed up royally. Couldn't find the gears, no idea what double clutching was, can't downshift at all, and giving little school children on Richmond Ave. nightmares for life. I went out with him a few more times after that and Dante helped me improve more and more each time. Dante also has the patience of a saint and nerves of steel. Another great guy with a ton of knowledge.

Leg three: cont.; Then comes Karen. The reason Karen gets her own paragraph is because I spent most of my time behind the wheel with her. Karen took us on trips through Bucks County and over to Boardingtown, NJ. She has a kind, easy going, soothing way about her. I had a problem with finding 8th gear on a down shift and Karen calmly instructed me on how to precede and later showed me how to avoid that problem. Karen also has a ton of experience and knowledge plus an amazing personality even though she called me Brian in my last 2 days there. Lol.

Leg four: Skills to the Test. In my fifth week I felt that I was ready and approached Bill about setting up a date to test. Bill & Ben scheduled me February 15. It strangely enough ended up with both Bill and Ben testing me on that day. Bill was testing Ben and Ben was testing me. Slightly nerve racking, but both guys were great and I ended up passing that day. DONE! On my way to my new career.

I want to thank Smith and Solomon plus the instructors that they employ. Because of the tools and knowledge provided. I hope to have a lengthy career with Werner. Thank...

Firstly this review is long overdue and to the Staff at Smith & Solomon I apologize. I attended in Philadelphia and my experience was great. I passed my road test in August of 2019. I was super proud of myself but it would not have been possible without their awesome staff and the help they gave me throughout the whole process. Starting with Ms. Lydia, Kiki, and Vanessa they were always very professional and at the same time polite. I can't imagine anybody having a negative thing to say about them. Then there was Steve. He prepared us for the permit test. That man really knows his stuff. I have to mention how patient he was with my group. We were bombing him with all kinds of questions and scenarios and his answers were always on point. To say the least I was way more prepared for the yard then I thought I would be. Thank you again Steve! Then there was the yard instructors. Tim, Karen, Darryl, Josh, and Jay. I'm grateful for having the pleasure to learn from every one of you. Darryl was/is the truth. I feel so indebted to that man. If driving instructors had a league I guarantee y'all he would be a starting All Star. I see a lot of good reviews for him and rightfully so. It was the same in the yard. His name was always buzzing everybody liked his teaching style and he was so relatable. I can say the same about Josh as well. Both of those guys went out of their way to make sure I was well prepared for my road test. I didn't get to ride with Karen much but she actually was the first to take me on the road. She made me feel comfortable and built my confidence and I could see why people wanted to ride with her so much. She was good! I learned my maneuvers on the yard mostly through Tim and Jay I struggled in the beginning but thanks to those guys I caught on pretty quickly. Ben gave me my road test. Before I go any further I have to say this...I'm kind of worried that someone reading this could get the feeling that I have something to gain from speaking so highly about this School and it's staff, but I don't. It's been 9 months since I passed my road test and I never looked back. I was supposed to go back and pick up my diploma and transcripts and I haven't even done that yet. This is genuine gratitude for each person I mentioned. Whoever is reading this can take or leave it but "my word" it's all true. Now back to Ben. It's time to take my road test and Ben walks into the yard. To me he seemed like a no nonsense type that that was cool and down to earth as the saying goes. If that makes any sense. I was super nervous in the beginning but Ben was so smooth and cool the whole time it was like he forced me to be be relaxed. By the middle of my test I felt like I was showcasing my new skills to my big bro. It still felt like a test but his coolness played a big part in me being able to pass. Thanks again to...