California Career School

Garrette Guidry – Mechanic & Marine

February 2, 2012 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

“I chose CCS because one of my Marines attended this site and highly recommended CCS. In reading and talking with [instructor] Ward I found out that there were benefits from attending CCS such as job placement and assistance to their students. Making the transition from military to civilian life a little less stressful by offering some degree of ‘being part of a family,’ kind of like being in the military.”

Many of our students are in motor transport coming out of the Marines and are looking for a good way to transition into civilian life with the skills that they have learned.

“The challenge I faced on choosing a vocational school was that I am a mechanic and a lot of the jobs I was looking at to be a mechanic had a prerequisite of ‘have to have a class A CDL’ which eased by decision to be part of California Career School.”

“I feel the most valuable asset a school can have is a knowledgeable staff and instructors, which CCS definitely has.”

Garrette plans to move back to Louisiana after his separation from the military. “[W]ith the training I have received and the assistance in job placement, I will be successful.”

Congratulations to Garrette on successfully obtaining his commercial class A license! We wish you the best!

Filed Under: California Career School, Military Branches, Student Testimonials, Truck Driving School, US Marines Tagged With: California Career School, ccs, class a, commercial driver, garrette guidry, truck driver license, twentynine palms, USMC

Marine Graduates With Career Options

January 30, 2012 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

USMC Nickey Wheeler graduated from our course and obtained the unrestricted class A license with passenger endorsement!

“A buddy of mine told me about the course, so we came out and talked with Instructor Ward. Ward gave me information on the course and walked me through the tuition assistance program. So with a positive impression about the school I decided to spend the Marine Corps’ money for something positive.”

“[I] got a lot of options,” Nick said. It could be jumping into the truck driving over the road or going back home to get his associate’s degree in criminal justice to become a state trooper. He is currently a military police officer and security and commercial truck knowledge packs a powerful combo. “Just one more thing on my resume!”

For the holidays he wants to spend time with his family and kids. He told us what his kids thought about him being a truck driver, “[My son] thinks it’s pretty neat!” Nick said he would definitely have him sit in the cab, “He’d get a kick out of it!”

We asked him: what did you immediately want to do? “Relax a bit,” he told us, “then hit the ground running again.” Now that he has many options for his career, we wish him luck in all of his future endeavors. Congrats again Nick!

Filed Under: Bus Driver Career, California Career School, Student Testimonials, Truck Driving School, US Marines Tagged With: bus driving school, California Career School, ccs, CDL, class a, class b, marine, nickey wheeler, truck driving school, USMC

Jaime Flores Graduates in Time for the New Year

January 5, 2012 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

Congratulations to Jaime Flores, our graduate from the Twentynine Palms Marine Corps Base. Jaime obtained his commercial truck driver’s license just a few days before Christmas giving him time to spend with his wife and family.

“I had [a] friend,” he shared with us, “that had gone before me and said nothing but good things about CCS. [...] I wanted a ‘plan B’ for when I got out of the military, slowly my ‘plan B’ started becoming my ‘plan A.’ I went ahead with this vocational school.”

“[My] main obstacle was time. My EAS was rapidly approaching and I had a time crunch.” Our military students receive flexible training hours to ensure that their duties always come first. Jaime completed his truck driver training in less than the average time it takes for many other military students to finish.

“[It was a] very good experience,” said Jaime, “feel comfortable behind the wheel.” He also mentioned that, “everything was handled professionally.”

Once again, we want to congratulate Jaime for his achievement and we wish him good luck in his future endeavors!

Filed Under: California Career School, Career Programs, Military Branches, Truck Driving School, US Marines Tagged With: California Career School, ccs, class a, commercial driver, jaime flores, truck driver license, twentynine palms, USMC

Hugo Barron Builds His Career

December 19, 2011 By Chuck Emanuele 1 Comment

Our graduate Hugo Barron got his truck and bus driver licenses and began working in a matter of a few months!

Weeks ago, he told our placement coordinator Marcelle Gerard, “I’ve decided to take ***** up on his offer. Training starts Nov. 28th. I’d like to thank you guys for being the stepping stone between my military service and my next career move.”

For Hugo, Marcelle wanted to share, “It is not often that someone’s first interaction with a company is in person and not through an online application. Upon first being introduced to this hiring company, Hugo met the recruiting manager who would be one of the deciding factors affecting his offer of employment.” This was at a presentation made just for our students and graduates.

“It’s personal right from the beginning,” Marcelle continued. “This company gets the feel for you in person as opposed to just looking at a resume. We are appreciative of the visits that they make to provide presentations and chances for meeting our students. Without this opportunity, our students succeed with less limitations for their future. I am so happy that Hugo has found a home with this company and that we were able to support him along his own path to success!”

She touched base with him shortly after and Hugo replied, “Everything is going great! I’m in my 2nd week of training. It’s almost unreal how well they value their workers. Met the company president. [...] The compensation for our hard work is generous and benefits are excellent. It’s hard work but worth every bit of it. The promotions are there all it takes is time and hard work. I have full intentions on making this a career. “

Filed Under: Bus Driver Career, California Career School, Career Programs, Student Testimonials, Truck Driving School, US Marines Tagged With: bus driving school, California Career School, ccs, CDL, class a, class b, hugo barron, marine, passenger endorsement, truck driving school, USMC

Graduate Joseph Lettier Gets His Truck and Bus License

December 15, 2011 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

Congratulations to Joseph Lettier for graduating with his commercial truck and bus driver license! He had a few things to share with us after passing both of his driving tests. Class isn’t easy– he told us, “Biggest moment… when Ward just keep going over skills and didn’t move on till I got it and Ryan when he didn’t let me move on with driving till I got it– seemed to me that they cared about my success.” Our Twentynine Palms instructors Ward and Ryan, he described, were “friendly, cool, and knowledgeable.”

He came to CCS because “it [...] seemed to be more of a firm school than *** and the credit hours for college. [...] They offer more in friendship and training offers than any other school.”

Once again, congratulations to Joseph for getting his unrestricted class A with passenger endorsement! We are always here to assist in any of your CDL job searches even years from now.

Filed Under: California Career School Tagged With: bus driving school, California Career School, ccs, CDL, class a, class b, joseph lettier, marine, passenger endorsement, truck driving school, USMC

Graduate Benefits from Instructor’s Teaching Methods

December 12, 2011 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

Marine John Wise recently acquired his class A and passenger endorsement at our Oceanside training location just minutes outside of Camp Pendleton. He had a few things to share about his learning experiences with our instructors over the duration of his training. John graduated from class in just over a month!

John wanted to thank both of his instructors, Jose Ballesteros and Joseph Evins. “They’re all about the student learning.” He described Joseph as “smooth” and “breaks it down step by step.” Jose, on the other hand, is someone he felt was, “fact-based, fast-paced” and geared towards “fast learners.” To John, it was important to receive constructive criticism and this is something that Jose did not hesitate to provide. “Jose’s a trip,” he laughed. “They make a good team.”

“Right now,” he told us, “I’m still active duty. [...] I’m waiting for a transportation company in New York.” He had already sent in his resume and is hoping for the good news to come up soon.

“I would definitely recommend the school,” John said, citing our accreditation and flexibility with our Military students. “I enjoyed [the class]– it was fun to me. If I could do it all day, I would.”

Once again, congratulations to John for completing the course successfully and quickly. We wish him luck in his endeavors in New York!

USMC Greene Gets Truck License

December 5, 2011 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

Marine Andrew Greene got his truck driver license and is now scheduled for his DMV road test for bus tomorrow!

“‘Check, check and RE-CHECK!’ – was what Ward (one of the instructors) had told me the day before my [truck] road test and what this little advice was actually key to me passing this final test. (Check, check and re-check my mirrors.) Sometimes it’s the simple things in life that make the world go round,” Andrew shared with us.

“The greatest challenge,” he told us, “was memorizing the pre-trip inspection of the truck and all components that came with it, but once you get that down everything else is just repetition and muscle memory, so, honestly, it’s not that bad.”

We asked him about his plans after California Career School. “To be honest, I’m not sure,” he said. “I still have 2 years in the Marine Corps to finish, but after that– look for a job somewhere near my home state and work from there.”

We wish Andrew good luck on his test tomorrow! With the truck test already passed, it’s all downhill with the bus!

Filed Under: California Career School Tagged With: California Career School, ccs, class a, commercial driver, truck driver license, twentynine palms, USMC

Graduate Plans to Be Owner-Operator

September 26, 2011 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

Congratulations to Marine James Truitt for completing his training and obtaining his CDL! “The [DMV] examiner told me I did really good– ‘[one of the] better drivers I’ve seen,’” he quoted them.

Before coming to CCS, he was looking at another local school. James mentioned the amount of time between starting class and actually stepping into a truck. “I would have had to wait… almost a month. I didn’t really want to wait that long,” so he decided to come to CCS since we put our students in our trucks right away. “I would tell anybody that wants to drive truck or bus about CCS.”

We talked to him about his future plans now that the course is over. “I get out in May, ” expressing his eagerness to drive over the road, “I wish it was sooner! [...] My dad owns two nice, nice fancy trucks.” They’re selling one and the other one would be used by the both of them as owner-operators doing team driving. “I’m really excited– I grew up with this,” saying that his dad has been in the trucking industry since James was very young. Since then, he said, “Drive [a] truck, that’s what I want to do.”

Once again, congratulations to James and we wish him well once he starts over the road with his family’s business!

Filed Under: California Career School, Career Programs, Student Testimonials, Truck Driving School, US Marines Tagged With: California Career School, ccs, CDL, otr, over the road, owner operator, trucking, USMC

Remembering 9/11

September 15, 2011 By Chuck Emanuele Leave a Comment

Camp Pendleton remembers 9/11 this past Sunday with a gathering of families and Military men and women. “Hundreds of attendees, many dressed in patriotic colors and waving American flags, filled the benches and seats at the Oceanside amphitheater to remember the victims,” says Kristina Houck from the Camp Pendleton Patch.

Photo 1: Chuck Emanuele boothing at the event; Photo 2: Jan Emanuele w/ Lcpl Im of the 4th LAR Reserve Unit; Photo 3: Credit Kristina Houck from the Camp Pendleton Patch

Children had the opportunity to get in and out of vehicles. These vehicles and other heavy artillery were laid out in display for all to see. Pleasant California beach weather also supported the picnic held that day. Unemployment among Veterans was a key topic at the event and several organizations gathered to share what they do to help former Military in need. Our director Chuck Emanuele and his wife Jan attended as well to represent the school for the presentations.

“I believe it is important that we remember that day, not just the tragic side, but how we felt as a country—a country that came together and stood side-by-side,” Oceanside Fire Chief Darryl Hebert said to the Camp Pendleton Patch.

Filed Under: California Career School Tagged With: 9/11, California Career School, Camp Pendleton, marines, military, reservists, unemployment, USMC

Marine Graduates Assist After Three Car Pile-Up

August 25, 2011 By Chuck Emanuele 2 Comments

On their way back from work on August 11, 2011, Marines and CCS graduates Mike Muniz, Robert Puga, Dewayne Creary, Marcus Pepper, Thomas Morey, and Scott Reid stopped to help at a three car pile up on the I40 in Oklahoma City.

Our contact at IPS, Randy, called us about the incident to let us know that our graduates had stopped to help. “We were just driving,” said Robert Puga, “we had just gotten off work.” It was in the middle of the day and their van was literally the first vehicle on scene, “Just shy of running over that guy,” Robert described. Driver Scott Reid exercised spot-on threshold braking to make sure they avoided the ejected driver. A Dodge truck with a gooseneck had hit a van, flipping it over as the truck also collided with another passenger car.

Robert told us that the van’s driver didn’t seem to have a seatbelt on and launched out of the rear window. “He was non responsive… his arm was pretty mangled. There was blood.”

All seven Marines busily helped the injured, six of which graduated from our Twentynine Palms and Camp Pendleton schools. “I started helping Michael out… he was already pulling her out,” Robert referred to the woman stuck inside of the overturned van. “Everybody did something, it was just second nature.”

Michael Muniz updated his Facebook that day with this message: “On our [way] back to the hotel from work this afternoon and right in front of us was a 3 car rear end, the van in front of us the driver was ejected out of the back window, We were in a 15 passenger van and the guy driving our van came 6 feet from running the guy over, he had to slam on the brakes. All 7 us (All former Marines) got out and helped everyone out, it gave me flash backs from deployments being on QRF. Counting my blessings today.”

No word on the status of the accident victims.

Author: Sarah Bantay

Filed Under: California Career School Tagged With: California Career School, car accident, ccs, marines, oklahoma, USMC