Starting school at CR England at the end of this month....

Check ur unemployment office. I was in same boat and I got a grant that allowed me to go to a trucking school. Paid for everything. See if ur unemployment office has that. If not I'd choose Millis, they were my main choice if my funding fell through.

 

I'm sure that's the view from inside the "bunker" at SLC.....

 

After you go to the unemployment office, go to your local community college and check on financial aide. Get your CDL from there and then get on craigs list and get something local. Everyone is desperate for drivers! Don't fall into the "you have to do OTR first for a year" BS. I got my CDL at a school in Austin TX and got my first job operating an end-dump for a local concrete company and made 42,000 my first year, gravey job, home every night and off weekends and holidays. Im in a dry bulk tanker now and make around 50 K, also gravey job. Stay home with your family!

 

I went through CRE "training" at their Indiana school (Burns Harbor), and then went on to drive for them as a solo company driver for almost one year... it was the worst year of my life! Don't do it!!! From getting bit by bed bugs at the Travel Inn motel used by Burns Harbor, to having a racist trainer, to having the most arrogant dispatchers alive, CRE has been hit by multiple lawsuits for good reason. Yes, they are a "training company" for this industry, but nobody deserves to be treated the way MOST of their drivers get treated. I'd bet money that OMC is just a plant to try and say good things about a lousy company.

However, good luck with your research!

 

I have been driving trucks for 23 years. I was luck when I was 20 to work for a company that used their drivers to train me, at that time the driver that trained me had 26 years experience. In all these years when I go eat at a truck stop I listen to what is being said about different companies. There are plenty of companies that will "sponsor" you to go to training school or send you to their school. I have heard from all of them is pretty much the same. You sign a contract to work for that company for 12-18 months. During this time you are paying them back to have them sponsor you or go to their school. The amount that they take out at each pay period is different with each company, of course though, nothing is for free. When you complete the contract you can do what you want. What company is the best? All of them are pretty much the same. Some have better benefits then the others or pay a little different.
One thing that I have noticed is that companies that claim to pay more then the "average" pay do not give you the amount of miles that others offer. Either way, regardless of what company that you work for, you will make the same amount in most cases. There are that you can find that pay good and give you good miles but there is something that they don't offer that the other companies do offer.
With having kids I will say that it is very difficult to do. I came off the road for 9 years driving an end dump so that I could be home and watch my kids grow up. Now that they are graduated from school and have givin me grandkids, I don't have to be home as much.

If my opinion matters at all...I would suggest go to one of these companies that will help you or pay for your school, do it. Tough it out for the 12-18 months then look for a driving job in your area. They will be more apt to hire you with the OTR experience, that way you can be home for your kids and you wont miss as much as they grow up.

Good luck to ya.

 

I have been driving for CRE for just over a year now and I went thru training in Salt Lake

 

Are you a lease or company driver? Does CR England even have company drivers?

 

I am a solo company driver. They try hard to get you to lease a truck but only a dork would lease a truck when they are first starting out and second why the hell would someone want to lease a truck that they are NEVER going to own? My dad has been driving for almost 30 years now and when I get a couple more years under my belt we are talking about buying our own truck

 

I would really think this over before you head out to any trucking school with a family. From my personnel experience going thru training with CRE in Salt Lake City UT last year is that you won't make it home for at least 3 months, more than likely its going to 4 months or maybe even longer depending on how long it takes you to finish training and even after you get your own truck or stay a second seat driver you won't be making much money and depending where you are at and if you requested a dedicated route you will lucky to get home for a couple days for at least 6 months . And if you do go a head go DO NOT let them sucker you into leasing a truck, I sat down and added up the cost and only a fool would sign a lease. This is a rough draft of what its going to cost you to lease a truck, its going to cost you around $700 a week for truck payments then you got trip permits, tolls, fuel, truck and cargo insurance and maintenance costs that you have to pay and keep in mind you are going to be putting out over five grand a month for a truck that they can take back anytime they want and you are never going to own

 

Hey DirtTrackJunkie44, what did you decide to do?