Alright guys, give it to me straight (noob questions galore)

well, first is the question about where to get training. large companies have their own programs sometimes, which are "free", but in return, you will contract to drive for them for a certain length of time, and from what i hear they also take a bit out of your pay for reimbursement of the "free" classes. other option is a private school. ive heard people argue that each of these is the better option...my opinion is paying a private school (one that guarantees a job upon successful completion) is the far better option. most large "starter companies" will also reimburse you for school tuition you paid, at the rate of x per month. usa truck where i started paid me 100 bucks a month in addition to regular pay. i paid c1 in indy $2000 for the classes. if id stayed with usa truck for 20 months they wouldve paid back the whole shot. but i also had the option of leaving them at any time, should i find greener pastures elsewhere, and not owe them anything. with a train here drive here deal, if you leave early, you owe more than you wouldve paid elsewhere...just think that tying yourself down to that kind of extended contract is a bad idea.

if you find a place thatll pay you 39 cpm right out of school, god bless ya. and i dont know of any otr that pays unless the wheels are moving, unless you are detained at a shipper or receiver for too long (over 2 or 3 hours), then many companies will pay detention time.

going out with a trainer is mandatory for a new driver at any place i have any knowledge of.

so many answers as to who to start with. everyone has their own opinion. ive heard good reports on roehl. i would recommend usa truck without reservation. youll get at least 10 other answers. not sure about heartland or crete as far as if they take newbies, but heartland pay is outstanding...crete/shaffer is above average.

what you will be looking to get into is a regional or dedicated gig. this will be most likely to get you the hometime you want. another option is to check for foodservice distributors. the 2 in my area pay VERY well (65k a year) but the physical requirements are demanding. basically, you leave with a loaded (readverloaded) trailer late tonight, make some delieveries, run outta hours, sleep, drive rest of route tomorrow and home early next morning. work 4 days off 3 generally. but YOU UNLOAD THE WHOLE 50K worth of product, all hand unload...1st few stops arent bad but it was too rough for me.

how long youll be gone while going to school depends on the school.

plenty of men (and women) with families drive otr. the more you are gone the better your pay is (generally). tough to find the happy medium sometimes, and you will definitely miss some stuff at home. whether its viable depends on you and your wife. i started when my boys were 5 and 14. we are still married, so its possible lol.

 

I agree with the previous poster quite a bit, especially about the food service industry job....I have recently retired from one and I know for a fact about those physical requirements. But, it will keep you in tip top shape as you grow older and will pay you enough for your efforts...when I retired I was running 3 trips a week and home every nite with a salary of 76,500 a year. Granted I had over 20 years seniority and could get really good runs. I ran OTR for 2 years b/4 landing this job but you already know that you will have gain a little experience so it will not come as a complete surprise. It sounds like this path may be one that interests you so try and get some OTR behind you then check it out...as far as schools go when I started there were none so I can only say what I've heard...and that is if you have a community college close by that offers CDL classes then they are by far the best place to go...Good Luck!

 

I guess when options are limited over the road driving is alright.
If i had kids and a wife there would be no way that i could be out for x amount of weeks
and miss key events in their lives.
Most companies tell ya hometime is great and they always honor it but it's blown smoke for the most part.

If you can find a relatively cheaper private school I'd go that route.
If you have to take out a loan then the school is probably too expensive lol.
On the flip side, if the school is under $1500 they probably won't thoroughly train you and their equipment might not be up to par.

I'd say just continue to do as much research as you can because there are so many different companies to chose from. Picking the wrong one, though, could definitely leave a sour taste in your mouth as far as trucking goes.

Good luck.

 

Agree with the God bless you if you find that much out the gate. I don't know of any company that will pay your school and then pay you top dollar. They do want you runnin 46/wks a year though so you better have a very solid relationship at home. My fiancé hates me being gone, but she understands it. Only six months into my career and looking backwards I would research state funded options. There is a driver shortage (nobody wants the pay we get to be treated the way we are). And from what i understand, state accredited schools will give you assistance on finding that first job. Smaller companies are a gamble because it's hard to find enough information on them. Large companies dont pay great, you are very expendable because there is another class graduating next week! That being said, there are many successful drivers. I've just never met someone who said this is my first year and I love everything about my job. Some people get lucky and boast about how they landed the perfect job before they were licensed at all. (yeah, ok). I'm doing it the hard way. Working for one of the so called driver mills, I still manage to keep my mortgage paid and my Harley tuned. I feel that I treated fairly, although I also realize no one really worries about whether or not I succeed. It's on me, which is fine. That's how I prefer it. If you have the option of paying for your own schooling, you also have the freedom of choosing a more suitable company with a higher possibility of running regional in your area. During training you can expect to be out for 4-6 weeks depending on how fast you pick up the necessary skills (how quick they move the meat in the seats). After that it depends on the company but 4 weeks out 4 days home is pretty standard for the larger companies. It's hard to make much money working less. Good luck!

 

I would give Roehl a try, they have there own school and they have a home time plus fleet which would be 7 on 3 off and 7 on 4 off or 14 on 7 off. I started there, they have a good training program. I wouldnt plan on making more than 32k -35k a yr.

 

By my count that is three tons, so far...

Mikeeee