My Reaearch Has Concluded These Things.

Discussion in 'Questions From New Drivers' started by VeganTrucker, Mar 2, 2015.

  1. VeganTrucker

    VeganTrucker Medium Load Member

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    1: There are two ways to go about getting a CDL-A.
    A). Pay $5000 for a 3-4 week short program at a community college or diesel driving school. Or pay $10,000 for the "advanced" program which is 2-3 months. Both get the same license. Paying for this: Out of pocket which most people looking to start a new career can't afford. Financial aid: If qualified, one may get help from the
    government to pay this crazy fee. Lastly, a person can pay this fee, then work for a company who will reimburse your tuition (typically $150/month up to $6000 on average).
    B): Go to work for a company who will pay for your CDL. Most of these companies will then make you sign a one
    year contract. This is risky because if you don't fulfill the obligation, the company will tarnish your record making it hard to land another job plus they will go after you for that money where you will end up paying
    somewhere around twice the amount of a diesel driving school. From what I've read, a lot of companies (I'm talking to you England), set their student truckers up for this purpose. Making them drive with a trainer who really doesn't train them at all and when they take their final test, they don't have the knowledge to pass and then terminate them from the company. I suppose this is an easy way for these demonic companies to make easy money. They need just enough drivers to fill their turnover slots but bring on a lot more trainees then needed to fill those slots so they won't have enough work or trucks to hire on those trainees.

    2: Decided on letting a company pay for your training. What's next? You will be sent to their training facility where you will go for between 3-6 weeks. Book learning and driving. Some companies pay for your transportation to the training facility, some don't (I'm looking at you PAM). Most pay for your food during your training. Some don't. (PAM, once again, you're in my crosshairs). Once finished with the 3-6 weeks, you then go home for a week or so, pack some things and go to one of your companies hubs to meet your "mentor" whom you will be driving team with for a period of between 3-6 weeks. Give or take. During this time, you are supposed to learn all the ins and outs of trucking. As stated before, a lot of companies will give you a trainer who is just there to log his own hours and show you nothing so you will fail your driving test, thus voiding your contract upon them terminating you making big bucks for the company.
    If you are lucky enough to get a good trainer and successfully finish your training, you will then be a "company driver". For no less then one year. This is when the "fun" starts.

    3: Now your coat tails are cut and you are legal to drive as a professional driver. If you went this route, now you have to drive as a team with a stranger for at least the next 6 months. Smelling his farts, watching him piss, listening to him snore, belch, bitc*, and complain about how your not driving fast enough or are too careful. Or about his miserable wife and kids. Listen to him talk on his phone while you're trying to sleep. Smell his food, his feet, his sweat, you get the drift. FOR 6 MONTHS!!!!! Think about that. Sleeping in a small cramped truck, driving with and being around a stranger 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Wow. So after these heavenly 6 months, you can finally start running solo. Where you can enjoy the life of a loner on the road. Which sounds awesome to me. But getting there going this route seems way to much for any sane human being to deal with.

    4: You're running solo: Expect to be paid around .25-.36 cents per mile. Not horrible but not good. Expect to be ran like slave. 11 hours driving then a 10 hour break. Expect to be called to run to pick up freight that someone else can't deliver and that is already late. Don't expect dispatchers to take your phone calls. And if they do, don't expect them to be polite. Expect them to have you sitting sometimes for a day or three waiting for a load. Expect to wait a few or 10 hours to be loaded or unloaded. Expect between 600-2,500 miles per week. There is no guarantee for miles. Or loads. You don't get paid for sitting still.

    5: Do NOT go to work for CR England.

    6: PAM does not do hair follicle drug screen. UA only. Roehl does hair follicle and UA.

    7: Roehl is a decent place to get trained from and a good company to work for if you live within their region. I do not.

    8: CR England is a no go. I know I said it once but felt it mandatory to reiterate this point.

    9: Henderson is not as bad as PAM but not as good as Roehl. Not sure if Henderson does hair follicle testing.

    10: Do NOT lease. Unless you are very lucky, you will get screwed.

    11: Buy your own truck. Brand new if possible. Then you can run some miles and make some real money. If buying used and its less then 40 grand, prepare to spend your big pile of earned cash on fixing your truck. There are exceptions of course.

    I've only been looking into this new career for a week now and this is what I have found out. If I missed anything or am wrong in anything, please feel free to correct me or add anything. That being said, I really want to become a trucker. But the risks of dying or killing someone else being teamed up with a total stranger is too great for me. How would a person sleep knowing another rookie is at the wheel? The only other route is paying to get my CDL out of pocket and that can't be done. I just don't know how anyone does it. I am in awe of any person who goes the company training route and successfully completes their year contract. I was in the military and this team driving thing makes sitting in a fox hole for 15 hours a day in the rain, sleet and snow with another dude seem like a stay at the Waldorf Estoria!
     
    Dreazz75, kiwi23 and pattyj Thank this.
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  3. Wild Murphy

    Wild Murphy HAPPY TRUCK DRIVER

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    I paid 5000 as an investment in myself. I was with a trainer for 8 weeks at a mega. It has been 7 months since I got my cdl and 5 months since I left the trainers truck. I make .45 cents per mile. I net 900 a week. I'm happy.
     
  4. VeganTrucker

    VeganTrucker Medium Load Member

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    Yeah. In this economy and job market, $5000 isn't an easy thing to come by. My wife and I make $85 grand between us and we can't save a penny. Paying off old debts, bills, animals, life. It sucks.
     
  5. manskewl

    manskewl Light Load Member

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    I did Knights Squire training deal. Teamed with a driver with no lie forty years experience for a month for my "training" very beneficial experience. I did 90 percent of the driving. Solo after that. No contract but you pay out over the course of a year. Made 9 months or so with them found something closer to home with more home time. Couldn't pay them for six months or so they never hounded me for their money. Did pay them off when i could think my balance was 1k or so. It lead me to a Monday through Friday 9 hour workday weekends off gig i have now. Overall a pretty good experience.
     
  6. XCELERATIONRULES

    XCELERATIONRULES Medium Load Member

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    Anyone know where a new guy with bad credit can just skip the BS and buy a New Western Star 5700?
     
  7. VeganTrucker

    VeganTrucker Medium Load Member

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    This is the ticket.
     
  8. 77smartin

    77smartin Road Train Member

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    I dunno.
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    Yup...bad credit or no credit...have your debit card ready when you call me...gonna be a grand up front for me to process the application...approval guaranteed...promise.
     
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  9. CrappieJunkie

    CrappieJunkie Wishin' I was fishin'

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    I had the government pag for mine since I was low income. Been out here 18 months and never had a codriver except teaining. There are many companies that will pay school and not make you team. I work for USA Truck and they dont team unless its training. Thanks for your service to this country.

    85k a year and cant save, not judging but my wife and I probably ha e more debt than you and could do hell of a lot with that kind of coin. Of course we dont have animals though or kids.
     
  10. Libler38

    Libler38 Bobtail Member

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    Which company makes you go out with someone for 6 months before you can run solo? No way I would work for them.

    I'm still a greenhorn but most experienced guys on here would tell you to not do this straight out of school.

    You have the right general idea though. Since you are military, do you qualify for the GI bill? It will pay for CDL school.
     
  11. VeganTrucker

    VeganTrucker Medium Load Member

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    Been a tough year. Had some major issues comeup with one of our dogs, we took in 2 new cats, etc etc. When I was jobless, we used credit cards to keep the lights on, had to buy a new computer, moved into a new house, yada yada. In a year, we'll be okay. I may just have to wait to get into trucking. It's give and take. I'm a carpenter now and my hours are dwindling and very sporadic. So I need to either take in a second job, find a more stable job, or stay where I'm at and hope work picks up. It's just a lot of choices so I'm weighing my options. I may bite the bullet and go PAM or Knight. But thanks for your kind words.
     
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