Ive seen this post in here somewhere but I cant find it. Also I dont believe it spells out what the pitfalls are specifically about company school.
I understand that you have to sighn a 1 year contract in most cases. If you sighn on with a reputable company in the first place, such as Roehl,Schnider,Crete ect., then what is the problem? Please be specific. Most other posts are vague about the real dangers(is that the right word?)of indentured servitude.
My problem is a double bill. Im looking at TDI school in Sanford, Fl. for my wife and myself to run team. At thier price I will have to pay back 12,000 dollars plus the 800 nonrefundable for the hotel. When your looking at 13K to get started and the company reimbursement rates on average of 100 dollars a month(the ones ive seen that say how much they will pay back)It will take 5 years to pay back those loans. I only qualify for half the tuition so I've got to provide 6000 out of my own devices which will more than likely be 2000 in cash and 4000 on credit which could take 2 lifetimes to pay off! Plus the monthly loan payment. Plus I cant get the director of the school to tell me what the interest rate of the loan is. He keeps saying it varies as to your credit but the fact that he has already gotten word that my credit isnt good enough to float the whole loan tells me that he's not telling me everything. I guess he wants me to get all the way thru the school and then find out what the interest on the loan is!? This sound crazy to me. Anyone have any experiance with this? Anyone know about TDI? Are they a good school or are they BS? I dont think I trust them. He also told me the trucking companies would pay back tuition at a rate of 250 a month. I dont see or hear that anywhere but from him.
My situiation is Ive lost my job to economic downturn in the houseing market and Ive gotten used to 70K a year between the both of us. I will take a pay cut by trucking but my wife will get a raise so we should make about the same between us the first year. Am I guessing right? I hope I am because I dont know what else to do. I only know construction and driving.(6 years ex. driving B class in NYC,NJ and Long Island)
I Appreciate all your help. One way or the other i'm gonna get behind the wheel so I need to be really carefull.
One other thing. I called Old Dominion.They dont run OTR from my area.(Central Florida) Only local. I also called Roehl and they dont hire here either. I considered this strange, not from Roehls view, but from the fact that I first heard of Roehl from TDI in Sanford,Fl. which was handing out thier literature. You would think they wouldnt do that if you couldnt get hired from here. I understand about people coming from elsewhere to attend school but they supposedly have 12 or 13 schools around the country. Why come here?

The big thing for me with company paid training was that if you get in a bad situation -- and there are bad situations even at the best of companies -- you either have to put up with it, or quit. If you quit even after 11 1/2 months, you still pay the full training costs at most companies (Roehl was the only exception I've seen of a pro-rated tuition payback, but I'm sure there are others). Also, if they decide to fire you -- for whatever reason -- you also owe the full tuition amount. If you're unemployed, did you check into a WIA grant to pay for school? Go to your local umemployment office and see if you qualify -- it can't hurt. If you decide that company paid training is your best option, then there are a few things you should be sure of up front.

1. Make sure it is with a good company -- Schneider and Crete are two decent companies. This way, you eliminate much of the dumb stuff you would encounter at a company like Swift et al.

2. Find out how the on the road training will work with you and your wife. You each will probably have to go out for a number of weeks over the road with separate trainers. Find out how long, and whether or not they have female trainers for your wife to go with. If not (and many companies don't have enough female trainers so there may be a wait of several weeks to a month or more for one) make sure your wife will be comfortable going on a truck with a male trainer. Most trainers will be professional and wish to avoid any 'problems', but there are always those few that you have to watch out for.

3. Make sure you have assurances from the company that you and your wife will be allowed to drive as a team after training is complete. If you can get this in writing, that would be even better.

4. When you and your wife go on the truck with your trainers, make sure you ask as many questions as you need to, and get as much experience as you can doing things like backing, trip planning etc. When you are off the trainers' truck, you and your wife will be out there on your own so the more you learned while you were with an experienced driver, the better. Also, if either one of you has a problem with your trainer, go through the proper company channels to get a different one. Never, ever, get off of a trainers truck unless you feel your safety is in jeopardy.

5. Don't let any company talk you into leasing a truck when your training is finished. Listen, smile and when they want you to sign, just say no. They will make it sound like you'll be rolling in dough by leasing your own truck, but just don't do it. You can find plenty of posts on here about lease agreements that should tell you why you shouldn't.

I'm sure there are some things I have forgotten, I'll count on the more experienced members to fill in the gaps. Good luck to you and keep us posted on your progress.

In a nutshell, get into a good College sponsored 200 hour CDL training school. You will be free to choose who you work for and not stuck to a contract.

Just my 2 cents.

__________________
No good deed goes unpunished......

I would say,if you can swing it go to a school and pay for it.I would hate to feel like I was owned by a trucking company,even if it was just a year.Once you get thru school and obtain your CDL there are thousands of jobs waiting to be filled.Get some kind of a student loan.

It may have been only your 2 cents but thats a wealth of sound advice

don't get trapped into comapny sponsored schools. got independant, and pay the bill yourself. you'll feel better in the end not owing a trucking company.

wow--I just got my a for less than a grand in so calif. private school. what's this 12k stuff? company policy? special company training like wet and frozen driving? All I have done so far is ready mix over last summer--no t&t. just got my a in nov.

Your a lucky man to get a cdl class for under 1K! Accredited or not.
If you read alittle more carefully on my original post, you will see that 12K was for 2 . That was from TDI and they wanted 6K a piece plus 400 a piece for lodging. 13K in the end and he wouldnt tell me the interest rate. I have since dumped that school.

Less than $1,000 . . . That's Southeast Community College in Lincoln, Nebraska. I can't see forking over $3,000 to a company just so you can work for them. Crete and many other companies end up hiring from there. So they say. I specifically spoke with a Crete recruiter. He says you can apply with the company beforehand; and if you do well enough, they'll hire you out of school. That's coming from the recruiter, though, so take it with a grain of salt.

I have looked into this subject myself . I have decided to go to a tech school it will total about $4,000 including all the test and lic fees for my state any then YOU GET TO CHOOSE WHO YOU WANT TO WORK FOR > But if you still want to spend $12,000 for school pay a tech school the $4,000 or so and sent the rest to ME> (just kidding good luck )