ddog also if you go to ct they have a thing since you a vet you can get your va money and pay check you might wanna check that out i like them cus i can be home every weekend most cant do it living in florida

Thanks for the tip! Looks like a good alternative for living in FL and the east US. The more good alternative companies, the better chance of starting out with one!

i been told not to go to ccc but goto there flat bed ct transport, ccc gets you home almost every night been told but bad things within company, was told to go to ct also in there add they have the va thing be real good for you you get all the money from your student va thing and still get normal pay check, they have no rebursement thou, but I might be going though wia so I hope I can get on check into it ddog

Shortrookie,

I was active 1982-1984 (>10 years) son no more VA direct benefits, but still get WIA preference. VA is great and friends for life. WIA, MTL, and working 3 - 12 hr days on weekend is my best I can do at school.

Personally don't worry about reimbursement. Its not free money. They just cut other funds out somewhere else. If with a good company, just try to learn and work a hard day. The less shenanigans going on with my pay check, the better. Don't get distracted by all the 'free' offers. Once you find out what you are getting, what interest you are paying, and how long you pay it, you are likely getting shafted instead of just worrying about doing your job.

Don't get too greedy, because once you make a decision based on greed it seems to shape your career in trucking industry for a long time. Its like that anywhere, except most industries don't have kind expert contributors like on this site. Lots of smart people with good experience here.

what is wia - i am a vet

I believe WIA = Workforce Investment Act; it's federal funding done at the local level, and is to help unemployed & underemployed people get (back) into the workforce. It's the latter class that's piqued my interest. I applied for WIA about a year ago, went through all their tests & skills evaluations etc., only to have them tell me "We think you still have skills as a machinist". I was like "No #####, I'll probably always have a certain skill set in that trade, but I don't enjoy it as a career; I want to drive a truck, and there's a shortage of drivers, so...". But anyways, I think I might give it a try as an UNDEREMPLOYED, now that I haven't been a machinist for awhile, and maybe make below the $xxx limit. Another interesting point brought up was using a 12-week "externship" to get around the 600-hr. requirement to receive a Pell Grant. I had considered a Pell Grant, but that would have required doing the 20-week course at the local CC.

so what you are saying is that you're attending the "short" (4 week) course at the local CC, and getting a Pell Grant for it because the 12 week "externship" is a sort of loophole for getting around the Pell requirement of 600 hours?