Best option for getting my cdl?

Its going to cost roughly 3500-4000 either way so I guess the question is, do you have the cash and can you maintain being off work while being in school for 4 weeks?

 

I was in the same boat you are in. I left trucking for 10 years. When I came back I went to a local trucking school. Only cost me $2500 plus physical and drug screen. $2650 total cost. I chose a trucking school for two reasons. First, I had the money to pay for it and second, I didn't want to be indebted to any one company. Best of luck!

 

Agreed, if you can pay for it; I'd definitely go that way. Otherwise you're basically on the hook w/ a company, not only for the money, but stuck taking whatever loads they want, etc... Much better to go through a school. You're in TN?

 

A few of the megas offer tuition reimbursement too. So even if you pay out of pocket you can get on with a company that will reimburse you. When I got back into trucking I took a job with Schneider. They offered $150 a week reimbursement. All I had to do was show them my receipt and "diploma".

 

Scope TDI or any other local CCs, and HotH2o is right, most companies do tuition reimbursement... So you'll recoup those costs. I'd only advise company training if that's your only option; you basically have no autonomy over your circumstances until you meet the school's contractual requirements - which is often 1 year of service. For that year, you'll be getting low wages, crappy loads... Just my .02