Indentured Servitude or $6,000?

I have been kicking around this idea of driving for a living (well, almost a living) for over a month now and am pretty close to convincing myself I am going to do it. Since I do not have a CDL, I obviously have to go through training to get one and I am on the fence whether to pay roughly $6,000 for a private CDL school, or go the company sponsored route and be an indentured servant for 12 months.

I see pros and cons for both sides and I swear it is so close there are days my position changes from ‘private’ to ‘sponsored’ and then back again the following day. I’ve been kicking this decision around for weeks and I am no closer now than I was a few weeks ago. I thought I’d throw this question out to the ‘been there, done that crowd’ and solicit comments on how things played out for people who took different paths to get your CDL. I’ll list some of the things I view as important in my thought process;

Private CDL school pros – from everything I have read, it sounds as though people who go this route get far more respect from carriers when applying for jobs. They seem to get slightly higher earnings and better treatment once hired. I would expect nothing but complete professionalism from trainers since I am paying them to train me.

Private CDL school cons – no assurance of a job once you have a CDL. This is perhaps my biggest concern; spending $6,000 and hoping someone hires me. I equate this with jumping off a diving board and hoping someone fills the swimming pool with water on the way down. I already have interest from 2 carriers now but until someone offers me that job there will be some concern I could spend $6k and one month for nothing. And with some carriers, if there is a lapse between your CDL issue date and your job offer, back in the pool you go.

Company sponsored pros – I would pretty much have some assurance going into it that I will have a job lined up provided I come out the other side with a CDL. That may actually be the only ‘pro’ I see in this, but it is still huge for me.

Company sponsored cons – yeah, saved the best for last. When I think of all the things that could go wrong with company sponsored CDL training, I have visions of my wrists being duct-taped to my ankles for one year, and squealing like Ned Beatty for the duration. I have no problem at all being financially indebted to a company that provides my CDL training; I get that part of it completely. But there are just so many comments from truckers that took this route that make it seem like Indentured Servitude at its absolute worst. I’m afraid if someone demands I ‘yes massa’ in response to all their demands, I may end up in prison on a manslaughter charge.

So …. I am asking for input on the pros and cons from people who have already been through this. I should add that although salary is a consideration, it is secondary to avoiding manslaughter charges. I have resigned myself to the fact I will not earn enough money to eat until my 2nd year. Thanks to anyone that can offer some input.

 

PA. I actually got a quote from Sage (New Stanton) at $5,800 but had a few at $7k or $10k from a few community college type settings. I dismissed those immediately. I consider the initial CDL school to be just adequate enough to get licensed, with the real 'training' coming from holding a wheel.

 

I consider myself employable, but like I said, until I have that firm offer in hand, anything could happen.

Glad to hear you avoided prison. That's reassuring.

 

Oh, CT, I forgot to mention my 'goal' would probably be to drive boxes, but I would consider reefer, tanker, or flatbed in that order.

As far as my 'eating' comment, I know I can make some money but I am not expecting any real opportunities to open up until after I have proven myself. And I know I'll probably get flamed for this, but I am single, no kids, a self starter and have zero issues working 100 hours a week. Because of that, the possibility of going L/O or O/O may interest me, but I want to hold a wheel for a year before actually deciding to do that. My earnings during year 1 would be just enough to keep my head above water and maybe buy a few table dances every month.

 

I am actually looking a Schneider as my preferred carrier. In part, because I want to run and I would expect they have the freight and lanes that would allow me to do that. And as I pointed out in one of my posts here, I might be interested in doing an L/O or O/O at a year into driving, and Schneider offers some attractive packages for both, IMHO. I know everyone says 'do a year and jump' but I could see myself staying with Schneider until I retire in 10 years, give or take.