Company Training vs CDL School Advice Needed

Thousands of new drivers, every year, start trucking without a car.
Save your money; keep it in the bank and attend company sponsored training.
Maybe deep down, you are a little skeptical about being an OTR trucker,
You need a couple years experience as a CDL-A driver before becoming an owner-operator.

 

Its its one and the same driver... There is no difference in the "grand scheme". The issue is having your training costs reimbursed after the schooling phase. If you pay outright for your school or finance it privately, you can get those costs paid back by a carrier with that program, if you go to a sponsored school, they will pay the costs of the schools over time (a year or so) Either way you're still going to pay for your training and get it paid back. Pick a carrier or two, find out what their schooling requirements are and then shop schools that meet their requirements. Long training periods or shorter, it depends on when you need to start making your own money. Driving around for for weeks with other student's is good, but you'll be in the plateau phase and its really not going to help that much.

 

If you Don't mind changing your address to TX. Having a car won't be an issue. Stevens Transport has a couple of shuttles and they will drop and pick you up. Plus there's a bus stop right out front of the yard and the public transportation is good in DFW.

Sounds like you're single. You won't need a car. Or really an apartment. Assuming you have family you can crash with for a couple of days when you're on home time. But you can take home time anywhere. So you can see the country. Live out of the truck and save money. You have to stay a year and pay off your school. But you want to stay at your first job for a year or so.

 

Your better off to learn slowly with a college or institute that takes weeks or several months. As opposed to a company that is going to give you a crash course in 3 days and hope you remember it all.

To get my license it was a 5 week course. When I went to CR England I can remember students that were having a mental break down. Many potential drivers were quitting on the spot from the stress of learning to do it in 3 days just to get the learners permit.

 

I get that you don't want to be on the hook for a year to get your CDL through a Company. Have you tried talking to anyone about a WIOA grant? Just Google WIOA and the City you are in, should show you where a nearby office is.

 

Yeah, the reason myself and others recommend a year or two as a company driver, before buying a truck, is insurance costs and many brokers won't give loads to 0/0's that only have a few months experience as driver.
~
As for quitting trucking like some do, before really giving the new career a chance; you won't do that because you're already a driver and used to dealing with grouchy customers and fighting city traffic. The transition to CDL-A driving will be easy for you.

 

I suggest trying to find a trade school that will help you get a CDL. As for that car thing? If you get into the right situation you won't need one!

 

Learning on an automatic is not going to matter. If you buy your own truck. They sell automatics. Majority made are automatic. Just that they are going directly to companies. Reason you see adds for manual transmission. Is old school truckers.