Newbie here

Get paid for seeing the country...Join us, it's fun !!!

 

Welcome to the forum kcmofire! I'm one of the many wannabes who is a member here. I visited a driver training school that's only about 10 minutes from my home. They wanted $6k upfront for their 3 week course. Yikes! I thought that sounded high but they quickly knocked $1k off the top when I offered to pay cash. That was nice! I came pretty close to writing them a check for the $50 they needed to get the ball rolling on my MVR check, etc. I came close to sealing the deal right then and there. But I didn't have my check book with me. ####! On the way home to retrieve my checkbood I had time to reflect on everything that was said during the 45 minutes I spent with the recruiter. Oh well, that was a few months ago.
Here's where I'm at now. I joined this forum before I went back to the recruiter. I've read about many, many different companies and many, many different driving schools, both private and company-sponsored. Bottom line: I'm going to take my hard earned money and go to a local community college next summer and take its commercial driving course. I'll drive 90 minutes each way to this school every day of the week for 8 weeks. Keep reading the forum! Decide what's best for you! Excuse my long winded post!

 

Best advice you can get! You might even see if you are eligible for a grant or government loan to help pay. Check with your local career center or unemployment office.

BUT what ever you do DO NOT let some company try to pick up the bill! You WILL get bent the same as people who do the "CDL Mill "with a bottom feeder company!

And thanks for being a first responder!

Good Luck
Rollover

Also try to get the "fired" changed to burnout or something a little ore friendly as this happens to a lot of Para's. It's the main reason they don't last.

 

i live in kc and i heard fort scott community college has a program my friend went to over off of 635 he said it was great

 

So hey "why not drive a truck?"

Hmmm... I am one of the more optimistic ones out here... I believe if someone wants to be a trucker bad enough they can and will....

Let me say that again...
IF someone WANTS to be a trucker BAD ENOUGH they can and (perhaps)will.

This is not a good time to just check it out... It costs money to get your CDL to even give you the opportunity to check it out...
Just because you have your CDL doesn't mean you will get a job soon if at all...
Even if you have your CDL and get a job right away you have to work, work, work and work to keep it, keep your record and dac clean and figure your first year in is just to cover your getting into trucking cost... if things go good, you will break even, if they go well you will make a little also...

I am not saying it is impossible... Heck, I was just in Reno, could of taken $6k and satat the poker table to see what it was like... "Hey why not give poker a try"...
I didn't because I don't like to toss $6k to the wind and lady luck...

I am in a truck now.. not because it just occurred to m to give it a try... but because I have wanted to and planned on it for years...

I have wanted it for so long that I couldn't stand not getting into it... even if now is not a good time... and even if I wouldn't make much money...

If I were you... I would give it a lot more thought... unless you are just independantly wealthy and need somewhere to throw your $6k and more...

 

6000 sounds like a lot of dough to get your CDL.....
There's thousands a posts on here to help you make up your mind and after reading them until you see double you're still the one who has to decide which company suits you best.
I will tell you this though a company who has to send out recruiters to hire drivers are what you call the "bottem feeders".
The better companies don't need recruiters......think about it.Unfortunately 90% of newbies have no choice but to go with these starter companies.

My 2 cents,good luck!!

 

Welcome, kcmofire!! Good, sound advice you are getting here, so far!

Good luck!

Judi Kay

 

Wait isn't that socialism? Why should the government force me to pay for his truck driving class's...........

Oh wait, I'm not a republican. Sorry about that. Getting a grant would be a great idea.