the real story for 2010

WOW!!! This is a first folks! This is somebody that pays attention in school! Good for you man, I have been driving for over 14 years and couldn't give you any better advice. Yes, there are tons of companies looking for drivers. Especially ones that have a head on their shoulders. Stay away from (like you mentioned) the mega carriers. Watch out for the schools they are really going to push them on you. They get kick backs from these companies and more than likely while you are in school these companies will come and talk to your class. Showing you crap like driving around a curve in the mountains! (sorry, always thought those posters were funny!) Look for some good mom and pop companies or even an owner operator willing to take you on and show you the ropes. Where do you live? Some areas of the country are easier than other to find trucking jobs. Welcome to the forum.

 

There are three components to getting your CDL:
1. Permit. you've already done that
2. Pretrip. You will be required to do the pretrip for the DMV examiner and they like to hear it in a rote fashion. If you don't go to a school they 'approve', they will likely put you thru the grist mill when presenting your PTI for them. This is usually done as a separate exam, scheduled with the examining department.
3. Driving skills. First they require you to complete some yard skills such as strait line backing, alley docking (90 degree back) and a few more. Then they have a course they will put you thru that similates most common things you will come across. Examples are downhill on a curve with a stop sign/signal at the end. Tight turns that require you to button hook. They'll run you thru school zones to see if you catch it and slow down. Just normal stuff.
Schools have all this stuff down pat and teach you these things so you can pass the tests and get your license.
If you can find a O/O that can guide you thru this stuff, then good for you. It just seems the DMVs are in league with the driving schools these days, so it's that much harder.
BTW, there are other schools in other areas that are cheaper and just as good. You might check into larger cities in other states. It may be cheaper to go there, get your CDL, then transfer it to your home state afterward. Transfering usually just requires a vision test and a few bucks.
good luck.

 

I have heard of community collages having cheaper CDL classes in some cases, just FYI.

 

Look up Crowder College Transportation Training in Neosho Missouri. They have a 5 week program for your CDL and it costs $3125. Also have dorms available for $595 for room and board for the whole 5 weeks. They start 3-4 classes a month so you might be able to get in pretty fast. Here's a link. http://www.truckschool.org/index.htm

Theres a little info about the school in the TTR also check this out. http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...3-crowder-conway-finishing-aug-23-2010-a.html

Good luck to you.