I'm About To Sign A Contract!!!!! Help!

Hey, who said a monkey can't be the best????

 

On my graduation day, I met a woman that had just started class at my school. She had gone to Schnieder for training and passed everything except the road test. Instead of giving her another shot (from what she tells me), they sent her packing and told her to go to another school and pass the road test, then they would hire her on. Then the slapped a $4000 bill on her. She's going to my school (Alliance) and has to take it all over again just to take another road test, and paying full price for that too, another $5000. Unbelievable! Now, Alliance gives you as many shots as it takes, they wont send you packing, and I'm willing to bet other schools are the same way. There seems to be too much risk in going with company paid training, assuming they are all like Schnieder.

 

Notch I've got a post in here somewhere about the company I currently work for. CFI ----Contract Frieghters Inc.
I've been there 3 months now and it's a good place to start. I wont stay there 'cause the pay sucks and the benny's suck too but, like I said< a good place to start. Training is not free but, IMHO, it is the best deal out there.
You pay, I believe, $1740.00. They pay $2000.00
This includes tuition at Crowder College in Neosho,Mo. All your meals at the cafateria. Its not the best but will keep you alive. Your drug screen. Your physical and your Mo. CDL license fee. Also room in the dorm.
Training is 1 month.(no pay) Then You go out with a trainer for 7500 miles. Then you get your own truck.
Your obligation for the 2K is to pull 1 load. I dont know if that load is with your trainer or after you get your own truck.
After your 1 load you can walk away with your cdl.
I have yet to find a better deal.

 

Have you tried USA TRUCK out of VanBuren, AR

 

Before committing yourself to ANY company for training. Check into your local community colleges (sp).

While many "Driving schools" get 5k plus for training. Area CC get as little as $1000 for a 7 week course. And, you can get assistance from your states employment office.

Eventually, you'll find a job. You'll still have a "training" period to deal with. But you will be much better off in the wallet than most..

 

notch... i suggest driver solutions, PAM Transport.... My hubby and I just went thru it and we have to give a yr of our time but thats the price we're willing to pay. They pay u while you train and school and my trainers have had good heads on their shoulders. I have a code you can use to get you an extra 100 @ graduation if you want it... (071085SY). Take it for what its worth but our experience this far has been wonderful w/ both the schooling and the company. Goodluck in whatever decision you make but I've heard really bad stuff about CRE, Swift, and Stevens. I did alot of research before I decided which way to go same as youre doing and I ended up w/ Driver Solutions and PAM Dedicated since we're teaming. You can also go w/ Decker, Pam Transport, Star, USA etc. w/ Driver Solutions. They'll send you a packet. With PAM though we also got a $1000 sign-on bonus. Good luck guy. Take care n drive safe

 

When a company has to bait drivers with a sign on bonus it sends a red flag up to me. Most companies that do that usually don't have to pay the bonus because the driver bails before the bonus is to be paid.

 

I already have 1/2 of my bonus before I even got my first paycheck as did my husband. I'm still with my company trainer for 3 more weeks before we get into our own truck together. I did the school for 3 weeks, obtained my CDL A thru the state, signed on w/ the company and 5 days later got my first half of the 1k bonus. After signing on w/ the company I had an add'l 4 wks with their own company trainer. I've seen nothing but good from PAM this far and my hubby and I both had excellent regional trainers the first week and my OTR trainer I've met at the yard and she seemed like a fantastic person. You hear alot of horror stories about trainers... We've not experienced that w/ ours and had trainers right off the get go... didnt have to wait around for an available trainer.

 

One issue not covered here:

With regards to paid company training, the assumption is, "sure, I can last the year on the contract, no problem."

The only thing is, if you read other posts on this board, the companies can sometimes decide to let you go for whatever reason just as you come up on the end of your contract period. You then owe them for the whole training, and they put another newbie in your place.

This is why I am going to be getting my cdl on my own, then decide on who
I'm going to go with afterwards. Much less risk of being juked over.

 

Somebody did post a forum on Stevens and it was'nt good at all.So if I were you I would rethink about going to Stevens because if what that driver said is true,chances are the same thing willl happen to you.