Is a driving school necessary

If you are looking for an opportunity to drive without the schooling first, and already have your CDL, check with smaller companies in your area. Unfortunately, in the modern age of trucking the bigger companies won't hire you without recent schooling or recent experience within the last three years.

 

Welcome to the forum. Yes, for all practical purposes school is necessary. I read about some who have studied on their own, got the permit, found someone local to let them test (usually Class B - strait truck) and worked their way up to a Class A. Only problem is the story you read. They are either trying to find something cheaper than $150 - $200 per hour for four hours, to practice in and take the road test or they are trying to find a job and having no luck. Or they are hoping an owner/operator will run them team. Training is the only fast-track into the industry. Anything else relies on a hope and a prayer.

I don't think you will find anyone that will hire you without training or experience. And if you could their insurance wouldn't allow it. Insurance runs about $5,000 - $6,000 a year on a single truck operation. If you throw in a driver with no experience it goes to $9,000 - $12,000 a year and gets a 500 - 700 air mile limitation on travel. If you throw in a driver with no recent experience, it hits $7,000 - $8,000, some with mileage limitations and some not.

 

i got my cdl and a job without going to school, my uncle in law is a o/o who just purchased a 2nd truck/trailer and was looking for someone to drive it. he contacted me asking if i had my cdl, i did not but told him i could obtain one if i could use his truck for the test, i studied the handbook front to back passed my written test, took several trips in my personal vehicle to different locations where he was working to drive his truck with him to gain the necessary practice, slept in my pickup several nights as he did not have a second bunk in his truck. i had to call in a few favors from other people that i had met. as he was unavailable on the test date although the truck that he had just purchased was available. i found a cdl driver to ride with me to the test and passed. i haven't totaled up all my expenses yet but i still probably spent around 1000 total on getting my cdl, between fuel tests physical and everything else involved. there were several times threw the process that i had wished i had gone the school route but i do now have my cdl and i did not go to school and i have a job.

this is not the typical process but you may be able to make the route i took work by going and knocking on doors of small trucking company's or local construction or similar company's.

i should also mention that i have not received pay for any of the time that i have spent obtaining my cdl. it was our agreement that i didn't receive pay until i had my cdl and operating his other truck, basically if he isn't making money i'm not making money. so its been quite taxing on my finances because i left my other job to obtain my cdl, did not have time to work threw the process to be honest plus putting out the money for all my related expenses. so between paying my bills no income in almost 4 weeks and spending around 1000 almost broke me.

the advantage of a school is it pretty much guarantee's you your cdl, it would also make gaining employment much easier. when you look at the time and money i spent if you then had to go and go to school on top of that in order to gain employment you would be taking one step forward to take two steps back. if i had to do it over again i would have applyed for financial aid for a school, many grants/loans are available for schooling. and i would have a little more hair on my head from less stress...lol

 

I got mine without a school. I found a small company willing to train me and put me in a truck. It worked out great for a while, though now I'm getting nervous. Work has been dead slow lately and the writing on the wall does not look good. I've started calling more traditional rookie carriers and between living in NH, not having much experience, and no school certification, I haven't found many that are interested in hiring me.

If you can line up a job it could be better than schooling. I feel I learned way more about driving by riding with an experienced driver (50 years experienced and I rode with him for about 6 months) than I would have in one of the notorious "Mills." That said, I'm not exactly strolling on to my next job.

Like everything else there are pros and cons. It is possible and could work out very well for you, or it may not...

 

These days without any schooling,there very little change getting in a 18 wheeler unless you know a o/o or like other posters said,looking into smaller companies.It worth the money to go to trucking school,you will find it lot easier to get in with a company if you when to school.

 

I've had a CDL class A since the late 1990's and I never went to what you would call a formal truck driving school. When I was living in southern CA there was this place that would train aspiring drivers to do all of the maneuvers with the truck and the road test. Some people even wanted to learn the pre trip. If I remember correctly, it was $75 per hour and I took one lesson a week for something like 6 to 8 weeks. I learned how to pass the DMV test and that was the sole purpose.

I did all of the knowledge stuff out of the CDL handbook myself with lots of reading and understanding it all. When it came time that I felt I was ready for the road test I had to pay them something like $300 for the rental of the truck and trailer. I passed on my first attempt, but nearly failed the pre trip, the driving part went OK.

In the end, I got the CDL and didn't spend that much money to get it. I never tried to get a driving job with it, but because it was not a structured curriculum in my case, I'm sure that would have been a problem.

From the research I've been doing lately, it seems that a lot of these CDL schools are really just money making scams that are praying on desperate people. OTR trucking is a tough life and your past history of driving / criminal history can really be a factor whether you can be employed. It seems that some schools over look this just to make money off of you.

 

Call Sygma, but you'll work for it

 

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