Company Sponsored Training or Independent Schools?

I actually received another pre-hire approval yesterday. So, I'm up to 7 total.

As for how I'm going to decide among them, I have a list of criteria that are important to me in a company and I'm evaluating and ranking each company based on those criteria.

 

Gryphon.

Thanks for all the input. I was just asking if CR's SCHOOL was any good because it was advertised at $1995. Which is pretty cheap from what I have seen. I sure have read a lot of negatives about them and others if you go to the "free" schools.
I have put off my attending school until the first week of March. I will probably attend CDL College Truck Driving School in Aurora Colorado. It is pretty cold and windy there up until March, and I don't want to spend hours outside on the pads watching, doing pre- trip inspections, backing, etc. in the cold and windy snow. I know it will be there next winter, but why rush it. I would prefer to have 6 months under my belt before I have to tackle winter. I would certainly like to hear all about your decision and how you do in school and after if you feel like posting. I will read and respond and do the same when I start. I know there are a lot of "future drivers" out there that would appreciate hearing how new people do.
gary

 

I want to contribute to this thread, because I just finished CR Englands course, I just barely passed it, but most of my team mates did not and went home empty. It was very painful to see these hands go home. Everyone of them had a heart breaking story, families at home, had to borrow money to get here, et. And everyone of them left depressed and not knowing what they were gonna do.

The reason why,,, is this.

It is a very accelerated course. They do not have enough instructors to teach a new person what they need to know, and of those instructors, none seemed to care if you passed or not.. probably not paid enough.

I know for a fact that the only reason I made it is because I have a few years of OTR driving under my belt, and it came right back to me. Had I not had experience, I would not have made it either because I am a slower learner. It was a 75 percent failure rate in the class I was in.

You get 3 chances to pass your CDL, if you don't,,,, your out.

I know to some this sounds like a lot of chances, but in reality its not. Not everyone learns at the same pace, the people who passed in my class had a knack to learn real quick. We all know that driving a 53 foot semi is a skill that takes time to learn. 16 days is just not enough time for many. ANd if you fail 2 times on the CDL test, you get bumped to the class behind you where your behind an extra week unpaid, its still overcrowded and you have to wait your turn to get a chance to practice. Your just added to the already crowded numbers.

Not to mention that if your from Illinois (like I am) the CDL test is extremely tough South Holland Illinois is the worst DMV in the entire state to test at and that is where you go.

Just an FYI, I don't want to see anyone else hurt but if your confident then possibly it may be a good choice. I caught a $995 special but I had to give up my Thanksgiving for it.

 

Warning about Swift training in order for them to "pay" it you have to work for them for more than a year

from their website:

Like the original poster I have the money and I could pay 3500 to attend the community college program. Actually, the costs are really closer to 3800 once you factor in all the physicals, fees, etc. I'm debating on whether it would be better to use my own money up front and pay for training gambling on the chance that I will end up somewhere other than a BFI (this is where the vast majority of people who go to private schools end up anyway) or gambling on being able to wade through a year in a crap job and walk away with the money I would have spent on school still in my pocket. Providing that I go the company route one of 3 things will happen either 1. I won't make it and I'll have to pay what I would have if I had gone the CC route 2. I will get another job before the year is out and I will have to pay what I would have paid if I had gone the CC route or 3. I will make it the year and then I can move on to another company with my school money still in my pocket and invaluable experience in the industry. Yes it is a risk, but at the end of the day I'd be betting on myself and that is a bet I would make without hesitation.

For those who are getting a grant or some other type of program that will pay for it then it is a no brainer hands down go the school route, but if you are talking about paying your own green then the shocking truth is that company sponsored training might be the better way to go. Taking out a loan to go to a private school makes no sense to me when there are companies that do not charge you interest on the cost of training.

The biggest complaint I see about company training is that you only get to work for one company. Very valid concern. However, if you look at where most people without any experience end up right out of school it is one of the BFI companies. Are some better than others? Absolutely, but the pay is generally around the same.

Based on what I've heard from people and what I've read here if you think you are going to get into trucking without having to run a gauntlet you might be setting yourself up for disappointment. There are some stories of people who have scored pretty sweet gigs right out of school, but those are the exception not the norm.

As far as quality of training I think that community colleges or private school will probably be more laid back, give you more one on one time, and be more accommodating to students, but I think that the added pressure and intensity of company training may actually be better preparation for what is in actuality a very demanding, often thankless job. As far as actual driving skills I think that has more to do with the trainee than the training. You've got to want it and have the dedication, patience, and fortitude to be the best driver you can be. That is something that even the best driving school on the planet won't be able to teach you.

 

I paid for my school out of pocket. Went to work for bfi company hauling hazmat 14 hours a day for 500 bucks a week b4 uncle same took his cut. Currently working for a bedbugging company and no pun intended but they are bugged the f%@* out. can never plan on what your going to make from week to week and to boot the agent is ran like crappola.
i'm currently looking into jobs in texas or north dakota driving in the oil fields. I feel that ya i kinda messed up paying out of pocket but at the same time i'm glad im not a indentured servant to one of these companies.
I also feel the comm colleges that do have a cdl program slightly prepare their students better than cdl mills do. More time in a truck and well versed on alot of the regulations dot has. Granted i still have a ton to learn about truckin.

 

This is a good post man. Thanks for sharing your experience it gives me more information to make the most informed decision I can. Good luck getting on at the oil field good money to made there.

 

Thanks for shedding some light on the Swift school and your thoughts on company training in general.

There are those among us who think that companies don't require more than a 12 month commitment after attending their school. But once one reads the fine print, they often find, as you did, that their commitment to that company is often 2-3 times longer than 12-months.

As for being forced to work for a BFI out of school. I haven't found that to be the case AT ALL.

In fact, I have 7 offers from excellent companies, Con-Way Truckload, etc., all with decent pay and benefits. And none are from the likes of Swift, CR England, PAM, USA Truck, etc.

As for community colleges or private schools being "more laid back", I doubt that as well. Our community college class was anything but. VERY good instructors/instruction with VERY HIGH STANDARDS. Standards appropriate for a school that has the reputation of not just the driving school, but of the whole college at stake.

And ESPECIALLY if I'm "paying my own green" do I want a quality school with OPTIONS as to where I work after graduation.

Additionally, there's no empirical data to support the claim that " the added pressure and intensity of company training may actually be better preparation" or that it better prepares anyone to work in the industry. In fact, driving school, be it company or independent, does little to prepare one to work in the industry. That preparation and training will come over time with the experience you gain with your OTR trainer and your own experiences once you solo out.

At the end of the day, you have to decide for yourself where you want to get your training.

I personally came to the conclusion, after almost making the BIG MISTAKE of attending a company school and then coming close to making an almost as big a mistake by going to a CDL mill, to attend a community college course. I feel that I made the best possible decision for my situation. And additionally, the feedback that I've gotten from the non-BFI companies that I've applied to about my school choice has been all positive.

I received "hiring approvals" from all of the companies that I applied to with the exception of 2 that have seemingly nonsensical rules against hiring those of us who have been unfortunate enough to be unemployed for a long period of time in this challenging economy.

I doubt if I would have received such a response from potential employers if they had doubts about the quality of my training and/or whether it actually prepares me to begin learning the industry at one of those companies.

I stand by my original assertion. If you want OPTIONS, go to a private school, if you don't then go to a company school.

 

One other thing. For those reluctant to pay for their school out of their own pockets, while I understand that reluctance, I would remind you that there are companies that will reimburse your tuition costs over time without your having to become an indentured servant to them.

 

Somthing like trucking companys have to treat you like a person who has worked there for over a year?
Pay you more up-front, for your miles. Not try to flunk, drive you out to make more money off of you?