Rejected by Roehl for being in Illinois?

Central told me that I would need my cdl prior to coming to their training

 

I don't like company training, but does Schneider still have a CDL school or do they only take people with a CDL?

 

Check out Millis Transfer

 

Been doing all this research myself for several months. I have decided that Millis is probably one of the best options for IL drivers with Prime in close second. The reason I put Millis first is the fact that they are a much smaller operation, are family operated, and have very small classes for training (ususally between 4 and 12 from what I have read on here and other forums.). They both appear to operate very nice equipment though with Millis being better in my opinion since Prime seems to be pushing the light weight trucks. I like lots of room. lol

You will however have to pay more upfront for the Millis school. $500 plus the cost of permits and food and such.

 

sorry, off the subject, but one of those articles talks about "90 pound mud flap bracket"!

 

I'm just curious why not just get the license on your own without going to school? I and my brother have both gotten our licenses on our own without any formal school involved. Granted we missed out on a lot of things that we have had to learn the hard way but if you can't afford the schools just do it on your own. Allthough I have been questioned about not having gone to school by some of the major carriers it has never kept me from getting a job.

 

I feel your pain, and made a thread about this about a year and a half ago. Being from Illinois I was in the same position as you, struggling to find a carrier out of IL. Some have have hit it on the head regarding Illinois having gotten in trouble for practically "giving" away CDL's, and because of that Roehl, Millis, Central, Stevens, Werner, PAM, USA, and others will not touch you without a CDL. However, Prime, Swift and I'm hearing rumors on Stevens, will accept you into their program.

Swift will require you to atleast have your CDL permit before coming to class, but Prime will accept you into their program with 100% no experience as was the case with me. I will tell you to be cautious on just going with whoever will accept you, as the program may not be for you. I think Prime is an awesome company, and I wouldn't mind going to work for them when I get my CDL....with that said, they do not have a good program for someone with 0 experience driving a truck. Although I'd drive for them in the future, I decided to leave while out driving with my trainer due to me knowing I wasn't getting the training to pass my CDL and not wanting to still get stuck with paying back tuition. After obtaining your CDL permit they will give you 2 weeks to decided if you wan't to commit or not to the company, and if you stay past 2 weeks you owe the tuition regardless of if you pass your CDL or not.

I may make a thread about my experience for other newbies, but in short, I did not even know how to downshift before being put into the drivers seat of a fully loaded Kraft delivery filled 18 wheeler. When I say "did not know how to downshift", I mean I was not even aware of having to gauge the RPM's before being able to shift to a lower gear, as we only did backing in class due to weather and the Sim Lab is a complete joke, case in point I should have not been driving with others lives on the road. To be short for now, I ended up telling my trainer that I wanted to go home after dropping out first load because I felt like I was a danger to others lives. I stalled on a mountain heading south from Springfield towards Branson within 15mins of driving and when I say stalled I mean truck stopped on an incline and my trainer having to switch seats with me to take drive it up the hill. I also stalled in 2 highly congested intersections full of traffic. Its a throw you in the water and swim type of enviorment which works for some people, but is also the reason why so many of their new hires don't make it. I drove from Springfield to Birmingham, AL without knowing what the hell I was doing, and not even touching any of the drills for my CDL. For me, going to a school and knowing how to atleast shift before leaving the parking lot is a must. Just giving a heads up as to what to expect from a CDL mill if you're going to go that route, its very fast paced.

**I didn't wanna say it, but depending on how desperate you are...theres always CRE.

 

After talking to the Millis recruiters, they gave no indication of them not accepting me due to the fact that I was based out of IL. They seemed very eager for me to submit my application. I have just started the process recently, but will be sure and post back on whether or not I was accepted. Things are constantly changing in this industry the truth today may be a lie tomorrow and vice versa.

Really hoping I do get into the Millis program though. If not then Prime is my second choice, and after that I haven't decided who the best of the rest will be.