Just got out of the Army, new to civilian life, and trucking.

Prime says i could be on the road next week. I like the idea of getting my cdl by going out driving rather than in class.

 

Oh and after you get your own truck you start at .38 per mile for flat. They do talk that lease up though.

 

A lot of companies will pay for your school as long as you agree to drive for them for 6 months to a year or so. You won't make a lot of money, compared to the more seasoned drivers, and you may be required to drive as a team. They will probably keep you out for around a month or so at a time, allowing for 1 day off for every week you spend on the road, but you will get a lot of experience. Most new drivers have to do this, but the year goes by pretty fast. Please don't let me discourage you. I know this all sounds kind of grim, but it is pretty much standard and like I said, it will be over before you know it, plus your schooling is all paid up. If you aren't happy with that company, you can always go to another company. Most trucking companies, large and small seem to be hiring year round. I started out with PAM. Their pay is really low but from what I have heard, they are about the same as other companies that pay for your schooling and then hire you. Whatever you do, I wish you the very best of luck and I think you are doing it right by researching as much as you can. Don't be bashful - call the companies if you have questions. They will tell you exactly what to expect. If they are reluctant to answer all your questions fully, then they are probably not a good company to go with. Remember, there are no stupid questions.

(This is just my experience. I am sure there are plenty people on here that can give you tons of information.)

 

Did you use gi bill for your schooling ?

 

Another thing I thought of when I saw Onmywey2's question about using the GI Bill... If you are currently unemployed, I know The Texas Workforce Commission (Unemployment Office) will pay your way through truck driving school at NO COST to you. After completing driving school, you are under NO OBLIGATION to drive for any particular company for any amount of time. I assume other states have similar programs in place. I found this out after I had already gone through driving school and signed a contract to drive for P.A.M. I paid back the cost of driver training as I drove my year at P.A.M. The cost was around $2,000. If I broke the contract and decided to go somewhere else, I would have owed something like $6,000. I forget the exact figure, but I know it was somewhere in that area.