FYI on CDL School

Hey Truckers Report,

Since this is my first post on the forum, allow me to introduce myself. My name is Josh and I am 24. I live in Northwest Georgia. I am only 30 minutes away from Chattanooga, TN which is home base to U.S. Xpress and Covenant Transport. I have been working in the medical field for the past 2 years and have chosen to do a complete career change to trucking. I have been researching the industry and learned alot of valuable information from the Truckers Report forums and blogs. I would like to return the favor and post my experience so far in hopes to inform others like myself interested in the trucking industry.

I will begin CDL school on Jan. 7th. I chose to attend a local technical college in my area for my training. It will be private pay out of pocket. It is a 7 1/2 week class from 8am-1pm, Mon-Fri. The approximate cost of the class is $1,270-$1,370. I chose the local technical college because I am eligible for the Hope Grant, which helps discount out of pocket cost. Also, the school and government have subsidized some of the cost in order to make it cheaper on the students. My school adviser stated that the class is typically alot more expensive and now is the best time to be taking the class. I also contacted one of the local "CDL Mills", as I have herd them called, before making my decision. The director there sounded very "scripted", and couldn't even tell me a cost of the class. They stated it was different for everybody and financing was available. He said it was a 2 week class from 7am-6pm, Mon-Fri. It made me really nervous seeing the short amount of time to learn. They also tried to lure me in by saying I would be pre-hired and be eligible for tuition reimbursement through that particular trucking company. It all sounded very sketchy/non-trustworthy, and my reason for choosing the technical college route. It allows me to chose my own trucking company, as well as be cheap enough to not have to rely on tuition reimbursement if I don't want to. The technical college also stated they have recruiters that come out during the class, and I would be eligible for pre-hire through them. They would also be able to assist me in contacting and filling out applications for trucking companies.

The list of things I needed for my technical college class prior to registering are as follows:
(Following prices not included in approx. cost of class above)

~ DOT Physical ($38
~ DOT Drug Test (35)
~ Motor Vehicle Report ($ 8 )
~ CDL AP Learner's Permit ($45)

I paid for each of these items out of pocket along with the cost of the class. I feel like this was the right decision for me in my own personal situation. It will allow me to continue to work my current job, as well as go to school. I know everybody s situation is different and this may not be the right choice for you. I just wanted to inform you all on my experience so far, and give you some insight on what you might be looking at. I hope to keep you updated on my status and experience as I continue on through the program. If you have any questions or comments for me, please feel free to comment or message me back. I would be happy to hear from all of you, as well as help the same people who have already helped me. I might have left out some valuable information that you can jog my memory to get an answer to. Thanks for the awesome and informative forum and blog! Keep up the good work!

 

@Robm,

Thanks for your reply to the post and backing me up on my information. Let me make sure everyone knows I don't discourage all "CDL Mills", just the one in my area. Your situation is exactly what I was talking about where the other route would be perfect. They each have there pros/cons and are different for everybody. Goodluck and maybe we will meet up on the open road someday!