Company sponsored training? Whats wrong with being a slave?

You haven't read Chase05's comments about the necessity of 18 week training http://www.thetruckersreport.com/tr...chools/218905-why-pay-to-learn-how-drive.html

 

Almost all major carriers need a certificate of training for new drivers, mainly for insurance purposes. I don't see why you're still mocking me for saying this, it's just a fact. You're a 35 year vet, what do you know about getting into a starter company, because that's all I've been researching for almost 3 months now.

 

Originally Posted by RickG
You haven't read Chase05's comments about the necessity of 18 week training Why pay to learn how to drive?

Things have changed some since you entered trucking RickG. Like Chase, I've been researching trucking companies extensively for the past four or five months. It is exactly like he is telling you. If your new, they want you to either have attended a 160 hour CDL program or have varifiable experience. On top of that, all of them have a training program usually lasting 30 or more days..

 

Actually, there are a few (albeit VERY FEW) good, if not great, companies that will hire a newbie AND pay well. Granted, they are few and far between. I came out of school and landed a gig with the tanker company I wanted, paying well above what the entry level driver can expect to make. However, I had a well-executed game plan that was several years in the making.

Here's what I did ... researched for about a year all of the tanker companies which would hire newbies AND pay decent AND train me for the gig I wanted. I also did not want to go over the road as I did that back in the '80s doing flatbed and had no desire to do it again. Several tanker and former tanker drivers on this forum aided me with my research and questions and provided much assistance. After I whittled my list of companies down to about five, I contacted each one and skipped the recruiters and dispatch and other office personnel and went straight to the terminal manager at each company and the respective terminals. I sent letters (via snail mail) introducing myself detailing my goals with my resume, copies of my DMV report, background check, work history, references and contact phone numbers. I did the same via email and followed those up with phone calls ... multiple phone calls. I left numerous voice mails and followed those up with more emails. Once I made contact with the managers I told them my story, how I researched the companies, spoke to employees and past employees (via research on the Web), checked the companies' safety scores, etc. with the fed/DOT, etc. I told them I wanted to work for their company and asked exactly what I had to do to secure employment with them. I stayed in contact with them all through school. When I finished school I had several positions offered me from several companies. Perseverance pays. As John Lennon said, "There are no problems, only solutions."

 

Its wrong because it is a form of debt slavery. I hear that many of the "bottom feeder" companies actually use it to suppress the price of trucker labor. There is plenty of money to be made on the drivers as well as the freight nowadays. All you need is a reserve army of truckers who are in debt for life to build your slave-ship!

 

As far as your "massive pile of debt", compare what you'll be making driving to what you are now. From what I've gathered here, $30k is hopefully as low as you make your first year. If you're making ten bucks am hour at a normal full time job, getting less than 20k, why are you sweating training costs so much. You also seem to be unfamiliar with tuition reimbursement. Many starter companies will offer about 100 bucks a month towards your tuition, possibly taking care of your whole debt for you.

 

That's the point "ALL MAJOR CARRIERS ". That's all you've been researching for 3 months? I have worked for carriers that trained drivers that never went to school and these carriers didn't have 100% turnover and drivers weren't away from their families weeks at a time to earn $30,000 . You try to make working 60 hours a week for $30,000 sound impressive.
It amazes me people will pay thousands to train to get the worst jobs where odds are they will be one of the thousands that fail to succeed each year.

 

Gotta start somewhere. You think everyone can go work for a small company? If you're not prepared to work for a Mega your first year, you're taking a pretty large gamble. If you keep working for them after a year or 2, then yeah, you should be looking elsewhere. As far as starter companies go that's STARTING PAY. Starter companies in general have pretty decent training programs that most small trucking business can't or don't offer. Sorry you don't make 6 figures the first year when you spend 4 to 6 weeks getting trained and then a few more months killing tires and grinding gears.

 

Not doubting that they are out there. The thing is, I haven't been able to find any. Most of the medium and small companies want at least one year OTR. Some even ask for two years OTR. From what I can gather, a lot of it depends on the companies insurance carrier.

 

I know not everyone lasts with starter companies. That's why they need thousands of wannabes a year to fill the seats of abandoned trucks. I'd say that's a gamble with odds 10 to 1 you won't make it.
Decent training programs? Yeah , right . $400 a week for 6 weeks driving while the "trainer" is sleeping in the sleeper.