Should I take a CDL course at a college, or get trained by a trucking company?

I've been reading a lot on this forum and a couple others over the past several days and have talked to CDL instructors at two different colleges and got a callback today from a Roadmaster recruiter, and I'm trying to weigh both the pros and cons of non-company courses versus company courses. Of course I realize that if I get trained by a company I'll have an obligation to that company for probably a year and little schedule flexibility during that time, which concerns me because my wife is disabled (she has spina bifida) and has mobility issues which would make it difficult for me to be gone for extended periods of time (versus getting local or regional loads), but I don't want to shortchange myself in the long run if this is the career route I decide upon. So I guess I'd like to pick everyone's brains on how I can figure out how to get started and who to get started with, and any other considerations I may not be seeing yet as a newbie. Any advice would be appreciated.

 

But do potential employers have a bias toward drivers who have been trained by carriers, or do they just look at the driver's skill and driving record? I would love to be home more but also don't want to shortchange myself if a CDL course would be viewed less favorably by potential employers.

 

I'm in west-central Indiana, about an hour from Indianapolis.

 

I'm not sure I understand what you mean by pre-hire letters.