Do companies hire right out of CDL school?

Yes, many companies hire new graduates, as long as the student successfully completes the course and gets their license.. But be Careful! many of the companies who send recruiters directly to the schools are some of the bottom of the barrel types. A little research on this site may go a long way towards the decision of which Company to choose. Some pay very little and use drivers-in-training like slave labor. Also beware of companies that offer to pay what's owed to the school, then do payroll deductions. Many offer a sign-on bonus (paid in increments) and tuition reimbursement (usually paid as a monthly amount, up to a specific dollar amount; for example the company I went to train with paid a $2500 sign-on bonus, paid in 3 installments, and also paid me tuition reimbursement at $125.00 per month. They paid me over $1500 in tuition reimbursement before I resigned and went to a different company.
Finally, the best companies are probably those that aren't using the student driver as part of a team. A few companies have training set up so that the trainer must be awake and in the front pass seat while the student is driving, at least for the 1st few weeks..

 

Yes there are companies that hire recent CDL school graduates and offer training and do pre hire students..

However, being pre hired is not a guarantee of a job or being hired... it is more like those pre approved credit card offers you get in the mail all the time.. it just means you made it tnrough the initial screening process..

So, it doesnt hurt and is suggested to get a few to several pre hires...

But, it reallh isnt until after training and when your assigned a truck that your actuallh co sidered hired and a company driver..

 

A couple of things to be aware of,

The Scores on all test (both Skills and Classroom) are available to recruiters. This scoring is what qualifies a driver to pass the written exam and skills level (Driving and Backing including pre-and post trip DVIR Inspections) during State approved 3rd party Certification. Students must complete a 160 hr course to qualify.

Not everyone passes the first-time, that''s a fact. Some are natural born drivers and pick up the backing techniques fast, the challenge is the combination of 73 ft tractor and trailer" backing into a tight spot.

On the bright side, If he(your son) studies the program and applied the techniques being instucted on the lot, there is a real good chance he will get hired by a training company.

There are several Big Fleets that hire Graduates out of school to go through their training period lasting 4-6 weeks or more.

 

You're correct, many companies require a min. age of 23. But all of them have their min. age requirements listed in the qualifications section of their recruiting ads and on their websites.
If he does complete the driver training at a company, he will definitely make more than min. wage. How much more? well, it all depends. Which company he chose, Whether he runs solo or on a team truck, how many miles per week he gets assigned, etc. (Generally, new drivers are often given lower miles than more seasoned experienced drivers while they develop their skills and build up the stamina necessary to safely drive. [
And, He will almost certainly be required to drive at least 6mos to a year as an Over-The-Road driver before he'll be considered for home a lot type jobs..TQUOTE=broodmom;3935741]What a great forum this is! Thanks, all. US Xpress ad in paper pointed him to the school. We're loaning him the tuition costs. Saved $1000 paying cash and our loan interest is half what he'd have to pay. Classroom stuff should be easy for him. Learning driving will be his main focus. School is TDI in Indiana and theyre assoc with 25 different companies.

If he doesnt use this forum to research first I'll kick him in the butt. (Just kidding?)

He'll be only 21 so some companies probably won't even let him apply. Also, he'll presumably make more than the min wage part-time job he has now.[/QUOTE]

 

Some of the better companies may not send recruiters to the school. In an earlier thread you posted,some of us gave you names of companies where he can make good money right out of school if he has the endorsements; tanker/hazmat, passport, TWIC. Yes, your 21 yr. old son can make $50K-$65K right out of CDL school.

 

I'm also 21 and will be getting out of CDL school in 6 weeks (sorry to intrude on your post) To find a company that will pay $50-$65k out of school is looking pretty difficult right about now. I am planning on going to USXPress but Prime seems to pay the most that I could find. Do you have any idea what companies will be paying that much?

 

Quote from brood mom: He wants to solo OTR right now. Footloose and fancy free. He wants money and freedom. Good kid who doesn't have his head in the sand.

Your son has absolutely the right idea. If I had it to do over again, I'd have stayed in trucking as a young man, gone OTR and lived out of the truck for a years. Pay no rent, just a phone bill and food expenses. Even if he starts out with one of the dreaded "mega carriers" he will still be able to save at least $1000 per month the first year and much more as his income increases.

Depending on his goals, he could be a company driver for a few years and have saved enough to pay cash for his own truck and have enough left over for a healthy maintenance account and operating account for his business. He'll have several years experience under his belt, a good idea of what is involved to be a successful driver, and be able to more easily transition into successful O/O than the poor drivers that get sucked into Lease deals with large companies within their first few months. If he leases on with the right company, then he can eventually have several trucks with drivers working for him.

Good luck to him.