Scared of going to CDL school..

Those that don't pass are usually the ones that don't bother to try and learn the information in class and those that FAIL the drug tests. It never ceases to amaze me the number of grown adults that will go to school and then just plain don't try to comprehend the information. Also the people that try to get past the drug tests even when they know they have used recently. I went to a private school (not company sponsored) with a grant and I can honestly say everyone in our class passed and the only reason they wouldn't have is if they didn't want to put forth the effort to try. The instructors were all eager to help anyone who was willing to learn. That was just my experience, can't speak for everyone thou.

 

Lol I'm glad your excited. Trucking isn't bad. Sometimes you get lonely. However I keep coming back to it. Also a cdl is like an atm card. You can always get a job.

 

I see USA and Central Refrigerated listed. That's only two companies. Don't cut yourself short. There are a whole bunch to chose from out there that will pay your motel and dinner too. In regards to you looking for somewhere close you are going to be a long haul driver for awhile so get use to traveling. Where the company is shouldn't matter. You still will have to transfer your CDL back to your home state. I thought you were already committed somewhere. USA is kind of a poor choice. When I went to school I washed trucks at night just so I would have some spending money but our motel and food was paid for. I think it's a little much them asking you to pay for that stuff when you are unemployed and broke. That should be your first sign of a tightwad company. You will make them more money than they pay you.

Here's another choice of training. Go to a local community college. You can get a student loan, sleep in your own bed, not have to transfer your CDL back to your home state and when you graduate there are several companies you can hire on with. You won't owe them a dime nor be committed to them if you don't like them. Many new drivers get stuck at a place they hate. With your own training your free to move around.

If you aren't committed anywhere I would back up to square one and start looking at all your options.

 

Consider looking into a WIA grant before signing up for a 2yr contract. Pretty simple process and pays for you to go to any private school of your choice, may be one in your hometown so you wouldn't have to leave to go to school. Once you have your CDL and endorsements (yes the grant pays for everything) you can apply with any of the companies that hire new drivers and you won't be getting payroll deductions to pay for your training. Good luck!

 

To the OP- I can totally relate to the worries. I've been in school 4 days. I just took a test (practice test) that I scored (I think, forgetting how many Q's) 202 out of 243. I know I got 41 wrong. Anyway, 4 days ago I would have gotten about 10 on that test.

I made a thread of what I can do to get extra study. I definitely had concerns. It's not hard, but you do have to put some time into it.

I'm not saying I'll ace it, or even pass for sure. I think I should now, but ya never know until ya take the actual test.

All I can say is a few days into it you'll get more confident. You'll realize there's a lot you don't know (knowing what I now know, if I was a manager I would not put me in a truck just yet) but I think I'll get there.

It's true you won't be an expert after a few weeks. The main learning comes out on the road. Knowing how to drive a truck is a skill. One can always improve their skill set. Even guys like Wayne Gretzky in hockey were always practicing.

Good luck to ya and hope it works out.

 

You should be afraid of passing and getting your CDL