Trans Am Still

Flogrown, I believe you start orientation tomorrow? Good luck and best wishes!

melo, how are you?

SRQGhost, when my husband went to school to get his cdl all of the funding had dried up and we paid for it. At that time we looked into companies that had their own schools and most had a bad reputation in their treatment and pay for drivers. The situation has improved in the years since then. The bottom line is that you will pay for your cdl, either up front with money out of your pocket or by signing a contract to work for a certain length of time. I know you have been doing your research and trying to make an informed decision..... and I agree being with an "experienced" driver learning to drive in winter conditions would be a plus. That should help you narrow the field on a carrier.....do they have a protocol and policy in place for their trainers? From the conversations on this forum you know that many of them do not, so that should help to weed out quite a few of them...it would do you no good to be trained by someone who has only had their cdl 3 months. Then look at the difference in the education that you will receive from a good training facility as opposed to a good training program with a carrier ....which one are you going to gain the most usable knowledge from? If it is from a local college or tech school can you get a loan and finance it? Run the numbers and compare dollars to dollars. Would a payment for a school loan cost you less in the long run?

The opinions on here are going to be as individual and independent as all of the drivers are ....it takes a strong sense of self to be an OTR driver. Choose what you feel is going to give you the best training available,(not the fastest, I know that you know that), and then figure out how you can make that work for you. In the meantime start setting some money back to help you through your first months of being OTR. There is much to learn about the how the trucking industry works after you have your cdl. It is a different type of job situation and it takes awhile to learn how to plan....they don't teach you that. It took all of us time to figure out how to use time! The first few months are nerve wracking and you will make mistakes in your planning. So, make the best choice for you and what you feel that you need....and I do agree winter driving skills would be a bonus, set back some cash for living expenses so that you don't feel unnecessary financial pressure when you first start and go for it! You can do it!

 

Hey! I think my gift for gab has returned.....that could be a good thing ....or a bad thing! Only time will tell!

 

Question about backing up to a dock at night. When you are backing at night do the trucks have back up lights like in a car ?

Do most places and truck stops have good lighting ? Just wondered how different it is doing things at night.

 

Backing up at night. Wow!!! Trailers do not have back up lights tho the trucks do. Most of the places you'll go to have "adequate" lighting tho some will not. Trick.... carry to small flashlights with you, to lay on the ground by your dock, to give yourself something to aim at.

Picking up shingles in Michigan City. OMG.... not actually having to run across town to pick them up!!!! Wonder if the docks here are any better. Broke a mirror, first time I went to the other place.

 

I figured I would get good opinions, and not what seemed like biased opinions that I seem to be finding, just didn't expect the way it went.

 

Good to know! I had never heard of this MHC contract, 2 hour start repair deal. I actually went to the MHC website and downloaded their app so I can always know where the closest MHC dealer is located. Thanks!

 

I think Flash got it right. It was something I felt frustrated with, not being able to clearly see the trailer at night. Not just backing but going forward around turns in tight spots. With experience it does become clearer. You just see different shades of gray and that is enough. You start to feel more comfortable with what you are looking at, you learn to look at the correct spot of the correct mirror to get the information that you need.

Putting down a flashlight is a great idea. I have done it many times, not just in backing to a dock, but when I got into jams, tight spaces, etc. I would run the beam of a flashlight laying on the ground to delineate what was safe ground to roll on and what was not.

I don't really do that stuff much any more, as I said with experience, it all starts to work itself out.

 

I think you have the right ideas. It has been awhile since I thought about a CDL school strategy but back then it seemed to me the cost between doing it yourself and a company school worked out about the same. If you can afford it, do it yourself so you are not beholden to any company.

If grants/self financing don't work, you might consider Swift. I know a lot of people bad mouth Swift but they are the one company whose school does have proper, well recognized accreditation. If Swift does not appeal to you, of the companies you mentioned, I liked Prime. I had heard good things about them at my CDL school but they rejected me as I did not have a recent driving record at the time I applied (I had been living overseas for 7 years).

Good luck!

 

Stay away from Swift's Memphis school. That's the one where they were revoking former student's cdl's a couple of years ago.

 

Passport I have been living overseas for a long time but have always kept an Indiana drivers license and an address in Indiana.
If someone checks my job history and finds I have been working and living in South Korea for 9 yrs do you think they will want some sort of driving record from here.

I have a Sofa status license along with my Indiana license that I use to be legal here. Never had any problems here as far as tickets or whatever but don't know if anyone even tracks us over here.

I also get a International drivers license online every year so I can get my Sofa status license.

I am hoping my Indiana license will be enough.