School choice

After reading through a huge number of threads about various CDL schools, and company training programs, and the websites for a lot of trucking companies and their training/orientation programs I have a question regarding choosing a school:

All the schools seem to claim to be the best, will get a new graduate a job, etc., etc. But it seems that most of the companies who will hire a newly graduated holder of a CDL with no experience then place that person into an in-house training/testing program and often with a mentor/trainer for a period of time after that -- so how important is the choice of CDL school?

I live near Phoenix, Az and want to go to one of the schools there. Some seem very expensive, and others not so much so -- but at the end of it all they all provide the same CDL, or rather the DMV does. So as long as the school does not have a huge amount of negative reviews, and prospective employers say they will hire graduates from that school, does it just come down to costs?

Thank you for your time and assistance.

 

Yes, looked at Community College option also...cheaper but much longer.

 

Also, seems like local colleges in this area are dropping the CDL training -- Glendale Community College seems to have discontinued it (or at least I can no longer find it listed on their site).

 

My point exactly -- the school gets me to the point where I'm able to acquire the lic., and then the "real" training seems to start when/after I get hired, so as stated by previous poster if the companies I talk to accept the school, and it's over 160 hrs, then cost becomes the primary consideration...am I on the right track thinking I should talk to the trucking co's first, to see which schools they deem acceptable, then work back from there?

On a side note, AIT in Phoenix has two courses listed on their site, amongst 4-5 total, (I may have numbers slightly wrong as I'm working from memory)...one is for approx $7000, and 3 months long (Commercial Truck Driver Program), and the other is a bit over $9000 , and 6 months long (Professional Truck Driver Program). The shorter course is listed as making the graduate ready to be hired as driver trainee (so would have to ride with trainer/mentor after getting hired) and the second more expensive course claims: Successful completion of this program qualifies a graduate to work in a wide range of positions, including non-supervised solo driving.

As an outsider looking in, and not having much/any first-hand knowledge, I'm of the opinion it would be better to take the shorter 3 month course, and be driving with the trainer, etc. making money at the trucking co. three months earlier than the longer course.

Any opinions? Would the extra three months of training at AIT really justify that price tag (for the $9000-plus course), and the extra time? Aren't the majority of the trucking co's out there going to require a newly graduated CDL holder with no experience, other than the school, to go through their orientation and then ride with a trainer/mentor any way...so by taking the shorter course I'd be on the road sooner...or am I overlooking something or misreading something?

Thank you for your time and assistance.

 

Can I get some opinions/thoughts on this:

Recently told by someone who's been driving 30-plus years that I should think of the "quality" of the training, and not so much the cost/speed. His reasoning is that if I'm rushed through a company training program, I may get into a truck making a paycheck sooner but I will run face-first into the "real-world" of OTR and be more likely to end up in situations that are going to stay on my record (tickets, accidents, etc.).

Sounds like sage advice to me...but I also have no experience in the world of Big Truck truck driving. Can others give an opinion regarding this please?

Thank you for your time and assistance.