Cost of driving schools?

My school was $4,000 for "cash" or G.I. Bill and $5,000 if you financed it through the school at an astronomical rate (19.99%, lol). Talking to companies...it didn't sound like they cared which CDL school you went to, as long as the training time was 160 hours or more.

 

Don't leave us hanging... What is the ridiculously high amount they are paying out your way?

In many areas there aren't enough opportunities available to get licensed the old fashioned way anymore. Plus we live in an instant gratification society. --Why work a dock for a year at 12 bucks an hour if you can be driving for 17 bucks an hour 6 weeks from now? If the pay increase makes sense, and driving is what you want anyway... Why not just take the path of least resistance?

The closest college CDL program to me is 150 miles away and costs $4500.00. Classes start every couple of months or so. There are several closer options for 160 hour private school courses and they run $3500.00 to $4000.00. Those classes start every week.

Depending on class size, $3500.00 is a deal for 160 hour class. Twenty-Two bucks an hour... It's gotta cost something, and $22.00 doesn't buy much anymore anyway. So spending that on the opportunity of a good career is money well spent.

An advantage of a school vs. learning on your own is schools teach you HOW to pass the test. You may know how to drive, but around here the DMV examiners are looking for you to perform tasks in a specific form and function. -- You have to know the "secret handshake" to make it through the testing procedure.

Testing appointments can be 30 days out around here. How many times can you afford to fail before the retesting becomes a financial burden? For many people they are already at the end of their financial rope when they turn to truck driving. At that point, it probably makes more sense to bite the bullet, maximize the odds of getting the CDL on the first shot and get to work.

 

Real talk. If your down on your luck. Family to take care of. Your going to have a hard time paying back what you owe even with a deal with a company that will promise you to pay it off if you work for them for X amount of time. It takes money to live on the road. Money gone that you will spend instead of sending home. Money is going to be deducted right out of your check before you get it. NO matter what you made. Some of them if you quit before you finish the contract? Guess what none of that money will be applied to your balance. Please feel free to sue them dead broke. Save up for it, use Pell Grants, and student loans. Interest rates are lower and pay back is in your control.
If you down to the low of low. You have no reserve bank money. Your credit is crap. You likely have no house equity. There are no assets. In other words a bad hit on your credit is just another one. You have nothing they can seize. In other words there is nothing that going to hurt you anymore or nothing to loose.
Go get in debt for the trucking school.
Work for a company that is going to make it very difficult.Because of the low starting wages and pay back of loans. Work there at least 3 to 6 months. You need to do this to get hired at a better place.
Quit the company you work for.
Stiff em for the loan.
Make the money you're supposed too.
Repay loan at your ability later if your are the honorable type or at such time to rebuild your crappy credit.
Oh, No you say thats not me. Sad fact its going to be the sad reality in the long run. The trucking sponsored is geared to get a CDL in your hands. To receive it you're going to have to sign the loan with all kinds of legal mumbo jumbo. After that they could care less what happens to you. Guess what most of them are going to fire you a long time before you finish with their promised plans of them paying it off for you by keeping you. They have to make room for the other students. They only have so many available trucks to fill. Gotta make room for the others coming in. Independent trucking schools are only slightly better because you most likely are going to end up in the same place with someone controlling your pay back. Some of you are gonna fail simply because no matter what you do you ain't going to be able to do the job. Sorry sad fact. Guess what? They don't care. Oh sure you gonna get the CDL but you're on the hook for the loan.
Trucking is a dog eat dog world. Your gonna learn that real fast in your first few months. I never saw any of the other 23 students where I worked after the 6 month mark. Think about it before you do it. 23 dead broke people who now owe thousands.

 

wow.wonder where we can get free training

 

Find a company that has a "Driver Trainee" program. You come in with your CDL permit...they supply the truck and training. You start out doing dock and yard dog work.

I would imagine that your post wa in jest, but yes...there are companies that give you free training to get your CDL. I.e. Southeastern Freight Lines.

 

I am starting at a school for about $8,200.

160 hours (in class/in yard/in vehicle) + a minimum of 72 hours observation time(?) + skid control training (off site, one day-9 hours) + forklift training (another 9 hours).

This is in south-western Ontario, Canada. I think it will be worth it.

 

Me too... Johnson Community College in Smithfield NC was $1200. 8 weeks, 384 hours.

Sampson Community College down near Clinton NC is $500. Thats the cheapest I know of. Its also modeled after the other NC community college programs.

 

$8200!!! That's a ton of money for just a CDL. I guess the skid control could be useful but still, That's a lot of money!

 

That's true, at least I have the cash to pay it in full up front. But I think it will start my career off on the right foot with proper training. I will also still be under 21 years old when I get my AZ, which means I will need to find a driving job running Canada only for about a year--not so many doors will be open for me at first, at least I will have training at a good school under my belt.

 

I just recently got my license the old school way, but I grew up in BFE were people sitll learn these things and do things the old way

read the DMV book, passed the written, rented a truck went and passed the road/skills test. Got a job with smaller local outfit, good starting job that pays good money for this area. I'm happy with it and happy I didnt drop 4 or 5k *the cost of the two local driving schools*

One thing I dont get when talking to alot of truckers these days, they will say most the schools are just CDL mills and they dont teach you what you really need to know, but they also say if you dont go to these CDL mills you will never be able to drive without slaughtering everyone on the roads.

To each there own, but if you get out into small country towns there are still a lot of drivers getting their start the old school way, numbers wise there are just so many more going to the schools and then to the OTR megas, which is fine, to each their own. But I wish more people knew its NOT the only option