I start Monday 01/12/15

Fourteen months ago I was where you are now. I haven't forgotten the feeling of accomplishment, the anticipation of what was to come, and the driving privilege itself is pretty awesome still! Do keep us posted!

 

Congratulations Chaps! You'll never have to go through it again! Unless you take a break from trucking, then reenter. Good luck on the weather. The test.... You got this!

 

I'm new and this might be a stupid question. Does it really matter what type of equipment the school has to pass the DMV test? The objective is to get your CDL and then move on to your first company that is going to give you 2 to 6 months of the real training. My question is do I really need to drop $8000 on a 16 week program (sleepers with 48 footers) when I will end up with the same thing dropping $2000 with an 'approved' company that uses day cabs and pup trailers? I'm sure that I am missing something on this one.

 

Man, $8k is a lot of money, to me anyway. No, the equipment doesn't really matter. What matters is getting your CDL and getting on with a company that will put you with a good trainer who will teach you. But there are guys in the forum who have paid $10k for a CDL. I paid $2k, no money up front, and I was what they call an indentured servant in these parts. My school lasted four weeks and in five weeks I was in my trainer's truck. I worked hard my first year and paid off the tuition. I also saved a lot of money by teaming the entire first year, living in the truck, taking home time every few months and having a Hazmat endorsement. The naysayers can say what they want, but my way worked for me. I'll say it again, $8k is a lot of money to pay for your CDL. I didn't have that kind of expendable money. Personally I'd look for other options.

 

Glad to hear you got your start with only paying $2k. I have a school here that is only $2k and they use day trucks with small pup trailers. I am thinking the same thing as you. But I keep seeing people say to stay away from schools who use those. Passing the DMV test is really the only thing that matters and the smaller equipment makes it easier to pass. Plus I have the $2k so I don't need to go into debt with another school or company sponsored training.

 

Thanks for the info Chaps. I'll do more research on it. How many hour per day did you train? Did you go after work or on weekends?

 

in a 160 hour course where you have up to 4 guys in a truck, how many of those hours are spent watching someone else drive? Or does the 160 hours pertain to only your driving time?