Contract to a company or go to school on own?

I say if you can afford it, take school on your own. Then you aren't a puppy on a string of some mega somewhere.

I did it like that, not because I really knew any better but because I always like to do stuff on my own. I started with Ozark 1 year ago and with very few exceptions, have treated me fairly. We've had many drivers leave for greener pastures, and boomerang right back to the company. They all say the same thing "we dont realize how good we have it here until we go somewhere else."

 

just pick one and stick to it a year and if you keep your record clean you can get a good job ..... the good jobs don't offer training because they don't have too .the only reason for these training companies is because they are not able to recruit good experienced drivers because of they are not a good job .. no matter which one you are going to will take advantage of you by low pay crappie loads ect. but you are using them and they are using you so just deal with it .. I would suggest finding the best school that you can with the best company. .. just ask here there's plenty of people and posts . 80% of the trainers out there now still need training themselves so you will have to figure a lot of things out for yourself. . you still should be able to make a decent wage if you learn and listen and do your job .. I am thinking that only about a third of the people that go throgh the driver mills will make a successful truck driver but just remember you can make good money being a dumb truck driver but you can make a whole lot more being a smart one

 

If they paid me $1000 bucks every time i answered this question i'd be a very rich man by now. You are ultimately the master of your own destiny in the trucking industry so choose well, keep in mind the pro's and cons, if you've got the money it would be best to go via a paid training school, down side is you don't have any job waiting for you after you pass the course, although you will find most of the recognized training centers will have some links to a transport company whether you would want to go work for them is another matter, the training via a transport company is the cheap option however you've now become their servant and they pretty much tell you how they want you to work until you pay back your debt to them. With a training school you should get a very good instructor with a company training program you could get any nobody trying to teach you something and the stories we hear ain't to great. So again choose well. best wishes

 

you get a lot of people making videos there that want a big paycheck without doing anything for it . you can make money if you're a moron but you can't be lazy too . there's a minimum of miles you have to average a week to make money and what people forget is that company has a minimum of miles for them to make money also and there is room for both to make money. if you make them money they will take better care of you than they will somebody that doesn't make them money and that's true with even with the crap companies . driving the truck is the easy part but you must use your brain also . even a company driver has to manage his time wisely and know how to work with the hos rules. trip planning taking care of your truck and know what you can and can't do ..... most of the bigger companies you will find a drivers lounge and inside you will find drivers complaining that they are not getting miles and the main reason they don't is there sitting in the lounge all the time . you can find a niche in just about any company. you have to learn how to work within there system . and a lot of the people who you see on utube just can't handle the lifestyle and the demands with the profession also ... if you pay for a driving school you're not going to be very far ahead tHan if you just went to a training company to start with because you will end up at one of those anyways and you just need to get a year of experience no matter what you do

 

I understand not wanting to feel lile an indentured servant so choosing not to go with "free training" or company contract. My point is picking your starter company is THE biggest and most influential decision that leads to staying or leaving this job. Because of that I recommend deciding on a company before deciding how to get the license.

Also, because that first year is so important it's virtually a contract whether you sign with a company or pay for school on your own. IMO, the biggest mistake I see newbies making is NOT picking a company that matches their situation and/or walking into the sewer of certain companies.

Working at certain companies is a virtual guarantee of quitting, being fired, deciding whether to abandone the truck, or qorse. Someone with the determination & patience of a Navy SEAL might last a year with the company shorting their pay, missing their hometime appointments, being asked to drive shoddy equipment, and violate HOS. Most of us would not. Yes there are some drivers that work at You Gotta Be Kidding Transport for 2 months before quitting and landing at a 2nd chance company. But why choose to add another hurdle to your liife.

I think a newbie witha fresh CDL is more hirable than a newbie with 2 months experience AND a serious ticket or Fired/quit on his record. There are much better companies hiring and training brand new CDL holders than the companies hiring newbies with something bad on their work history.

make the decision of where to start like it's a decision on skydiving and lesss like it's a choice of which dessert to eat. That initial decision doesn't decide whether you live or die, but once you "jump out of the plane" you no longer should think getting on the ground is optional or all outcomes are just as pleasant. Agood employee can work at many reasonably good companies. The goal is to find a company that has good trucks, plenty or freight, good support staff and shows you how to succeed. A good outcome isn't mandatary, guaranteed by law, or cannot be beaten into a bad company. Go where it's easier to succeed. They will have lots of happy employees, each with their own grumbles.

 

You will be a good addition to many companies. Obviously you can learn, and companies will be happy to have you. If you aren't desperate to pay next month's rent you should be looking at the best companies that hire newbies, not We Hire Anyone Express. @Chinatown is the Guru of companies. Whoever he mentions, investigate them and insist the company connect you with a few current drivers, especially any in your area. The goal of those driver conversations is for you to hear what a week at their company is like. Does the week they describe sound reasonable to you (pay, driving areas, time off, benefits, etc) That driver's company will be treating you like they treat their other drivers. How do they treat those drivers? If the recruiter said you will be off on the weekends but the company gets you home every 4 weeks for 4 days, you signed up for the 4 week program. They won't change to accomodate what the recruiter claimed.

 

Most people don't know those are fighting words in trucking. Seriously.