Super Newbie, Hi Everyone

I am in my 30s and have been self employed since I was 21 doing internet marketing. My business is a fraction of what it used to be, so I'm very interested in becoming a trucker. Obviously, my first step would be to obtain the cdl license. My question is, what's the best way to obtain one? In other words, all these ads I see saying companies will pay for my schooling, is this smart? Is there a catch to signing up with one of these places? Is this a trap with stipulations or a long contract with said company? Or, should I go about it alone and pay for the school myself? Thanks again and sorry for my naivety of the topic!

 

what state u live in. Can u pay out of pocket for a community college. Just sit back and wait Chinatown will be here sooner than later he can give a list of companies.

 

I'm in Texas living in the Houston area.

 

I see Houston Community College has a program for 3,500 which seems reasonable. Although it looks like the programs take a long time to complete.

 

If the company pays for your training, it is a form of indentured servitude.

If you need the company's help to pay for your schooling, that tells them you are poor. People of low socio economic status are easy to take advantage of, and unfortunately, abuse.

If you are indebted to the company and there are penalties for leaving , they know you are stuck there, and they can make you sleep in a tiny room with four other guys that you have never met, or in a motel where another driver enters the room in the middle of the night, fresh from the Greyhound bus station. Or put you with the bipolar trainer that will open the gates of hell on you as soon as you step foot in his truck. I have seen and experienced these situations myself and the stories that I hear from others have somewhat dimmed my view on humanity.

Your best bet: Pay for your own schooling or take out a loan from a bank on your own without involving a trucking company. That way you can leave a company that screws you around. You are not beholden to them for anything.

 

This is excellent advice by silverspur. Good luck

 

I lean more to free schools. Yes you will be working cheap your first year but you get the experience. It hard to find a company and insurance that will take the risk on a new driver. That why the trucking companies usually make new CDL holder go with a trainer still. Because they need paperwork say this new driver had some training in case of accident.

It does suck sharing a room with other people or even in the truck with a trainer unless your comfortable doing that already. I was a trainer for 1 year, I never realized how different people could be.

 

Yes, I highly advise trying to get through school on your own dime. My first experience just out of school was with a bipolar trainer-from-hell type.

 

My current company started working with a community college. To hire the driver that go thru the course. My company says most new drivers quite. I think my company runs the trucks hard.

New driveds don't realize just how much work it is driving 115,000-120,000 miles a year. No July 4 holiday for me. I'll be working

 

what he said