I have a few questions, trying to get into driving .

1) There are thousands of trucking schools tbh. Some are better than others I supposed. You dont need to travel for one. Just google ones in your area and check reviews.

Your biggest concern needs to be private vs. company training. Private you pay the school and then apply for any job you want. Company, you are forced to sign a contract and drive for that company for a year and they will deduct the tuition out of your check each week. If you leave before a year you pay them the full tuition.

2) As far as pay, there is no one grouping that pays better than others. You have to check each company. OTR can pay will if you get the miles. Line haul pays good but it usually involves city driving. The big money comes in specialized hauling such as heavy haul/oversized loads, car hauling. Food delievery pays well but it is back breaking work.

As far as the mecca of jobs, it is personal preference more than anything. It depends what you like. I love otr, but I love being home with the wife more so I work at a warehouse moving trailers to be loaded and unloaded.

3) There are a couple of types of O/O. The ones who own their truck out right and pick the loads they want. They pay for their own insurance, tags, plates, dot #, and permits. You also have to join a consortium for random drug testing too.
There are o/os who sign on with a company and pick from that companies loads. You run under that companies numbers and they usually handle insurance, etc. and lease purchase where you drive for a company. You lease a truck from them. They take out large payments per week to cover the truck, insurance, etc. The first two are most profitable and can be more lucrative then otr, but like anything else you have to work for it.

You may have to be a company driver for a year or two to gain experience as insurance may not insure you right away or ratee could be astronomical.

I was never an o/o, but I got family that is so I may get a few pieces of info wrong on part 3.

Others will be by and can correcte.if I am wrong. Good luck.

 

a school that's the best i think depends on the actual guy doing the training rather than the company. as long as they have decent equipment, being successful through training no matter where you go is gonna be based on your attitude and ability more then anything else
find somewhere reasonably priced.

schools now don't even train, they train you to pass the test so i doesn't really matter where you go...
the real learning starts when you're out on the road

 

Any school will do.

When you are new you have to ask yourself do you want to do local or OTR. Being new pick which one you want to do, be reliable work hard and more money and better routes and opportunities will come.

Before being and O/O spend a few years being a company driver, then decide if you love trucking enough to take the plunge. If/when that time comes make sure you’ve got money saved into the bank to get started. Good luck, god bless.

 

Just having a CDL is not enough to get a job usually. Because everyone know passing the CDL test and road test dose not mean you can drive in the city traffic or snow. Just because you pay your own way thru CDL school you could still be stuck working for a beginner trucking company and low pay.

Lots of time in trucking it's the insurance company that won't let someone drive a truck. They just won't insure a new driver without some real training or experience.

 

Thank god we don't have a haaarvaard of trucking schools.

With that said, trucking schools will teach you just enough to get your CDL at the DMV without running granny over at the curb. Your real educating begins with your first load. It never stops until you quit trucking, or when your body breaks down. Whichever comes first.

 

The job of the school is to help you get your CDL. What happens from there depends on you. The majority of people are going to follow the path of least resistance. That of course, pays the least. Even so, there is money in going where most don’t want to go and doing what most don’t want to do.

When you start looking at trucking companies, you will see advertisements on the money, “Drivers make up to $X per year!” That’s the top drivers. The top drivers make 1.5-2X average. If you call any trucking company, they can tell you the name of the top driver and the average pay. Ask them if the top driver trains. If he does, walk away.

Why?

Average sucks. The average driver sucks balls. The average trainer sucks. An A Game driver will run circles around them. If the only way you can make top dollar is by running a trainer truck as a team, you don’t want to work there. It’s unfair to the trainee (who gets paid peanuts) and ignores hard charging A Gamers.

One more thing, if anyone mentions to you during recruiter day at the school ANYTHING about being able to lease a truck, DON’T GO THERE. That company’ bread and butter isn’t moving freight, it’s getting inexperienced drivers to foot the bill for that company’s operating expenses. That ain’t cool.

 

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I only see one thing wrong with your plan.

California

 

Most any 160 hr. school is all you need.
Call some companies you're interested in and ask which school they hire from in Santa Maria area.
Here's some you can check:
Freymiller - www.drive4freymiller.com - click on 'Recent Graduates.'
Schuster - www.schusterco.com
Melton Truck Lines - www.meltontruck.com
Leavitt's Freight Service sometimes hires a new cdl grad. Well worth it to make some inquiries.
Real Truck Drivers - Drive Leavitts
https://driveleavitts.com