Advice on Company Paid training

Any schools not run by a trucking company will cost you big bucks up front. I went to Swift Driving Academy in Lewiston ID. I think they have a school in Lancaster or near there. They will get you your license and put you into a truck with a mentor for 6-8 weeks. They will pay you to learn. Its out on the road that you will do most of your learning, school time is just to get you a license. Swift will charge you for the course but will be cheaper than the stand alone schools. They will also reimburse you for the cost of school, at 1/2 the rate that they take money from you until the have covered the cost. In my case they took $75/week and reimbursed $35/wk.

Not the best way to learn, but if money and time is an issue, they'll get the job done. BTW, most company schools will ask you to sign a pledge to remain with them for a specified amount of time. If you dont complete your contract, they will pursue you for the money and put a negative rating on your DAC report making it hard(er) to get another job.

Good Luck and keep all 18 on the pavement. and stay away from CR England, thats for sure. IMO of course.

 

Roehl is a company with a TOP reputation, pays well, and expects the best from their employees. Thats the best I can tell you about them. If they will take you, go for it!

 

If there is ANY way possible for you to flip the school yourself, this is the best option. if not...

If and when you are approved for unemployment because of lay off's you may be qualify for WIA. Workforce Investment act. That takes awhile though and I think you have to be on Unemployment for some time before they even consider you. (This I do not understand, because it is way cheaper to send a man to Trucking school than to pay for him to sit at the house). If you find that you have to go through a Company then do your research and then do more research and then do some more research!! I do not want to bash any Trucking Outfit. But suffice to say, there are good one's that offer training and not so good one's. Be aware that you are locked in with that Company once you sign, just like buying a Car. Some Company's School is much less costly than private School. I went to Sage in China Grove, Tx. It cost about 4,500.00 There are company run schools that are half that, and some of those give you the option to "drive" away the cost or pay up front. So that is something to explore. Some company's will also finance the cost at a School close to you if you sign your name on the dotted line. Kind of helpful if you want to be at home while getting your CDL. But my view is if you have to go that avenue, the trucking Company will give you much better drive time training than say Sage or Roadmaster. The bigger outfit's will almost always pay for your trip up there and a room and food (tacked on to your bill of course). But if you need that, then it's nice to be taken care of. I would recommend Roehl Transport. The only draw back is you have to pay for your trip up, lodging and food. (all of which is discounted) Roehl is a solid company In my view. If you get your CDL on your own Roehl will fly you up to Marshfield Wisconsin, pay for your, room and food. Plus pay you like 650 bucks to do a weeks training. (trip planning, elogs, and driving of course). Then send you out with a Trainer for like two weeks or so. Thats all I got, but again do your homework on all options you have. In the end, it's your baby.

 

FFE driver academy is in Ft worth. 1 year commitment and they do not take a single dollar out of your checks for school. School is 18 days long, then 6 weeks with a trainer. They provide lodging, but while your at the academy you have to pay for food. After that you go to Lancaster TX for orientation and they provide a nice hotel room and all meals.

 

my personal experience out of the companies you mentioned is with usa truck. i went to c-1 in indy,in...they offered guaranteed job upon completion of course with pam roehl or usa. usa truck offered the best pay package at the time, and i went with them. you could finance the course, and then only needed a couple hundred bucks (or less) to buy one meal a day that they did not "provide" (of course the provided stuff is all built into the cost). usa truck sent me out with a trainer for weeks (they said 4-6 weeks) and mine trained me well. usa truck paid me back for the cdl class at a rate of $100/month. course was 4k at the time, but was 2500 if paid up front, which i did.
usa truck always treated me well... got better than average miles nearly every week, averaging about 3100-3200 miles overall. they always got me home within a day of my request, usually same day or earlier. (had to request a wk in advance). my fm treated me like a person....she was always decent to me. this is several years ago, and to be fair whenever i was at a terminal i heard numerous complaints, but i had few. went somewhere else for more money after a couple years, but i wouldnt change having driven for usa.... and as an aside a very good driver friend drove for stevens and had horror stories of his own.
if i had to go to school again today, id avoid a company school in favor of one like c1 that offers financing AND guaranteed job at the end. and me, personally...id go with usa truck if i was choosing a "mill".

 

Raiders CSA score is 96% +.

 

I'm on the last two days of training at Roehl right now. I would recommend Roehl as a good school to anyone to go to.

Other than Roehl you could try FFE or Central Refrigerated, CR is in Utah but they do bus you in and put you in a hotel as part of the schooling.