Another annoying newbie question!

Sorry I changed it!. I'm actually located 70 NE Of Minneapolis just across the boarder into Wi (35 min north of Hudson)

 

The community college is the same price as the other schools. I definitely like the idea of a longer course with more training, But I'm still on the fence as a 6 -8 week course makes it tough when trying to transition from one job/career into this. One school offers the ability to do 100 hours via the web then the last 60 in the truck (not so sure about that) the other is 3 straight weeks or 8 weekends All 3 in my area are about 4k. Thanks for the advice it all makes good sense. If I make the leap I don't wanna be one of the 50% that fails

 

Chippewa Valley tech in Eau Claire was about $2300 a few months ago when I looked into them. 8 week course and it seems to be highly regarded. You have to pay for housing for the 8 weeks of course. Have you thought about going to Roehl's school? From what I've read on here they separated the school from Roehl's name and it's no longer called RDTC. You can go to another company if you choose from what I understand but I don't know how that would work out.

 

Thanks Chippewa is about21/2 hours from me so Id probably spend the difference in the housing. I didn't know that about Roehl

 

Menards has a distribution center in Eau Claire, WI. Check with them and find out who ships into them frequently.

 

Im hungry...id show up...

 

Quite a bit of reefer work in and around your area, plus you ain't exactly what truckers would call "far" from Chicagoland.

 

Freight does run from/to Minneapolis/St. Paul area, and Swift has a terminal at Inver Grove Heights.
I never have a problem getting there, when that is where I am taking home time. Home time locations vary for me.
One huge account is Malt-O-Meal (MOM), and most of the loads I get when coming off home time are from there.

If you are 70 miles from there, it should not be a problem getting a load to your area to allow you to bt home.

As a new driver you will probably end up with a mega-carrier, like Swift or Werner or whomever.
Check out which carriers that hire new drivers also have terminals near you, and then decide which might be the best for you.
Swift is not without its problems, but they have been good to me so far.

As to the school, well, you simply have to weigh the options and choose what suites you best.

 

Community colleges are probably always a better bet than any CDL mill. You can't have too much education before you dive into becoming really educated by "the road", unless that education instills confidence. Driver training should instill doubt and fear. Once you lose the fear of the equipment you're just an accident looking for a place to happen.