are trucking schools worth it?

I know nothing about the NYC area. I have been there once in my life somewhere around 1990. The only thing I can suggest is searching the internet and doing your due diligence. When I went to school (in 1984) I went to a Vo Tech.

Most schools I am familiar with require you to have your permit before starting school, but not all. Some will "help you study" for the permit (for an extra fee of course). This isnt necessary. I dont know how it works in New York but in Minnesota you can take the permit test every day until you pass it. I cant remember if the test there is free or if it costs something like $10 but it wasnt much.

You also want to take tanker and double/triples endorsements at the same time. They are free also and the more you have when you apply to jobs the better. I would recommend waiting on haz mat until you actually finish school as they hit you a $100 charge for the TSA background check and there is no point in spending that until you know for sure 1) that you are actually going to get your CDL (ie pass the school) and 2) until you know for sure that this is the life for your future. Because diving a truck is not a job that everyone WANTS to do or SHOULD do for that matter. I have had a few students that have no business in a truck.

 

Solve the puzzle "backwards"....

Find/pick a carrier (that normally hires new CDL grads)....which is also a fleet you would like to drive/work for.

Then call them & ask....which CDL school(s) they like to hire from.

-- L

 

OTR is a good way to bust out of any one region and learn the job. Good that you have a realistic idea about the first year and that it won't be big bucks, but you will learn a ton.

After you have a year under your belt, you gain options if you want to move on and try another company and/or division.

 

Ding, ding, ding, ding, ding. We have a winner.

That's how you pick a school. Decide where you want to work and ask THAT company what schools do they hire new drivers after graduating. The employer may give you names of CDL schools or mention the requirements they need. The employer could say "any CDL school with 160 or 200 hours" or whatever their specific detail may be. The goal is a good job, the school is just a small detail on the way to that good job. Many CDL schools are PTDI accredited, meaning they meet some basic level of standards. But, PTDI doesn't mean every employer will accept that school as good enough.

 

Theres a problem with this.

Say you decided Swift is the best fit. You ask Swift which school you should go to, guess what their answer will be? I will give you a hint, it will NOT be Bobs truck driving school and chicken wing shoppe.

If you can find a non-mega carrier that hires rookies just out of school, then by all means try this. Problem is there arent many smaller companies that are willing to do this that I have seen. But again, I know nothing about the New York area also. And any mega is going to tell you to use their school...

 

Western Express?

I should think not.

The following VER-RY RECENT Forum thread should quickly talk you out of that option:

How do I play this game?

Unless you have a criminal history &/or a questionable driving record, you would do well to look elsewhere.

The bottom line: you can do better than that.


-- L

 

Get the hazmat endorsement. It's no big deal hauling a load of paint or fingernail polish. Specialists haul the dangerous stuff. I'd rather haul a load of paint than sit in a truckstop waiting for a non-hazmat load. One reefer company I drove for, I made the most money of all the drivers because I was the only one with hazmat endorsement. I kept the wheels turning while the others had to wait at times for a non-hazmat load.