California guy looking to get his CDL

Hey @visionarygvp I totally feel you bro. That's what I was afraid of, I spent two months researching trying to find the right one only to be let down. I went by the local American Job Center near me up in Victorville. You can find yours here just enter your zipcode. Go by there and talk to them about the Workforce Investment Act. I qualified because I'm on unemployment and I was recently discharged from the military. Just go by there and talk with them about it. They are paying for my trucking school down at Roadmasters in Fontana. I start in February. Thanks to them, I have a pre-hire from Schneider and Freymiller. As-well as Knights and Werner as backups.

If that doesn't work out for you or you're in a rush, from my research.. the best mega paid cdl's that are available for California that aren't horrible are Jim Palmer and Knights. Jim Palmer requires 3 years of verifiable employment which I didn't have, and Knights requires a $500 deposit + CDL Permit. @Jemikoh made a post about her experience with Knights and how she got the workforce to pay for her deposit, transportation, and what not here. You can try messaging her if you have any questions about Knights. She just got done with her year there. She has a youtube channel called Dollfacetrucker where she made videos as she went through her training with them.

If neither of those work, you can also try Cemak Trucking which has good reviews, it's a mixer job that pays for your CDL as-well as Robertsons which is also pretty good. Worst case scenario, swift isn't as bad as everyone makes them out to be. I considered them before I finally got approved for my trucking school.

Avoid CRST and CR England. Forced teams.

Trucking Answers is an amazing channel that will help you.

DMV Genie app is the best app to help you study for your CDL.

And last but not least, Trucking Truth is an amazing website along with this one. They have a CDL Study program on there as-well as very detailed reviews on trucking companies including diaries from people like you and I going through their programs.

Good luck to you bro, let us know what you choose.

 

Definitely bro! It's always worth a shot, worst case scenario they say no. Even if they do, you still have options. You said you worked for a job for 4 years, which means you definitely qualify for Jim Palmers CDL training. There is a ton of great reviews, the pay isn't great starting out but it's a foot in the door. @Chinatown recommends them heavily. If that doesn't work out, you still have the others I recommended.

Even if you have to start somewhere like Swift or even a mixing company. Just keep the end goal in mind and power through that first year and then you'll be in a world of great opportunities for you. This forum and the other one I mentioned have been my huge motivators and answers to all of my questions. So just remember research like crazy and make those phone calls. Get a book, and write down everything you learn about those companies that way you can take a look at it and make a sound decision on which one to go to.