Career change to Trucking.

Here is the deal. The companies you mentioned are whats called "Training" companies. ie There many focus is on training new people for the industry. You should include Swift and May in the list you posted. They are good for the 1st year or two and then you get the hell away from. IMO Swift is a great place to start. After that they suck.

Now here is the problem that I am sure the school recruiter did not bother to mention. The are 1000's of people just like you doing just what you are doing. The schools have flooded the industry with new drivers and there is just not the freight to put them to work. The companies are being really picky about who they hirer and then once you get out of training and go solo you will find the same problem as ever one else. Slow freight. O/O and small companies are going under by the 100's every week because there just is not enough freight for every one and the big boys can out bid them and out service them. even with a big company a good week is 3000 miles. 1800-2000 is not un-heard of.

So I would recommend that if you can get training in any other field you do it.

 

And if you still want training, check out community colleges/tech schools. They are not under the profit motive so will take more time to really train you, not just get you certified.

 

I talked to all state carreer too, their training is over 6 months long and it cost up over 10K.... when I left I was like....um no way im dropping 10 for a cdl.

 

$5.5K is still way too much for a CDL course.

 

$5.5K is still way too much for a CDL course.

I too am in a similar position. Office closing and layoff. I've been looking for work in my fields (Electronics technician, and CAD Drafting) and there just plain is nothing out there. I'd like to go in a different direction and get my CDL but was wondering what the out of pocket expense will be. I've driven everything from farm tractors to 26' moving vans with no problems. What is a normal length for a CDL school that would allow a person, with no real commercial driving experience, to be able to pass his CDL driving test? There is a vocational school within reeasonable driving distance of me that offers a CDL course. Have others out there gone that route or is one's best chance for success to apply for and get accepted by one of these trucking companie's schools and just fork up about $10,000?
Thanks,
Bill

 

It's just another low-skill blue-collar job that's steadily descending into the ranks of the working poor.
You seem bright, educated, articulate, and in command of your mental faculties.
So why on God's green earth would you want to drive a truck?
Seriously, this job is for drifters, burnouts, ex-cons, hobos, the morbidly obese, guys dodging child support, people who wear turbins, and those allergic to soap and hot water.
If you have something...anything...going for yourself than you're a fool to want to get into this biz.
This is definitely a job of last resort.