Class A CDL Student Driving Schools

How's it going everybody? I'm sure this has been asked before, but I wanted to know if there was anyone who had any positive exp. with a Student Driver program through a company like Swift, or Maverick. I'm 22 years old and I'm tired of just having "Jobs." I'm not totally green however, as my father drove OTR until the day he passed away, mostly flatbed. I loved going out on the road with him ( And did it often ) but had other plans for my life.

I joined the Army in 2011 as an 11B Infantryman and was medically discharged for an injury I received in BCT/OSUT. It has since been taken care of, and I'm medically cleared. No gaps in my employment history save for the surgery. Sitting around and not working isn't exactly my thing. I'm not afraid to flip burgers for a living if I have to. A job is a job.

But now, as I'm getting older, and have the luxury of not having a family yet, I've decided that I can't ignore the call any longer. I was born to drive truck. However, my father always told me that when I did drive truck eventually ( I think he had a feeling I would sooner or later ) to NEVER go through a student program. But then again, he was very old school. One of those truckers that looked like he was allergic to hugs and happiness.

I know this won't be easy. It's a profession. Something you have to work towards every single day. This concept isn't new to me, as personal sacrifice is still a code I live by today. I'm excited to start, and looking forward to sharing my journey with all of you. Who knows, in a few years time, I might even see some of you on the road. Thank you all for the advice and knowledge in advance.

 

Money is always tight in this economy. Paying for my own schooling isn't an option. Between rent and basic living costs, I'm lucky to come away with any money in my pocket after 2 weeks pay at a Dollar Tree. This is why I'm looking at a student driver program. The first year sucking isn't an issue, I'm sure the pay won't be great starting off, and they'll badger me about doing a Lend-Lease program, but it's not like I've never had to "Embrace the suck" before. I'm more or less worried about the horror stories from drivers who get all the way out to the school of the Companies choice, and getting sent home or rejected after that Pell money comes through.

 

Apologies. I live in northeastern Ohio. Wooster to be exact.

Edit: I've looked around and decided on Swift. Seems like a good program to get into, and 2 years isn't all that bad to commit to before getting out with a free Class A CDL. Now, don't jump my ### over this question but should I count on growing my hair out when I attend orientation for Swift? Anyone know? I just want to be prepared so I can get this ball rolling as quickly as possible, and would rather wait the extra couple of months for my hair to grow back then get there and them send me home. I'm not exactly "Educated" on drug testing as I've never been a user. If they do hair follicle testing, could they just take it from another part of my body? Would hate to waste my time and theirs just because I didn't know I had to stop being a chrome dome.

 

Just a whiz quiz with CRST, huh? That would make everything go a lot smoother. And only an eight month contract? You have my attention...