Do you need to go to a trucking school to become a driver?

That goes without saying on anyone that goes there... I have read about others that went to schooling and still got sent home...

The Question was "Do You have to go to driven school", The right answer is NO, You don't have to. But it is much harder if You do it on Your own.

 

Where did you find a company that would rent you a truck without having a CDL? How were you able to drive the truck from the rental agency to the test location legally?

Regardless, several years ago I looked into renting a tractor and trailer to use when we were moving to a new house. And what I found was that in the area where we lived (NJ) I could not find anyone who would rent me a tractor and trailer unless I had my own DOT authority, i.e. my own company. The fact that I had a CDL-A didn't matter to anyone. No one would rent to a private individual. They would only rent to a company.

We had to settle for a rider straight box than any schmo with a credit card and a pulse can rent. So while I find it interesting that you were able to do it this way, I don't think this is option that would be open to most people.

Well IMHO, the right answer is yes you can, but you probably shouldn't. I went through a 6-week program to get my CDL. Which is to say it was an accelerated program but a program none the less. My first job was working for a company that ran bid routes in teams. Since they had a high turnover, I found myself being the senior guy (i.e. the truck captain if you will) for my route after only a few weeks on the job. They put me together with two different new hires over the course of a couple of months. One of them had never been to school. He got his CDL when he was working as landscaper using a dump truck pulling a heavy trailer. The other kid did go to school but he had signed up for a 4-week program and they brought him to another students road test after 1 week 'just to see what the tests are like' and had him take the test himself 'just for practice'. Low and behold he managed to pass so after 1 week, he had his license so he was graduated as far as they were concerned.

Now like I said, I had only a few months of experience at the time after going through a 6-week program myself. But even still, you could fill a 53' dry van with what these two guy didn't know about trucking compared to what little I did know at the time.

One day we were lost and trying to get turned around using a little dirt parking lot on the side of the road and my ex-landscaper co-driver got the truck in a spot where the drives were just spinning. I told him to lock the diffs so we could get unstuck. He looked at me like I talking in another language. Had no idea what I was talking about or how to do it. Same thing when I told him to move the trailer tandems one day. No idea what it meant or how to do it. It was always comforting when the guy who had to drive while I slept would say things like 'you mean I can make the 5th wheel slide forward or backward if I flick this switch?'

Then there was my 1-week of school wonder graduate. He had absolutely no idea why he needed to know the difference between a highway and a state road and a county road when it came to following directions. He thought all roads with numbers were the same and that a truck would fit down any of them without an issue. IOW, he thought he could fit the truck down 19th street simply because its name was a number. He also had no idea that he needed to pay attention to things like the height of power lines when he was driving on local roads.

I know that there are lots of guys out there who never went to school and I'm sure plenty of them have probably forgotten more about trucking than I'll ever know. But my personal experience in dealing with guys who avoided school to get their CDL tells me that going to a good school is the probably the best first step for 99% of those who want to get into trucking.

 

I rented from a company called CDLexpress, they are in Houston and they rent/help You get Your cdl. It's not a school, but the owner used to work for the DPS drivers license department here in Texas.

They brought the truck to the office where I took My test... I do agree a school is the better way to go, but Not the only way.. I have 10 pre-hires but going to Swift first.

If that doesn't work out then I start going down My list. The reason for Swift is because they have flat beds and told me They would take me. If worst comes to worst I'll see if any cattle ranches would give me a job driven.. I'll go the harder way at getting OTR miles.

There is other companies that told Me once I get some time behind the wheel in a rig I can get on with them, Doesn't have to be OTR, just verifiable driven work of the same type of trucks.

 

I did not set foot in a school, nor use any info other than the CA Commercial Driver Handbook. I took my written tests with tank & double/triple endorsement on June 30, then made an appt for Aug 19 to take my road test. Rented a truck and trailer. With not a single minute of road time behind the wheel before my road test, I passed it on that day and now have a full time local driving job at which I get 60+ hours a week Monday thru Friday, weekends off.

It can be done.

 

I did have yard time and help from family, so there was that advantage for me. It came very naturally for me, and I could not see paying so much money to learn how to drive something (to me that was really quite simple) that I could around the yard already. My dad and grandpa both have 1 million miles under their belt...I guess not everyone was in my situation.

 

Just putting this out there... back when I got my CDL the testing center had trucks to rent if needed. But, I would recommend a school so you can have a reliable stable learning environment.

 

IF Swift does take you then they will be one of the only companies that does. Like AT said you haven't made it through orientation yet! Most companies are not going to take you though unless you have gone to an accredited school. This is due to insurance policies. If anyone could just borrow a truck to take their test and get hired on with a company then wouldn't you think everyone would do that instead of paying $6000 to go to a school!?

 

I spent most of my life in and out of big trucks.Starting at about 18 yrs.old in the US Army.I could have passed my CDL test very easily,without going to school,but then no company would have hired me,due to no verifiable experience.So off to driving school I went,and I learned a lot there,from logging and all kinds of paper work,etc.I was the oldest one in my class,and when it came to the driving part I just rode along with a couple of younger drivers who needed the driving experience.The instructor said there was no point in me driving,because I already had it down pat.Then came the end of school and time to test for my CDL,hey it was a snap,and a day or so later I was hired by the old MS Carriers,in Memphis,TN.The schooling counts as a years experience when it comes to hiring on as a driver.Dont know what it is like getting hired on today,because of this so called recession,brought about by the three major news,networks,who are so #### liberal they stink.And looking at it from a trucking cos.point of view,you really cant blame them for not wanting to turn you loose,in a $100,000 truck with no experience.Course I know that today I could hire on with just abouit any company,at 73 years of age.I have the schooling behind me with many years of good experience to go with it.A ood lesson for all of you newbees out there is that being able to drive a truck from point A to point B is just a small part of what will be required of you.Yeah,its just another job,without a boss looking over your shoulder,and being out there on the big road all by yourself,you are responsible for doing the job right.