good/bad company blogs-what should I believe?

There's a list of questions in the newbie section that a driver should ask to the recruiters. Hit a number of training companies with the same set of questions and compare what you get. Here's an important question... what happens if you leave the company before your commitment (and tuition repayment) is complete? There are many companies out there who would just as soon see revenue coming from your backpocket via a bill collector as see you in a new career.

You'll find drivers who think a company is great, and others who think they are the creation of Satan. Its like any employer... some folks fit in fine, others don't. Keep this in mind... most of the "bad threads" are written by someone while they're PO'd.

 

The long and short of it is that most of the companies that you read of on this and other blogs have 100s to 1000s of drivers. Of those, a very small percentage post on the blogs and it's often times the bad stuff. Take what you read with a grain of salt.

If you go to a company, any company, with the right attitude and work ethic you should be fine. It's good to peruse these blogs to get an idea of what to do and what not to do once you get "out there", but common since goes a long way.

Of everything written, the one piece of advice that you should take to the bank is that you DO NOT want to lease a truck being new to the business, from ANY company. Give yourself a year or two, minimum, before you even start to entertain that idea.

From the very beginning you should establish the mindset of staying with whatever company you end up going with for a good year or two before moving on to something better.

Communication with your driver manager/fleet manager/dispatcher (all the same thing) should be a top priority. Whenever possible, let that person know of your available hours before you drop that load you're currently pulling. (You'll quickly understand what that all means if you don't quite at this point.)

If I had to do it all over again, I'd go with the company paid training. I say that because that $4500 bill that I made by going to Roadmasters was an unnecessary expense and there's a lot I could have done with that money. Lots of drivers will disagree with me on this but that's my opinion on the subject.

I hope that all helps. Good luck and keep us updated will ya?

L

 

If you don't have the money to pay for school yourself & you don't really want to go the company training route and be obligated to a company you might not like for 6-12 months then you should look into WIA. I've heard that the process up in Sac is alot faster than other places, 2-3 weeks, to get approved. Here is a link to the EDD/WIA website

http://www.edd.ca.gov/Jobs_and_Training/Workforce_Investment_Act.htm

 

And I thought the 4 months that it took me was bad. But 5-6 months to get approved & funded? #### thats a long time. I was told it only takes 2-3 weeks in Sac, guess he was WAAAAY off. Just try and do as much research as you can on here and make the most informed decision you can. Good luck with whoever you decide to go with and let us know how it goes.

edit: Have you looked into TDA(truck driving academy)? I know they do company sponsored training for Central Ref & I've heard more good than bad things about them. I think they a school somewhere in Sac, maybe not too far away from you.

 

I went with swift Because they were the only company to call me back And set every thing up. I started at their academy on the week of thanksgiving got my CDL the week before Xmas And was on the road with a mentor/trainer the week of xmas. If I drive for them for 13 months they pay for half the schooling if I stay 26 months they pay all of the cost of schooling. I have 32 hours of driving left and expect to be in my own truck with in two weeks. Hope this helps.

 

Is it possible for you to get a loan to pay for your own training so you can opt out of being tied to a contract? That's the route I went 14 years ago. You'd still have to be careful though because if the program you choose is approved by the company you hire on with, most will reimburse you all or some of the cost of your schooling, but if you hire on, and then decide you need to leave that company you can't get reimbursement from anyone else. There would be nothing worse than being stuck with a company you hate because they have you under contract. I went to our local community college who's program was just about $1000 cheaper than the one truck driving school located near me. It was an 8 week program held 5 days a week for 4.5 hours a day.

Training with a trainer in a truck will let you know if you are cut out to run team. Some folks can, some folks like me absolutely cannot, I can't sleep in a moving truck, and I just don't trust anyone else behind the wheel, it drives my wife crazy. Even though I've heard companies say that their training program is NOT ran like a team operation, most often times after only a week or two, if your trainer is comfortable with your driving, you will be running as a team.

 

Slowpoke have you looked into Government funding? Getting a loan isn't your only route. Maybe check out the Central Ref threads. I think you will find over all the drivers have a lot of good stuff to say about the company. They are a large enough company to keep you busy yet small enough to still treat you like a human being instead of a number unlike the mega-companies. It's going to depend on your driving record too as to whether or not they will accept you however it is worth a try. They have in-house schooling and it is a pretty good program. Yes it is a contract but it really is no different owing them money or a bank. Their program will at least allow you to get started with little money. Good luck man!