hello every1...... well in my current situation the free training is looking like my only and best option. i have read where people say it is something i should really avoid, but what i need to know is why? what are the pro's(if any) and cons? the school\sponsor im looking to sign on with is Driver Solutions bases in Indianapolis, IN who sponsor training for USA Truck, Averitt, STAR trans, and P.A.M. according to them the only cost to me is $1,000 and they pick up the rest. i get $200 for food and such during the 3 week training course and i pay $100 at the door. the recruiter tells me that most companies nowadays try to get you home on the weekends. for the first year they take $45 out of each paycheck toward the $1,000 tuition. i havent found out if i will have a 1 year or 2 year contract. i wont do the 2 year if they offer it. so my question more or less again is are the free training programs really as bad as rumored? if so, what is so bad about them? also, as for keeping in touch with friends and family, if i were to have a Laptop computer, how avaliable is the wireless internet on the trucks? will i have it at all? is it limited to "hotspots" or other?
From what I've head/read, the problem is you are committed to working for this company that trained you for one to two years, no matter what. So if you hate it there, you get no $$ there, you are mistreated there, you are stuck with them for one to two years, which is a long time to be in a job you despise. The best way to keep in touch with family and friends is a cell phone. If you have a laptop, it'll only work (for the internet) at truck stops and such were wifi is available. If you were to get an air card, then you'd have 24/7 access to the internet. You can get them from Verizon or Sprint and they cost around $70 a month or so. You can't do P2P or downloading but you can email, browse, message, etc., all you like.
If that is the only way you can go, then that is what you have to do. Keep this in mind, though: NOTHING is ever free. Whatever they tell you, get it in writing with someone's signature on it. Otherwise, it's just a piece of paper and no one will take responsibility for what it says on it. ("We don't have any idea where that came from.") Recruiters are good at putting a positive spin on what they are selling. What happens if you find out you don't want to work for the sponsering company? You will probably have to pay them back, and probably more than they are telling you to pay back now with a contract. You might check with some independent schools, if you haven't already, to see if they can offer you any financial assistance.
The"Free training"isn't free, like everyone has said you pay for it by staying with the company to repay them. if you're going that route, check out some others also. I mean if the location of the training doesn't matter, check out Prime, and I have heard both good and bad about SNI. Alot of companies are offering in cab e-mail, but that costs you also. Staying in touch by means of e-mail or chat can be done by lap top, which you will have to supply, or phone calls.
If you can afford to just get your license and then get on locally with a company, which you should be able to do with a very small amount of money, then after 6 months to a year, you can then can go OTR if you want without having to have the certificate from a school. Ka-chinga Ray James.
