Hello

Stand by

The Truth shall appear !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Use the search feature and just read, read, and read.............

 

Welcome to the forum SouthernMobileD! Like you, I've done a lot of research using this forum plus other sources....but mainly this forum. I've had to bite my lip more times than once when a question such as yours has been posted. I've learned a tremendous amount from the gals/guys here and have probably read many of the same stories of gloom and doom that you have read. On several occasions I haven't been successful in biting my lip and have expressed my opinion to other wannabes seeking advice. So, please keep in mind that my opinion here doesn't come from any knowledge or experience with respect to trucking but from a pretty wide and varied background in life and business.

First of all, I visited the TDI near my home several months ago and talked with one of the recruiters. He was very personable, had OTR experience, and seemed genuinely interested in me and my future. We talked for about 45 minutes during which time he painted a grand and glorious picture of life as a driver. I asked questions and he answered them. He offered, for $50 bucks or so, to get the ball rolling and said I could take $1000 off the top of the tuition for paying everything up front. He said I would have a job, not a pre-hire, not an interview, but a job guarantee within the first several days of starting class. Had it not been for the fact that I was 55 years old and had been in sales myself in the past, I would have jumped feet first at his offer. It WAS tempting!

Well, that was about 3 months ago. During the last 3 months I've learned a lot more about the industry. I've searched other avenues for accomplishing my goal to be a commercial truck driver. I've asked many questions to the members of this forum.

Here's where I am at this point. 1) I'm keeping my job as a school bus driver until next summer, at least. 2) I've been accepted at a community college near my home and will attend its driving school next summer. It lasts for 8 weeks, 8 hours per day. If, when I complete the school, I have succeeded in getting a FIRM commitment from one or more companies, I will move forward and start this career that I have subconsciously wanted for longer than I previously would admit. 3) Here's the biggee: I'm not about to invest $5000 or more, regardless of whether it's my money or someone else's, on something that is more than a little shaky right now.

I've said all that to say this. Look for alternatives. Have Plans B & C firmly etched in your mind. Finally, stay tuned to this forum. Listen very carefully to everything that goes against what you want. Consider the source of every, every post you read. Make a decision based on what is BEST FOR YOU and BEST for anyone that is depending on you.

 

Getting a CDL from Schneider or any of the other companies may not be as bad as it is made out to be. (I don't know if the big companies still get you your cdl or not).
I paid $5000 to go to school in 05 and get my license. A buddy of mine went to Schneider, got it, drove 3 weeks and told them to shove it. He then owed them $3000.
Everyone says you gotta drive for them for a year, you don't. He saved $2000 over the route I chose...People on here say there are schools that will get you your cdl for $1500. That may be, ut I couldn't find any. Something to think about.........

 

SouthernMobileD. Like you I have thought about the community college
route also, but the biggest turn off for me is that most of them want you
to get high school transcripts and take reading, math , and english or
whatever they can think of all over again. I don't have time for that. All
I want is strictly CDL Training. The cost was not bad either. I am in GA.
Down in Atlanta. If you know of any community or tech colleges that
are exclusively CDL only training let me know and good luck. I know of a
couple CDL schools but they don't have a VA office so that I may use my
Army GI Bill benefits.

 

Now you're talkin'. Keep your head screwed on like you've got it screwed on now and you'll be just fine - in trucking or anywhere else!!

 

SouthrenMobileD

I myself went to a community college and learnd alot. I have been driving now for three weeks so i am very new at this, i myself have a wife and two kids and before i started driving school i had been unemployed for almost a year. It is hard to be away from them but i am getting used to it. The best thing i can tell you is get a GPS regardless of what some my say, it will take alot of stress off of you. BEST OF LUCK

 

Happy New Year Everyone!
I too am VERY grateful for all the good advice from the experienced (and not so experienced) posters here. A little about me: 48, single, Ive been working in the social work field for 10+ years and have been contemplating changing carreers for a year; in 6 months +/- I will probably be out of a job due to the economy; I've wanted to go into trucking for a number of years but have 2 kids who were too small for that to happen before now.
Im looking into the community college route for school, 8 weeks, $5k; the college says a few of the companies are recruiting from them (Swift, Werner and May), and you start to apply in the 2nd week of school. Im in Phoenix.
Im looking into WIA for funding and finding mixed results so far. A lady at the local unemployment office who supposedly handles the WIA program here says "dont do it" (trucking) and laughed. I wasn't laughing. She said there's no funding HERE for drivers because there's too much market saturation. But Ive read where other folks have had success with WIA funding but not specifically in AZ. So I'm still researching that.
Im not afraid of being broke for awhile, not afraid of being gone from home for awhile, not afraid of dealing with mechanical problems, dispatch problems, ect. My biggest fear is just not being able to get a job to get started long enough to survive and to prove myself. But then Im back to the whole country basically is afraid of getting and/or keeping a job they may or may not have. I have colleagues who have been out of work or downsized for the last several months and more on the way. So I think some of the "gloom and doom" talk here is generalized to other professions and its not just "trucking is bad". Things WILL get better. There are no guarantees (well except death and taxes), whether the economy is up or down.
Again thanks to all the experienced posters and experiences of newbies like me with one toe tentatively in the pool.
BG.