after a ton of soul searching and trying to figure things i've found that i want to get my class A and of course i have a few questions. i absolutely can't go OTR due to some family obligations. this is not negotiable. i'd like to find myself doing flatbed or tanker work... or even more interesting to me is lowboy hauling equipment. the first question i have is if you all think i'll easily find local driving work. for this to pan out i need to bring in about 40K a year. i don't really have any interest in freight like i said. i want to do flat bed or tanker work. and my last question is my choice of driving schools. my first choice is dakota county technical college in rosemount, mn. (dctc.edu if you want to look it over) it's a 320 hour program. cost is $4800. you drive several trailer styles and lengths. they offer doubles also along with different types of transmission and cab configurations. (Comprehensive training includes 9, 10, Super 10, 13-speed transmissions, 48 and 53-foot trailers, double and triple trailers, anti-jackknife training.) my 2nd choice is century college in white bear lake, mn. their cost is $3000 and it's a 150 hour school. you learn on songle axle sterlings with 10 spd trannys and single axle trailers that are i believe 23 ft. is the extra time and money worth going to DCTC? will it give me an advantage when it comes to looking for work? it definitely seems it will give me a better foundation. well, any ideas will help. lemme have it. thanks, sam
Good luck finding any local job without going otr. If I was you I would call all the companies in your area, and see if they would even consider someone fresh out of school. In your first year you may see $40k, but more than likely $30K-$35K is more realistic.
I agree with Sparky. It isnt impossible to find local work with no OTR experience. But without it you wont be their top choice, and it wont pay as well. Some markets are diff, as local needs dictate. So call some local companies get a feel for what your market can support. As for school choice honestly most of them could care less. As long as you have the CDL and whatever endorsments your job requires they dont care how many hours or types of equipment you had available in training. Usually wont even ask or consider it an advantage. Pay scales are effected by how much experience you have. Truthfully I would suggest the shortest school with the fairest cost, as long as you finish with that CDL nothing else matters. The first school you mentioned is definately a better program. But sadly it wont have an impact on your ability to get a job, or how much you would be paid.
thanks for you replies and honesty. it's a little discouraging that you can spend that much money on training yourself and not be any better off than someone who just went through a CDL mill. but, i figured that might be the case and that's why i asked. looks like i'll have my work cut out for me trying to find something local. maybe my best bet is to start banging on doors and talking to hiring managers and plead my case. it probably won't matter but i drove front-load garbage truck for a year and a half. no accidents or tickets. maybe, hopefully that'll count for something.
