I Need Help ! ! ! (contract)

You gotta sign a contract with anyone, then don't do it. They will either A) screw you over, or B) you'll want to go to a different company with better pay. Talk to people who sign with crst or cr england, they are always ########. You gotta be smarter than to tie your license up in a contract.

 

need more detail - what kind of contract are you talking about?
1)Are you preparing for CDL training?
2)Are you already licensed and simply signing on to driver OTR?
3)Are you an O/O contracting your equipment?
If it's the first one, I was very happy to make an agreement with CR England in exchange for a lower rate for the cost of school. I understood I would get lower than industry pay with them during that time, but on the other hand, in exhange, I got my first year OTR experience with a nationally recognized outfit and had NO trouble chosing from better companies at the end of the year. I consider the committment was an investment and it paid off nicely, I was recruited away by Sunflower (now Shaffer) and I have been under the umbrella of the Ackie companies for the past 10 plus years.
The fact is that with or without a contract, you will still be what is called an "at will" employee meaning the company can fire you "at will" for any reason and you cannont dispute it (unless, of course, you can prove and fight in court it was on un-lawful grounds in which case, the company wouldn't be worth fighting to stay with, would it?).
Line your ducks up in a row and if you have a better offer that is without a contract, maybe lean towards it. If not, there's nothing wrong with signing on in exchange for something (better pay, reduced training cost, guaranteed fleet assignment, etc).
Don't come into the industry with the attitude that you can easily jump from one company to another. It will hurt your professional reputation as well as your bottom line (it's expensive to take several weeks unemployed to start all over at a lesser payrate with another company!).

 

You gotta read the contract then you'll know if you can do that, but my guess is if you sign a contract to be with them for a year than you better make that commitment to be with them for a year.

 

Go to your local Work One or whatever employment service, or even your local cdl school and they will work something to fund your schooling than you can pick whatever company you want to go to and they will reimburse which ever service funded your school. That is what I did, no contracts.

 

I started 12 years ago and had very little $$$ in the bank. There weren't outside options for financing so company training was best for me (it was, if I recall, $2,000 for training that at that time cost $3000 on average). The cost of the school was then deducted from my payroll over the first 6 months solo (which came after I had earned pay for almost 2 months OTR driving with a trainer and then a fellow student).
I don't know what the current school tuition is, but would imagine it is higher than it was when I began so you need to do the research. Compare school costs, compare trucking company programs, and like Kylcapria says, look at established work programs through an employment agency or a loan from a bank if your finances are ok. Of course the great thing about doing that, is that you can chose the BEST place to finance, the BEST place train, and then can chose the BEST place to work instead of trying to find one place, a trucking firm, that can offer all three at maybe a less than desirable fee or reputation.
ANY worries, DON'T rush into something with Central - there will always be work out here, take your time and adjust your schedule to allow research so you are happy you are going the right way. If Central comes out on top, they will be there waiting for you next week, next month, or next year. YOU make your own schedule, don't let them push you (the same will be true AFTER you start driving, LOL!) Good luck!bb.